January 2015 in the Northern Hemisphere

[Roma]

Jelena is a real favourite for us, Roma. Flowers show well in most lights but in afternoon sun they just glow.

Hamamelis 'Jelena'

When the ground thaws out she will be planted where my lovely birch trees were and should catch the morning sun as well as the afternoon.

[Anne Repnow]

An excellent choice to chase away the winter blues!

[Matt T]

My favourite cultivar. A grand specimen too! Hope it gives you many years of pleasure.

[Hoy]

I lost my 'Jelena' several years ago. Seems I have to get hold of another one! The only Hamamelis I have now is 'Pallida' and it has just started to flower.

A few other plants are also in flower these dull days.
Some snowdrops have been out for a couple of weeks, but the most advanced clump was destroyed by deer or something the other day. All the leaves and flower stalks were eaten while the damaged flowers lay on the ground.

 


This is the most advanced now and also an anemic yellow one is in flower. Sorry no names! Also the Crocuses are coming. Here is one showing colour already.

[Hoy]

The different Cyclamens I have stood the weather well. They even came through the hurricane without leaf damage. Here is one with rather huge (amongst mine anyway) leaves.




Can't say that of the Helleborus. Some of the flowers are badly damaged by the wind but a few have survived.




Early flowering nameless primulas are often for sale at Christmas times. They are meant to live only for a month but I plant them out in the garden and sometimes they survive although they are not the best garden plants. A yellow one started before Xmas and the flowers are completely destroyed by wind and hail. The blue comrade has waited till now but I don't think I'll see much to the bloom.




An Opuntia has also withstood the rain, hail, frost and wind till now.

[Matt T]

We had damage to Cyclamen leaves, despite them being in a sheltered place. Wind is a familiar opponent here, but there's not much to be done in the face of 100mph, which doesn't happen too often thankfully.

Do you cover the Opuntia to keep excess wet off in the winter, Trond?

[brianw]

We had damage to Cyclamen leaves, despite them being in a sheltered place.

Me too. Dam Muntjac seem to like them; amongst many other plants. Planning a new fenced/hedged section of the garden hopefully free of deer :-(
They were in mixed pots of seedling plants that I was going to separate out the silver leafed forms. Now they all look the same; just stalks.

[Corrado & Rina]

An Opuntia has also withstood the rain, hail, frost and wind till now.

Is that a fully hardy Opuntia? What species is it?

Best,

Corrado

[Robert]

The first of the mazanitas to bloom this season, Arctostaphylos 'Sunset'

[Hoy]

We had damage to Cyclamen leaves, despite them being in a sheltered place. Wind is a familiar opponent here, but there's not much to be done in the face of 100mph, which doesn't happen too often thankfully.

Do you cover the Opuntia to keep excess wet off in the winter, Trond?

Matt,

no, not this one.

I have decided to try it without cover. I have a few others coverd though. It is the first time I try cacti at home but at my summerhouse two plants have survived without cover for 2 years. They were damaged by trampling sheeps in the summer but have recovered.

[Hoy]

Is that a fully hardy Opuntia? What species is it?

Best,

Corrado

Corrado,

sorry, as usual I have lost (the blackbirds remove them, I collect them and put them somewhere) the label and it is many years since I stopped filing info of my plants!
But I hope it is fully hardy! I can try to find the name . . . .

[Corrado & Rina]

Corrado,

sorry, as usual I have lost (the blackbirds remove them, I collect them and put them somewhere) the label and it is many years since I stopped filing info of my plants!
But I hope it is fully hardy! I can try to find the name . . . .

Thanks Trond! It would be really useful, it is amazing that it survives so well outside at your latitudes .... for me, this year it was the wind which blew away all labels but a couple ....

Regards

Corrado

[Johan K.]

Asarum splendens

[Paul T]

Cool.  Has stayed beautifully dense.  Mine keeps escaping out the holes in the bottom of the pot, leaving not much at the top to be a show. 

[SJW]

Cyclamen coum and G. nivalis shrugging off the Pennine weather.