A friend of Sue’s came round earlier and gave me a pot of snowdrops. I’m a million miles from being a galanthophile but even I could see that they were not an ‘ordinary’ variety, but I have no idea what they are, and not much idea how to find out. I’ll take some pictures and put them in next week’s six for those of you who know about such things to peruse.
This is what we’re like, give us a new plant and we’re happy as pigs in *#@!. Hardly matters what it is. A few among you will be champing at the bit to see what it is, the rest perhaps more measured in your enthusiasm. If you’re reading this and are unmoved by what may or may not be an exciting and/or rare snowdrop, then I would respectfully suggest that you’re in the wrong place, reading the wrong blog. This is ‘Six on Saturday’, a blog meme for people who like plants, and most of us have a little to share about six of our own each Saturday. You are invited to join in, there was even a post dedicated to the conventions that apply, not that many of us follow them rigidly.
One.
Talking of snowdrops, I have but three named forms, including ‘S. Arnott’, distinguished in the main by being big and robust. I’m not envisaging it taking over the garden while I’m still alive, I think I still have the same number I started with about three years ago.
Two.
This may not be the first time I’ve mentioned Crocus tomasinianus this season but today was sunny and they were open en masse, which is a first for me this year. I’ve bought various forms over the years but it seems to me that bulbs bought under the same are often different and I suspect that many of mine are seedlings from the originals, so they’re a pretty mixed bunch. I’ve even got a pure white one, which I have never knowingly planted.
Three.
The first forget-me-not is flowering and it’s pink. There are a few plants that can flower almost anywhere along a pink to blue gradient but it’s not at all clear to me that the reason they vary is the same for all of them. I wonder if these will turn blue or whether later flowers on the same plant will be blue.
Four.
I splashed out £25.99 on nematodes for vine weevil at the beginning of September last year and treated everything that seemed susceptible to attack. I’ve subsequently lost more young plants in the propagation house than I ever have and I’m pretty sure I should have waited for at least a month. It seems that a lot of eggs hatched out after the nematodes had died out. It may be that I wasn’t conscientious enough about keeping the pots moist but I think it was simply that there were still adults about laying eggs late in the year. Fuchsias and Hydrangeas have taken the brunt and if I’m honest I don’t need more hydrangeas and Fuchsias are becoming pointless as more and more get gall mite. It looks like there may be one nematode infected grub but even it is still alive.
Five.
The Camellias are slowly beginning to open but none is as yet in full bloom. This is ‘Annette Carol’, which is loaded with buds and will definitely get another outing later on if frost doesn’t spoil the show. Such a pretty, flouncy pink.
Six.
When it’s sunny we leave the inner door of the front porch open and benefit from free solar heating. This morning we were also benefitting from the perfume of either the Jetfire daffs or the cyclamen, perhaps both. I’m soon going to have to find more suitable quarters for the Cymbidium though.
A day like today, with plenty of sunshine after weeks of rain; with the days beginning to lengthen markedly, really makes me yearn for more of the same. Sadly it’s not what’s in the forecast and it is still only early February. At least I didn’t struggle to find six things this week. Have a good week.
garden ruminations 
My heart is soothed by the evidence of Spring! Sigh. So beautiful – I do not know which is my favorite! Crocus, snowdrop, that lovely camellia! I did not make it to Botany, so instead an update on my slowly progressing Tillandsia buds and a crazy seed collection.
Enjoy! and have a great week!
https://wisconsingarden.wordpress.com/2026/02/07/february-7-2026-six-on-saturday/
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Are some places/environments/plants more prone to vine weevil, Jim? It’s not a problem I have ever knowingly had – I assume I would know if I had them? Your main crocus picture reminds me of our streamside grass (although our crocus have barely opened in this week’s rain, but we did have one pleasant day this week, with sight of some blue sky and sunshine) That camellia is gorgeous, as is your array of pots, which look so bright and cheerful. Thanks for hosting https://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/2026/02/07/six-on-saturday-not-long-now/
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I love tommy crocuses. I have a pinkish and a lavender. I’m going to look to buy a white one. They spread like mad for me. I just gave some away to friends who had not heard of them before. My snowdrops are maddeningly slow to clump up. I only have two kinds of the most ordinary.
Sorry about the vine weevil. Yuck. I lost a couple of young rhododendrons to strawberry root weevil last year, I think. And about ten fuchsias to gall mite. And lilies to virus or something. Made for a disheartening year. R Theo of The Fuschietum gave me starts of three fuchsias that are resistant. I hope that I won’t have more trouble with my established once this year because I have an awful lot of them.
