Winter garden

The garden in winter can be dull, but it doesn't have to be. Might be nice to see some of your winter flowers and foliage here.

Mahonia x. Charity is a real star of the winter garden



Its flowers are bright and cheerful. Notice the large bumble bee taking nectar or pollen. So important when few other flowers are open.

 

Beautiful specimen HB, I will have to get the camera out and see what I can do.

 

Like the idea, HB!

Think Scotkat posted a good pic of this plant a little while ago too - I love them for the colour in winter - yellow is always so cheerful! We had one in Hemel, the same cultivar, and it grew VERY well there. I'm hoping the one we planted here does as well on the completely different soil.
Do you remove the dead spikes, HB? My only problem with the plant is the dead leaves - if you kneel on one, or walk barefoot and discover one, you know all about it..... :rolleyes:

 

Yes - the leaves are like sword edges...ouch!!

No, I don't remove the old ones and never prune it or pay it any attention. Thrives on neglect

 

nise one hb just got camera got my L plats up ive got a daffodil up about three in about four months to erlay

 

nise one hb just got camera got my L plats up ive got a daffodil up about three in about four months to erlay

 

I am afraid my mahonia did not like me so it got ungardened. You have a lovely one there HB.

Funny thing is the wild mahonia seeds itself all over the place round here.

 

Soleil d'Or only thrive outdoors in the mildest districts. They are one of the "Tazetta" type of narcissi. I bought the bulbs several years ago in the Isles of Scilly which are famous for mild, frost free winters and early daffodils. I never expected them to do well at home, but they seem happy in a sunny position beneath the front windows. These come into flower at the end of October and go on well past Christmas.

 

Beautiful HB!!!
A real taste of Spring

 

Well I chop my mahonia x charity pretty hard. They may not need it but they benefit from it in these respects: less dead leaves, a much denser and less leggy growth, and a profusion of flowers the folowing autumn/winter if pruned after flowering in the spring.

In some areas of America they treat M. aquifolium as an herbaceous plant and chop it to the ground every spring after flowering; makes magnificent ground cover. I do the same in the UK in a couple of spots, but here I prune them to a few inches high about every other year as they grow more slowly than in the US of A.

 

Can you show us some photos of yours, Jazid? Then we can compare the flowering of pruned and unpruned plants.

 

Wilco HB, only thing is the flipping photobucket thingy has decided it doesn't like my computer anymore, so I have to set new accounts each time I want to upload an image. Maybe there's another service I could use? Anyone know?

Also the Mahonias aren't actually out in my gardens yet, strange given they're mostly in London, but they are in lengthening bud!

 

I'm afraid I can't post any pictures of my winter garden here, but I can tell you that I've still got busy lizzies, carnations, nasturtiums, fuschias, antirhinums and geraniums (pelargoniums)in flower...and Christmas less than a month away!
This mild weather has advantages as far as fuel bills and wild life are concerned but I do sometimes long for something more seasonable like we used to have.

 

Lovely pictures HB
I used to have a mahonia but sadly it didnt too well even though I did really neglect it, maybe I ignored it too much :eek: