Hardy Tropicals UK

According to Cameron re Skynews Ticker text,

People should be aware even if weather gets better there is still risk of flooding from ground water.

This winter has been surprisingly sunny in London, I've had lunch outside every day excepting the 2 or so days when it has rained.

I can't remember another winter with sunshine and 10-12C almost every day. Normally when we get 10C and sun in January people go crazy, this year days like that were the norm.

I'll take any weather over a frost, frosts kill plants

otorongo wrote:This winter has been surprisingly sunny in London, I've had lunch outside every day excepting the 2 or so days when it has rained.

I can't remember another winter with sunshine and 10-12C almost every day. Normally when we get 10C and sun in January people go crazy, this year days like that were the norm.

I'll take any weather over a frost, frosts kill plants

I like frost for its clear blue skies that generally follow that day. This year has been more of a damp mild, overcast, grey lack of sunlight setup

otorongo wrote:I'll take any weather over a frost, frosts kill plants

Flooding and severe gales also kill plants

There seems to be quite a lot of wind/salt damage to rhododendrons, escallonia, privet (some of them completely defoliated),portuguese laurel, these leaves are completely browned/crisped.
This is beside the sea where we have taken the brunt of 80mph gales the last weeks.
The salt on our windows all round the bungalow is so thick we can hardly see out! No exaggeration here honestly. My OH says wait for the gales to stop before he cleans them.
So, therefore, if the horizontal rain is leaving all that on the windows, then it must also be on the plants in the garden.
Hedging plants that seem to be OK are eleagnus ebbingii, griselinia, holly and camellias.
Hellebores flowering and totally burnt. Brave camellia flowers burnt and some buds completely browned/burnt.
I'm very thankful that we have so little damage compared to some poor people.
The nurseries should do well this year replacing dead stuff!!!
Several gardens round here have just had their trees topped, eucalyptus and pines and conifers. Some I could see from here and the tops have been lopped off! Very sensible!
I wrapped my two tree ferns in November with fleece on the trunks and in the crowns.
I've taken it all off yesterday as the sun was out, left some fleece and leaves in the crowns. The knuckles are right down inside, no sign of movement yet.
Its lovely to see the fronds out again, I left them on this winter for the first time, and they're enjoying the rain today.
Will look out for frost forecasts, (thanks stephenprudence, I enjoy your indepth forecasts), and wrap again if it seems to be going downhill again!!
Happy gardening!

I know its not gardening, but just take a look at Torcross main road in the Daily Mail today!
The WHOLE main road is covered with shingle! Impassable!
Thats unbelievable!!!!!!!Sorry, off topic but had to share!

It's been the mildest winter here for a few years with half a dozen frosts but it has definitely been a cloudy one with only four fully sunny days since Christmas. Nothing has been covered or wrapped and a knuckle on one of the baby Dicks has emerged.
I am just hoping for no more wind, no more persistent rain (like today) and no heavy frosts. Not much to ask, is it?

It's true what other nationalities say about us. "They don't get much of anything weather wise, but complain about it whatever it does"

You get what you get, and moaning doesn't change a thing

Even if the wind goes around the east there is not much cold in that direction close by. Real cold is over 3000 miles away at this time.

Dave Brown wrote:Even if the wind goes around the east there is not much cold in that direction close by. Real cold is over 3000 miles away at this time.

Minus 26 in the Sahara Desert in Chad??

Conifers wrote: Minus 26 in the Sahara Desert in Chad??

Someone is checking the freezer temp using their sensor.

Exactly what I was thinking Dave..

Let's hope this will happen.

StefanNL wrote:Let's hope this will happen.

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I'll take two please bob!

What a beautiful forecast chart! After lots of months below average, time has come to have months above average.