December 2013 in the Northern Hemisphere

[astragalus]

More than a foot of snow almost gone in three ridiculous days of warmth and one day of rain. Cold again but no snow.  This can't be good for all my dryland plants.
 
MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HOLIDAYS  AND A HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR TO ALL

[meanie]

More than a foot of snow almost gone in three ridiculous days of warmth and one day of rain. Cold again but no snow.  This can't be good for all my dryland plants.
 
MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HOLIDAYS  AND A HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR TO ALL

Well, I've just been out doing the slug and snail "run" in December - they are still fully active and taking chunks out of all sorts of things. Whilst out there I had to remove six or seven Dandelion flowers!

[johnralphcarpenter]

So - what's in flower in the open garden on Christmas Day? Not a lot!

Jasminum nudiflorum
Viburnum
Camellia 'Winter's Interlude'
Helleborus x glandorfii
Helleborus foetidus
Sternbergia lutea
Helleborus 'Walberton's Rosemary'
Helleborus x ballardiae 'Cinnamon Snow'
Helleborus x hybridus 'SP Valerie'
Galanthus elwesii 'Comet' (well, almost!)

[Maggi Young]

Merry Christmas, Ralph!

The weather has been so wild I'm surprised there are any flowers at all  - and as for those super hellebore flowers- you are a  lucky dog! 'Cinnamon Snow' is charming - and sounds rather like a fine pudding!

[Maggi Young]

Forumists are sharing their Christmas flowers- and others -  on the Pacific Bulb Society list... Peter T. :
http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbslist/2013-December/217rs4moava570hjuterbsde73.html#

and
Rimmer is showing the summer flowers of his own Lily hybrids:
http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbslist/2013-December/iuerr99igqi9vok49e6nunfah3.html

[Giles]

3 Cherries:
Prunus incisa 'February Pink'
Prunus incisa 'Praecox'
Prunus x subhirtella 'Autumnalis'

[Anne Repnow]

Lonicera purpusii has started flowering. Not terribly spectacular - but what a scent!

[plantsman50]

A yakushimanum hybrid which exhibits leaf indumentum and tomentum as additional attraction to the foliage. Cannot wait for the spring when the buds will burst open!

Martin

[pehe]

In the last week of the year there are still some flowers in my garden.

1. Colchicum decaisnei
2. C. decaisnei
3. Muscari armenaicum 'Christmas Pearl'
4. The same close up
5. Seed pod of Muscari aucheri 'Autumn Glory' which flowered August - October

Poul

[pehe]

A few more

1. Crocus imperati De Jager
2. Cyclamen coum
3. The very first Eranthis hyemalis
4. Narcissus romieuxii
5. Galanthus snogerupii

Poul

[pehe]

And some under glass

1. Narcissus cantabricus foliosus
2. Crocus laevigatus
3. Massonia pustulata
4. Narcissus 'Cedric Morris'
5. the same close up

I wish you all a Happy New Year hoping 2014 will be a good gardening year.

Poul

[Maggi Young]

You have a lot there to cheer you through the end of the year, Poul.   

[astragalus]

Really like the Hellebores pictured, especially the one called "cinnamon snow", what a charmer.  Unfortunately, many of these seem to be unavailable in the U.S.

[fenius]

I'm so jealous of so many blooms!
The cinnamon snow hellebore, the massonias, (from the other thread too) the galanthus, the winter flowering shrubs.... My prunus just finished dropping the last leaves, we are so slow here... Every day I kept watching the buds swell on my lonicera purpusii to finally see what it smells like and only today a first tiny flower half opened!!

[Anne Repnow]

Your joy will be the greater when the first blooms Show...