Sometimes, it's even about plants and gardening...

Thursday, 22 December 2011

Midwinter madness

Well, here we are at the shortest day of the year.  Last year, we were snowed in with frozen pipework, without a functioning washing-machine for a month.  This year is a bit different.

At RHS Wisley on Friday (16th December) we were buzzed by a huge bumble bee foraging about in camellias in flower.  Still, that is 200 miles south of here.


Camellia at Wisley in mid-December

But this afternoon at Great Haywood (near Stafford) we spotted a bumble bee taking a rest in the sunshine on the bow rope of a narrowboat!  Hardly surprising when there are still plenty of late summer flowers in bloom - I still have Calendulas, Antirrhinums and Fuchsias in full flower, plus the Hellebores (these are completely confused and have been flowering since September). 


Even the zonal Pelagonium which I've so far neglected to move into the greenhouse is still growing healthily out of the patio table (must move it in tomorrow though!).  It'll be interesting to see how early (or not) the spring bulbs are, and if we get too little frost for a decent crop of rhubarb.