My weekly blogs

The frost has been and knocked back the Cannas, Fushia fulgens, Ginger lilies and many more plants. I will not chop back the ldead leaves of the Cannas until the start of spring as they provide some protection from frost to the young shoots. If I was in a place with heavy frost I would have mulched them heavily until the spring, but my front garden is fairly warm compared with other placesin the country. The Pelargonium on the roof needs pruning back. At last it looks like I will have some protea flowers next year the buds are only just bulking up. Despite being frosted this Osterspernum is still flowering well.

Winter is a challenging time for plants and gardens, but with some planning you can have flowers throughout this bleak time. Here I have planted bulbs in pots to place in the holes in the ground after digging up some plants in order to bring them indoors for protection. The Acasia is full of buds and will soon burst into bloom if this winter continues to be mild. The Hebe is growing back well after its pruning around October. These Verbenas are still flowering and growing.

Well it is now December and there are many plants that flower at this time. In my next door neighbour's garden this tree is in full bloom. I believe it is Prunus autumnalis which will bloom until spring. My Achmea (Vase plant) I brought inside last month I continuing to delight me with its five flower heads. I am always surprising myself that with all the flowers I have listed as growing in my garden I am always finding plants that I have not listed. This is the case with Christmas Cacti I have been growing these for years with varying success. The Winter Jasmin has just started to flower and many bulbs are poking through the soil.