So far it's been a funny old winter. There will be a couple of wet, chilly, grey days followed by a day of brilliant blue skies when it actually feels quite mild in the sun.
Berries remain untouched by the birds
Garrya elliptica - Silk Tassel Bush makes a pleasing addition in my winter garden
Grow the male bush it has superior tassels up to 8 inches long which gently swing to and fro in the breeze
Snowdrops are in bud
Hellebores emerge from their sleep
soft early morning frost rapidly disperses into sparkling clusters of crystals
The January sun
invites brisk walks through the countryside
but there is a cautionary message at this time of the year - snow could still be on its way!
It really can't make up its mind can it and as you say it could still snow yet. Lovely photos and the one with the water droplets is stunning. P x
ReplyDeleteI noticed that the bushes were really sparkling with frost, and by the time I had finished my coffee and found the camera it had already melted. That is why the droplets look different from those made by rain - I was really surprised when I looked at the photo at how complex the drops were.
DeleteYour photos are lovely as the blooms and bulbs. The scene is so picturesque. I am sure it will snow, a late winter I think.
ReplyDeleteI shall be hoping that you are wrong Margaret, but I think that you could be correct.
DeleteHello Rosemary, Today we had one of those days. Yesterday was raining, but when I got up the sun was blazing and the sky was blue, a perfect day for photographs. So I hurried up and got ready to go out, but the second I stepped out of the door, clouds appeared from nowhere and blotted out the sun.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see that your garden and your neighborhood are as inviting as ever.
--Jim
Hello Jim - I think that can be termed Murphy's Law, that happens to me so often especially where the sun is concerned.
DeleteDearest Rosemary ,this weather is brilliant and it is time for long long walks ! I think that it really "smells" spring and your flowers look so healthy .Here although the sun is bright ,the cold at -6 ,my flowers -the most - they have died .....I tried the next month to plant some new ! I wish all your days will be colourful and lovely !
ReplyDeleteDear Olympia - I am pleased that you are enjoying some bright and sunny weather in Greece. Soon very soon all of the spring flowers will be with us again.
DeleteAfter the snow we've had days of rain and wind. Despite the shelter of the high hedge the garden has taken a battering. Today, within a few hours, the weather has changed from weak sunshine to sleet. At least the bulbs are popping up everywhere. I took a brisk walk in the park and I'm glad I went out early. Your photos are lovely.
ReplyDeleteIt seems extraordinary that our weather has been so different over the past few weeks. We have not seen any signs of snow or sleet and only the odd morning with a soft frost which has melted long before leaving the house after breakfast.
DeleteHow many promises in your wintry garden! Fabulous Cotswolds!
ReplyDeleteIt is a joy to see them rearing their heads in the ground again Olympia - as you say many promises to come.
Deletestill very much entrenched in winter grey here......but with no sign of snow or ice. Just---snuggle up in front of the fire---cold and grey, and for January, I'm really OK with that!!! Enjoy your glimpses of spring!!! Maybe you could think about sending some our way....sometime next month?
ReplyDeleteYou are right to snuggle up in January, but I know that February is a difficult month for many people. It often lets down our expectations of what we are hoping for in the way of spring.
DeleteIt is raining and grey again here now after some blue sky this morning which was welcome, but short lived. I would love to think of spring coming soon, but I do think that we need a good winter and I hope that the mild weather won't mean we get lots of bugs in the summer eating plants. It is good to see that you have so many lovely signs of spring coming along in your garden though and winter flowering things too! xx
ReplyDeleteMy parents always used to say we need a hard cold frost to kill off all the bugs, but I have never noticed that the snails are any less frequent whatever the winter.
DeleteYour winter garden is very beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThank you
DeleteOh how completely beautiful it all looks.
ReplyDeleteI am in a snowy cold ... very cold... place in Upstate New York where Spring is not even sending postcards. It is so far away that I try not to miss it .. And we had a snow yesterday with wind so not only is there more snow in the garden but a lot of large dead tree limbs.. sigh ..
Dear Rosemary, Do you know how fortunate you are? I couldn't wait for light early this morning so that I could check on my snowdrops. I looked under the snow to see if they were peeking their little heads out. Not a sign of them and certainly no sign of my Hellebore. But I can enjoy your beautiful photographs of your garden. .
DeleteHello Candice - I feel for you with so much snow and wind, keep yourself warm and don't venture out unless you really need to.
DeleteDear Gina - I know your plants take longer to appear, but I also remember that once they do it doesn't take long for your garden to rapidly catch mine up.
Your winter garden looks great, I keep saying that I'm going to put in some hellebores, but I never get around to it. Our daffodils are blooming and that's the only sign of life.
ReplyDeleteMy daffodils are only a few inches high, but I would recommend you to try some hellebores, they are such a joy to see at this time of year, and they do last for several weeks.
DeleteWell we've added the Silk Tassel bush to our list of plants NEEDED. What an extraordinary plant, I've never heard of it. I think it looks like the flower tassels could be used to edge a Snow Queen's robe.
ReplyDeleteJean
x
I love the Garrya and hope that you will enjoy it too - it is an evergreen shrub which is also a bonus. The tassels in the macro photo shows off their furry and interesting structure.
DeleteBeautiful images, but I think you are right snow IS on the way!
ReplyDeleteI saw some very peculiar baby blue thick clouds today which I photographed. I think that they must have been full of snow which they have now probably dumped somewhere in the country.
DeleteOh such beauty - that Silk Tassel bush is incredible and I don't think I've seen it anywhere I must look for it over here.
