For the past three years winter here in the East Midlands of the UK has followed a middle eastern calender, with intervals of just 324 days between big freezes (so we had January 2009 to February 2009, December 2009 to January 2010 and November 2010 to January 2011 with freezes growing colder each year). However, while winter has been roaring in earlier, spring has been arriving later so, who knows, this winter may be twice as long as the one four years ago.
I wouldn't mind so much if tender pests were being killed off but the lily beetle that migrated into the East Midlands during the preceding spell of mild winters, was still with us last summer.
November's freeze ruined the first flush of the vanilla fragrant pink flowers of Viburnum Dawn that usually grace December and January in my back garden. The second flush is struggling from brown mush despite still heavy frosts and low daytime temperatures so if, for the rest of winter, night temperatures fall to no more than a few degrees below zero, I may still enjoy a shrub full of perfumed blossom while most other plants are sulking.
I am not sure how cold it has to get before the hardy evergreen viburnum tinus gets fazed, but its white flowers are happily opening over the porch although their coarse perfume holds no appeal to me.
Choisya Sundance brightens up the winter with its golden foliage but the flowers disappeared with the first mild frost.
Garry elliptica's catkins are still fresh and the leaves have not been seared. as they were a few years ago, by a less cold but fierce wind from the South West. Swirls of broom twigs too have a quiet beauty of their own.
Most other plants of interest this January, however, unfurling hellebore buds, emerging spears of snowdrops striped with white, primroses showing but single flowers on their spikes, escape notice unless searched for.
I don't seem to be able to position photos where I want them in this blog, the white buds are those of the hellebore (Christmas rose) the shrube is Choisya Sundance
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