Gosh, I didn’t mean to start whinging on about my garden troubles!
Here is my six. Things rather than plants.
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Lovely selections! So nice to see crocuses and spring blooms coming out as the days start to get longer
https://doingtheplan.com/2026/02/07/spring-bulbs-greenhouse-update-marigold-wisteria-and-snowdrops-six-on-sat/
🙂
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So nice to see some beautiful flowers! We were hit by severe cold, I have an orchid in bud. https://theshrubqueen.com/2026/02/07/six-on-saturday-florida-freeze-damage/
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We have had a dreadful last several weeks with wintry weather. The forecast is vastly improving looking forward. Spring is in my heart.
The little Jetfire daffodils are very beautiful.
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So much colour in your beautiful garden. It’s still very grey and cold up here, so I’m very happy to see all your gorgeous plants.
My entry this week – Six On Saturday – 7 February 2026 – The Garrett Garden
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In the main it’s a case of a few flowers on a lot of different things, so close-ups rule. Only the crocus are performing en masse.
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No signs of any crocus flowers yet here though the leaves are there 🤞
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I’d be quite happy to linger in the porch. None of my daffs are open yet and everything is very wet. My sunny day was Wednesday, been a mx of sunshine and showers since, mainly showers. And to cap the power failures, and Internet problems we had the water cut last night. I am so over this winter.
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Poor west Cornwall, it’s come under the cosh this winter. This end of the county feels a world away. Hope you get sorted soon.
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Ugh, vine weevils! I also came to the conclusion that the adults were still laying way later than they should have been. Seeing things like ‘Annette Carol’ in flower more than compensates though. Beautiful. Another six from the gravel path, I’m going to have to brave squelching on the lawn soon.https://thequiltinggardener.wordpress.com/2026/02/07/six-on-saturday-07-02-2026/
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I was catching and killing adult weevils very late in the year on my night-time forays. I wonder whether they stop laying eggs at any point, even if only outdoors.
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I love those crocuses! We’re hoping to achieve something similar, though most of mine seem to be orange.
I look forward to seeing your snowdrop – I had a glimpse of the galantophile world last week. Quite crazy!
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The more crocuses I get, the more I want to have. Even in quite a small garden it takes huge numbers to get big drifts. Maybe next year is when I plant a couple of thousand.
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I am the same. I’ve only been growing them for two years. Started with 22 and have now probably bought close to 100. If I keep going at this rate, I’ll have thousands soon.
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A lovely colourful display in your garden, gives us hope that spring is coming. I had to work hard to find any cheer in the endless wet gloom that winter is delivering to eastern Scotland this year. I tried!
https://balmerino.ddns.net/geekygarden/
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Sun and sunshine we could do with a little more of that, and far less of the wet stuff. What a great entrance to your house with that display of plants Jim. Bad luck with those vine weevils, I wonder whether the robins would appreaciate them. Here is a link to my six this week: https://noellemace.blogspot.com/2026/02/in-garden-at-start-of-february-2026.html
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Ordinarily I’d have left the pot saucer with the vine weevils out in the garden for the birds to eat but it was windy and I was afraid they’d get tipped over and liberated.
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It was wonderful seeing the sun yesterday, made a nice change from all the rain! Looking forward to seeing your snowdrop next week, all my wild ones should be flowering by then. Lovely camellia, such a pretty pink, I’ve just noticed that mine has just started flowering, will have to wait for next week for that too. My six are here………………….https://www.leadupthegardenpath.com
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Sun? What is this mysterious thing of which you speak? It rings a vague bell. ‘Annette Carol’ is a beauty and I love that shot of the Crocus. Looking forward to seeing free new Snowdrops next time https://onemanandhisgardentrowel.wordpress.com/2026/02/07/six-on-saturday-7-february-2026/
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Well done for finding anything, I dipped out this week as I could only find some soggy looking crocuses
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I’ve been taking pictures of the snowdrop and suspect I may have been bigging up something rather ordinary.
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Wrong place?! I merely do not understand the allure of snowdrop. I have never met one. There are so many other flowers to be impressed by.
Anyway, my six are sort of a dud, since they are not even from my landscapes or garden.
https://tonytomeo.com/2026/02/07/six-on-saturday-retail-nursery-visit/
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I thought you might have been a big fan of snowdrops, them being white ‘n all.
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I have never encountered them. They just are not a ‘thing’ here. I grow snowflake, which we know as snowdrop here.
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The cymbidium orchid is beautiful, and I also do like the pots/planters that are visible under the porch. Colourful!
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