ReplyDeleteSuch gorgeous photos Rosemary, and that view across the English countryside just took my breath away. Yet again I wonder why I ever left. There's no place like home that's for sure.
Stay warm and enjoy the winter weather.
Love, Mary
Dear Mary - I am sure that the Garrya will grow with you. It provides shelter for the birds and I read on one site that it is especially loved by hummers.
DeleteI think that my brother feels the same way as you, he lives in Canada, especially when he sees photos of country lanes and pubs!!!
Take care Mary♡
Dear Rosemary,
ReplyDeleteYour Silk Tassel Bush brings to mind the detail work of a Milan couturier. We are having the same sort of winter here in Florida — a gray, blustery, rainy day yesterday, and clear, sunny warmth today.
Dear Mark - the Garrya tassels are worth photographing in macro as their detail is so interesting and complex. It is something that you miss seeing when simply glancing at the bush.
DeleteI really wish Spring was on the way. It is of course, eventually. I don't like the sound of the forecast over the next 24 hours or so, let alone the prospect of snow. As it's been getting dark this evening I have been digging up a witch hazel to rescue it from water logging. My fault really for putting it in the wrong place.
ReplyDeleteYour Garrya looks far superior to any others I have seen. It obviously pays to get the male!
I see my Garrya from the kitchen window and just love it at this time of year when the catkins have reached their peak. Hope the snow decides to give us all a miss.
DeleteIn my case, the snow has just arrived, Rosemary, proving that we can never take winter for granted. It isn't going to last, but it's a salutary reminder. Lovey photos. :)
ReplyDeleteOh dear Perpetua! I saw a very strange baby blue cloud passing overhead and suspected that it might be going to dump snow on somebody, it must have been heading in your direction.
DeleteThe beautiful old stone wall and the avenue of trees certainly would entice me to a country walk, Rosemary. Far better in a brisk climate than laboring through thick humidity! I have never seen a tassel bush, but your photo conveys an exquisite plant, and of course I love the glitter of the thawing frost, so pretty. I will watch the international weather reports to see if you get snow.
ReplyDeleteSnow arrived overnight Patricia but just a sprinkle on our hilltop - the valley remains clear
DeleteAs always, such stunning photography Rosemary.
ReplyDeleteWe have some snow today...but only a little, and one of Perpetua's fb friends referred to it as "well behaved" snow..a phrase I have decided to use from now on. I hope, if you have snow, it is well behaved enough not to spoil things in your gorgeous garden. Jx
We have a sprinkle here Janice, and as I look out of the window it is dripping rapidly whilst sparkling like diamonds - it looks lovely but I think that it will have vanished by coffee time.
DeleteYour silk tassel bush is gorgeous! It is so spring like, we also have too high temperatures for January, but we must be careful, it is not only snow we can get but lots of freezing days too. I really must not think about it.
ReplyDeleteWhen some of the more delicate plants get covered in ice it is a very real danger for them.
DeleteSnow falls it does not hurt if the spring plants in your garden. If only there was a strong frost. Regards.
ReplyDeleteYes, you are right Giga, the snow does not damage the plants in the garden as it is really like a blanket for them, but as you mention the hard frosts that linger can be a problem.
DeleteI agree the weather is just so changeable, sometimes it doesn't feel like winter! We too only saw snow on the distant hills. Sarah x
ReplyDeleteWe had a flurry overnight on our hilltop Sarah, but it had gone before I went out.
DeleteThe same here, winter doesn't seem to wanna come this year . We had 14° the other day, totally Spring temperature !
ReplyDeleteThe weather keeps us on tender hooks here - I have known it to snow in April, but that is unusual.
DeleteHello Rosemary,
ReplyDeleteYour garden is full of promise. I love the Garrya elliptical and can imagine it swaying in the wind. The snowdrops are always a harbinger of spring. It is still early January and as you say snow can still visit.
You have captured the shadows in your image of a country walk
Stay warm
Helen xx
Hello Helen - The shadows at this time of year seem to be more pronounced, perhaps because the sun has a whiter light and is lower in the sky.
DeleteI am never too sure just where you are in the world Helen? if you are in Florida then I am sure you are enjoying some pleasant weather, but should you be in Ireland then you probably need to stay warm too♡
Just beautiful...beautiful...
ReplyDeleteWarm hug,
Titti
Dear Titti - you are always so generous with your comments - warm hugs at this time of year we need, sending some over to you♡
DeleteStrange weather indeed! All my berries are all gone as blackbirds have raided the holly. The hedgerows are still red with hawthorn berries round here and when I visited a friend yesterday, I saw that her snowdrops were blooming already!
ReplyDeleteWe had a light sprinkling of snow that had vanished before I went out at coffee time, but today is back to blue skies and sunshine.
DeleteAlso overhere strange weather Rosemary. But the period of stormweather is finaly over overhere. Snow is forecasted for the weekend. Maybe a little spell of king winter. Your photo's are so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful day.
I far as snow is concerned Marijke, I prefer that it should stay away. We didn't have any snow last year which suited me fine.
DeleteIs that your village on the last photo Rosemary? It looks beautiful! The first signs of spring in your garden look promising! Nothing visible in my garden yet!
ReplyDeleteHappy weekend!
Madelief x
They are little communities down in the valley Madelief - I live higher up on the very top of the hill above where the photograph was taken from.
DeleteLooks lovely like in the spring. Let's hope that there will no longer come snow and frost.
ReplyDeleteHappy new week.
Thank you Orvokki - for some reason my little corner of the world has escaped the snow so far.
Delete