Dave, great! Good to know about another Camellia that blooms well in winter this far north. (or that far north! I'm farther LOL)

'Kramer's Rote' is an essential winter bloomer and has bloomed every winter to some degree for me, including the polar vortex winters! It bridged the gap between the early winter Mahonias and the early spring witch hazels...I've had something in continuous bloom for many years now. Flower don't mind being covered by snow for weeks, or temps down to 3F. Truly a remarkable plant. The other E. X darleyensis I've tried are either harder to establish or more reticent to bloom, but I'm trying 'Furzey' now so we will see what happens. No blooms this year.

Generally, given that I'm a "lazy" gardener, I'm finding it's best to let the tiny mail-order Ericas size up in a 1 gallon for a couple years, before planting them out. For the potting I used promix with sand added. 'Furzey' didn't die from drying out this year, which is a problem I have had with the tiny 3 1/4" potted Ericas from the PNW. Maybe you bought 'Kramer's Rote' locally, in a larger size, so didn't have that problem? Or are just a more attentive gardener than me LOL.

'Kramer's Rote' was available at our local Home Depot in gallon sizes. Pretty inexpensive.

Ooooh, Sara, that's lovely!! I've been noticing mahonias in full bloom here and there in my area as well.

Currently, although not known for winter blooms, I still have hardy fuchsias blooming. And a cuphea still going strong (no real frost yet)!! Sarcococca of course. And my Grevillea is budded up but hasn't bloomed.........yet.

I still have roses blooming! Also Hypericum, lots of succulents (the winter-blooming aloes are just coming on), Lapageria, Hellebores (of course), Camellias, and the Osmanthus are still covered with blossoms. But the big attractions here are foliage, especially in this weak December light. The Leucadendron, Cryptomeria with their plummy winter foliage, Poncircus in fall color, Libertia, Berberis, Ulmus procera 'Aurea' still has most of its golden leaves, and the yellow mugo pines are glowing.

Sara, I thank you, even though your talk of Aloes and Lapagerias fills me with jealousy LOL. Hate to show a pro-mild climate bias here, but a lover of plants has never truly lived until he or she has seen a large blooming Chilean Bellflower vine in person...

"'Kramer's Rote' was available at our local Home Depot in gallon sizes. Pretty inexpensive."

I envy your fancy Northern Virginia Home Depots LOL. I've never looked for it, but I'm pretty sure I've not remotely seen any plant like that around here. Of that rarity and desirability. Only heaths I've seen were 'Springwood Pink',* et al. Though I did once find a Hebe in the bargain bin at the Aberdeen, MD, HD, and it lasted several years until the monsoon of Hurricane Irene drowned it. It was a super tough one with bland white flowers and semi-succulent leaves...maybe H. pinguifolia. Not labeled other than Hebe.

* - which reminds me that I noticed many years ago some wholesaler was mislabeling a E. carnea as an E. X darleyensis; this was showing up at various nurseries. Can't remember the details anymore, but I bought one of these as the first heath I tried in this garden (had true E. 'Darley Dale' back in my NoVA townhouse garden) and it behaved nothing like E. X darleyensis.

Well, David, I envy your acid soil and woodland conditions! Camellia, Ericas, Pieris, etc just curl up and die here....

Yep, gardening has many trade offs. Why don't you try what those crazy Texas blueberry lovers do? Just pour a bunch of sulfuric acid on a corner of your garden...presto, acid soil! I'm sure the California Department of the Environment would love that! (no consequences in TX - fined millions and imprisoned for weeks in CA, probably...long live the USA LOL)

Sara Malone (Zone 9b):

This Camellia was blooming last week. But in all honestly, I am jealous of your ability to grow citrus!

On a completely serious note though...Sara, does your Lapageria die back in colder years? I seem to recall Polo telling me they didn't get as big for him as they do in downtown SF or Berkeley, but I could have misunderstood what he was saying.

They are definitely worth mentioning here...one of the most superb winter growers, for people who can manage to grow them.

They would do better in SF or Berkeley but it's all about where you plant them. Well drained soil, protected, morning sun, etc.

I was at Sonoma Hort today. Looked pretty much the same as it always did, although maybe due to the circumstances I was looking with a more critical eye. The place needs a lot of work. I mean a LOT. The benches are all rotten, the structures in similar condition. Little maintenance has been done over the years (I shudder to think of the irrigation...). That doesn't take away from the beauty and wonder of the plantings, but it demonstrates what a project the new owner is taking on. And what the hell is permaculture, anyway?

