Ringing In The New Year

 The lowest point in the year is also the lowest moment in my garden. Yet to my eyes it's still beautiful, never more so than when an overnight frost dusts the ground and the few remaining plants with white.

Colour comes only from Mahonia 'Winter Sun' just outside the back fence. One of the few evergreens I grow, its size (large) and colour (bright gold) would make it a dominant feature at this time of year even if it had more competition.

While I enjoy these winter treats, I wait eagerly for the first signs of new life, and usually by mid-month I get my reward. This year a rare sunny day on January 16 brought the first winter aconites and snow crocus into bloom. The aconites are always a surprise as their stems almost unnoticeably shoulder their way through the soil, and lever themselves upright before suddenly revealing the tiny buttercup-like flowers with their frill of green.

By contrast, the crocus leaves have been visible for some time, and it's just a question of waiting impatiently for the flowers to accompany them. First to open was a lone yellow one by the back steps where the sun is strongest.

Once I saw it, I went looking for others and found several 'Firefly' also in bloom, but still in too much shade to open.

If we can just expect a few more sunny days, more of these little harbingers of spring will be popping up all over the garden.