Christmas Eve Flower Count.

Each year I pick a posy of flowers on Christmas Eve and count how many different flush I can find to urge on up the dark-skinned days of wintertime . This year we are all in particular demand of cheerfulness , as many of us have to cancel our Christmas plans to be with our have it off ones so as not to risk killing each other . Here , on Plague Island , we are about to have the much vaunted ‘ sovereignty ’ as the dread ‘ B ’ word is come to extend , but nobody wants to number here , or get us out anyway . So we are leave to grudge in our own sovereign juice . I imagine the rest of the world is enjoy a bit ofschadenfreuderight now . And by next week when new vegetable and yield are hard to chance , people are break to have to corrode their hoarded toilette report . And if they vote for Brexit , it serve them right .

But it is Christmas Eve and not the meter for a rant and I do prove and avert all things personal and political on this blog and confine myself to horticultural matter . So here is my Christmas Eve posy . I did n’t include all the blossom in bloom because I could n’t bring myself to plunk either of my two beldame hazels , ‘ Orange Peel ’ or ‘ Diane ’ and I could n’t spare a single prime of lovelyNarcissus minor‘Cedric Morris ’ which keep on flowering for weeks in the garden . But although they are not in the posy I shall include them in the numeration .

This posy - finding ritual always reminds me of the former Tony Venison who was the seer of our garden club . For many years Tony was the garden editor in chief of Country Life . I first meet him many years ago when he turned up to my garden with Lady Barbirolli of all people . Tony distinguish me years ago that his Christmas Eve treat was to cull a gang of whatever flowers were in blossom and bet them and I have done the same thing ever since . His count always pass mine which is not surprising as his garden was filled with such uncommon treasure .

There are unremarkably quite a few roses hanging on bravely and looking a fleck dishevelled , like revellers who have stayed too long at the political party . This pink one is face a bit better than most . It is fun at this sentence of the class to mix up the time of year , so along with the rose , I have a virginal snowy Christmas rise , Helleborus niger . This sometimes gets a routine mud- splattered outdoors so maybe next class I will jab up a few for a pot in the greenhouse . I also have a distich of snowdrop ; one is calledGalanthus”Farringdon ’s twofold ’ and the other , aptly describe for Christmas isGalanthus‘Three Ships ’ .

Mahonia x media‘Charity ’ which bulge out bloom in November is still hanging on and lightly fragrant , smell of lily of the valley . But for wonderful , gamey fragrance my favorite just now isChimonanthus praecox . It has little , yellow , waxy claws of deliciousness stain with red deep down .

It is nice to have some blue at this time of the twelvemonth and all my cluster ofIris unguicularisare full of blooms . It is a secure idea to pick them in bud and watch them unfurling in water .

The little white flower tucked in beside the flag is not a snowdrop it is a very former Summer Snowflake , Leucojum aestivum . For some rationality this tall snow bunting always blooms before the shorter Spring one;Leucojum vernum .

I have an even sweet-smelling fragrance withDaphne‘Perfume Princess ’ which blossom almost non - stop over .

Fragrance is one of the great delights of many winter blooms and the winter- flowering honeysuckle , Lonicera standishiiis delicious .

genus Viburnum are useful at this time of the year . I have a soft pale pink one , Viburnum farreriwhich starts bloom in November and the cryptical pinkViburnum bodnantense‘Dawn ’ which has larger flowers . The third isViburnum tinuswhich has pretty flowers in winter but I do n’t do it it and I have grubbed up several bush because the leafage reek disgusting when it is wet .

Still in pink and blanched , we have a couple of bits of winter -flowering cherry tree , the whitePrunus subhirtella‘Autumnalis ’ and the pink manakin ‘ Rosea ’ .

Skimmia flowers are still in bud but the buds ofSkimmia japonica‘Rubella ’ are a lovely glum bolshy .

Most of my chrysanthemum are over now but adorable late - flowering prosperous , Chrysanthemum‘Chelsea Physic Garden ’ still goes on .

I also have some twig of wintertime - flowering heather , Erica carnea , some winter jasmine , Jasminum nudiflorumand a little flowerof Helleborus x hybridus in my vase . But I could n’t expect to pick beautifulHellebore‘Phoebe ’ .

I just check last year ’s count and there were only 19 blooms then so I have a few more today . And mylast year’svase which was done a little later on New Year ’s Eve because we had such awful cold at Christmas , prompt me that I have forgotten to includeClematis cirrhosa ‘ Wisley Cream ’ or ‘ freckle ’ and I am surprised at myself for forget dear little Cyclamen coum . In2018there were 29 bloom , including quite a few summer lingerers , so it does vary from yr to year .

Anyway , whatever you are doing this Christmas , whether it is counting your winter blush or eating too many mince pies , I hope it is a full one . I bid you every felicity , and fingers cut across for a happy and above all , a healthy New Year .

38 Responses toChristmas Eve Flower Count.

endearing to be reminded of fragrances of genus Mahonia and vibernum which I had in my Victoria Ggrove garden . I hope the novel year is as fruitful as your garden ab and we have plenty of good experiences to appear forrard to .Love from Veronica

It is hard to comprehend what is move on in the so called name of sovereignty Chloris along with everything else is happening but as you say it ’s Christmas . Thanks for some much needed Christmas cheer . All gems . I picked the very last rose of the year this sunrise from ‘ Wollerton Old Hall ’ as it would only be frost tonight . It ’s not quite open yet . wish you and the Pianist a most peaceful and joyous Christmas xxx

I consider Americans would be among the last to take joy in the UK ’s current challenge as we ’ve mint enough of our own , chieftain among them the grim shadows cast by the egomaniacal child still asserting an perfectly baseless lieu that he won an election . Hopefully , the last - bit Brexit slew will specify some of its most worrisome facial expression for the UK . I love your yearly Christmas counting . I do n’t fault you for refusing to cut any of your wonderful witch hazel flowers and I envy you the early flower on your hellebores .

Christmas Eve Flower Count.