In a week when the world has gone mad, again, I really need to garden to give me some balance. This week’s #SixonSaturday represents the hope I have for the near future, at least for the gardening season.

First up are crocus. Despite hiding under 3 inches of snow on Thursday, and weathering 3 named storms in the last week, they are now fully flowering again, smiling in the sunshine. And I noticed I grow them in blue and yellow, so here they are first to remind us all to send thoughts to our friends in Ukraine, suffering a Dystopian nightmare….could be any of us.

In the veg patch, Welsh onions have survived the winter, started to grow, and will soon be used as a spring-onion alternative.

With food on my mind, I’ve wandered into the greenhouse for the next couple of pics. I have planted seeds early, and thus have a nice tub of fresh looking pak choi, soon to prick out.

A second type of pak choi, with a hint of red, are already nestling in their own pots and romping away. Should be stir frying in under a month.

Back to the garden now, with hazel catkins in full flower, the tiny red female flowers have finally started (top right).

Will this be the last of the snowdrops as we stretch towards the end of February? They still look fantastic.

That’s my #SixonSaturday for this week. Stay safe, and don’t forget to follow the crowd on twitter and via the web from links to the originator of #SixonSaturday, the Propagator himself.

Another week of storms left us battered by the winds of Dudley, then shivering in the snow brought by Eunice. I nipped out to get some pics from the garden on Friday afternoon before the snow turned to slush. So here’s my snowy #SixonSaturday.

First is footprints in the snow. There’s been a pheasant about, but next to him must the hare-prints. I saw a shadow flick past the bedroom window this morning, I think it must have been the hare.

After biding its time, my favourite hellebore is doing the biz, standing out proud against a slightly slushy background.

After a veg growing exchange on twitter, I was persuaded to move a few pak choi from the greenhouse, to a sheltered corner, to encourage them not to bolt. I was promised that they are frost-hardy. We shall see.

Nearby I spotted a sulking primula. I’m hoping this little beauty will make it through the cold and wind too.

The garden path robin has turned into ‘its a hold-up-robin’. Each time I venture onto the path it leaps out in front of me and demands goodies. I’d like to think this one ‘has character’….certainly keeps my mood up.

As we’re still bang in the middle of snowdrop season, I’ll end this week with snowdrops in the snow.

That’s my chilly #SixonSaturday for this week. We’ve weathered 5 storms now this winter, and have been incredibly lucky to lose just a few plants, whilst keeping the house intact. I hope others can stay the same. Stay safe, and don’t forget to follow the crowd on twitter and via the web from links to the originator of #SixonSaturday, the Propagator himself.

As we approach mid-February, there are hints of new life everywhere. Not least in the fact that, as of this week, the sun has started to rise before 8am. I’ll celebrate that with a sunrise.

And the coming of the light, invites me to start looking for some colours-of-love for this almost-Valentine #SixonSaturday.

My first this week is all about love, the love of the tiny little iris that do their thing at this time of year. here’s a close-up of my current favourite, heart-lifting on even the grim days. How could anyone not love this stunning beauty.

We’ll head to red now for a bit of seasonal wildlife. The robins are red-breasted, cute and sing so sweetly. In my garden there are 5 currently attempting to literally tear each other’s heart’s out to bag the best territory between the bird feeder and the pond. Here’s one of the little innocents.

I’ve tried hard to find pinks and reds amidst the newly emerging greens and here are a couple of veggy reds. This doesn’t look like a veg….in fact it’s a root, oca (also called New Zealand yam), I plant I’ve grown for a few years. These are a form of oxalis, producing fresh green leaves all summer (tangy in a salad), then one the foliage had died, the roots are dug for eating in winter. They taste like a lemony Jerusalem artichoke and are a luscious pink.

Having gone through the rain, wind, dark and (finally) hard frost is radicchio, a wonderfully hardy salad veg. This variety get redder as they get more frosted and taste grate wilted into a meat lasagne.

An even deeper red is displayed by my favourite hellibore, still not quite flowering, sitting in a shady windy corner. I’m a little suspicious that some critter is nibbling the new flowers.

I’ll end this week with the only appropriate flower for Valentine’s Day. This year, bush roses have never stopped flowering. I love that.

That’s my #SixonSaturday this week. Stay safe and don’t forget to follow the crowd on twitter and via the web from links to the originator of #SixonSaturday, the Propagator himself.

Early February is still very much winter, and I’ve been feeling the cold, and a bit glum. But it’s seldom been properly cold this winter, often 9-12 degC. I think that’s why the garden is apparently stirring. So here, goes, lots of winter colour and light for my #SixonSaturday this week. Time to get out and let the light and colour blow away all the bad news days.

I planted up a couple of window box planters with little winter/spring plants. So far, they been enjoying the full south-facing sunny terrace. Now they’ve made their move to deliver their garden joy, they will be placed into my cold and shady courtyard: flowers will last longer, and greet the postie as they bring us the mail.

I’ve never had too much success with crocus. A couple of clumps have started to naturalise in a rather satisfying way this year. Here’s one.

It is hard not to spend hours of fun photographing the hazel tree on a sunny day. The catkins are now doing their stuff, magnificent, though have not seen the tiny red female flowers yet.

Back down on the ground, the first tubs of tulips are giving it a go. Not too much mouse damage this year, I guess because we’ve only had one night of snow.

I have a good few beds to smooth over and deliver the ‘no-dig’ cardboard and compost treatment. I keep thinking ‘plenty of time yet’. Already though, there’s action in the perennial corner. I can’t help feeling it really IS much too early for rhubarb to be appearing.

Last but not least, back to the spring bulb table. I was busy trying to be artful with shots of the iris, when this little chap (or chapess) photobombed the scene. Are they enjoying the iris too, or hoping I’ll crack on with the photos and then get to the bird feeders?

That’s my #SixonSaturday this week. Stay safe and don’t forget to follow the crowd on twitter and via the web from links to the originator of #SixonSaturday, the Propagator himself.