This week’s SoS comes from a sunny Wellington. It was a lovely, crisp winter morning when I left for Pilates this morning, and everything looked bright and cheerful. Thanks once again to The Propagator for allowing us to share what is going on in our gardens. Check out the participant guide if you want to join in.
First up, the hellebores. There is one as the featured image at the top of the post and here are three more. I just love the way they are all so different from each other. I do believe they are one of my favourites.
The bulbs continue to grow, with more popping up in different places. Here is one bowl of daffodils with a camellia in the background for good measure.
I noticed that the “in need of care” lavender plant is showing signs of new flowers. It really needs to be moved, repotted and given some attention, but it is not doing too badly. Similarly, one rosemary is doing well and one not so well. They are different varieties, and I have used some liquid fertiliser on both of them, which suited one really well but not so much the other. I might try moving the pots around a bit and see if that helps, as it quite often does.
As to the rest of the pots, well the pineapple sage loves the cooler weather and is still thriving. I fear I may have killed off my echinacea, that should probably have come indoors in the cooler months. Any advice or comment is welcome. Otherwise, dormant things are dormant for winter.
No post at this time of year would be complete without more pictures of camellias! I loved the one below on the left that just seems to stick up on its own. The top right hand flower is from the bush that borders our neighbour, and below that you can see that the splendid bush behind the house is still in full flower. I can’t tell you how much it lifts the spirits on coming home from work to see that camellia and watch the tuis feast on its blooms.
Last Sunday, we went to the garden centre as I wanted a couple of plants to brighten up what is being turned into an office space come spare bedroom now that my step-son has returned to Denmark. I picked up a pot of hyacinths, which had such a strong smell I have had to put them outside, another orchid and a couple of cacti. Of course, I could not help but browse the herb section and came home with a dill (good luck with that I hear you cry!), a hyssop, a silver thyme and a variegated sage. We’ll see how these all fair in the weeks to come.
So that’s it for me this week. As usual, I am looking forward to seeing everyone’s beautiful gardens in other parts of the world. Hope you are all well and enjoying your gardens in whatever the season is with you.
You can find Thistles and Kiwis on Facebook, and also on Instagram@thistleandkiwis. As for Twitter….am totally inactive these days. If you want to get in touch, email me on thistlesandkiwis@gmail.com
Thistles and Kiwis 
When I first looked at your daffodil pic I thought you had some stunning new bulb before I realised it was the daffodil stem with the camellia behind.
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🙂
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Me too!
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I would have thought to see a mini camellia flower growing from these daffodils in this pot. 😄😂
The photo is original!
Nice hellebores too.
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I had taken a couple of pictures and saw this one and it made me smile….:-)
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I am watching your daffs progress with almost the same joy as I watch my own. I laughed about the hyacinth, we had one in the house one year and after a while we had to banish it, the scent nearly knocked us out each time we walked into the room. Nice new herbs, don’t really know hyssop, how do you use it?
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Think hyssop is one of those old fashioned herbs…need to look up how to use it. Gosh the hyacinth smell! I have had a cold, and was joking to colleagues that it is not Covid as can smell the hyacinths!
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That hellebore came as a jolt to my sense of seasons but the world goes round and round and the seasons with it.
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It does indeed!
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Those helibores are a lovely soft pink. I have only the plum coloured ones but they go on and on for months – they definitely earn their space. Amazing camellias……again!
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Yes the hellebores do keep going for ages.
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Love your herbs. I let a few dill go to seed every year – they just spring up by themselves in the spring. Echinacea here is a hardy outdoor perennial – it goes dormant with the frost then shoots up again in late spring. Is your variety more tender?
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I’ll keep an eye on the echinacea. Where we are we don’t get frost (very sheltered) and but it does get cold. I’ll see what happens! I have had no luck with dill in the past – fingers crossed this time!
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Lovely camellias and that pinapple sage is very vibrant. I’ve given up with my echinacea. The foliage dies back here over winter but the slugs and snails attack the leaves as soon as they emerge in the spring.
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Just going to keep an eye on the echinacea and see what happens in the spring. Fingers crossed!
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That top picture is fabulous! No wonder you love hellebores so much.
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They are just so pretty!
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Oh, I love pineapple sage. I had a huge one (well to grew to be huge on season, since it died back for winter), but finally the frost got it. I envy the herb buying trip! I am saving money not going out at least.
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I find my pineapple sage that it doesn’t like too much sun – gets droopy. It was so nice to go to the garden centre and see it well stocked!
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Echinacea disappear over winter here and reappear in late spring. They do prefer an open position with space around them. Pop some slug pellets in a jam jar near the foliage it should help keep the blighters off your plant and protect the birds from eating the pellets
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Oh thanks for the advice! I do need to move the plant…and will get some slug pellets too.
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Good luck
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looks like a nice winter’s day! i am in bulb denial. the brief lull between clearing away tatty foliage and the arrival of next year’s bulbs. i have a couple of months of peace then the oppressive pile of bulbs will need planting! oh well, worth it.
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I think you need to be in the right mood for bulb planting. Maybe listen to a podcast?
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That is a lovely selection of new herbs that you bought. The Hellebores are just beautiful!
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