Whats Looking Good December 2024

@Victoria, two different types of Impatiens. They like shade and coolish conditions, so may not be an option in tropical Portugal. They can be indoor plants, but the flowers like to face the light, so on a windowsill, you generally have the back facing the room. I turned them round for the photo.

 

Thank you, I thought they were. You are correct, they do not like it here and we have lost several (different species) so won't try again. In old cottages here the windowsills are on the outside, windows inset for the heat. Strangely I have great success with Impatiens balsamina double blooms andmy seeds for next year arrived this week. I underplant Brugmansias and other things in pots with them. Some are still blooming now. Odd, isn't it?

 

They are lovely plants … and a few winter blooms are most welcome.

 

Cyclamen still going

Also going on is Acanthus sennii

First of the winter flowering Lonicera L fragrantissima

Berries on an unusual Viburnum first time it's flowered and formed berries.
Viburnum fansipanense.


Both of the next two were bought as Dichroa
Hydrangea "Long March"

Hydrangea daimingshanensis "Guiz 48"

Daphne bholula "Darjeeling

Three Arum italicum just unfurling their leaves.




Finally a touch of spring

 

I like that Daimingshanensis variety. Does it need acid soil to be blue, @NigelJ?

 

@ViewAhead Good question my soil is slightly acid, I did find this from one nursery Dichroa versicolor Guiz 48 (syn. daimingshanensis} from www.exclusiveplants.co.uk
Note a lot of nurseries still stock these as Dichroa.
I don't what the berries would be like on alkaline soils.
I also grow Hydrangea (Dichroa) febrifuga Cambridge Blue which had blue flowers when I bought it.
This year a wishy washy pink and it's about 15 ft from it's relatives.

 

Acanthus sennii looks good @NigelJ - I've been told it's lethally spiky. Is it worse than colletia? I used to grow that and the scent was worth it. Winter red flowers are worth a few prickles!

 

@CarolineL Acanthus sennii is lethally spiky, the leaves skeletonise, but the spikes remain sharp.
It is worse than Colletia, of which I grow a couple for the scent, Colletia spikes are large and don't fall off and stab you when you kneel or put your hands down.
Acanthus sennii top growth has normally been killed off by the first frost so typically by mid November here.
In East Africa where it comes from it's grown around animal enclosures to keep them in and deter predators.

 

Ah. Thanks @NigelJ . I'll forget it then. Although for spikes that fall off and stab you, a hawthorn hedge is more prosaic but quite effective!

 

Euphorbia pulcherrima (Poincettia) from Front of House Patio this morning ...

 

Only shades of brown and green here at the moment, apart from an emerging Camellia.

 

Bit of colour lingering here! Somewhat battered by the very strong, cold winds, but still putting on a modest show.

 

I was greeted this Christmas morning with a beautiful double Hibiscus ...

which should be Yellow as this on 4 December ...
which should be Yellow.

Also a single ...


The latter should look like this on 1st December ...


but the cold turns them orange.

 

The bright orange berries on the Arum, 2 perfect Calendula flowers and the odd Primrose. Common Ivy still flowering well too.
Indoors are the white flowered scented leaved Geraniums and, aptly enough, the Christmas cactus.

 

While looking at this page yesterday, I thought, I must be in the wrong month. This is not December, it must be June.

I took my last 2024 garden pictures this morning.

I tidied up, but not too much.



I topped up that part of the bed.



These little green new grow in the ground are tulips.



The Geum Tangerine Orange is still flowering.



The Exochorda continues getting leaves.



The new Spirea Snowmound.