This week we have had a cold snap, with daytime highs just above freezing and some proper night frosts (-4.5 dec C). We are well above the snow belt that is covering the rest of the UK, so there have been lots of glorious skies and wonderful winter light. I made the most of it to show you a couple of blooms, and lots of buds, for this week’s #SixOnSaturday.

A wonderful bloom, this is a simple hellebore with mostly a lime-green flower that is easy to overlook. Yet, look a bit closer, those petals have a very odd red rim. Interesting ancient-looking flower.

My second blooms is also somewhat diminutive. Tiny flowers come on the pieris at this time of year, well in advance of the new red leaf growth that will come in late winter.

As I browse around the garden, with my walking sticks crunching against the frosty grass, I see many plants coming into bud. The pear tree against the house wall is full of buds, standing out against the solid blue winter sky.

A year ago, I tried a bit of rhododendron pruning, which must have been at the wrong time of year, because the flowering was disappointing. It’s looking much better a year on.

I’m also hoping for many blooms on the little shrubby magnolia stellata in February. There’s a wonderful cluster of buds this year, with an interesting fan of branches.

Last up, I caught one of the apple trees in the afternoon sun, just before sunset at about 3.35pm, a great time to be in the garden attending to what’s new. Also good to feel the light coming back, this week sunset was more like 3.40pm….it’s getting lighter every day.

I hope you enjoyed another winter #SixOnSaturday. It is midwinter, yet just a short stagger into the garden on a sunny day brings hope and joy. Thanks to those leaving comments on the blog – sorry if I don’t always get back to you on time! The blog is going well, but it would be great if more folk on Mastodon, or other parts of the Fediverse got into tooting a Six! Go on, it’s a much kinder form of social media, not controlled by crazy billionaires. All you need to do is find 6 things in your garden to show us. Then post on social, or add a link at Jim’s blog below. For regulars, our organiser is Jim at https://gardenruminations.co.uk/. And I’m on mastodon @julie3dharris@mastodon.scot

The start of a new year. Each time it happens now I feel old, how did we get 25% into the 21st century, and what a mess we’ve got our world into……but enough of that. The first snow-sprinkle of the year has given my garden a fresh perspective. A new year also brings new ideas for the garden, new growth, even a few new blooms. I have a new hip going into this new year (3 weeks old!), so can’t get down as far as I’d like for close-ups, but I had a try, to find lots of little gems for the first #SixOnSaturday of the year.

The VERY first persicarium flower of the year was spotted this morning, poking out from a recent sprinkle of snow. What a delight.

On evergreen plants there are often winter berries. This shrub has had lots, but only a few are hidden enough to evade the squabbling blackbirds.

This creeping oleander vine can be a bit of a spreading menace at warmer times, but just now, its little flowers glowing against the sun-warmed house wall look lovely. I have always admired the slightly spiral form of the petals.

On a winter bench, I have small tubs of species tulips beginning to appear. Last year, they enjoyed a little winter sun, came early, then got hammered by pouring rain. This year, I’ll take care to move to the greenhouse if there’s rain due when they get into flower.

My favourite winter bloom is the hellebore, and this purple specimen is my favourite of them all. Starting to flower now, with wonderful simple blooms. It is always hard to see the full flower due to their nodding habit.

A cold day today, the pond was just beginning to thaw a little to allow garden birds to come to wash and drink. The textured surface looks peacefully beautiful.

I hope you enjoyed my first #SixOnSaturday for the year. It is midwinter, yet just a short stagger into the garden on a sunny day brings hope and joy. Thanks to those leaving comments on the blog – sorry if I don’t always get back to you on time! The blog is going well, but it would be great if more folk on Mastodon, or other parts of the Fediverse got into tooting a Six! Go on, it’s a much kinder form of social media, not controlled by crazy billionaires. All you need to do is find 6 things in your garden to show us. Then post on social, or add a link at Jim’s blog below. For regulars, our organiser is Jim at https://gardenruminations.co.uk/. And I’m on mastodon @julie3dharris@mastodon.scot