What is out on Christmas Day?

A brave yellow rose blooming against the cottage wall.


The hammamelis mollis. Every year it takes me by surprise. For weeks it is an undistinguished little tree in the corner of the field and then one day it is full of gorgeous spidery blossoms with a clear sweet scent.

The new White Wyandotte hens out for a scratch and a wander.

A tiny pink flower on the scented geranium, protected by being just under the canopy of the yew tree on the edge of a sunny wall.

Comments

  1. Merry Christmas!

    It is so interesting to see the differences in our weather!

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  2. Your witch hazel is fantastic!

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  3. Gardening continually amazes. Those hens are really beautiful.

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  4. It is interesting that the UK is so much farther north than the US yet you have much milder winter weather. Having that ocean current really makes a difference. Like the hens and the scented geraniums.

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  5. Re: hammamelis mollis
    And, every year I say I'm going to plant one, but I don't see one out there, yet. Thank you for sharing yours.

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  6. First visit to your blog, lovely!
    I shall be visiting again very soon.
    I come from Llangollen originally and love to see photos of the Welsh countryside.

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  7. wow..... everything here is encased in snow and ice. let's see, what was out on christmas day?

    canada geese
    a few brave robins
    squirrels
    rabbits
    our dogs!

    merry christmas.

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  8. I love the little white hen..... just another day for her!
    Great photos!
    Hope you had a lovely Christmas.

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  9. Wonderful photos! You must be more sheltered than we are, though not all that far away!

    So pleased to have found your blog!

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  10. Wonderful, you have more going on than here - mainly dead old stems covered in frost this morning, there must be a few seeds there too as the Goldfinches love them.
    Hamamelis is a definite must-have for this year, I'm going to put it on the list now!

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  11. Don, just been looking at your pictures and see what you mean!
    Tina, so easy to grow, just sits there unfussily.
    Kaycie, I am really fond of the hens. The garden wouldn't be the same without them now.
    Hi Leenie, and thanks for visiting. Yes, let's hope they never turn off the Gulf Stream.

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  12. Barbee, if you have room I really would go for the witch hazel. they are lovely when there is so little going on.
    Jude, just visited your blog and seems like a very different Christmas you have there.
    Hi Laurie, yes no shovelling here but loved your blog about the shovelling at yours.
    Maggie, yes the hens are great, such good noises!
    Gilly, thanks for visiting. We are quite high but sheltered from the wind and also in the rain shadow of Snowdonia.
    Don't be fooled Kitty. There are wastes of mud all around which I didnt photo!

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  13. Lovely and very much in keeping with what Kitty has written. We are all looking to the ew year and Spring! Hurrah! Can't wait to get in the garden and wish I had a Hammemelis too! Glad you had a good Christmas Elizabeth xx

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  14. Yes, I need a Hammemelis too - flowers when one needs them most and a glorious scent.

    Frosty this morning but rather dull now. I can't help feeling it looks as if it might snow - but it's not forecast. Would be nice....

    Love your White Wynandotte.

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  15. Lovel photo of witch hazel. Looks colder up your way than here by the coast.

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  16. Yes welsh hills - if we trawl our garden there are things out - several peace roses (looking a bit sad), a dark lady rose, tiny cyclamen, the odd geranium dalmaticum - they all look cold and unseasonal but they are out.
    Happy New Year to you.

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  17. Loved that hen! Our current batch is a fairly nondescript red hen sort - will have to search for some prety white and black hens again.
    Your photos were lovely!

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  18. How lovely. Nothing is out in our garden, not even me!

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  19. Lovely hammamelis mollis Elizabeth - have you enjoyed the same wonderful weather over the christmas break as us?
    Warm regards
    Karen

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  20. What lovely pictures Elizabeth,

    Thank you for the tip on Hammamelis mollis, certainly one that I will try growing over here, is this is a sister of lady's mantle Elizabeth?

    Very cold and frosty here in norfolk today.

    xx

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  21. Park-puk-puk-puk-puk-puk (always an odd number of puk's, have you noticed?) park. Chickens in winter. They don't like winter and winter does not like them. But without winter however would they get from autumn to spring? But that heaving chicken sigh that comes of being too long shut in paaaaaaaaaaaaaa.....aaaa....aaaark
    is the real sound of mid-winter blues in chickenland.

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  22. We used to have a lovely yellow rose in our last house that always came out at Christmas. And I love that hammamelis mollis - must make a note of that, I've not seen it before.

    Wishing you a very happy rest of the Christmas season and a good new year. xxx

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  23. Gorgeous photos Elizabeth. I read on Kitty's blog that you have been reading the Morville Hours, me too! Isn't it wonderful?

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  24. oh no! This was the year I was most def going to get a witch hazel (has to be bought in flower, you will agree) but also the year that they are too expensive. NEXT YEAR. Maybe.

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