A new year. Full of hope, yet still lots of uncertainty. I’ve been focusing on small changes in the garden to keep the spirits up. First this week, it’s out with the old. Now we’re into January, it feels like time to prune the apple trees. They look like they need a trim. I’ll get started once my dodgy shoulder settles a bit.

I featured the pond for the last post of 2020, but have to include it here again today. So pretty under a dusting of snow. And we’ve been focusing on clearing a bit of open water at the back to give us a good view from the kitchen of bathing birds.

New flowers are coming on this hardy pentaglottis sempervirens (yes I had to look this up). The plants grows a foot or more tall, all year round, giving small blue flowers that insects love. It’s even having a go at the very start of the year. Seems to be impervious to hard frost and even snow.

My favourite hellibore is a purple one. Looks like it might be another week or two before it flowers, but it’ll be worth the wait.

In the autumn, I massively over-ordered on bare-root wallflower. Despite giving plants away to everyone I know, I still have about 40. Not sure where to put them yet. They do well in pots, this is one of last year’s almost ready to burst into bloom, despite living in frost pocket in the courtyard.

It’s the start of the year, I could NOT resist starting the new season. These are chillies, just sown and sitting on a warm windowsill. My two favourite’s from last year: Alberto Lotocco and Lemondrop, both from the wonderful Real Seed Company. Hoping for germination in a couple of weeks.

Don’t forget to follow #SixonSaturday on Twitter, and take a look at other sixer’s contributions via the great Propagator himself.