We have blue skies here. A beautiful sight. This means low temperatures tonight, minus two is forecast, but I’m going to enjoy the sunshine. January is coming to an end and the garden is beginning to take shape again. Here’s six things I found this week.
One
The hellebores are popping up, these are unknowns that self seed very happily and I let them do their thing freely.
Two
This is hellebore ‘Pretty Ellen Red’ that was in bud a few weeks back.
Three
I planted euonymus fortunei ‘Emerald Gaiety’ around the hellebores but hardly ever share a photo of it. It does a good enough job of covering the ground so I shouldn’t be so mean.
Four
Speaking of ground cover, I also planted some pachysandra terminalis. Various people frowned and looked concerned, but I did it. It can spread to 1.5 metres but so far it’s been a little slow to get going. It has lovely glossy leaves and looks very fresh at the moment
Five
These are absolutely tiny but they are the first snowdrops in flower. Already nibbled of course.
Six
The asplenium scolopendrium, or hart’s tongue fern has also done well over this winter. These splashes of green keep the spirits going.
There are plenty of bulbs nosing through now. I’ve spotted the first shoots of tulips and muscari and the ipheion uniflorum has put up grassy leaves. All very encouraging. I’ve also spotted green shoots among some of the grasses which means I must get out there and cut the old stems down. Thanks to Jim, our host and his garden can be admired at Garden Ruminations where you can find the links to other SOS posts. Happy gardening.
n20gardener 
It is all starting! What a treat to have self-seeding hellebores, I must encourage mine more. Enjoy the sunshine.
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The first hellebore is really very pretty because it has a very pretty colour but I have always had a preference for double flowers.
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The doubles do look luxurious!
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It’s amazing what a sunny day can do to uplift the mood. We appear to be having a break in the yellow weather warnings today! I even managed a couple of hours in the garden during the week to finish cutting back the jasmine and the blackened asplenium scolopendrium and other ferns. Next, the clematis which are already putting out new shoots.
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You are right about the clematis coming through. That’s also on my to do list.
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Gee, five of your six are species that do not perform well in our climate. I would like to grow Pachysandra of any sort, but the few that are already here have always been scrawny, perhaps because of the aridity (for much of the year). Hellebores have been unusually happy this year, but are typically quite pekid. Although some types of Euonymus are somewhat common, ground cover types like ‘Emerald Gaiety’, often seem to be distressed, perhaps by the arid warmth. Of course, most ferns prefer more humid climates. Only the snowdrops might do well here. I do not know, since I have never grown them. I suspect that they are less popular here because there are so many other flowers to bloom through winter. (I grow snowflake, Leucojum aestivum, which we know as snowdrop. It should bloom soon here, rather than for late spring or summer.)
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Leucojum is also popular here. I added quite a few last year. I hope they do well this year.
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I have never seen it not do well.
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the hellebores have such pretty colours. I am relieved to see as I browse the various UK garden blogs that you guys have not suffered from the forecast hurricanes.
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All safe in the south. Further north suffered more.
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Glad you got to enjoy some sun, even though it was quite cold. It is energizing in January to get the sunshine. The asplenium scolopendrium (I’ve not seen it before) is glorious, taking winter in stride!
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The evergreen ferns look so good at this time of year. I’m sure my ‘Ellen’ is pink – I must go and check once the rain stops.
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