Skimmia – Notes From My Garden

Hips, Berries & More

Published on October 11, 2025October 11, 2025 by Catherine26 Comments

It’s almost mid-October and perennials in the garden are slowly melting away. Several have tucked themselves in for their winter slumber while others are beginning to change their colours and drop their leaves. Garden jobs continue and bulbs are about to be planted in the borders; I expect there will be more to say about that in the coming weeks.

It has been a miserable start to Autumn and there’s no word that describes recent weather better than ‘dreich’. Last weekend’s storm is past history; it howled through the garden and left no damage this time. My sisters and sister-in-law were not so lucky, with damage to gardens and/or their homes. But on Thursday, the clouds rolled away and the sun put in a welcome appearance with forecasters assuring us that we will now have settled, rain-free weather for the next 10 days. Hopefully a change is underway, just in time for mid-Autumn walks in the park with crispy, vibrant coloured leaves beneath our feet. I can dream, can’t I?

But right now it’s time for Six on Saturday!

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First ‘Six’ of 2025

Published on February 15, 2025February 14, 2025 by Catherine31 Comments

Six on Saturday

For a few days at the end of January and beginning of February, it felt almost as though spring had arrived. My husband and I spent several days in the garden – our first opportunity to tidy up after Storm Eowyn. It was still bitterly cold, but calm and sunny. We were dressed for the cold and it turned out to be quite pleasant in the sunshine. Unlike many in our area, the garden escaped the worst of last month’s storm. The blown-out glass in the greenhouse has been replaced and the one tile that had slipped on the roof of the house is back in place. I will never forget the roar of the wind that night. It was incredibly loud and sounded much like the hurricanes or tornadoes in movies. Scary.

That’s behind us now, new shoots are emerging everywhere and I’m feeling excited as spring approaches. I’m busy with gardening tasks like cutting back the last of the perennials and removing old or damaged shrubs when the weather is nice.

But now it’s time for my first 2025 Six on Saturday.

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Did Someone say it was Spring?

Published on March 30, 2024March 29, 2024 by Catherine29 Comments

March came in like a lion and it’s going out the same way. This week has been tough on the garden – no jobs have been tackled and they’re mounting up.

However, it’s not been all gloom, yesterday morning was bright and sunny, the cold wind had dropped and I should have been busy in the garden. But it was the first day of the school spring holidays and we had our two nearby grandchildren with us as mum & dad didn’t have time off work. It was nice enough to go to the nature reserve where Littlest Grandson, while trying to race his big sister to the one-person bench that overlooks the pond, (who thought a one-person bench was a good idea?) slipped on the muddiest part of the entire area. He had to suffer the indignity of travelling home in the car without his shoes, socks and jeans. Will he learn to stay on the path? Of course not, where’s the fun in that. 😁

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Christmas Berries, Buds & First Snow

Published on December 23, 2023January 13, 2024 by Catherine20 Comments

Six on Saturday

It’s almost the end of 2023 – it seems to have arrived so quickly! For my final Six on Saturday of 2023, I have five topics and ten photos, and I know that’s a slight deviation from the normal requirements, but I hope our host, Jim won’t object!

Frosted Cotoneaster Horizontalis

The one plant in my garden that takes on the most Christmassy appearance is the Cotoneaster. Those bright red berries and tiny leaves coated in white wouldn’t look out of place as a decoration on top of a Christmas cake, but the frost would melt away as soon as it reached the kitchen, wouldn’t it! I’ll leave it where it is. 😁

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Six on Saturday 2020 31-10

Published on October 31, 2020December 5, 2020 by Catherine28 Comments

This isn’t the autumn I imagined. Walks in the park filled with rich colour and crisp leaves that crunch underfoot; cold, bright days, warm scarves and cosy boots. October 2020 has been rain, rain and more rain – with winds that strip the trees bare before they’re quite ready to give up the leaves of their own accord.

I’m cheered though, by next week’s forecast that shows by the middle of the week, some dry weather is ahead, with temperatures dropping…it’s been a strangely mild month. Perhaps next week it will begin to feel a bit more like autumn.

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