Unusually warm here, too: more like October than like December. It's wonderful weather for working in the garden. But I would like to see some rain coming along.

ME TOO! It's way too dry; this is supposed to be the rainy season in Italy. It makes me awful nervous,considering all the new plants I've put in.

ME THREE! We've had so many days of dense, very wet fog but no rain at all since 22nd November. It rained overnight between 21st & 22nd November and we had 25mms - that was it - no other rain all month long and none yet this month. Last winter here was mild and dry - I do hope this one isn't going to be the same. Looks like it's the same all over the country!

Our winters seem to be shifting forwards through the year to me, the coldest period moving forward to Feb, even March. Right now, there are still deciduous trees holding onto leavss on my road and at work, there's a cherry in bloom right now. Admittedly, it's in a sheltered quad, but that's still ridiculously early. It's still so warm that I haven't winterized my pelargoniums yet. The low light levels still trigger dormany in some plants though, so there's this odd mix of things growing lke weeds in respose to the mild weather and rain, and things that are properly sere and winter dormant.

It has been warm with only a little rain so far here as well. Lots of sunny days. Days with sun and white fluffy clouds. Until to-day. To-day it is overcast and although still not cold, it feels a little chilly. Just the day when I finally do 3 loads of washing!

Yesterday in the garden...

The New Dawn in the apricot tree. There are clusters like this all over the tree. Sorry about the photo but I would have to be about 16 feet tall to take a decent one.

Gruss an Aachen sitting on a mildewed bush.

Fuchsia triphylla Mary. This was a cutting given to me by a neighbour. It looks like this all the time. It doesn't matter how cold it is in the winter, or how hot is is in the summer. It just keeps on looking good.

Colombian Climber with friend.

William Shakespeare 2000

Mutabilis.

Daisy

Beautiful! What else is there to say? Except "why doesn't my garden look like that". Glad you're out and about and able to take pictures.

We had hot, drying Santa Ana winds a few days agi and no rain in sight. We need it really badly by now.

Daisy, is Columbia(n) Cl. healthy for you? Does it mildew? I would like to get this rose but not if it mildews since it is destined for a prominent spot.

I agree with fduk, over here we have begun to dread the possible March cold more than autumn and winter. March 2013 was disastrous. I lost no roses but many froze to half their size. It's +8C as I write, 9 o'clock in the morning, unusually warm for December. It's dry and windy and no promise of snow before the new year. If the weather stays warm we'll be alright but if the cold strikes suddenly it will hit my roses unless they have snow cover.

Daisy, I so enjoy your rose photographs, thank you!

fduk,

What you're saying about some plants going to sleep at the proper time no matter what while others are fooled by the warm weather is really interesting. I've noticed that too. The naive (?) and totally scientifically unsubstantiated explanation I give is that the first are native and/or naturally winter decidous plants (ie. they are decidous in their place and climate of origin) so they really know better while the latter are 'immigrants', evergreen in their warmer native climate which could really do otherwise but are forced into dormancy to survive in this strange place they've found themselves in. These are what we call semi-decidous over here, I don't know if that's a proper term.

PS I was just reading that on this day in 2009, there was a freak rain event in the Mt. Pelion area in central-east Greece when there was the highest daily precipitation ever recorded in the country: 417mm of rain in 24 hours. That's 16.5" !!!!! More than we usually get in a year where I live.

...winter hasn't really started here yet where I am...I expect it to arrive the last week in December, that often seems to be the case now, and lasts about 7 weeks or so, when anything can happen.... Spring can take a long time to warm up but the roses don't seem to mind and just take off in any case.... I think it's only us that find it bothersome....

....I planted this 'Mme. Ernest Calvat' just 3 weeks ago, grafted bare root, and I was rather surprised to see today 2 buds on it.... I wonder if they will open for me before the cold weather arrives... I hope so.... I would like the blooms for my Christmas table...

