Still haven't wrapped my Musa Bajoo (banana plant) up yet and monitoring TWO weather expert comments to indicate the first frost here in deepest Cambridge 😀

Sod’s Law!  I’m waiting for a delivery of Spring bulbs and thought it said they’d be here within ten days.  I’d bought several trays of winter pansies at the weekend, ready to plant once the bulbs were in. I checked the bulb order yesterday and it said delivery within 28 days, so I decided to plant the pansies, as they need to be in.  Two hours later, I had an email saying my bulbs were with the courier!  🤣

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One of the plants I haven't grown for many years is a Fig. So I'm looking for not a Brown Türkiye, Brian's (politically correct spellcheck did this) which I grew in another place and one that flourished but another variety. Rouge de Bordeaux or Osborne’s Prolific come to mind.  
My little courtyard garden did well this year with its raised pools, fish and sub tropical plants. I once though banana plants would suit it but my brother suggested sticking to cannas which I've done. Banana foliage gets shredded by winds unless you're in a really sheltered microclimate. In any case I've grown them ad infinitum overseas edible and ornamental. 

I planted some outdoor containers with mini blue flowered winter pansies, something I've never really tried in the past. They look great in this mild climate this year. Bulbs I planted more of include Snakes-head Fritillary by a pond, snowdrops and for indoors I splashed out on an Amaryllis which is growing fast.  Some hyacinths for the office which have buds on and will soon fill the place with their scent. I had a problem too with delivery (Parkers) but an email sorted that out and they went out the next day.
 

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One of the plants I haven't grown for many years is a Fig. So I'm looking for not a Brown Türkiye, Brian's (politically correct spellcheck did this) which I grew in another place and one that flourished but another variety. Rouge de Bordeaux or Osborne’s Prolific come to mind.  
My little courtyard garden did well this year with its raised pools, fish and sub tropical plants. I once though banana plants would suit it but my brother suggested sticking to cannas which I've done. Banana foliage gets shredded by winds unless you're in a really sheltered microclimate. In any case I've grown them ad infinitum overseas edible and ornamental. 

I planted some outdoor containers with mini blue flowered winter pansies, something I've never really tried in the past. They look great in this mild climate this year. Bulbs I planted more of include Snakes-head Fritillary by a pond, snowdrops and for indoors I splashed out on an Amaryllis which is growing fast.  Some hyacinths for the office which have buds on and will soon fill the place with their scent. I had a problem too with delivery (Parkers) but an email sorted that out and they went out the next day.
 

We have a fig tree next door the butterflies enjoy in the summer as the fruit ripens and oozes. This prompted a comment from a horticulturalist/entomologist friend who said: "With global warming we can expect pollinator species to establish and figs will spread across the country!" [At present our fig seeds are unpollinated and therefore infertile.] Here is the story of a fig tree's sex life... 😮
How fig trees are pollinated
http://www.figweb.org/Interaction/How_do_fig_wasps_pollinate/index.htm 
 

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Walking around the garden yesterday and already the Daffodils are in flower along with snowdrops and primroses. That’s early even for down here..

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Fortunately in the UK we have dozens of fig varieties that set fruit without any such pollination. And because our figs are ‘parthenocarpic’ this also makes them seedless and are the more luscious for it. Says Bob Flowerdew.
Otherwise vegetarians might struggle at times.
https://hartley-botanic.co.uk/magazine/figs-fine-fresh-fruits/#:~:text=Fortunately%20in%20the%20UK%20we,the%20more%20luscious%20for%20it .
 

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No daffs flowering here yet and only just poking out of the gravel. Saw a dandelion flower yesterday though on the cliff.

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Fortunately in the UK we have dozens of fig varieties that set fruit without any such pollination. And because our figs are ‘parthenocarpic’ this also makes them seedless and are the more luscious for it. Says Bob Flowerdew.
Otherwise vegetarians might struggle at times.
https://hartley-botanic.co.uk/magazine/figs-fine-fresh-fruits/#:~:text=Fortunately%20in%20the%20UK%20we,the%20more%20luscious%20for%20it .
 

That may well be true for now, but..... 😁

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That may well be true for now, but..... 😁

I thought as much Roger... and these as well 🦂

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No daffs flowering here yet and only just poking out of the gravel. Saw a dandelion flower yesterday though on the cliff.

It takes a lot to keep a dandelion from flowering - and groundsel, too.

Dandelions here poking their heads up and showing the beginnings of buds. Ceanothus in the back garden with a few sprigs in bloom - only about 5 months early!

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We used to make "musical instruments" from dandelion stalks, nipping one end to make a double-reed like an oboe plus a few holes to give a selection of notes. We had no smartphones, so we had to make do! 🤣
The Four Yorkshiremen Sketch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKHFZBUTA4k 
 

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Remember 'smoking' cow parsley dried stems? Not to be mixed up with hemlock of course.
Used to be able to get screech out of grass stems held between your fingers and blown. Musical meadows. Bliss.
Not to be confused with Pan Pipes made from Norfolk Reed. Never tried those though.
Or how about? https://scrollforinitiative.com/2023/04/18/the-complete-guide-to-dds-musical-instruments/#:~:text=Wargongs%20are%20what%20you%20think,is%20essentially%20a%20Faer%C3%BBnian%20guitar 
I love the dulcimer sound.

And then https://www.gremlinmusic.co.uk/productlist.php?Brand=bagpipes 

Which brings me to Dr Who and some fiendish goblins/gremlins from what I've been told.
If you watch carefully tomorrows Christmas Special  you'll see my niece (Dr Who's Companion's Double) getting into a taxi. 


