Six on Saturday 8.12.18

Well as it ’s December mySix on Saturdaywill start with some festive Charles Hardin Holley berries . I ’m a number ‘ Bah Humbug ! ’ when it comes to tinsel and flashing lights , but sheeny red Berry are always endearing . The trouble is that the chick have usually eaten all the holly berry by Christmas . Also , it is a fact that because of global warming holly berry ripen at least 17 day earlier than they used to . There were slews last week but most of them seem to have belong now . And of course that old chestnut about deal of holly berries bode a cold wintertime is nonsense , it is a result of a mild outflow and enough wet at the right time . I haveIlex aquifoliumcoming up everywhere , they are a pest in my garden ; as fast as I get free of them they come back like Hydra ’s heads . But I was postulate with this really unusualIlex verticillatawhen I realise it latterly at our local farm shop . Of course it had to come home along with the potatoes and sprout . It actually does n’t front anything like a holly and it is very jolly with all these promising red berries on spare branches . The trouble is that Buddy Holly aredioecious , ( you ask a female and a male plant to get berries , ) so I will have to find a male if I need a display like this next year .

Ilex verticillata

Holly berries are poisonous but I still have some luscious raspberries to pluck , I ca n’t remember picking bird in December before . The variety is ‘ Autumn Bliss ’ but perhaps they should be rename ‘ Winter Bliss ’ . I have a few xanthous 1 still mature too . They will go very well with tomorrow ’s porridge .

Ilex verticillata

Jerusalem Artichokes are of grade not artichokes at all but a kind of Sunflower . They are incredibly trespassing and have run wild amongst my raspberry canes . If you establish them it is a estimable idea to establish them where they can rollick away without being a pain in the neck . As everyone knows they are very anti - social because our catgut ca n’t digest the starchinulinand the ensue flatulence can be impressive . But the flavour is divine so we guy just a few at a time along with other source veg . They make a lovely soup and I once made it when friends came around for dinner . I thought as the soup was liquify there would be no problems digesting it . I was clearly incorrect as by the end of dinner people were squirming in their chairs and looking very lost ; conversation did n’t flow and the party came to an end rather early . So the soup is probably best eat alone when you have no appointments . Still , it is delicious .

Jerusalem artichokes

Another wintertime treat , but one with no unpleasant side effects is the magnificent butternut tree squash . The plants stray around rather and mine only produce one or two fruit each , but they are luscious , either in a soup or bring down into one-half and jest at with thyme and butter . I like them with down high mallow in a bake too . If you jib the impulse to pick them too soon and leave them on the plant until the goal of September they will develop a courteous thick skin and you may salt away them for 6 months so they are a very useful winter veg .

Ilex verticillata

Butternut Squash

Whilst we are enjoying the berries and fruit of the past year ’s bounty , I already have unexampled seeds sprout in the propagator . Lilium regaleproduces plenty of seminal fluid which germinate readily and it is really fast growing , it can blossom in as little as two years . Here are the seedling after only 3 or 4 weeks .

genus Lilium regale

genus Lilium regaleis gorgeous with incredibly fragrant white trumpets opening from pinkish buds . It was discovered in the mountains of Sichuan , China in 1903 by E.H. Wilson . He was ill injure in an avalanche when he afterwards tried to collect it . He set his fall in leg with his camera tripod and from then on he walk with what he forebode his‘lily wilted ‘ . These plant accumulator were made of strong stuff . As you could see this gorgeous lily is complete for growing amongst roses ; this is something to woolgather of on a cold December sidereal day .

The glorious technicolour pageantry of Autumn leafage is over now as we are certainly in the grip of winter . And yet we still do have some leaves to relish so I will finish with some lovely December leaves . Here is where I bend the rules of the meme , Six onSaturday , a bit because one leaf would be silly , so with a lilliputian manual dexterity of script I have several leaves coming in at issue six . The acer with the best fall leaf colour of all isAcer osakazukiand astonishingly it still has a few leave clinging on .

Acer osakazuki

Jerusalem artichokes

My next acer is in the wintertime garden . It has most lose all its leaf but the remaining ones set off the garden pink stems attractively . I think it is ‘ pinkish Flamingo ’ . Behind it I haveCryptomeriajaponica‘Elegans ’ which turns a gorgeous bronze in winter .

Acer‘Pink Flamingo ’

Nandina ‘ Blush Pink ’ is still looking as good as ever .

Butternut Squash

Nandina domestica‘Blush Pink ’

A ally of mine really hates this next plant because she think it calculate diseased . In fact I would n’t give it a 2d glance in summertime , but in wintertime I take account a range of colours and a plant life exquisitely traced as if with ice suits the time of year , it isFatsia japonica‘Spider ’s WWW ’ .

Fatsia japonica‘Spider ’s WWW ’

Lilium regale

As I started with a Charles Hardin Holley I will finish with one . I do n’t know what sort of Charles Edward Berry this one has but I grow it because it has such pretty , ticklish leaf in pink and white so is a perfect candidate for my winter garden . As it has over-embellished stems I guess it looks lovely withHeuchera‘Plum Pudding ’ . And on that gay note I will terminate mySix on Saturday .

Ilex aquifolium‘Ingramii ’

Ok , it seems to be more like Ten on Saturday but I am hoping thePropagatorwho hosts this meme wo n’t notice . Everybody who participates in this meme seems to be in such awe of him , one feels one ca n’t be too measured . So opine of my last detail as just December Leaf with a few little submarine - leaflets . Anyway , do find out out the Propagator and all the Six on Saturdayers .

Lilium regale

54 Responses toSix on Saturday 8.12.18

The Jerusalem artichoke soup taradiddle is hilarious . As always , I ’m impressed with your propagation skills . Holly ( Ilex ) is n’t all that common here but we have our own “ Christmas berry ” ( aka Toyon and formally assort at Heteromeles arbutifolia ) . It ’s the City of Los Angeles ’s official aboriginal plant – I ’ve no clue why the metropolis needed to designate an prescribed plant but I guess that ’s orthogonal . It ’s a tree - sized giant that adorn itself in loss this time of twelvemonth and therefore treasure but it does scatter everywhere if you ’re not watchful .

Gorgeous moving-picture show of your wintertime berry ! Butternut squeeze with gloomy cheeseflower sound pleasant-tasting , a brainy approximation ! Your Nandina domestica ‘ Blush Pink ’ is looking very merry too .

Acer osakazuki

Six on Saturday 8.12.18