Six on Saturday – 20/1/2024

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Ten past seven on Friday evening and I think the weather has just made an about turn. An hour ago it was 0.3°C and now it has gone back up again to 1.9°C. First thing this morning I recorded -6.3°C, which for Cornwall is exceptionally cold. Hopefully the greenhouses stayed above zero and most things will have survived. Tomorrow looks set to be relatively benign then it’s an amber warning for wind for Sunday into Monday. Never a dull moment.
Just in case you’re new to this meme, six on Saturday is based on the premise that there might be six things happening in your garden on a Saturday which you can take pictures of and share with the wider world. There are well established protocols which you will find here.

As I recall, there is nothing about what to do when there aren’t six things happening, or not even one. I count myself fortunate that the garden is not under feet of snow with the only news being that it’s a foot deeper than last week. Use your imagination, get creative. I have tried.

One.
This one is for Sue. Poor thing is currently having to endure temperatures of 30 odd degrees in the Australian resort of Noosa. I’m doing my best to keep all your plants alive, I promise this is a picture from this morning, not the day you left.

Two.
I have learned to tell roughly what the outdoor temperature is by looking out of the window at Euphorbia mellifera. First thing this morning it was reading -6.3°C, which was confirmed by my thermometer. A couple of hours later it was almost recovered, except for the side away from the sun.

Three.
Rime there was, though not a lot. Still, one must make do with what one gets. I give you rime on Ophiopogon, Skimmia and Dryopteris sieboldii.

Four.
The sun, when it shows its face, is already getting a little stronger than it was a month ago. It was enough to bring out a solitary crocus. I’d love you to think this was one of hundreds; sadly it’s one of one. It barely seems worth tracking down its name for just one flower, so I won’t.

Five.
My Begonia ‘Xanthina Marmorea’ isn’t actually in the garden, not even in a greenhouse. I’m much too fond of it to take such risks. It’s indoors, and it’s indoors where I tried to get a picture of its pale yellow flower.

Six.
Go back up to the Euphorbiometer pictures and there’s a white feather at the bottom of it. It was there, looking exactly the same, a week ago and the week before that. Portentous or what!

Batten down the hatches and prepare for storm Isha. I note that the met office refers to Storm Isha, not storm Isha. The question is whether the feather will weather the weather.

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Published by Jim Stephens

Gardener, no-dig allotmenteer, camellia enthusiast. I love colour, it cheers me up. Retired nurseryman.

42 thoughts on “Six on Saturday – 20/1/2024”

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  8. Interesting thermometer! We are still not completely over the hard freeze nights here in Alabama. We were -6 C this morning and we will not reach 0 today. Tonight it will fall to -8C. This is very unusual for us. My shed and my cold frame is so far keeping my more tender plants alive.
    Here is my effort for this week.

    Winter 19 Jan 2024

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  12. You are doing a heroic job of keeping all of Sue’s treasures alive while she is off enjoying the joys of Australia. Will you get a turn in New Zealand? Lovely photos, as always, particularly the white feather. It looks pristine and I’m sure there is a message for you there somewhere. I hope it survives the storms, which seem to be coming down the jet stream (Jet Stream?) like bowling balls on a Friday night. I love your shots of the Euphorbia recovering in the sunshine. They give great hope. Your Crocus looks like the early Crocus we call ‘Tommies,’ but you have one to admire ahead of us this year. Lovely flower, and so precious amid the general winter freeze.
    Here are mine for the week: https://woodlandgnome.wordpress.com/2024/01/20/six-on-saturday-ever-green/
    Stay warm! and safe travels to Sue!

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  13. Pingback: Six on Saturday: Ever Green – Our Forest Garden

    1. The Euphorbia starts to wilt at about zero and by -6 looks like it couldn’t possibly recover. Then it does. It presumably pulls water out of the leaves to reduce the risk of frost damage, then pumps it back in when it warms up. Clever.

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  21. Sue’s greenhouse is amazing – she’s very trusting leaving you in charge of all those little beauties while she’s off basking in the Australian heat. I found your Euphorbia thermometer amusing. It’s a lovely plant and so clever with its ability to announce the temperature! We’ve had a bitterly cold week, but a lot of sunshine. Lovely shots of the begonias and the feather.
    I’ve managed to put together a Six this week:

    Rest and Renew

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    1. Most likely a gull, of which we have plenty, but fortunately they never land in the garden, presumably because there isn’t enough open space for them to get back up again. They nested on the roof once but we quickly put a stop to that.

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  26. That is an odd begonia! I suppose that is why some of us grow them. I actually miss the simpler sorts with garish flowers that are not so popular anymore. That name sounds familiar. At the moment, I grow only the common wax begonia. Some are getting shabby because of the cool weather, but should be fine by spring. My colleague in the Los Angeles region grows more of the odd sorts. I know I should get bits of them.
    These are my Six.

    Six on Saturday: Bucket List

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      1. Yes, but I can enjoy some of the simpler floral sorts without getting involved with any others. I do not grow any tuberous Begonia presently, but I could. To me, they and common wax begonia are almost a separate genera. The fancy foliar sorts are just SO different. Buick makes a car like that. Many Buick enthusiasts enjoy all Buicks, but consider the Riviera to be almost a separate breed. It is just sort of . . . different.

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  27. You must be the dearest of husbands to be left with such an extensive collection of tender plants. There is just a tiny window of good weather this morning, which sees me able to travel to the HPS talk on snowdrops. Yes I have a few in the garden already open, but I am having a ‘rest’ from posting this week.

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      1. I’m sure you completely agree with it and it is only because her sense of humour which dictates her reaction. I was very saddened to hear this morning that Avon Bulbs will be closing this year, but I am sure you will already have heard that.

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