" And what the hell is permaculture, anyway?"

I know it doesn't involve very rare cultivars of rhododendron, that's for sure.

Thanks for the report at any rate. I keep thinking of calling there but figure what's the point. The recent deep discount sale was clearly intended to reduce the stocks of rhodies and raise some cash for the new owner(s). I wasn't in a position where I could fly out there on a lark to get stuff before its gone forever. And I already have my Ericaceous hands full, anyhow. Hopefully various persons in the ARS Norcal chapter have most of the rare stuff in their gardens. Some wouldn't grow here at all, like 'Cornish Cross' but are commercially extinct cultivars these days, in the US at least. And in my opinion worth preserving somewhere on this side of the pond! As of my April 2016 visit, Polo was still actively making crosses. I would love one of the irroratum crosses he had made.

PS, Sara - which Arbutus is to the left? Is that 'Marina'?

PS - bonus points to anybody who can ID the foliage and buds to the north (literally and photographically!) of my Camellia. It is winter blooming too!

While hollies showed up as a kind of 'honorary winter bloomer' (they are also honorary conifers, based on how often amateurs post them to that forum) I wanted to post a pic of 'Sand Pond'. It has the largest, most luminous berries of any holly in my garden. I'm actually planning future hybrids with other large berried hollies - would hope to someday get a berry close to 1/2". The in-camera HDR kind of goofed up this picture but you can still see the berries are large. Maybe they are so shiny that they over-exposed the sensor LOL.

Here is a 'Korean Fire' that I didn't even spot a couple weeks ago! Killed by the freezes. Had already started blooming way too early. Dave looks like you are seeing the same thing...that big japonica...that wouldn't normally bloom until March for you? You have older camellias than I do and a longer history of growing them up here in east coast zn 7.

Camellia ShiShiGashira just getting heavy..

I forgot Banksia (ericafolia in this shot), Callistemon 'Little John' and Abutilon! (And David, yes that is A. 'Marina' in that shot of the Mahonia.)

Oh, that Banksia has me drooling! Thanks for the additional pics. You should try to find a Correa 'Sister Dawn', I think it blooms around the holidays out there.

Check out Banksia 'Schnapper Point':

This thread is just plain cruel. Nothing flowering here. Lows will be pushing -20F next week, so I won’t expect much in the way of blooms antime soon. I do love the pictures though; they help me to keep thinking about gardening.

Happy Solstice everyone, winter is indeed upon us. Here are a few tidbits from Londontown Gardens.

Unnamed camellia with many flowers spent and laying on the ground. The maroon color doesn't show up against the dark camellia foliage.Common witchhazel still holding on, this is late for this species.Wintersweet with its delicate prefume and wax paper petals.Elaeagnus pungens, don't recall the common name. This one is popular for hedging.Powder Puff Tree doing its thing. This one is strictly a conservatory tree for us.

A most excellent post! I have somehow missed ever seeing a wintersweet in bloom, in spite of it being one of the first plants I ever ordered from Woodlanders or Camforest. I can't remember which - they were both definitely the first nurseries I ever mail ordered from, though. I would have been around 12 or 13. Our naughty lab puppy pulled it out of the ground and it wilted, I think I figured it was dead. Didn't know any better back then. The novelty of a plant being described as winter blooming was very appealing.

Speaking of winter blooming plants: https://www.gofundme.com/AustralianNativePlantsFireFund

What a terrible loss for California horticulture, but it's encouraging to see that they were able to raise some funds for rebuilding.

Hey Dave, how do you get your daphne odora to survive in your zone and stay very evergreen like that? I know this plant is hardy to zone 7a right on the edge of your zone(and mine) and I'm wondering how you keep it thriving without cold damage. Do you have it in a protected place? Northern NJ temps are supposed to drop to 0 F this saturday night...

FWIW my experience with D. odora has been winter hardiness isn't usually the issue...and if you're actually in 7a that would probably be the case for you. (polar vortex type winters notwithstanding) It's keeping them alive in the summer that's the problem. They tend to die suddenly of root rot. This even happens inSeattle!

Dave's garden has good wind protection. So that would help. Also, as is always the case with borderline BLEs, prevent winter morning sunlight from contacting the foliage.

PS - know you were addressing Dave, but I have tried 3 of them over the years. They die after a few years. Next one, I might try on a mound of pure builder's sand. I want to get the new hybrid from NZ between D. bholua and D. odora. Should have hybrid vigor.

