THE WEATHER -

A mild start to the month, but becoming much colder by the 7th. Warming up again by the 9th though. Strong gales on several occasions over the first two weeks, with very heavy rain thrown in for good measure! Becoming very cold mid-month, with freezing fog which lingered for the entire day on several occasions. Remaining very dull and cold, but warming up however by the 27th, with the 28th being the first sunny day for weeks! This was followed by a dismal day on the 29th, with high winds and showers for the entire day, and a really wild night of driving rain and gale-force winds. Clear and sunny on the morning of the 30th, but back to rain by lunch time. Maximum temperature 13°C (56°F). Minimum temperature minus 1°C (30°F).

This is my last on-line diary for a while, because now you can read about the goings-on in the garden in my weekly column in Garden News! (UK weekly gardening newspaper.)

The interesting seedpods of Iris foetidissima 'Citrina' have split to reveal the beautiful bright red berries hidden within them. Birds don't seem very interested in them for some reason. That's a good thing, as it means that the berries linger for a long time, brightening up the winter border. 'Citrina' is a lovely variety, as its flowers are much yellower than the species, and give an interesting show in summer.

One of the few herbaceous perennials which can still be in flower in early December is the pretty little Saxifraga fortunei 'Black Ruby'. This is a small front-of-the-border plant with fleshy, almost black leaves, and wonderful bright pink starry flowers which appear any time from late October onwards, depending on the weather. The colour of the leaves is more intense in sun, but it still gives quite a good show even in deep shade. The leaves disappear over the winter, so the plant needs to be labelled!

Skimmia japonica 'Rubella' is one of those plants vigorously marketed by garden centres at this time of year. And why not? It's an excellent evergreen shrub for acid soil, and will grow well in a pot if your soil isn't suitable. The beauty of this shrub is its superb display of flowers, which appear in December with deep pink buds. These open out in January or February to palest pink, and persist on the plant for a long time. Such a good value plant to brighten up the cold winter months!

Coronilla valentina subsp. glauca is a small evergreen shrub with glaucous green leaves and clusters of pretty yellow pea-like flowers. Like many winter flowering plants, this smells wonderful. It needs a sheltered position though, as it won't tolerate very low temperatures, and I have mine in a pot on the south-facing patio. Although the main flowering time is December to February, it's possible to see a few flowers on this plant for a few months before and a few months after this.

That's all for this month...... Happy Gardening - and a Happy New Year!!

Blackbird, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Crow, Dunnock, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Greenfinch, House Sparrow, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Robin, Rook, Seagull, Siskin, Starling, Thrush, Wood Pigeon, Wren.

THE SNOWS
Augusta Webster