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Happy New Year

AndrewR

By AndrewR

10 comments


It has become a tradition here at Bracknell Towers to go round the garden on New Year’s Day and see what is in flower. As well as the usual winter bloomers, I can often find, if the weather has been mild, something hanging on from autumn or an early herald of spring. So here is this year’s list:

Abutilon megapotanicum
Narcissus ‘Rijnvelds’ Early Sensation’
Narcissus ‘Cedric Morris’
Primula vulgaris
Cyclamen repandum
Rosmarinus officinalis (both pink- and blue-flowered forms)
Daphne mezereum
Viburnum x bodnantense ‘Dawn’
Viburnum tinus
Chaenomeles x superba ‘Pink Lady’
Jasminum officinalis
Lonicera x purpusii ‘Winter Beauty’
Mahonia japonica
Mahonia ‘Charity’
Echinops ‘Ritro’ – well, this has never done it on January 1st before!

In addition, the following were in bud and will probably flower in the next mild spell:

Polygala chamaebuxus alba
Potentilla alba
Daphne bholua ‘Alba’
Viburnum farreri nanum
Helleborus foetidus
Sarcococca humilis
Penstemon (two varieties)

So that’s sixteen in flower on 1st January; my record is twenty but still not bad for mid winter. Hope you all have good year in 2008 and your gardens are the best ever.

AndrewR

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Comments

 

Andrew awrabestfur 2008.
Sounds like your garden has a flying start to the New Year! Look forward to watching it throughout the year

1 Jan, 2008

 

happy new year to you too! you do have a lot going on out there don't you. we have some suprises too, i have Crocus in flower and Ajuga reptans in flower as well as all the usual suspects such as cyclamen, pansies, viola, mahonia, bellis dasiy, - no daffs as yet although the leaves are already up quite high. i also have a witch hazel starting to show colour - i am looking forward to that one as it is the first year i have grown it, so that should be bursting in to bloom fairly soon. but do you think if we do get a really cold winter this year that it will mess up the cycle of the things that are blooming late/early?

1 Jan, 2008

 

We still have sunflowers and ruddbeckia hirta in full flower, but I expect that they willl be massacred during Jan. Feb.

1 Jan, 2008

 

I read in the RHS magazine that the record is 100 flowers on Christmas Day!!!! Hard to beat, and I wonder how big the Stately Home Estate was? :-) Happy New Year! Keep growing! (Plants I mean, not you).

1 Jan, 2008

 

Happy new year Andrew, and best wishes for 2008! I have nothing so impressive - just a few veg sprouting :o)

2 Jan, 2008

 

Oh Peter - how can we get you growing some flowers too? Aren't there any that take your fancy?'

3 Jan, 2008

 

Or just cauli-flowers? :-)

3 Jan, 2008

 

Maybe cauli-flowers :D

I might try some flowers but the shrubs and other bits I planted this year don't really 'do it' for me. I don't know why - maybe because I don't need to do anything to them, or maybe I'm doing it wrong. I just know that growing veg this year was really satisfying.

5 Jan, 2008

 

How about growing some pretty annuals which gladden the heart and brighten up the garden, you could even pick some for your fiancee! Don't you ever feel like sitting in the sun amongst something beautiful? Food for the soul for the cost of a few packets of seeds (free from the seed swap...)

5 Jan, 2008

 

Will have a think Spritz :o) The wall at the end of the garden could do with brightening up and I'm not planting veg there. It's west facing with a fence on the south side of the garden (a dark little corner before midday).

8 Jan, 2008

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