Four flowering shrubs in my garden in January . . .
– fragrant cream flowers of the Shrubby Honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima)
– breaking buds on the Cornelian Cherry (Cornus mas)
– clusters of richly scented sugar-almond pink flowers on the Viburnum (Viburnum x bodnantense 'Dawn')
– exquisitely perfumed spiky flowers of the Christmas Box (Sarcococca humilis)
Bursting up through the soil and leaf litter are perfect freshly unfurled Winter Aconites (Eranthis hyemalis) . The deep burgundy red Hellebore is one of the many I grew from seed from a slate-purple Helleborus Orientalis, this is the second year they have flowered.
Lovely to see your flowers ... I must get that viburnum, a cousin has it by the front door, the perfect spot. I was at the garden centre today, where the primulas were highly scented, not all of them, so you'd have to pick with care ... the orange ones seemed to be the most strongly scented. Lovely
ReplyDeleteJoanna
What a lovely sight! I love that helebore, mine is white and seeds itself all over the garden. It's looking good right now with quite a few violets as underplanting. Another trick of nature - since I planted just two tiny violet plants and they have colonised the whole area.
ReplyDeleteLovely, Celia. Of course, they are now 'way out of my league, but, since our good rain, I can now breathe deeply of the ylang ylang that I maligned recently.
ReplyDeleteJoanna - the Viburnum was already in the garden when we moved here, I'm not big fan of sugar pink flowers, but the scent is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteGlickster - lots of fascintating Hellebores facts - thank you.
Toffeeapple - White hellebores and How exotic to have ylang ylang in the garden - I put drops of the oil in the bath!
Dinahmow - Gardening in Queensland must be so different from mild and muddy Suffolk! But ylang ylang in the garden - how exotic! (I put drops of the oil in the bath!)
I so wish I had some blooms breaking out - they look beautiful. I would enjoy the scent of the Viburnum nad the Honeysuckle.
ReplyDeleteAnd reading your potato post was fun - I didn't realise there was now an International Year of the Potato. At the garden centres that I've frequented, there might be four or five varieties for sale.
Wow--I had no idea January was so mild.
ReplyDeleteDoes the ocean moderate your temperatures all year?
Never snow?
I just love your darkish Hellebore - wow :)
ReplyDeleteHave a nice spring! :)
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