A Christmas Day picture
Took this picture as we left to go to DB's family for Christmas Day. It's Prunus subhirtella 'Autumnalis' and it will flower on and off until April.
Tidied up the herb bed a bit this morning - that's all till New Year now folks.
A rare event
Christmas Eve is usually a last minute scramble for late presents, sellotape, trifle sponges and spare tree light bulbs. But we're having lunch at DB's parents this year and the young Trillia are at their Dad's from tonight so the pressure's off. And what's a girl to do when she's got an hour or so to spare and the weather's good? A spot of winter gardening of course.
I planted the last of the white tulips in next door's 'white walk' while they were out and some white narcissus under the pittosporum. It feels like guerrilla horticulture, sneaking in when they aren't around and putting something nice in...
In this garden I just carried on the long slow job of clearing up this year's debris. Still about a week's work to do on it before the garden's ready for 2006 - but I haven't got a week so most jobs simply won't get done.
A very Happy Christmas to one and all.
Celebrating the solstice in style...
The winter solstice blazed over the horizon looking remarkably like a pink cadillac, watched by us and 120 friends and colleagues at midday on the 21st December. Trillium and family were honoured to be amongst the guests at the 'wedding' of our two dear friends and neighbours at one the U.K.'s first civil partnership ceremmonies. I wore a small pink tribute in the shape of a tiny garland of silk flowers on a skirt of unusual feminity for a spade-wielding gardener. T'other half wore a pink shirt and a surprisingly striking tie. The two young Trillia both gave their legs the once-a-year outing in public, just to prove the jeans aren't tattoed on. This standard of personal decor is unlikely to happen again in living memory so we took some photos for the record. Not that I'm showing them here....
The witch hazel is flowering on cue. Hellebore buds are emerging bare and pearlescent from the frost-shattered soil. The winter flowering cherry (Prunus subhirtella 'Autumnalis') is working up to its full midwinter display. The days will lengthen. All is well.
Record low temperature
The mercury fell to -4.4C last night - the lowest so far for 2005. Yesterday I tidied the border under the birch tree and smothered it in compost and leaf mould - but I don't think it was deep enough to keep that level of frost at bay. Still, everything in there is supposed to be hardy so frost shouldn't be a problem.
With all the leaves now down (and in the leaf mould bin), the garden looks much lighter. I can see now why the birch border does so well in early spring, then struggles later in the year. The tree is definitely staying, but I might think about taking out one of the larger low branches to let more light in underneath.
Perfect gardening weather - or so I was told...
Spent Saturday Christmas shopping and getting ready for our office Christmas do.
Spent Sunday indoors recovering... Oh well, it was fun at the time. Apparently Sunday was a perfect day for gardening. I didn't quite make it downstairs, let alone outdoors.
Spotted our neighbours' gardener today having a clear up in their garden. I offered to spare them the disposal problem of leaves and cuttings by depositing them in my leaf and compost bins. They were pleased and so was I. So no actual gardening done by me, but still gained a little. So much still to do and so few days to do them in.
Back to back gardening
It's just two weeks until the shortest day, and the gardening year will start a few days later as the hamamellis mollis breaks into flower. But this year still has a little further to go. The copper beech is still carrying most of its canopy, and the Sorbus hupehensis is a brilliant orange, prettily offset with white berries. It looks lovely in the first sun we've seen for a few days. Add to that the evergreens, grasses, mahonia, jasmine and cyclamen and there's plenty going on. I think having something of interest all year round is the thing I'm most pleased with in this garden.
