Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum

General Subjects => Flowers and Foliage Now => Topic started by: pehe on December 12, 2011, 11:37:44 AM

Title: December 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere
Post by: pehe on December 12, 2011, 11:37:44 AM
The garden is not at its best, but there are some flowers (among the weeds :-[)
When you look closer, many of the bulbs are ready for spring.

Galanthus elwesii monosticus Hiemale + Narcissus Cedric Morris
Crocus laevigatus Fontenayi
Narcissus cantabricus foliosus
Ipheon (Notoscordum) dialytemon
Nerine undulata
Crocus imperati Jager
Colchicum vernum
Iris histrioides George
Eranthis hyemalis
Orchis purpurea

Poul
Title: Re: December 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere
Post by: Menai on December 12, 2011, 07:24:26 PM
Tulips anyone? Tulipa iliensis in an open sided sand plunge. It was more open yesterday in a rare patch of sunshine but, of course, by the time I got around to getting the camera it was dark and gloomy again.
I had Oncostema(Scilla) peruviana open at the end of November and Convolvulus cneorumis covered in opening buds for the first time this year but these I guess are late rather than early. What is a gardener supposed to do  ???
Title: Re: December 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere
Post by: Pascal B on December 13, 2011, 11:43:15 PM
Some Asarum in flower. Asarum hypogynum from Taiwan, Asarum nipponicum and a small flowered species from China, possibly Asarum ichiangense.
Title: Re: December 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere
Post by: johnw on December 17, 2011, 06:55:59 PM
It has been the year of Ilex verticillata here and the partridges have left them alone.  All throughout the province they are stunning save for the largest female I've ever seen  - some 6m wide x 3m high across - which didn't have a single berry.

johnw
Title: Re: December 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere
Post by: KentGardener on December 18, 2011, 10:09:56 AM
Anyone like to guess what this is?   :D
Title: Re: December 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere
Post by: Lesley Cox on December 18, 2011, 08:34:06 PM
Well it's not a snowdrop!
Title: Re: December 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere
Post by: freddyvl on December 19, 2011, 07:22:43 PM
Today in the garden: Hamamelis 'Rochester' (syn. Ham. mollis 'Superba')
A spreading hybrid between Ham. mollis and Ham. vernalis making a shrub 3 m tall and wide. It's a very useful cultivar in that it has the strongest (sweet) scent of any (particularly very fragrant by 'warmer' and windless weather) and it is always by far the first hybrid to come into flower (december). It's a hybrid with vernalisblood which means that the flowers are not very large (approximately 13 mm) compared for example with the Ham. intermedia cultivars (Ham. japonica x Ham. mollis) but the overall color is a brilliant coppery orange. A disadvantage can be the fact that it often retains its dead leaves during winter, especially young(er) plants. So when you wanted to buy a Hamamelis this one must be one of your favorites !!!
Title: Re: December 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere
Post by: Maggi Young on December 19, 2011, 07:47:02 PM
Anyone like to guess what this is?   :D
No idea. Ian thought it might be a Euphorbia, but I don't!
Title: Re: December 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere
Post by: Maggi Young on December 19, 2011, 07:47:28 PM
Today in the garden: Hamamelis 'Rochester' (syn. Ham. mollis 'Superba')
A spreading hybrid between Ham. mollis and Ham. vernalis making a shrub 3 m tall and wide. It's a very useful cultivar in that it has the strongest (sweet) scent of any (particularly very fragrant by 'warmer' and windless weather) and it is always by far the first hybrid to come into flower (december). It's a hybrid with vernalisblood which means that the flowers are not very large (approximately 13 mm) compared for example with the Ham. intermedia cultivars (Ham. japonica x Ham. mollis) but the overall color is a brilliant coppery orange. A disadvantage can be the fact that it often retains its dead leaves during winter, especially young(er) plants. So when you wanted to buy a Hamamelis this one must be one of your favorites !!!
What a great plant, Freddy.  Wonderful colour.
Title: Re: December 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere
Post by: Hoy on December 19, 2011, 08:45:41 PM
Anyone like to guess what this is?   :D
I have never seen anything like it. Can't even say whether it is a monocot or a dicot ???
Title: Re: December 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere
Post by: Hoy on December 19, 2011, 08:56:54 PM
Today in the garden: Hamamelis 'Rochester' (syn. Ham. mollis 'Superba')
A spreading hybrid between Ham. mollis and Ham. vernalis making a shrub 3 m tall and wide. It's a very useful cultivar in that it has the strongest (sweet) scent of any (particularly very fragrant by 'warmer' and windless weather) and it is always by far the first hybrid to come into flower (december). It's a hybrid with vernalisblood which means that the flowers are not very large (approximately 13 mm) compared for example with the Ham. intermedia cultivars (Ham. japonica x Ham. mollis) but the overall color is a brilliant coppery orange. A disadvantage can be the fact that it often retains its dead leaves during winter, especially young(er) plants. So when you wanted to buy a Hamamelis this one must be one of your favorites !!!

