The winter solstice approaches, the longest night of the year and the tipping point for earth as the Northern hemisphere begins to wobble its way back to a more full on exposure to the sun. Days will be getting longer and before you know it….
Well actually we still have an entire winter to face, the shift towards the sun takes a while and temperatures will still drop for another month or so until the increase in light exposure does its magic. In theory. Yesterday was winter and tonight as well, and looking at the forecast tonight might even drop as low as our average low for the day, which will be a first for the month, but beyond that it’s just warm and more warm.
A new snowdrop! Galanthus elwesii ‘Xmas’ has made a seasonable appearance and will be the closest thing to a white Christmas we see this year.
Right now I’m thrilled about the warmth and have been taking advantage of the open ground and diggable soil. Also I’ve been way too wound up about the snowdrops peaking out here and there as they poke up to consider the weather. I do a garden walkabout whenever it’s light enough, and with things in dormant mode there’s not much going on beyond a little poking and prodding to see who sprouted a tiny bit more, but imagine my surprise when I came across a new snowdrop in full bloom. A friend gave me a monster snowdrop bulb (Galanthus elwesii ‘Xmas’) and I should have known enough to be on the lookout around Christmas but it was still a shock to find it in full bloom this week. It’s a beauty. Quite similar to every other white snowdrop but so much more special, and it’s always amazing when something manages to pop up in this garden and escape my attention and prodding for so long.
‘Three Ships’ looking sad this year.
A snowdrop which hasn’t escaped my notice is another Christmas bloomer, ‘Three Ships’. It was doing so well for a few years until all of a sudden it wasn’t, and for at least three winters I keep hoping it will grow out of its slump but so far no luck. A neighboring drop is also in a slump and is possibly the source of the problem but as per my typical laziness I’m pulling a ‘thoughts and prayers’ and hoping something will change without me having to make a change. Maybe next summer I’ll finally make an adult decision and take action.
A freshly weeded and mulched snowdrop bed. It wasn’t intended as a snowdrop bed, but when a few more drops go in each year…
I may be waiting for the summer to save ‘Three Ships’ but the warm weather and emerging snowdrop noses have moved me to do a few bed cleanouts and some tidying up. I don’t have the luxury of heaps of nicely mulched autumn leaves for all of the beds, but I do have some well-done compost which works nearly as well, and having a few snowdrop beds cleaned and topped off seems like a nice way to go into the season. I guess being able to do this in December is great even though it takes twenty times longer since my body is into sitting around mode even more so than usual, and it also it doesn’t help when you actually break a sweat gardening in late December. It just seems wrong.
Christmas cookies will solve it though. I wished they solved everything but for this they work, and I hope you enjoy plenty of cookies, a wonderful solstice, and plenty of holiday celebrations as we round out the year.
sorta like suburbia 
Happy Solstice! ‘Three Ships’ doesn’t look that bad, took me two tries to get it going. As long as there is a leaf, I count it a win, although admittedly, flowers are a definite plus.
I went ahead and looked at pictures of ‘Three Ships’ from the last two years. It is still alive today which is a big plus, but to see how far it’s withered away over the years makes me realize my wait-and-see approach is not going to work. One more thing for the to-do list lol
Meanwhile, there’s always your garage garden to tend . . . Have a great holiday with your family!
I did spend most of the gloomiest afternoons in the winter garden. It’s as crowded as ever and a wonderful escape.
Happy New Year!
Try a sprinkling of some bonemeal, I find they need a bit of a boost now and then to regain vigour.
I’ve done as you suggested and hopefully that gives it the boost it needs until transplanting time comes around. I always worry the “better spot” will be the last straw…
How nice of Xmas to bloom for you this week! Maybe those Three Ships will eventually sail in . . . on Christmas Day in the morning?
I’m impressed with how tidy it all looks!
-and I’ve tidied more since. You’ll be in awe lol
“Three Ships” did manage to open up on exactly Christmas morning, so that’s a first!
Snowdrop Solstice Greetings! I like the way that just rolls off the tongue. 😉 I’m curious, do you think it is pH or a fertility issue with the ‘Three Ships’? Mine probably could use a bit of lime as my soil tends to be acidic. I confess that other than in March, they get little attention from me.
Definitely hooked on a new spice cookie recipe that is hard to stay away from. Sitting around and not expending as much energy isn’t the best thing, but what the heck, life is for enjoying, right? 😉
Somehow I suspect the soil has some kind of fungus or bacteria which the snowdrop does not appreciate. Hopefully the fertilizer helps and then a move to a “clean” new spot can help it leave its troubles behind.
Oh I did some cookie enjoying this season as well, and I’m not even close to being done yet. There will be plenty of winter insulation to work off this spring!
