I began my traditional Boxing Day post last year by commenting on the unusually mild weather that lead up to Christmas. Had I known then what I know now, I may well have made less of it: the UK is about to record its warmest ever December, with temperatures 4°C above average for the time of year. Perhaps ‘warm’ Decembers are becoming the norm, leaving January and February to deliver the big freeze, or maybe the last couple of years have been anomalies? No-one really knows, not even the Met Office. All that’s predictable about the British weather is that it’s unpredictable. Us gardeners just have to dress accordingly and get on with it.
The impact of an extended autumn cum early spring on garden flowers has been significant. Many are confused. In Cornwall my dad has reported camellias blooming alongside hydrangeas and in our London garden the hellebores, which I expect to flower in late February, are already in full bloom.
Primula vulgaris ‘Taigetos’ is peeping out before the nasturtiums have even been blackened by frost and our alpine strawberries are still bearing fruit, albeit pallid looking ones. It’s all very topsy-turvy.
After a refreshingly slow start to Boxing Day (the last few weeks have finally caught up with us both), we set off for our customary walk from Highgate across Hampstead Heath to Hampstead, with one or two cosy hostelries along the way. I noted all sorts of unusual plants in bloom, including libertia, bearded irises, anthirrhinums, hardy geraniums, honeysuckle, campanulas and even Abutilon megapotamicum flowering happily against a south facing wall. Near the Ghana High Commission I spied this colourful correa, which might perhaps be C. ‘Marian’s Marvel’.
In Merton Lane, where last year I admired the daffodils, there were also snowdrops aplenty.
Hampstead Heath is looking rather like a war zone thanks to the ongoing Ponds Project. This controversial programme, involving the re-inforcement of the dams that retain a series of man-made ponds, has involved a tremendous amount of earth work, which equals one thing: mud. How we laughed at the poor dog walkers as their pampered pooches rolled gleefully in the gloopy clay whilst they tried in vain to prevent them. The upholstery cleaners of North London will enjoy a busy New Year. The Ponds Project has its own WordPress blog which is well worth a read.
Hampstead Heath is a precious slice of countryside in the heart of London and a haven for wildlife including kingfishers jackdaws and pipistrelle bats. I love to see the venerable oaks and fallen willows riddled with fungi, mosses and lichens, providing a home for millions of insects, food for the birds and nutrition for the soil.
Arriving in Hampstead we paced the ‘old money’ streets, admiring luxurious wreaths and carefully tended front gardens bedded with cyclamen.
In the very same place I first encountered Sophora microphylla I admired it flowering once again, about four months early.
Nearby a profusion of cheery Chaenomeles blossom caught my eye, weaving its way through a fine Regency fence.
It was almost dark by the time we reached home. Coats, hats and gloves had been superfluous: we needed cooling down rather than warming up. I peered gingerly out of the terrace doors to see what damage had been done. Over the last month or so our London garden has been ravaged by an urban fox and his unsavoury pals. A handsome creature, I am resisting giving him a name as I don’t wish to become in any way attached. The garden reeks from where he’s been marking his territory. All of our tulip and garlic bulbs have been exhumed, the goldfish have been molested (although none missing so far) and there are pronounced tracks running every which way across the borders. We are greatly in need of a humane deterrent: answers on a postcard please!
Here’s hoping you enjoyed a bloom or two this balmy Boxing Day and have your feet up in front of a toasty fire with a good book. It’s all back to normal tomorrow 😉
Categories: Christmas, Flowers, London, Musings, Photography, Plants, Trees and Shrubs, Uncategorized, Weather
I enjoyed this ‘city’ blog and excellent pictures – re fox, living in the countryside with superb canine friends, I’ve never had garden fox trouble but I did have BADGERS who dug up my newly-planted trees. I’d given the trees horse manure which the wormes loved! No idea how Brock got in or out, so put out human urine and dog poo – end of problem.
Yes Ann, I confess we have had the odd ‘tinkle’ in the garden (easier said than done when overlooked on every side!) but as yet the fox has not been deterred. He appears to be taking a Christmas break, so we hope he stays away until the New Year 🙂
Much the same here. Camellia in full bloom, a Hellebores too. Bulbs up and about to flower. It feels very strange.
It’s all very bizarre isn’t it? Much as I am happy to have plants flowering early, I have a feeling they may suffer in the New Year.
Wallflowers blooming in Worcestershire and crocuses up and Rosa Graham Thomas and a boubon Rose still flowering…Mother Nature must be having a bit of a moment!!
She must wonder what on earth is going on! It’s currently 13°C in Broadstairs at 9pm, a night time temperature we’re lucky to enjoy in the summer!
4 degrees! That’s a bit scary. I was out working in the garden today with no coat and, indeed, admiring the camellia. But I noticed this morning the 7 day forecast is now showing temps going down.. there might have to be an emergency repatriation to the greenhouse some day soon..
I agree. Proper cold can’t be too far off, but the milder weather does make it possible to get lots done outside.
Camellias in Greenwich Park, & hellebores – I wonder if we are going to be caught by frost in Jan/Feb?
I think we can count on it Candy. It will be fascinating to see how flowers like Hellebores respond. Will we get a second flush or will they be cut off in their prime? (Funnily enough we are just driving across Blackheath as I type this reply on my phone). Wishing you a Happy New Year!
My hyacinthoides hispanica jumped up 5 inches this week, but their future does not look bright. It reached 76 degrees F yesterday, a new record. By the end of the week, however, the forecast is for 30 or more degrees cooler and now the experts are predicting a big shift in the arctic air currents, resulting in an extremely cold January and February.
Hmm, I think we’re going to find ourselves in the same boat next weekend Marian. Colder weather on the way. I’ve been out gardening this morning in a t-shirt and cardigan. Pleasant but soggy. The ground was absolutely saturated.
The weather here is unseeingly warm with the first snow to arrive on Tuesday. Have you put a contract out on that fox? Digging up your bulbs and plants is just not acceptable. LOL We have a herd of deer, but everything is still so green they are currently leaving my plants alone. Do you have a plant you would recommend that produces red berries for use in winter arrangements? Happy Sunday. 🙂
Where you are Judy I’d imagine Ilex
verticillata (winterberry) would do well. We have a big bundle of stems indoors this Christmas and they are laden with scarlet berries.
Sounds like we have some colder weather on the way, which will just add to the misery for all the folk up north who have been flooded over Christmas. My fox problems are insignificant in comparison.
[…] which shouldn’t be in flower, it seems to be this way across the country as observed here and here (but we are very fortunate to be in a location not affected by the […]
We broke records here too, on the 24th and 25th… a good 30 and 20 degrees above normal, respectively. The magnolia is very confused and I expect all those nice fat furry swelling buds to be very unhappy in another day or so!
Oh no! Not the magnolia! That would be too sad 🙁 Feels like spring here this morning. The birds must be fooled too as they are singing for all they are worth.
We have wonky weather here in Portland as well. We shattered the previous rain record with a whopping 14.4″, distributed over – I think – a stretch of 24 days of rain. Rain, rain, rain – through pretty much all of December. Yesterday, we actually saw some snow flurries, but nothing that stuck. To have all the things you’re showing in bloom right now just seems wrong – however beautiful… Don’t know what to suggest to combat your fox. There is a great product called Plantskydd that reportedly works wonders on larger critters like deer, but foxes…? Sorry – I’m not much help. 🙁
I am amazed at how much is flowering – and I love that yellow front door!
Well, if anything had flowers, storm Frank has made sure they’ve been detached today! Wishing you a very Happy New Year Laurie. Dan