Storm Goretti swept through the UK at the end of this week. We were well north of it, getting just a sprinkling of snow, and a fair bit of ice. 1 DegC daytime high temperatures, much warmer than down in the middle of England! It has been hard to motivate myself to get out there and looks for signs of life in the garden. Thank goodness for evergreen shrubs. These, and a few other things, will make up this week’s #SixOnSaturday.

This is a lovely time of year to enjoy the tiny flowers of viburnum. A few grow on stems long enough to bring into the house for vase, and we then enjoy a heavy sweet scent.

Left over from last year, in a bed still waiting to be cleared, last year’s teasel seed are always worth a closer look.

I wonder — it does look like some of this chard might make it through the freeze, and later onto the dinner table. For now, it’s a bright green patch reminding me of a vegetable season to come.

Another of those shrubs that I wonder why I grow in summer. Now I remember, it’s to keep me going in the depth of winter. This one is so bright, I’m not certain that I love it. Skimmia Japonica, in all it’s pinkness!

If it wasn’t so cold, I’d be pruning apple trees as the buds are now starting to form. Hoping for a slightly more relaxed season in 2026 (this year we STILL have cookers left, keeping cool in a tub in a corner of the garden).

And finally, this is a winter shrub I know I love. Those tiny little flowers falling in soft orange layers, pieris is coming into its best time of year.

I hope you enjoyed this week’s #SixOnSaturday. These dark days before the garden stirs, it can be hard to keep going. Spring WILL come, this dark cold time will pass.
Thanks to those leaving comments on the blog. Join in with our #SixOnSaturday thoughts and images. 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