Bee on Japanese Quince
Well for this December’s Garden Blogger Bloom Day you would be hard put to find any indication that winter intends to show its face. Not only is the red Japanese Quince fully in bloom but the bees are all out to take advantage. I watched them collecting pollen this afternoon and they went mostly into the closed buds. My guess is that there were so many bees around that they had already cleaned out the open flowers.
Japanese Quince in bloom
There are many other plants that are pushing the season. The Christmas Rose continues to flower up a storm…
Helleborus niger ‘HGC Jacob’
And the two early flowering Camellia japonicas are also putting out new flowers every day.
Camellia japonica double flowered pink
The first snowdrop is fully open at this point.
Galanthus elwesii
And the Pineapple Sage continues to hang on with its brilliant red blossoms.
Pineapple Sage (Salvia elegans)
In addition there is a Calendula that won’t give up on the season.
Yellow Calendula
Rather more remarkable right now is the Spirea thunbergii ‘Ogon’ which is showing both lovely rust colored fall leaves combined with the white flowers of spring.
Spiraea thunbergii ‘Ogon’
The first flowers on the aubretia in the alpine bed are also coming out now.
Aubretia ‘Blue Beauty’
In the greenhouse the little hoop daffodils have been coming out.
Narcissus cantabricus ‘Peppermint’
Narcissus cantabricus ‘Peppermint’ (note the buds yet to come)
I think I definitely need to divide the bulbs in this pot next year.
I’ll close with the third pot of Daubenya stylosa that has flowered this year.
Daubenya stylosa
It will be interesting to see what this warm start to the winter portends for January and February…
What if Winter Never Came…
Gentiana paradoxa
So far this December is looking more like October. We have yet to experience a real killing frost and many things are still flowering that should definitely be dormant by now, including the lovely gentian pictured above. Two of the Camellia japonicas are in full flower.
Camellia japonica double flowered pink
Camellia japonica ‘Spring’s Promise’
Not surprisingly, the usual harbingers of spring are in flower, both the snowdrops and helleborus niger are blooming.
First Snowdrop
Helleborus niger ‘HGC Jacob’
Nevertheless, I pretended winter was coming and planted another 200 daffodils in anticipation that spring will come with all it’s profusion next March.
A bag of 100 daffodils from Scheepers
Daffodil planter
Quick digging
Daffodils in the hole
From the greenhouse we have freesias and daffodils right now, but I wanted to close with this pretty amaryllis relative
Cyrtanthus mackenii
The flowers are a wonderful pastel with an almost waxy texture. I enjoy exploring all the bulbs that come by way of the Pacific Bulb Society‘s exchange program.