Are you experiencing unusual weather or noticing strange changes in your garden this winter?
When I volunteered to write write this blog last month, I planned to share pictures celebrating winter flowers. Most of of my 18 Camellias are in bloom this time of year and several are probably between 30-40 years old. The flowers are so profuse that it usually takes at least one large bucket per day to clean up the fallen flowers. Last year, the Camellias surprisingly bloomed through May so perhaps they need an extra month to recover.
My Hellebores also took an extra month to start flowering.
On the other hand, my daffodils started blooming the first week of January. Previously, I have not had daffodils bloom until the last few days of January at the earliest. That does not count the Paperwhites which used to bloom around Halloween at my previous home but have decided against blooming in this shadier, slightly warmer garden.
This is my first year with Rock and Roll Peruvian lilies which bloomed all year and acted like an evergreen. I don’t know if this is normal but plan to add another one for symmetry and to brighten the garden.
One of my neighbor’s sad fruit trees started blooming this week. I have never seen fruit on the tree probably due to a combination of the raccoons as well as the fact that the tree is deteriorating. Given the strange behavior of my plants this year, I am glad I am not trying to predict when to grow food or what food to grow.
When I bought my shrimp plant (Justicia brandegeana) almost 3 years ago, the garden center indicated that it could flower all year in Bay area. This is the first year I have seen that happen.
I am glad this blog gives me the opportunity to document the changes I see in my garden over time. Are you seeing an impact from climate change?
What is new or strange in your garden? Do you have any pictures of snow?