Garden Bloggers Bloom Day – January 2015
2015, eh? So far I’ve done well to remember to write the correct date at work… However I know I’ll relapse, usually toward the end of January or early February when suddenly I begin to forget again! I guess that’s when the excitement of a new year wears off, becomes the ‘norm’ and suddenly I can’t remember what the date is any more. On the up-side, my new job no longer requires me to work a month in advance, so I do actually know the current date these days when for the past 3 years I usually don’t have a clue because I’m way ahead.
So yes, onto the bloom day.
Considering it’s January, the garden is doing quite well. With the usual suspects showing up for this month’s look at what’s blooming. I haven’t managed photos of all the blooms, so you’ll have to trust me on this and after the snow at Christmas I have some tidying to do – mainly coppicing the Willow and cutting off dead Fern fronds as well as general tidying and mulch spreading.
Not photographed are: Autumn Cherry, Erysimum and Winter Jasmine (all have been blooming since December, well the Erysimum never stops flowering).
We do however have Snowdrops almost opening; I really need to get some more ‘Flore pleno’ before they’re all gone! So far only the ‘Nivalis’ are coming up. Although, saying that I’m doubtful that some of them are actually Nivalis. There’s a marked difference in leaves between some clumps – i.e. most are a greyish blue green, quite thin leaf but some others the leaves are almost like Bluebells as they’re much wider and a lime green shade. I took quite a lot of photos of them last year to record how much larger the blooms were too. But hey, natural variation is a wonderful thing and after all, this is how different varieties occur. (Apologies, I threw the Orchid in there because it was also white and pretty)
I also have Cyclamen Coum blooming in the front garden, I’m pleased they seem to be doing well and continue to appear each winter/spring. I was concerned they’d be pest fodder, but so far all is OK. I can’t tell if their numbers are multiplying though, but we do have ants so perhaps they are. I just need to pick up the dead leaves which succumbed to the heavy snow ice.
And lookie here, spotted amongst all the detritus; Brook Thistle attempting to bloom. I must go out to see if it’s flowering yet.
Garrya is very pretty with is lightly blushed pink flowers, this shrub is quite near the front window so I get to see it easily.
Sweetbox is blooming by the front gate but was recently crushed by the snow. Poor thing it isn’t doing well. In its first year we had 17inches of snow hit it. It was badly damaged on one side and hasn’t ever really recovered and is now over-shadowed by a Hebe which had a very good year in 2014. Oh well. I should really replace it.
Hellebore ‘niger’ is also now in bloom and many others have buds, including some which didn’t do anything last year. For some reason the Hellebores in the front garden always get damaged and seem to be nibbled, but those in the back garden remain fine and largely unblemished (unless damaged by snow).
Sadly though, my stinking Hellebore doesn’t have any buds on it this year and I’m unsure if I’ve lost argutifolius (must make a point of looking for it).
And last but not least…
Geum Totally Tangerine is blooming!
Ha ha.
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Gwirrel's Garden 
Thanks for sharing – and what a tease to leave Totally Tangerine till last!
Hi Cathy,
I’m hoping frosts/snow don’t kill it off before I have chance to get photos of it open!
Yay for early TT geum! I don’t think mine even has any leaves growing yet, though we have been having highs several degrees above freezing most days this month, which is a few degrees warmer than average. Your white orchid is lovely. I brought home a coppery-pink one last month and am thinking that next time I’ll just do clean, pristine white. Some of my hellebores do have buds, though none are open. Maybe in a month a few will open?
Hi VW,
Don’t worry, TT doesn’t typically bloom at this time of year here either. Generally fresh growth appears Feb-March and blooms around May. We’ve had some odd weather this year, however so far it’s been colder than last winter as many of us have had snow at some point this time when last year we had none.
Here’s hoping your Hellebores open soon!
Your Orchid is so beautiful, I need flowering plants in the house at this time of year, I have a pink one which has just finished flowering and another one about to flower any day now, but I can’t remember what colour it is! It’s good to see your Garrya flowering away, I hadn’t noticed it having a blush pink colour, must go and have a look at mine tomorrow!
Hi Pauline,
I threw away a few Orchids earlier this year as they had no sign of growth – I don’t usually throw plants away, but was trying to clear clutter – and have since replaced them in an attempt to add some finishing touches to the house in preparation for trying to sell.
The Garrya is tempting me to bring some in for vases… I just don’t have anything else to go with them though and think they might look too lonely on their own! Perhaps I’ll try combining them with some shop-bought blooms for now.
Crazy weather has confused some plants for sure. I have a summer snowflake in bloom which I posted today.
I am not an orchid lover but the image you show is beautiful……love the simple bloom.
Some would say winter gardens are boring…..Yours certainly isn’t it. I guess it is what we make it ?
Hi Cheryl,
In some ways this winter has been similar to last year – let’s ignore the storms that keep passing through and week or snow – and it’s otherwise quite similar. I just hope it remains this way, and it isn’t an indication of a rubbish summer (perhaps it could mean a good summer??!)
Generally I don’t ‘do’ plants indoors, but I do have a couple of Orchids mainly to as decoration to make the house more inviting to potential buyers.
Oh, the garden is definitely boring! And I’m looking forward to hopefully spending some time in the garden tomorrow. But it depends on whether it rains and/or is too cold.
Nice to see a few plants trying their damnedest to bloom despite the time of year Liz. If find that Cyclamen coum don’t impress me quite as much as C. hederefolium, yours are pretty though. I had read that they are plagued with pests, yet I find that in my garden they are left well alone. Perhaps tastier things lie elsewhere.
Happy Bloom Day Liz!
Hi Angie,
I think ‘coum’ would no doubt look much better planted en masse rather than dotted here and there… Like any late winter early spring plant, they’re much smaller than others and don’t make much of an impression when there aren’t many. Take Crocus, for example. One on its own is a sorry sight, but 100s is far more impressive. But yes I can see what you mean, and I really should get some autumn flowering cyclamen as well.
I was warned by a friend that the cyclamen will soon be eaten by weevil and other pests… But I decided to give them a go anyway, and here I am 4/5 years later and they’re still here, so I’m glad I tried.
What a lot going o in January – thank you for sharing your beautiful images.