Winter Plants on Gabriola Island 2015

Clothed in a multitude of layers, including underwear, I am off to do a tour of our garden to see how the plants have survived the heavy rains we have been having.  It is 3* C today with high humidity and it is chilly out.  It is a day when it isn't pouring down rain.  There aren't many other gardeners on this island who are going out to check to see how their plants are doing.  Most are content to stay indoors by the woodstove until things warm up a bit more out there.

Our plants haven't liked all the rain and the cold snap and they stand forlornly waiting for it to pass.  It seems like the rhodos  have pulled their leaves in towards their bodies as if they are cold.  I have been assured it is the plant's way of taking it's external energy from it's leaves back into it's core until the temperature warms again.  It is hibernating.  As the temperature warms, the leaves will open again and reach up to the sun.

Then I notice that the rhodos that have pulled their leaves in close also have new flower buds growing. At the same time do they think spring is near?

Our camellia tree has started to form some nice flower buds on it, too.  This tree had a lot of seed pods on it this fall.  Most of the seeds have dropped off but some have burst open and remain on the tree.

Snowdrops are magically peaking through the composting dead leaves which cover the ground.  This is astounding as it is only December.


I lift the leaves on the helleborous "niger", commonly known as the Christmas Rose to find new flower buds just pushing up out of the ground.