"Sixes Last"

winter food: rainbow chard

The sunlight was shining through the leaves of my rainbow chard today, they looked so lovely and colorful. This is one of the winter veggies I'm very happy to have in my garden. It adds a bit of cheerful color, and the bonus is I can cook it and eat it too! It seems to grow more and more all winter long, as long as I keep picking it. Both the leaves and stems can be eaten, and it's very pretty on the dinner plate. This evening, I added it to my tomato sauce, along with sliced courgette and a bit of chopped butternut squash, and some garden herbs. Whenever I need a little something green in the dinner, I go out and pick a few of these leaves. I'm sure they are quite healthy too, having vitamins A and C.

the scent of Hamamelis mollis , witch hazel

I've been getting loads of comments on my little witch hazel tree. I thought I would do another post on it. Many have asked about its scent. I find it hard to describe a scent, but let me try. First of all, it's very powerful, I can smell it a good ways off, and then I just have to go to the tree and have a nice long wiff. And close up, I admire its bright yellow spidery blooms. I would say the scent is sweetly spicy, it has a hint of dianthus (garden pinks) and cloves. And to me, it will always smell of January in Ireland.

BBC's Gardening site describes it so: "produces delicate blooms with intoxicating scent in the depths of winter."
I love this quote: "They bloom in the winter, smell like heaven," and "But their scent is to die for," Lowman said. "It's an incredibly sweet blend of floral and spice. It's powerful outdoors and a twig or two indoors can smell up an entire room."
And here's one more from Plants in Profile: "A difficult scent to describe, it always reminds me of the smell of fresh laundry drying in a sunny wind, with undertones of spice and vetiver."

January 2008 Bloomday

My flowers for January Bloomday.
Only a few flowers blooming this month. There were a few buds on the calendulas, and I saw some snowdrops peeking out of the grass, but those weren't blooming just yet.
Here are the flowers:Witch Hazel (Hamamelis) my favorite scent of the winter garden. I am always surprised at how powerful this little tree's perfume is, wafting on the cold air, it reaches me as I wander around the garden. And every time, I say "Wow!"

Heather, I love this plant. I've had it for years, it was a Mother's Day gift from my kids when they were very young.

Godetia, surprise! The flowers were hidden beneath their foliage, probably keeping a little bit warmer in there.

Euphorbia just beginning their octapus-tentacle blooms.

Violas by the back door.

And once more, Witch Hazel, because I love it so.

Have a look at what's flowering in other parts of the world. Visit Carol's May Dreams Gardens for January's Bloomday posts.