Whats Looking Good December 2024

First open flower on the Hellebore "Ice 'n' Roses Red" - lots of nice fat buds there too. Hellebore Niger has already been flowering for weeks, but is a bit battered and mud splattered by the storms.

 

I've converted a couple of my neighbours too @Bluejayway .

 

Mostly berry less Holly this year but this one on my walk is full of flowers buds.
When will it have berries though @Silver surfer ,
Jenny namaste

 

Holly has separate male and female trees, so whether or not it has berries depends on which sex it is - it will only have berries if it's a female tree.
Also if it's a female tree it will need a male one near by so that the flowers get pollinated. If there isn't a male tree near by then the flowers won't get pollinated and there won't be any berries.

 

That sounds like lichen. It's the bane of my life here and no consolation to know that it reputedly only flourishes in pure air. It slowly but surely invaded our lovely, terracotta roof tiles, the recuperated terracotta tiles used for paving around the house, the brushed concrete terrace and even the smooth, protected surface of the slabs around the pool. There is a radical treatment involving IIRC hydrochloric acid, but that's a complete no-no anywhere near plants or where it could be washed into the soil. That leaves the pressure washer, which works on the juvenile, pale green stage but doesn't shift the 'adult' black spots. It's such a shame.....

 

@noisette47, there are plants very near at the back, and at the front, the water would run off into a soakaway, which wouldn’t be good.

Those are impressive before-and-after pics, @shiney!

 

I used wet and forget early this year, I had the odd bit of grass growing between the paving and it killed them pretty rapidly.

I got the impression that the idea is that the paving soaks it up, a bit like a sponge and the impregnated surface kills the lichen and algae long term, rather than just a surface cleaner.
I'm a bit wary of using it anymore due to the contact with dogs paws etc. although it says its safe once dry but obviously it becomes wet again when it rains.

 

That's how Patio Magic works, retaining a repellant barrier for a while. I was advised by my sandstone paving contractor never to use a pressure washer on sandstone because it abrades the surface, making it more porous and attractive for algae. I've experimented to test the instruction and found he was right, needing a Patio Magic treatment very soon afterwards .

 

So tempting. Often regretted.

 

Ipheion still flowering

Kniphofia Christmas Cheer will definitely live up to its name

Despite being heavily tilted by the storm, the grevillea is still flowering

These are far too early - they normally come end of Jan, beginning Feb

 

Next yr's bedding plants getting a tad ahead of schedule!

 

A berry merry Christmas.

 

They are pretty. What are they please?