Is there anything more beautiful than a January rose.
One of favourites is Rosa Pearl Drift. Rarely out of flower all summer. Throws out the occasional joyful surprise through winter. We had a posy of blooms for Christmas. Disease resistant and low maintenance. I can highly recommend this beautiful, hardy rose.
Picked at 4.30pm today: Paperwhite Narcissi from the unheated poly tunnel, black hellebore bought last spring from Ashwood Nurseries. Similar varieties are Hellebore Black Pearl. Partnered with blue green eucalyptus stems and jasmine. A joy for my potting shed window. I love fresh flowers in winter, probably more than in summer. There’s more need for cheer in the dark days of January.
Planted broad bean De Monica in my new hinged deep root trainers from Haxnix.
I planted Aquadulce in October and overwintered them in the greenhouse. They’ll be planted out next month for an early crop. De Monica will provide a successional crop later in spring.
I’m trialling a new peat-free potting compost from Westland being launched this year. I’ll report back as plants start to grow over the next few months. So far, so good. It’s nice to use, free draining, and consistent. There are no large lumpy bits in it. And it doesn’t grow a green algae on the surface of pots, like some of the compost I’ve tried in the past.
A view of the wild garden, taken from the summerhouse. I’ve been planting 200 foxgloves, grown from two packets of seed, sown in mid summer. It would have been expensive to buy ready-grown plants. These cost £4 for seed, and a few pounds for compost. It’s a good way to create a maplanting effect, on a budget. You can start sowing seed now to catch up. Plants grown this spring should provide some flower spikes late in summer. They will bulk up and provide a real show the following spring.
Scattered all around my garden are piles of twigs and logs, covered with leaf mould. Homes for invertebrates. Beetles, bugs and insects mean food for hedgehogs, frogs, toads and birds. My army, all ready to munch on pests such as slugs and snails. It’s a fair exchange, I think. I give them a home, they look after me.
And finally a day-time view, past the summerhouse, down the field to the woods where our tawny and barn owls live. At dusk we sit in the summerhouse and watch them glide by, silent as the night. The emerald green field is a joy in January. You can virtually see the crop growing! It’s almost a month past the shortest day, and the sap’s rising and plants are getting going.
I’m joining in with for Six on Saturday. Why not go over and see what others are posting for their six photos today. Here’s the link : https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/2019/01/19/six-on-saturday-19-01-2019/.
LINKS:
I wrote about John Massey and Ashwood hellebores here ; https://bramblegarden.com/2018/02/26/in-a-vase-on-monday-ashnurs-gdnmediaguild/
Hellebores: https://www.ashwoodnurseries.com/shop/plants/hellebores/helleborus-xhybridus-single-black-pearl.html
Paperwhites came from Gee Tee Bulbs https://www.gee-tee.co.uk/ and were planted in October.
Vegetable seeds / foxglove seeds from Mr Fothergills http://www.mr-fothergills.co.uk/?gclid=CjwKCAiAsoviBRAoEiwATm8OYG3vsJS9JxyNd2rIPtJ1lZ4saSuPRVFTatI-9eqArW1r61_7P6cLbxoCQygQAvD_BwE
Deep root trainers for sweet peas and broad beans https://www.haxnicks.co.uk/deep-sherwood-rootrainers
Westland composts https://www.gardenhealth.com/product/natures-haven-multi-purpose-compost
Bramble Garden 
In future years when the foxgloves will be seeding themselves, do you have any other plants you would want to have in your wooded areas that you will grow from seed? Its a wonderful way to plant great areas. I have a very small patch and still enjoy the thrill of bringing on plants from small seeds.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m hoping to grow lots of wild flowers under those cherry trees this summer. I’m planning to have something in flower 12 months of the year for any bumblebees that might be searching for pollen. There’s crocus, snowdrops and cyclamen for winter. It’s exciting seeing what will grow.
