Remember seasons??

Well It's January and as we all know nature has kinda decided to do It's own thing. I.e next doors tree is flowering.

But nobody seems to be as worried as me about this:o I can think of a thousand reasons why this is catastrophic for the environment but some other people just seem happy we have a bit of winter colour

 

The plants are flowering but the bees are asleep...

 

Hey Hydrogen i passed a huge clump of Mahonia yesterday and it was alive with huge bumble bee's .. the yellow flowers on the Mahonia were sending out a beautiful aroma .. i must buy this shrub for my garden ..
Micky

 

Hydrogen the flowering tree you saw was probably a winter flowering cherry and Micahel John this time of the year is the right time to see Mahonias in flowerA good Mahonia for scent is Charity but even the smaller types give off a lovely smell:D

 

I don't think It's a cherry tree...it looks a bit like a rhodedendron but with pink flowers....

 

Could it be a Camellia?

 

We have had mild winters we have had really cold winters.

Nature survives and moves on.

The recent mild weather suits me, especially when its dry and bright this time of the year.

But it usually balances itself out.

We may not get the great spring show of flowers that we get during cold winters, due to them flowering over a long extended period rather than the shorter spring period.

But to the plants and insects its a time to make the most of it.

If you move a few hundred miles further south, this would be a normal winter, and those places manage OK plant wise.
So just enjoy it, because it wont last.

 

I pulled up some Eschscholzia in November and raked the bed over. Now there are seedlings up! I also thought there was a small wide blade of grass protruding out of the soil in the bed but on close inspection saw it was a Gladiolus shoot!!
No doubt nature will decide whether they survive or not.