January in the garden

We’ve been lucky so far this winter, no flooding. Although places nearby have been inundated we’re fairly high on a hill in the centre of Tunbridge Wells and the water gone past us.

The sun is out today – 8 January, it’s 12 degrees centigrade (a bit warmer than most of the US at the moment with their polar vortex) and it’s not raining (for a change!) so I thought I’d have a quick wander around to see what is happening.

The garden is very soggy but there are lots of birds around and some surprising flowers. I have two pink rose flowers on one of the David Austin repeat flowering rose bushes.

The star of the garden in 2013 was my pink parahebe and it is still going! I counted two fully open flowerheads and a few more to come. It’s an amazing plant and I definitely recommend it. If there are any winter flying bumble bees around then they should be able to find it.

The daphne bholua is in full flower now and smells wonderful.  This has been flowering for a couple of months now. I also have a daphne odora aureomarginata (“aureo” is gold and “marginata” is edged) and “odora” means scented. The second daphne is not yet in flower but the buds are about to break.

There are also lots of bulbs poking through the soil. I planted some early spring flowering ones in late November so I should have lots of snowdrops, daffodils, crocuses and more in a few weeks time.

The birds have been using the feeders more recently. Lots of goldfinches, blue and great tits, starlings and more. Plus the odd blackbird, robin and collared doves on the ground.

It’s the Big Garden Birdwatch towards the end of January. Participants (and I will be one of them) count the numbers of each different bird they see in their garden over an hour during the weekend of 25 and 26 January. Last year it was extremely cold so it will be interesting to see what birds are around then. If you get a chance please do help by recording the birds you see in your garden.