GBBD – January 2012

Looking back I didn’t bother to do a Garden Bloggers Bloom Day post last year which I am assuming is because we had so much snow for so many weeks that I was quite disengaged with the garden and there probably wasn’t anything to show anyway.

How different it is 12 months later.  Today I spotted my first snowdrops almost in flower.   There has been lots on twitter and the blogasphere about snowdrops opening early and I was beginning to wonder if mine were going to flower but I needn’t have worried here they are on time, even a little early.  There aren’t as many showing as I would expect but I did move a lot of snowdrops last spring so I am hoping they are just delayed a little.

The winter jasmine is still flowering its socks off.  I am really pleased as it had a very thorough prune in the summer and is probably only a third of its former self but I think there are more flowers in relation to stems than there was before.

This Vinca (major I think) creeps under the fence from next door.  It is a very welcome addition at this time of year and I have learnt that the flowers appear on the new shoots not the long sinuous ones so I am trying to cut it back to have more young fresh green growth and flowers.

The primulas are starting to flowering.  I love primulas and will be adding to them this year.  Also hoping they might become one of the key plants in my planned online shop if I get my act together.

A pretty Primula denticulata already flowering.  I grew these from seed a few years back and they are bulking up nicely now.  Maybe they will be bulky enough for me to divide soon.

The Cyclamen hederifolium is still flowering – its been flowering for a couple of months now.  When the flowers first appeared there were no leaves but now the leaves are appearing and I think they are lovely, such a nice shape and a welcome change the rounded indoor cyclamen leaves.  As I bought this as a large corm I have never seen it in leaf so this is quite exciting – well sort off.  Also I like the way the plant has decided to grow through the branches that edge the bed – I couldn’t have done better if I had tried.

Just as I was pleased to see the first snowdrops appear I was equally thrilled to smell the flowers of the Sarcococca confusa (Sweet Box).  At first I wasn’t sure where the smell was coming from especially as it was dark at the time.  But this morning my suspicions were confirmed and it was the Sarcococca.  I have had the plant a couple of years and like so many plants in my garden it was very small, and therefore cheap, when I bought it.  This is the first year it has had more than a handful of flowers and therefore scent.  It has put on so much growth in the last year that I have cut a small bunch of stems and the flowers are making the living room quite heady with their scent.

Finally there are Hellebores nearly ready to flower – as you can see it has been pretty frosty.  Hopefully next month’s GBBD post will have lots of Hellebores featured.

Also lurking in the garden but beginning to go over are flowers of Mahonia, Abelia and Ceanothus.

For more GBBD posts visit May Dream Gardens

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