Confusion!

Usually in January my posts are based on staying indoors, reading magazines and catalogues, and filling my head with dreams of year round veg and constant fragrance and colour (it's also a world without weeds, slugs and snails *sigh*). 

Occasionally there is the odd foray into the garden to clear a bit and check out the Winter Jasmine, Mahonia and Winter Honeysuckle as you can see from past posts but this year the Jasmine and Mahonia were over before Christmas!

So what is going on now? Well it's a mixed picture. My early Hellebore (Bosvigo Double) is performing true to form and looks lovely as it did last year in January.

My pale Bosvigo Single Speckled is showing buds, a little early perhaps...

...although the one on the right (and two others) have been munched. Slug/snail damage isn't usually a problem this time of year but they are very active this year, so I'll have to get on it before there is too much damage.

...and the Hellebore Argutifolius is still going strong.

The Primroses are out as they often are...

...but there is no sign of my Snowdrops and only a couple of my Iris Reticulata are showing and they are usually all up and even flowering by now. 

(I must rewrite this label - I had completely forgotten what was in this pot - hence the generalisation. If I don't do it soon I can see it being the mystery pot next year too!)

But then the Muscari is flowering and I wouldn't expect that until March...

...and my Campanula is in full flower and that doesn't usually start until April!

So all in all my garden is a confused place, and looks likely to get more confused as the temperatures drop (and they are dropping fast). The weather has been warm and ridiculously wet here (Cornwall is lush and tropical for a reason - we don't lack rain, but even for Cornwall it's been wet!). There are so many shoots showing including things like my Ornamental Artichoke or Cardoon, which will be hit very hard if we have a frost.

So fingers crossed that we don't have a real cold snap - although I'd quite like to see some slugs and snails suffer!!!