 

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Now that that vile wind has dropped and the rain has buggered off for five minutes, I went out into the garden a few minutes ago and interestingly the daffodils, snowdrops and striped squills are sending up shoots. It's a testament to how mild it's really been this month. I've seen it happen in January and February, but never in December. I bet they'll have a shock if we do end up getting a major cold spell later in the winter.

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Now that that vile wind has dropped and the rain has buggered off for five minutes, I went out into the garden a few minutes ago and interestingly the daffodils, snowdrops and striped squills are sending up shoots.

Shoots eh? You should see what's happening down in Kent...

Here are a few pics taken just now in my garden:

Not sure what these are - they're in the new bit of land I acquired, and there are tons of them... camomile, maybe?
https://ukwct.org.uk/weather/g1.jpg 


A Christmas rose in the process of unfurling... (floribunda, the bush is at least 40 years old as it was there when we moved in)
https://ukwct.org.uk/weather/g2.jpg 


Daffodils - they look ready to bloom, but it'll be another couple of weeks I reckon:
https://ukwct.org.uk/weather/g3.jpg 


...and a lily (I think - these have been there for as long as I can remember, and are gradually expanding into the lawn...)
https://ukwct.org.uk/weather/g4.jpg 

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:

Not sure what these are - they're in the new bit of land I acquired, and there are tons of them... camomile, maybe?
https://ukwct.org.uk/weather/g1.jpg 
Looks like Feverfew https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanacetum_parthenium 

...and a lily (I think - these have been there for as long as I can remember, and are gradually expanding into the lawn...)
https://ukwct.org.uk/weather/g4.jpg 
Maybe a variety of Hosta
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hosta 

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Looks like Feverfew

Thank you for posting - I was hoping someone might know what they were!

I think you're spot on there - the leaves seem to match, and the description says they spread abundantly if left... which they had been. (The extra land I bought was my neighbour's garden, and it had been overgrown for a couple of decades).

Maybe a variety of Hosta

These are interesting - I remember my mum calling them lilies, or so I thought, but on reflection she was probably talking about the adjacent pond (which did have lilies back in the day - not any more).

The flowers for Hosta look different, so I turned to "AI" - turns out there are a number of services, including on the RHS website, where you upload a photo and it tells you what it is. Both the RHS and a different service came up with:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergenia_crassifolia 

I'll have a look tomorrow and see whether those flowers are on a red stalk. If they are - I think that solves that mystery!
 

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Feverfew the first (single flower not double) I think. Could probably is golden feverfew? Aureum. 
Middle daff - no idea of variety.
Bergenia most certain. Variety not sure. Flowering time. Autumn/early winter in the South then a further flush in the spring.

Google Lens I've found invaluable identifying shells for an exhibition. But the issue here is Amazon and other marketplaces are usually hopeless when it comes to correct species names. For example this is Amazons way of describing something like a Conch Shell. Large Natural Sea Shells, Huge Ocean Conch 15-16 cm Jumbo Seashells Perfect for Wedding Decor Beach Theme Party, Home Decorations, DIY Crafts, Fish Tank and Shell Collectors. There are at least 60 different species of conch (pronounced “konk”) in our oceans and then each one has a different genetic fingerprint. https://www.uq.edu.au/news/article/2017/01/research-finds-sea-shells-are-unique-fingerprints 
Not really gardening I suppose...

What other identifying sites could you recommend Darren or anyone please. 
Nick

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Feverfew the first (single flower not double) I think. Could probably is golden feverfew? Aureum.  Bergenia most certain. Variety not sure. Flowering time. Autumn/early winter in the South then a further flush in the spring.
"Large Natural Sea Shells, Huge Ocean Conch 15-16 cm Jumbo Seashells Perfect for Wedding Decor Beach Theme Party, Home Decorations, DIY Crafts, Fish Tank and Shell Collectors."

I've had a look under those pink flowers, and the stem has a reddish tinge. Bergenia it is, then!

With the shell, what you have there is an example of keyword stuffing - where they put anything that's vaguely relevant in the description in the hope that you'll click on it. It's sadly very common and quite often you pull up things quite different from what you were looking for!

What other identifying sites could you recommend Darren or anyone please. 

The sites I used yesterday were these:

https://identify.plantnet.org/ 
https://www.rhs.org.uk/my-account/identify-plants 

There's also https://www.plant.id/ , but I've not used that yet.

This is a good use of what the media calls "AI" - using algorithms to pick out matches with a massive photo database. (I can imagine in future an expanded version, where you upload a picture of a spotty leaf and it comes back with "This 'Red Robin' photinia bush is afflicted by the Entomosporium mespili fungus. There is no cure, other than removing affected leaves.")

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I've had a look under those pink flowers, and the stem has a reddish tinge. Bergenia it is, then!

With the shell, what you have there is an example of keyword stuffing - where they put anything that's vaguely relevant in the description in the hope that you'll click on it. It's sadly very common and quite often you pull up things quite different from what you were looking for!


The sites I used yesterday were these:

https://identify.plantnet.org/ 
https://www.rhs.org.uk/my-account/identify-plants 

There's also https://www.plant.id/ , but I've not used that yet.

This is a good use of what the media calls "AI" - using algorithms to pick out matches with a massive photo database. (I can imagine in future an expanded version, where you upload a picture of a spotty leaf and it comes back with "This 'Red Robin' photinia bush is afflicted by the Entomosporium mespili fungus. There is no cure, other than removing affected leaves.")

indeed Keyword Stuffing. Makes the seller look stupid too in many cases. Especially when they put Conch, bivalve, cowrie, scallop into the same listing for one species. 

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Front lawns given the first haircut of the year. First day I've been able to walk on them with all this rain. It has been mild so they haven't stopped growing. 

I've already got sweet peppers and chillies sown in heated propagators.

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