On 25/12/19 16:51, David wrote:
Quite a few front gardens here have roses (which haven't been cut back)
blooming.
Many have multiple blooms.
I thought roses usually bloomed from Spring through to Autumn.

Then again the seasons are strange at the moment, nearly 10C and sunny
today.
Spring bulbs are also starting to show through, and a lot of evergreen
shrubs are also flowering.

Merry Whatever.

"Britannia" has been in flower for ages, and it has more buds ready to
open, as has "Deep secret" and "Blue for you". The problem is that we've
had so much rain this month (170 mm, with 100 mm in the last week), that
the rose buds have become waterlogged and are rotting before they open,
even on relatively warm days. So far we've had another 10 mm today, and
it looks like it will be raining for some time.

Not a lot else in flower; even the Hesperantha has flowered and gone,
although the Mahonia is putting on a fine show. Probably the most
flowers are on Gazanias, which are pretty hardy here in south central
Hampshire, and one or two pelargoniums. Rather surprisingly we have a
couple of Calibrachoes in hanging pots which have been flowering for 6
months, and are still doing well. A few "florists" cyclamens I put in
about 6 weeks ago are flowering well in a shady, sheltered, spot, and
have survived several light frosts (down to -2 deg C)

There are quite a few bulbs up in various stages, including narcissus,
crocus, hyacinth, the odd tulip maybe, and a few snowdrops, but no
flowers yet.


--

Jeff