Very nice indeed, freddyvl! I have a soft spot for Witch hazels but for the time being I only have 'Pallida'.
Title: Re: December 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere
Post by: fermi de Sousa on December 21, 2011, 07:35:56 AM
Anyone like to guess what this is?   :D
No idea. Ian thought it might be a Euphorbia, but I don't!
"Never a willow" ::)
Possibly an Aloe?
cheers
fermi
Title: Re: December 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere
Post by: Menai on December 21, 2011, 10:30:09 PM
Anyone like to guess what this is?   :D
No idea. Ian thought it might be a Euphorbia, but I don't!
"Never a willow" ::)
Possibly an Aloe?
cheers
fermi

Lachenalia?
Happy Christmas
Erle
Title: Re: December 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere
Post by: KentGardener on December 22, 2011, 06:07:17 PM
It was one of the Bromeliads flowering in my kitchen at the moment.  I'm embarrassed to say that I cannot immediately remember the name!   :-[    Where is Michael Ben (member on here) when you need him?  I got these from one of his friends in Madeira a few years ago and this is the first time they have flowered.

Title: Re: December 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere
Post by: Maggi Young on December 22, 2011, 06:43:49 PM
I wouldn't have got that, John. It was the furry stem that was confusing me.... :-\

Michael hasn't been around for a couple of months or more..... wonder how his studies at the RHS are getting on?
Title: Re: December 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere
Post by: Lesley Cox on December 22, 2011, 07:42:11 PM
Thanks for putting us out of our misery John. They are most interesting plants and it's great to have them flowering under your nose, so to speak. Those two plastic rings nearby didn't have anything to do with it, did they? ;D Probably plant food of some kind. ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: December 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere
Post by: John Forrest on December 23, 2011, 01:39:59 PM
Just wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Rain, rain and more rain here in Blackpool. Everything here is looking as though rice would be a favoured crop but on the rock garden just 2 little things are managing to flower. Senecio pulcher looks very unlikely to be there and to be flowering at this time of the year but did just the same last year even after the lowest temperature of -15C which saw off a lot of bulbs. The other is a a little cyclamen self seeded into a a gap.
Title: Re: December 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere
Post by: Lesley Cox on December 25, 2011, 07:49:18 PM
Cheerful colour for an English mid-winter John. Very best wishes to you and yours too and hopefully not too harsh a New Year, weather-wise. :)
Title: Re: December 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere
Post by: mark smyth on December 27, 2011, 04:56:01 PM
My Tulipa turkestanica aff. have been open a few days now. Many in the garden have noses above ground now.

13C today. I would really like some frost to put the Geraniums and other perennials to sleep for the winter. Aster laterifolius is growing again
Title: Re: December 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere
Post by: KentGardener on December 28, 2011, 05:45:12 AM
Happy Christmas to everyone.

I am just back from a week at the parents place on the South Coast of UK.  A strange mix of things in flower there - some far too early and some far too late!   :-\

Title: Re: December 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere
Post by: KentGardener on December 28, 2011, 05:55:55 AM
And a few other random pictures I took in my parents garden.
Title: Re: December 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere
Post by: Maggi Young on December 28, 2011, 10:26:35 AM
Crikey, a lot more colour there than here, John. What a Christmas treat. 
Some of the other visitors out in the garden look a bit stoney faced though... party poopers!
Title: Re: December 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere
Post by: Anthony Darby on December 28, 2011, 10:47:31 AM
I like the grass. ;D
Title: Re: December 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere
Post by: KentGardener on December 28, 2011, 03:21:59 PM
I like the grass. ;D

I'm sure that Dad will be glad to hear it  ::)
Title: Re: December 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere
Post by: Anthony Darby on December 28, 2011, 10:04:49 PM
I meant the pampas grass. ::) I could never get mine to flower! ;D
Title: Re: December 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere
Post by: Lesley Cox on December 29, 2011, 04:46:48 AM
Flowers everywhere in NZ. Cain comes in with fluffy bits attached all over him. Mercifully, though it doesn't seem to seed about. I've not seen a self-sown one here or anywhere.
Title: Re: December 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere
Post by: ruweiss on December 29, 2011, 08:27:39 PM
The unusual mild weather brought the first flower of Ranunculus calandrinioides
in the open garden.
Title: Re: December 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere
Post by: Lina Hesseling on December 29, 2011, 09:01:34 PM
Hi John, I can see where you have got you GREEN THUMBS from! (Is this correct english? We call it green fingers.)
Title: Re: December 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere
Post by: Anthony Darby on December 29, 2011, 10:14:29 PM
Yes, John definitely has green fingers. I am just green. ;D
Title: Re: December 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere
Post by: Lina Hesseling on December 29, 2011, 10:27:49 PM
Its better to be green then it is to be bleu. ;D

Lina.
Title: Re: December 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere
Post by: Hoy on December 30, 2011, 07:50:14 AM
Its better to be green then it is to be bleu. ;D

Lina.
No! Ajourd'hui: Bleu, bleu, le ciel est bleu ;D
For the first time in days - weeks - the weather is calm and the sky is almost cloudless! So far this winter very mild weather, only 5 days when the night temp have dropped below 0oC. The Crocuses is 10cm tall but without flowers as the weather has been too dull.
Title: Re: December 2011 in the Northern Hemisphere
Post by: Roma on December 30, 2011, 10:14:48 PM
Eranthis hyemalis is very early this winter.
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