Amazing that you continue to work/play in the garden! The closest I’ve come is to harvest holly, crab apple branches, pampas grass and a variety of seed pods for winter arrangements , swags etc. Enjoy the holidays!
Haha, I’ve done nearly nothing in the weeks since this post, so don’t be too amazed by by busy-ness! I really slacked in the winter arrangement department this year. Just a few evergreen boughs to cover some pots and one vase of greens for the table. There’s always next year!
Happy New Year 🙂
It is that magical time of year. Everything is rebirthing, or so it seems this year with this warmer than usual weather. Shrubs that have lost all their leaves are pushing out new growth. We know, even if they don’t, that there will be some severe winter weather yet to come. I hope all the spring bloom buds don’t get frozen off. If they do maybe they will resprout.
I like that the ‘Three Ships’ are planted under the three hydrangeas. I think this bed looks quite nice with the box backdrop and the stone edging.
Reading about your winter sweat efforts makes me feel guilty for not getting out and doing the same. I will wish I had in a few short months. Those winter chores are so easily ignored. The winter weeds appreciate my procrastination.
I appreciate you writing about your winter wrangling of the garden. It gives me incentive to take advantage of this good weather.
We aren’t supposed to have snow this Christmas either. I appreciate that since we drive an hour+ to visit family on Christmas day. It doesn’t really matter that rain is predicted since we have neither dog or little children that would be restless in wet weather. Whoops, I am getting ahead of myself thinking about Christmas. I am looking forward to seeing family and friends.
Happy Solstice. Don’t work too hard in this nice winter weather. Cheers…
So one day of work outside doesn’t make for a productive holiday, but I did enjoy taking it easy for a while with no big projects inside. -There’s plenty which needs to get done but the weather had me in a mood to do nothing, so better to go with it rather than fight 😉
The best thing about ignored winter chores is that they can often be finished up in half the time come April when the weather is warmer and the sun is shining… unfortunately there’s so many other things that half the time is still sometimes too much. Oh well. You never get everything done, and even when you do it’s too easy to find something else.
Happy New Year!
Oh, we have to walk the garden with the greatest of regularity to keep an eye for those emerging snowdrops. I must tell you that our weather here in southeast Ireland is more kind and there are a good number in flower at the moment. Re ‘Three Ships’ I had a similar drop in health in a clump last year so I lifted them all and moved the to a new spot, adding lots of leafmould, and planted them well spaced out. Most seem quite good this year, no sign of bad health, and are into flower but don’t make much of an impression as they are so spread out. I wish I could get the compost spread but the ground here is too soft to push a wheelbarrow over it. Best wishes for Christmas and the New Year.
Happy New Year Paddy!
I think I recall saying something about our season being so early it was about in step with yours. Let me say that lasted all of two days, since your most recent photos look as if the snowdrops are all coming on strong, and here not much has changed. They must have enough sense to know our winter could still have plenty of vim and vigour left for January through March.
My ‘Three Ships’ issue really is my own fault. I should have recognized the decline a year ago and done what you’ve said but of course was hoping it would shake it off. I really thing it’s a bacteria or fungus problem, since it followed me planting a different ‘in decline’ drop nearby and now both are weak. Hopefully with some soil amendment and fertilizer and a resetting of the bulbs they can outgrow the problem.
Yes, there’s not much you can do when mud rules the garden. I sometimes miss my parent’s sandy lot which would drain minutes after any amount of rain… but of course that came with it’s own set of unique problems.
Happy New Year!
I recall a mention of a product from a few years back and I used it to reasonably good effect. It came as a very small amount of a white powder, to be dissolved in water, and poured onto the affected snowdrop patch. It contains what are described as beneficial bacteria which will in turn combat the effects of a fungal or bacterial attack. Personally, I go with lifting, moving, spreading and adding leafmould. I’m a believer in the benefits of adding leafmould. Another beautiful day here, good sunshine and temperature of 8C. We might have a few more opening
Great to see some snowdrops emerging, and right on time by their names. My Christmas cookies only succeed in making me feel guity and making new year’s resolutions I can’t keep! LOL! Have a great Christmas Frank!
Happy New Year Cathy! In spite of the guilt I’m still going strong with the Christmas cookies (and plenty of chocolate as well). There will be a good amount of winter insulation to work off this spring 😉
Haven’t spotted any snowdrops yet but not long now. Wishing you and your loved ones a happy Christmas, Frank x
Thank you Annette, and a Happy New Year to you and yours as well!
Outside of a few early snowdrops the rest are still biding their time before committing to full bloom. It’s been unusually mild, but January to March can easily bring on a few arctic blasts even if it doesn’t stick around. We’ll all be enjoying longer days and the first snowdrops before you know it!