Short and very sharp this week. I’ve been busy with Christmas festivities, but I did find another five plus one for today’s round of Six On Saturday. Most of this week’s selection is about evergreen garden structure, which becomes very important in winter. Without further ado, here we go …
1. Lamium maculatum

Commonly called spotted dead-nettle, and very much alive, despite the name.
2. Euonymus

Variegated Euonymus japonicus. At this time of the year it shines brightly. The garden is back to bare bones so anything evergreen that also has a bit of structure is very welcome.
3. Pittosporum

Similar to the euonymus above, the Pittosporum does its job well. I have two of these, planted last year and I’m pleased to see them doing well. I’d imagine they’ll look even better in another year or two, but given my small space Ill be sure to keep them trimmed tidily.
4. Mystery

I did know the name of this. I’d imagine I made a note of it when I got it last year or perhaps the year before. In any case, despite not knowing it’s name, I like it very much. I have a feeling that I got it after seeing someone here on SOS highlighting it.
Update:
5. Skimmia

The skimmia is doing very well considering it’s in a pot, albeit a large one. I did remember to feed it twice during the year and I put a saucer under it so that during the summer it retained some water.
6. Birdfeeder

We love to attract birds to the garden and what better way to do that than to provide extra food during the cold weather. I’ve also been feeding myself a bit extra recently, just to see me through until spring. Soups and casseroles are my favourites, while peanuts, fat-balls and mixed seeds attract a good variety of birds.
Thanks to Jim at Garden Ruminations and Happy Christmas to all.