December in the Northern Hemisphere

[ian mcenery]

And a couple more

    Cyclamen x wellensiekii
    Narcissus romieuxii albidus zainicus
    Galanthus fosteri

[Maggi Young]

Looks to me like quite a lot is happening, Ian! Some lovely plants there.   

[Corrado & Rina]

Today the temperature has been oscillating again between 10.5C and 14C in the area, with warm and wet  westerly wind. The spring bulbs, and some early summer bulbs, are all on their way.   Is it the same everywhere?

Regards

Corrado

[François Lambert]

Today the temperature has been oscillating again between 10.5C and 14C in the area, with warm and wet  westerly wind. The spring bulbs, and some early summer bulbs, are all on their way.   Is it the same everywhere?

the temps are indeed high for this time of the year, something like 11 to 12° C, but only the Leucojum bulbs are in foliage now - and they always have started growing in the fall in the past years.  Other bulbs are not yet showing themselves.  But very unusual, there are still daisies flowering, as well as buttercups and dandelions.  And just like last year I'm still harvesting fresh bell peppers in the greenhouse.

[Susan Band]

Had a walk round the tunnels today and found these 2 iris flowering. Iris 'Down to Earth' and Blue Ice'

[meanie]

Today the temperature has been oscillating again between 10.5C and 14C in the area, with warm and wet  westerly wind. The spring bulbs, and some early summer bulbs, are all on their way.   Is it the same everywhere?

Regards

Corrado

Ipheon almost in bloom here but many others are still to "poke their heads up". Hermodactylus are very advanced too.

In the greenhouse (unheated) Lachenalia nelsonii is just about to bloom, although the colour would probably be better if it had waited until the days were a little longer.

One big surprise is that the Agapanthus in the main bed are still actively growing.

[Maggi Young]

    galanthus Mrs Mac 
   

  Is this 'Mrs Mac' or 'Mrs MacNamara'?

[ian mcenery]

  Is this 'Mrs Mac' or 'Mrs MacNamara'?

Yes Maggi my converter doesn't allow enough letters

[Hoy]

Today the temperature has been oscillating again between 10.5C and 14C in the area, with warm and wet  westerly wind. The spring bulbs, and some early summer bulbs, are all on their way.   Is it the same everywhere?

Regards

Corrado

The last days we have had between 4 and 9C during daytime and the mean so far for December is 5.7C which is well above "normal". But December  last year was even warmer (+6.5C). It has also been just one night with frost this autumn, down to -0.3C(!). That's very abnormal. Usually we will experience several days with freezing temps in December. The forecast says however, that we will get a drop now down to -5C on the 26th and then up to +5C again.

Some wild plants are in flower, like dandelions and daisies, but no bulbs although the snowflake, snowdrops and some tulips are showing. I have no early snowdrops so it is rather early for my plants.
Shrubs like Viburnum farreri and Mahonia bealei are in full flower, and also an early Clematis is covered in buds and flowers.

[Leena]

Snow and freezing temperatures here.  Though it is good to have snow because the weather forecast promises -18C for tomorrow. A long wait until any flowers, but seeing pictures of them here helps.
Picture is from yesterday.

[François Lambert]

One of the consequences of this warm weather is also that some pests - most visible right now aphids and even some caterpillars - that normally would have been killed by frost continue to prosper.  But the predators however are on winter rest so that there is no limit on their multiplication.  Without frost this winter I expect that next spring will see en explosion of aphids before the predators catch up.

[meanie]

One of the other problems with the warm weather is plants blooming whilst light levels are too low. This Lachenalia aloides Nelsonii is a good example - last March it was a good shade of orange but this year it is an OK shade of yellow and flower numbers on the stems are low..........




(it is growing in the unheated greenhouse but I took it outdoors to get it into sunlight for the photo)

[Robert]

Snow and freezing temperatures here.  Though it is good to have snow because the weather forecast promises -18C for tomorrow. A long wait until any flowers, but seeing pictures of them here helps.
Picture is from yesterday.

Leena,

I think that the photograph of your garden in the snow is very beautiful! Thank you for sharing it. It has been a number of years since we have had a good snowfall like that at our farm here in Northern California. It would be good if we did. As of now, we are finally getting some cold weather and the plants can finally go to sleep. It is about time. There was some concern that we would not get enough chilling hours for the fruit trees, as this occurred in some areas last year.

[Corrado & Rina]

The last days we have had between 4 and 9C during daytime and the mean so far for December is 5.7C which is well above "normal". But December  last year was even warmer (+6.5C). It has also been just one night with frost this autumn, down to -0.3C(!). That's very abnormal. Usually we will experience several days with freezing temps in December. The forecast says however, that we will get a drop now down to -5C on the 26th and then up to +5C again.Some wild plants are in flower, like dandelions and daisies, but no bulbs although the snowflake, snowdrops and some tulips are showing. I have no early snowdrops so it is rather early for my plants.
Shrubs like Viburnum farreri and Mahonia bealei are in full flower, and also an early Clematis is covered in buds and flowers.

Dear Hoy,

Have you had the expected drop in temperature?

Best,

Corrado

[Leena]

I think that the photograph of your garden in the snow is very beautiful! Thank you for sharing it.

Thank you Robert. I agree, it looks beautiful and right now we're getting more snow.
I wouldn't mind if there was snow only for a short time, but usually winter lasts here until late March or even April (though the good thing is that the cold kills bugs and such). I'm so happy now that weather forecast promises at least a mild January. Last year was very mild and I could enjoy snowdrops already in late February, I hope it will be the same this winter, that is only two months away. There has been pictures of 'Mrs Macnamara' already flowering elsewhere in the forum, my 'Mrs Macnamara' showed its nose in the beginning of December but no more..perhaps it knows it is better to wait like my other snowdrops do.