The weather here in Nova Scotia, Canada has been very warm too. We have had adequate rain. I am hoping we get some snow cover for the plants before we get a big freeze. I am loving this mild weather when I think of the heating bills but on the other hand I worry about my roses out doors. I guess we can't have it both ways. I too have a few rose buds still on the plants. Totally unheard of here.

Valerie

Nik, I definitely believe that some plants go into a genetically programmed dormancy, regardless of the weater, while others are forced into dormancy by cold and perhaps low light levels. The once-flowering old roses fall in the first group. They're also the ones that develop fall foliage color. Hybrid Teas and the warm climate old roses are in the second group. They lose their foliage to frost; the leaves turn mud-colored and die.

Chiming in to report an unusually warm winter too.. my bulbs have begun popping up, winchester cathedral just opened a new bloom, eden is pushing new growth. Go to sleep plants!

Our Lilac bush has a couple of buds opening up at the end of the stem....crazy. Dec 13th..... :-)

The warm weather is over here now, we have -5° today (23 F) with hoar frost on the lawn. But the sun shines.

The cold didn't last long. If the forecast holds we'll have almost the same temp as Athens, Greece on Sunday, +13C. It's +8 now at 11 p.m. It's dark though and only Christmas roses are in flower in my garden.

we have spring primroses popping up all over the place at the moment. They are very cheerful but these harbingers of spring do not belong now.

We have a few primroses in bloom, too. Ours are the pale yellow ones, Primula vulgaris: what do you have? I have this notion that quite a few plants think that they've passed straight from fall to spring. The two week forecast is for continued warm temperatures and no rain. I read that with this prolonged high pressure system air pollution is very bad in cities all over Italy now.

The roses ought to have shut down long since for the winter, but here is a photo taken today of a battered but floriferous 'Safrano'.

Up to 19C (66F) predicted for Christmas over here. I'm sure we will have a cold spell afterwards destroying much out of season growth.

Well, this seems to be ending next week when we (and our plants) will fall victim of the russo-siberian front coming in from the northeast.. I knew something like this would happen which will catch the plants at their most vulnerable due to the unusually warm weather we had up to now.. I'm worried about my citrus. Most of Italy will be spared as far as I can see.

Russian Invasion

I was outside today in shorts and a tee shirt. Unbelievable. But like you we are getting colder weather. My roses are not only still blooming but still getting buds!

Same here. We've been in the upper 70s for a few days now, but going down to the low 30s next week.

I think we have your winter. It is freezing! You can have it back anytime you want it. :)

Some 95% of my roses have new growth and buds right now. Even some of the once bloomers are pushing growth. The only properly dormant ones are Cardinal de Richelieu, Tuscany Superb and Felicite Parmentier - even Charles de Mills is growing a little. I am wondering if the dry late summer/autumn fooled them into thinking that was winter - my finicky Mme Pierre Oger is pushing new flower buds. Of course due to low light, and the incessant rain, the flowers I'm getting are mostly small and battered, but I cut a dozen or so buds for the table over xmas.
What is more bothersome is that the bare roots I heeled in due to excessive wet making it difficult to dig are all attempting to leaf out. There's a semi dry spell forecast for the next few days so I shall attempt to get them in and wince at the lawn later.

Mustbenuts are you in California? I would love to have our cold weather back :) My Tulips are coming up! My spring blooming bush I got from my brother-in-laws gramma, called First breath of spring by her is blooming and perfuming the air! My roses are sending up new basels! I pray they don'y get fooled to bad and get hurt when it does finally get back cold!

My Creeping Charlie is blooming......great, just great!!! by spring I won't have a lawn.... grrrrrrr but I love this winter..... lol

Yes, last night it got down to 7.2 F...oh, you said how warm it was. Sorry that I misunderstood. I think I'll migrate to that citrus growing area in Cal where mutbenuts lives to get warm. Diane

Diane, if only we both were warm! I have gotten more use out of my space heater in the last two weeks than the entire time I have had it! Brrrrrrr! The only thing more fun today will be going to the dentist in an hour or so to get my teeth drilled! Oh joy! Can't wait until that is over!