Click here
for December 2014 diary entry  

December seed sowing schedule
Details of what was sown/planted in December

Click here
For December 2015 weather summary

December harvesting schedule
Details of our December harvest

Archive for previous years' diaries dating from 2007 can be accessed by clicking here

1

2

Heavy rain and strong winds, The bird feeding station is a casualty
Rain keeps falling

Still a few unseasonal flowers in the cold greenhouse

3

4

The impatiens which was cut back is flowering

Pelargoniums still flowering in the greenhouse and summerhouse

5

6

Only a few leaf remnants remain

Cherry tree with next year's fruit bud swelling

7

8

Green berries of the aucuba and red berries of the daphne

Primroses starting to flower

9

10

Rose pot plant was infested with spider mite and mildew and so was severely pruned

Gardening confined to tending house plants
Indoor gardening

11

12

At least the toadstools appreciate the weather

Bulbs are starting to push through

13

14

Water butts are full

Hellebore Niger is in full flower and seems to have avoided slug attentions this year. Other hellebores are starting to produce flowers

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16

The mahonia is starting to flower so I hope the birds settle for the food meant for them

Mild and wet December
Wet
Winter Solstice

17

18

Female blackbird is first in line when the bird table is replenished

Red sky in the morning shepherds' warning
Fantastic sunrise

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20

Biennials wallflowers, sweet rocket and sweet

Williams growing well and annuals under the pear trees have germinated. The cardoons are producing new growth.

The leeks were planted late and so are still small.
Warmest December day

21

22

Visited the plot to harvest some vegetables
Back to the plot
A visit to the plot at last

Lots of splitting of carrots but after cleaning up these are still edible

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The parsnips have produced useable roots with very little canker.

We still have a few apples in store and one lone fruit is still clinging high up on the tree.

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We still have cabbages and sprouts but the cauliflowers have blown during our enforced absence.

Climbing White Cloud is providing us with a true Christmas rose and the inappropriately named Christmas rose - hellebore niger - along with the other hellebores is flowering too.
White Christmas
Living up to its name

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28

The garlic and autumn onions still look OK

The hellebores are quickly coming into flower. Those in more light are flowering first.

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30

Miniatures irises in the front garden are beginning to appear
I don't believe it.

The mahonia and chaenomeles are coming into flower and I even saw a bee browsing the mahionia flowers.
December Fanfare

31

Decermber has been very mild but wet. We have been fortunate in avoiding the widespread flooding.
The mild weather has caused confusion amongst the plants with some spring bulbs pushing through and some even flowering.
Hellebores are flowering early as are some of the spring shrubs.
Unfortunately the mild weather means the slugs and snails are still active. We need some cold frosty weather to try to keep garden pests under control