Heruga: Good drainage is the key. They absolutely hate clay that stays wet for too long - at least in an East Coast 7a. Mine is growing with some dappled sun, next to a retaining wall, excellent drainage, and often gets quite dry over the summer. It also gets some protection from north and west winds. BTW, I'm on my second plant. First one died. This one is in a different spot and seems to be thriving. So you may have to try a few spots.

I may go out and cover it with a large pot tomorrow though. Just in case.

Warm & Springlike here today. That sweet & spicy smell can only mean one thing, Hamamelis mollis.

yeah mine are just starting to bloom, as is my Prunus mume 'Peggy Clarke'. Shows that in spite of the cold first half of January, we have done a lot of catching up. In the polar vortex winter, my plum didn't start until some preposterously late time, almost April 1 IIRC. Going to Newark, DE, in a few days to buy a battery for my Kubota, and will see if the Camellias at Udel are starting.

Speaking of animal damage, 'Dream Angel' was almost eaten up by lop-eared rats...but I got a fence around it in time. Should be ok. They usually don't attack camellias and I think there's a very specific reason they are going after that one.

"I'm worried about whether it will be hardy enough to have foliar survival of a really cold, polar vortex type winter around here." Came close to finding out LOL. It had only mild damage from the January cold spell, which is encouraging. Got to about 0F here.

Daphne perfume princes started opening flowers in late december and ongoing till now late february in spite of frost and snow - slight lily of the valley fragrance. Growing in mostly coco coir and planted with rootgrow fungi. Also watered with Microveda Farming activated bacteria to promote soil and plant health. This in South East Bulgaria on the Balkans in what would be a USDA cold hardiness zone 7b.

Daphne Perfume passion in full flower taken just now. As mentioned above, a slight lily of the valley fragrance.

Chimonanthus Luteus in December about to open the flower buds.

Chimonanthus in full flower just now. Nice hiacynth mixed with spices fragrance.

Hamamelis Aurora in full flower now. Very nice freesia fragrance in the air.

Hamamelis Rochester in flower in early December. A very nice sweet green tea fragrance.

Nice pictures - just so you know, you can put up to 10 pictures in a single post.

Winter Jasmine @ Tidal Basin, Wash DC

Below is Chinese Paper Bush, in this case flowers slightly fragrant.

As usual I am a least a couple weeks behind - though less this year than most years because we've had such a crazy roller coaster of temps.

C. japonica 'Korean Fire' blooming today @ Scott Arboretum.

Late February blooms.

Gov. Mouton

Spring's Promise
Helleborus

My 'Korean Fire' is just starting to open, assuming weather forecast pans out it should look like that just in time for the cold spell we are supposed to get next weekend.

That sweet & spicy smell can only mean one thing, Hamamelis mollis.

Looks like H. x intermedia to me.

My favorite winter/spring bloomer

Evergreen in full bloom today in Wash DC. Can you name it? Tell us something about it.

Easy! Sycopsis!

Something about it? It would have been better if it had been pruned to avoid that split trunk LOL. Although it's less likely to cause a problem than with some other plants, probably, I imagine this family being very strong wooded. (hence the common name of its cousin Parrotia)

I will be planting its 'second cousin' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodoleia in the garden this spring. Like a somewhat showier version of the above. I wanted it to size up to being 3/8" caliper. However I will ground layer a branch cuz even tho I have the supposed hardiest one, it may not be hardy enough.

Claiming my bonus points two years late. Lonicera fragrantissima. Mine's just going over for this year. Starting to leaf out now.

Just spotted tiny buds on hardy fuchsia Mrs W P Wood.

HAHA floral! They're in the mail even though you are slightly off: it's Lonicera X purpusii.

Sam btw there is a striking planting of winter jasmine at National Airport, in bloom on the last day of January as I returned from a business trip. In a few years it will probably be removed when some moron-in-charge realizes they are "not native".

Damn, should have checked. Maybe half points?

So we're calling the above Chinese Fighazel or S. sinensis. Interesting how dense it grows, I don't see this one in the wholesale trade. I'll take this over Ligustrum any day.

"I don't see this one in the trade. " between Woodlanders, Camellia Forest, and sundry PNW retailers like Forestfarm I would say it has been broadly available for the last 20 years, one just had to know where to look.

I have a Sycopsis sinensis as well. It seems to be quite hardy. I think I got it from Forest Farm, years ago.

Here's my Daphne odora this spring. It seems to LOVE this spot. Fragrance is amazing and intense.