What flowers have you got open in the garden in January ?

Winter Sun mahonia is lovely, I’ve got some native primroses out on my bank, I prefer them to primulas. I’ve also got a clump of February Gold narcissi out, they are early this year - and strangely a purple heather that normally flowers in March is about to flower too.

Hellebores, Snowdrops, Viburnum Bodnantense ‘Dawn’, Mahonia.

We have dwarf iris in bloom too.

Correction! Camellia. Typing whilst on the bus.

Re feeding: Camelia.

Primulas, white and deep purple helibores, acconites, yellow winter Jasmine, and an autumn flowering cherry tree. Daffodils in bud. Camelia in bud. From September to February I feed with liquid seaweed. Helps the flowers. The rest of the year, ericaceous feed.

Snowdrops, cowslips, aconites, primulas and witch hazel.Lots of hellebore leaves but no flowers or buds.

I walk through the garden particularly on a still day and the whole garden is full of scent from the Christmas box and winter honeysuckle. Later -soon - they will be joined by the daphne.

The earliest flowers include snowdrops, iris uniguicularis (scented) and Helebore, soon to be joined by early daffs, iris lazica (for shade) and crocus.

primroses, hellebores, snowdrops, daffodils

Loads of camellias, red, pink and white. One lot of snowdrops and several daffodils in bud.

The only hellebores I have flowering at present are Helleborus foetidus (stinking hellebore - but I’ve never noticed a smell). A lovely bright green, really shines out.

I have Winter flowering yellow Jasmine, pink Hellebores, Snowdrops just peeping through.

Re Hellebores, my hellebore argutifolius is flowering now, it is a segregated leaf variety and has a more upright structure with green/ white flowers. They are not cheap, but spread seedings freely.

If you’ve got room a Viburnum Diana is a beautiful shrub with clusters of pink flowers before the leaves develop. It also has a fantastic fragrance. I grow mine in a large planter, it can be pruned after flowering to keep it in check.