I’ll start by thanking the Propagator for publishing his Six today, because without that I would’ve had absolutely no idea what day of the week it is! Secondly – happy new year everyone! I started the day fed up (isn’t that obligatory on 1st January?) For me, rather than a chance to start afresh, it always feels like anything good that I achieved in the previous year is null and void and I’ve got to start from the beginning again! As if the whole point of the year is to get to the end, only once you do, it just starts again and you’re back to square one. Of course that’s not true and once I’ve given myself a good talking to, I get a grip and the eternal optimist in me wins out.
As part of my getting a grip, I decided to go out into the garden and see what’s going on. I have to say, I could’ve come back in thoroughly depressed because it’s a mess! A combination of a bad back, the weather and the time of year means that nothing’s been done out there for some time (other than hubby taking it upon himself to clear a load of leaf fall) and you can tell. However, my back’s starting to feel a bit better and the weather will improve soon so I’ll be able to crack on and get a lot done before too long. In the meantime, here’s what caught my eye today.
I’ve got a little ahead of myself because my first picture is actually inside the back door. I got this lovely little cactus from my brother, sister in law and niece. Isn’t it cute in its little teacup? Perfect colour to brighten up a dreary winter’s day too. Cacti are one of the few plants I can grow inside because our cats have learnt not to go near them!
Continuing the yellow theme next is this lovely biden bloom. I’ve featured my bidens a couple of times over the summer but didn’t think they’d still be going now after a couple of coverings of snow and several frosts. Admittedly there aren’t many flowers left, but this one is certainly not too lonely. The plant does look a little straggly now so I’ll have to see how it goes and whether it will revitalise for the summer.
Speaking of snow covering, my poor cordyline suffered a bit, as you can see! The fronds have bent down under the weight of snow. It seems to be recovering a bit already so hopefully all is not lost. Maybe next year I should put some protection around it.
As I wandered behind the squished cordyline I noticed this grass. This was a freebie from my mum when I visited last May when restrictions were finally lifted. It’s doing really well. I obviously managed to (accidentally) plant it somewhere that it appreciates. Actually, despite being on the shady side of the garden, things planted here do, on the whole, thrive. There’s still a bit of space here so I’ll have to find something to fill it this year.
I’m going to finish with two photos of good things to come! Firstly you can see the daffs are already pushing through with their promise of gorgeous yellowy hope in a few short weeks. I can’t wait – I feel so cheered when the first daffs bloom because then warmth and light stretches out ahead of us for months!
Moving to the front garden and the hope is continued there in the form of camellia buds! This is a beautiful deep pink camellia and, although the blooms only last a couple of weeks before they drop, during that fortnight they make my heart happy
Right, nearly time for tea, and it’s kind of a last supper before the new year healthy eating regime starts (again!) I’m remaining positive that the sunny holiday that we have booked in April IS going to happen, unlike the last two that we’ve had booked, and I’m determined to feel comfortable in swimwear!
Hope everyone still off work enjoys the rest of their holiday, and for those who have had to work throughout, like my hubby, you can feel smug in the knowledge that you don’t have that sinking ‘going back to work’ feeling to come! Having said that, I’m hoping I don’t have that – my new year’s resolutions are mainly work related so I’m going to make this a positive career year.
Green Girl Gardener 
Those daffs and the camillia buds are definitely hopeful Have a Happy – and Healthy – New Year!
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Oh, that sad cordyline. I saw the straight species of Cordyline australis at a nursery near Portland years ago. I was intrigued to see it in what I considered to be a climate of cold winters. Since then, I have noticed a few in landscapes while in the Pacific Northwest. I had considered it to be sensitive to frost. I really never gave it much though, since frost is not a problem for it here. Is it also known as dracaena palm there?
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I really hope it recovers – it was doing really well before the snow arrived!! It wasn’t even much snow! I’ve never heard it called dracaena palm but it’s entirely possible that I just don’t know it – I’d never heard of a cordyline until a couple of years ago when we got a garden.
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If I refer to it as a dracaena palm nowadays, I am likely to get corrected by someone who thinks he or she knows better than I do, and feels compelled to tell me that it is neither a dracaena nor a palm, as if I do not know what a palm is. It does happen to be a type of dracaena though.
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Thanks for the New Year ‘Six’ it’s inspired me to get out and take a few pics to start the year off! Also, your lawn looks as bad as mine – except mine is muddier as I have to walk across it all the time……
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It’s practically impossible to do anything with our lawn 🤷🏻♀️. It’s mostly moss because it’s so shady from next door’s trees and it has a constant trail across it from cats, foxes and squirrels trekking across it! Oh well!!
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The vulnerable bit of the Cordyline is the growing tip down amongst the leaves, though even if that gets killed they often shoot again from further down. I think I’d be tempted to wrap it up a bit if we get really cold weather but not for any longer than necessary because I think it would likely go mouldy. That stripey form, ‘Torbay Dazzler’ is probably a bit less hardy than the green ones but not much. Yours looks to be young and vigorous, so perhaps also a bit soft and vulnerable and we didn’t get a hot dry summer to toughen it up at all. It’ll get tougher as it gets older.
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Thank you! I’ll keep an eye on the forecast. It was a birthday present a couple of years ago and it’s grown really well, until the snow! Strangely it was fine with more snow the winter before, but it had been a very hot summer so you must be right about it toughening it up.
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