First post of the New Year

Time constraints, poor weather and ill health have conspired against me during the last few weeks, coupled with the fact I can only see the garden at weekends at this time of year as it is dark when I leave for work in the mornings and is dark when I return home each evening. 

Despite the grey drabness of January, there are little pockets of colour around the garden, with lots of new growth including tightly packed shoots at the base of dried sedum stems, narcissi, crocus, snowdrops and hyacinths. 

Blooms are a joy during the bleak wintery days, and none more welcome than cyclamen, wallflowers and violas. 

And who could disregard hellebores? 

Vibrant viburnum tinus either side of the patio arch began flowering in autumn. 

These minute white flowers hidden among glossy green leaves that belong to the evergreen winter box or Sarcococca confusa have a glorious fragrance.

Foliage plays its part at this time of year too, from the various types of ivy in yellows and greens and variegated with white, to euonymus fortunei that glow in the subdued light of winter.  New growth on hebes as here is also a great way to inject much needed colour. 

The deep pink rhododendron's buds are swelling in preparation for its dazzling spring performance. 

However, the new winter flowering variety has yet to bloom.  I think the description refers to the time of year in more southern gardens that enjoy a milder winter to that of Yorkshire.  But then winter is far from over so there's still time.

Very few jobs have been necessary this month apart from filling bird feeders and replenishing the bird baths.  TMTC has pruned a few of last year's new branches on the staghorn tree to encourage a better balanced shape, and taken today's photos. 

Another way to use colour in the winter garden is with stems.  Cornus or dogwoods are one of the most obvious.  Above is c. alba 'Baton Rouge'.  Below is an unnamed variety, very similar in hue but much taller. It isn't a bad tie in with the red of our Yen Garden's pergola. 

 A garden can be very interesting in winter.

November - with attitude.

As we move from autumn into winter most of the trees in my garden have lost their leaves.  The few remaining are putting on one heck of a display this year, most thanks to the acers.  The first two overhang from our neighbour.  The third is in our front garden.

Moving inside, "The Toad's" Christmas cactus is flowering spectacularly this year.

There's a nip in the air

Some parts of the country have had frosts this week.  It's been pretty chilly here, but as yet no frosts.  It is time however to lift my Pelargoniums.  I've grown 5 this year in my containers and as I've removed all the bedding plants and composted them, I've potted up the Pelargoniums to bring into the porch for winter.

Each of my containers has received fresh compost and been planted with a vibrant pink cyclamen, three pale lilac-pink violas and a couple of clumps of yellow wallflowers.  I'm not sure why, but I like the clashing colours of pink and yellow.   In the spaces between these plants I've pushed early blue iris bulbs which will flower around February- March.

Bumblebee's pot has also been revitalised with a white cyclamen, deep blue violas and the same blue primula from last winter which spent the summer in a little pot out of the way, patiently waiting for its turn to shine once more.

Both roses in the terrace seat have been pruned and given a good mulch of  well rotted manure.

The Man That Can cut back the two honeysuckles remaining on the patio arch and dug up the roots.  The red crocosmias from either side of the arch were removed and replanted in the Yen Garden. 

He then cleaned up and prepared the arch and gate and set about giving it a lick of black paint to tie in with the Yen pergola, under the watchful eye of Angel.

Meanwhile, having left it too late to find suitable white varieties,  I've planted two types of pink tulips in the right hand side bed, after tidying up some of the fading foliage of the hardy geraniums.   The gap created by removing the crocosmias either side of the arch has been filled with allium siculum (Sicilian honey garlic) and allium Purple Sensation.  As both are from the onion family I'm hoping they will not only provide a pretty combination, but will also lend themselves to a spot of companion planting since planting a garlic clove has proved to be useful in helping prevent aphids on my roses.

Once the paint was dry, the new climbing rose "Shropshire Lad" was planted.  This David Austin rose promises a vigorous, healthy plant with peach-pink highly scented repeat blooms.  

And finally the Viburnums have been moved into place as the hydrangea pots fade.

I'm looking forward to next summer already!

Dirty Hands and Sore Feet

Saturday was a day to enjoy.  The new Magnolia "George Henry Kern" is in full bloom and looks fabulous with Clematis montana "Rubens" as a backdrop. 

The front garden had a once-over, removing the spent flowers of tulips that had gone over and removing any weeds.

There are a few frost damaged leaves on the Acer and hydrangea, but they'll provide a wee bit of protection in the event of further cold snaps and will be dropped from the plants in due course.  It's just bad luck.

Rosa "Maigold" is really finding it's stride now, and Rosa "Margaret Merrill" is beginning to bloom. 

New growth on Pittosporum tenufolium "Tom Thumb" is green but it eventually turns to rich purple/brown.

Sunday was a day for dirty hands and sore feet.  We had picked up 3 matching pots, one to replace the very old plastic containers either side of the patio arch, the last was for a new Rhododendron for the Yen Garden.  

To begin with we emptied out the containers either side of the patio arch and removed the old wallflowers.  The Man That Can drilled drainage holes into the new containers and we then mixed 50/50 garden compost and John Innes no 2 before replanting the Viburnums into the fresh soil.  

One had managed to layer itself and was growing away very well so I cut it from the parent plant and potted it up separately! 

I do like something for nothing, don't you?

Next up we replenished the compost in the two rattan containers, giving the heucheras a bit of a tidy before replanting them.  I also potted on the Photinia "Red Robin" into the next size up.

Down in the sunken Yen Garden, TMTC enriched the soil and planted a new Fastia japonica.  This will begin to create a more shaded area in what is essentially the sunniest part of the garden, with its exotic looking leaves.

In the final pot will be a new Rhododendron "Christmas Cheer".

It is yet to be planted however because time was against us.  It has finished flowering now, but it blooms December - May with pink flowers fading to white.  It will pick up the cherry blossom colours and the apple blossom, before the  other deep pinky red Rhododendron comes into bloom.

Stunning rhododendron in full bloom. 

The Azaleas turn to shine. 

Clematis "Shikoo" and Ceanothus, also in the Yen Garden. 

In the Pink Garden:

I've cleaned the old bark from the birch tree and TMTC moved the stake into a more upright position.  It's not yet ready to go it alone, but the trunk girth had increased and was rubbing on the stake. 

On the terrace I've removed the violas. 

The terrace pots have yet to be replanted.  The violas are pretty much exhausted now, having flowered for pretty much 6 months non-stop. 

But that is for another day.  Time to stop and enjoy.