LikeLike
Karen the Rosa “Pearl Drift” is a wonderful beauty blooming in January. For that magnificent arrangement of your window the Paperwhite Daffodils I like very much like the black Hellebore that looks like velvet. The blue green eucalyptus and jasmine is the ideal touch for the heart-shaped arrangement. I love it, it’s beautiful. Getting up in the morning and seeing it must be wonderful. You’ve already planted beans, good! That compost must be very special, please when you can tell us about it. You have planted 200 foxgloves! What strengths you have! In that area of wild garden will be beautiful when they bloom! And you have cultivated them all from seeds, what patience! Your homes for invertebrates are precious and at the same time they feed the soil. I love your phrase “I give them a home, they take care of me.” That is ecological gardening and your big heart makes it alone. How beautiful is the photo of the green field growing and the forest at the bottom where “our owls” live. What a wonderful experience it must be to sit in the Summer House and observe them: you are fortunate to be able to do so. Karen has been a great blog, I love it. Thank you very much for all the links. Love and memories from me for your Mother. For your family love and health. For you love, health, strength and rest. Take care. Very loving greetings from Margarita.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Margarita. As always, it is wonderful to see my garden though your eyes. Thank you for your very kind words. I hope all is well with you and your parents, particularly your father. Be assured, I have been thinking of you all and sending positive thoughts. Loving greetings to you all. Karen xx
LikeLike
The Foxgloves will be wonderful. Well done for getting them all planted. That is the joy of seeds, you can have mass planting at minimum expense.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I shared them with friends too, which is even nicer, because I’ll be able to see them growing in their garden when I go to visit. Lovely to have enough little plants to give away. I’m sowing some more today. A bit of success encourages us to keep trying. Have a good week Christina x
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lovely, atmospheric photographs. And you’re right, there is something quite magical about a January rose. It’s the same with snowdrops, they’re such a lovely post-Christmas boost and a reminder that Spring is not really that far away.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Exactly. We are almost a month past the shortest day already. These little things help us to cope through cold, dark days. If I wear enough clothes, and put those little hand warmers in my gloves I can persuade myself that it’s nearly spring. Thanks for reading. x
LikeLike
You’ve got some stunning outlooks in and from your garden. With those foxgloves it should be a tremendous picture in late spring!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you. I’ve always wanted a bank of foxgloves under those trees. But at £6 a plant it’s always put me off. I was so thrilled to have hundreds of plants from just two packets of seed. It’s amazing how a little bit of success in something spurs you on.
LikeLike
You too have narcissus! Mine are not open yet. That is odd. We have no roses because I pruned them already. What Eucalyptus is that?
LikeLike
It’s eucalyptus gunii which has grown so tall the leaves have gone elliptical. I’m cutting it down bit by bit and using the leaves for flower arrangements. The narcissus have been grown in the poly tunnel.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, that is a splendid eucalyptus! Although it is not the best as a tree, the foliage is totally rad! When I was a kid, and a few horticultural commodities were still being grown in the hills south of San Francisco, it was one of the eucalyptus grown for cut foliage.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The foxgloves will be quite something. I don’t have room for 200. And yet i have just sown 4 different kinds so will probably end up with loads I’ll have to give away. I have 4 or 5 plants i grew from seed last year, they should flower nicely this year.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve never been able to afford to plant them before. I’ve always pictured a bank of them under the cherry trees, but at £6 a plant, it was too expensive. I can’t wait to see them flowering, and I hope they set seed for next year, although I’m not going to risk it. I’m sowing some more today. Good luck with yours 🙂
LikeLike
I love your wild woodland, foxgloves will look wonderful. Such a striking arrangement.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you x
LikeLike
I can’t wait to see the foxgloves! Are they the bog standard or a mix? You garden always looks so inviting.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Gill. I’ve grown white Pam’s Choice and Sutton’s Apricot. Can’t wait to see them in flower. Thanks for reading 🙂 xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great choice!
LikeLike
Your drifts of foxgloves will look wonderful, Karen. Look forward to hearing how you get on with the peat free compost ps haven’t forgotten about your email or your voucher, which will be dealt with soonish
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Cathy. Don’t worry. It’s been hectic here too. I’m just at my mum’s . She’s just said the magic words. “ `I’ve made a cake.” Yippee. And we are watching catch up tv. She’s got 12 programmes she’s recorded she wants to watch with me. Might need two pieces of cake! `xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
That rose is stunning!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you. Highly recommend it. It’s more white in the summer, but for some reason it turns pink in the winter cold. Thanks for reading.
LikeLike
Wow you have some wonderful views! But I’m swooning over your fresh flower arrangement. Simply beautiful!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Laura. That’s so kind of you. The views are beautiful, but there’s also really cold winds. We planted a wood as a windbreak when we moved here. Thank you for reading. x
LikeLike
Karen your garden looks so cool and damp, I’m envious! I can’t imagine planting 200 seedlings- back-breaking work, but they’ll look glorious when they come into flower.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Jane. I had to do them a few at a time, with lots of cups if tea. I’ve planted wild daffodils between them. Hope they all come up. xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
The view at the end of the post is so tranquil. What an amazing location in which to grow what is obviously an interesting garden.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Prue. Thanks for reading.
LikeLike