What looks lovely in your garden now?

[Brontosaurus]

My garden is looking very sparse right now. It's the same every winter because I haven't really got many evergreens or plants/shrubs with winter interest. Partly because they're expensive to buy.

I'm hoping to change that for next year to perk things up a bit.

What's looking nice for you at the moment?

Viburnum, japonica, boxbloom rhododendron

I have a small rosemary bush in a pot which has purple flowers at this time of year and looks green and healthy.

Hellebores are in bloom. Mine were cheapies from a supermarket but crisp white and the others are a pinky colour.

Winter honeysuckle smells divine now.

Crocus is a massive rip-off. I'm looking at their witch hazel - you pay 49.99 for a 3ltr pot and 30-40cm plant. I paid £20 for the same in my local nursery.

Skimmia japonica 'rubella' is £22.99 for a 2ltr pot; ours is £12.

If you compare to a reputable big site for trees etc., Ashridge have cornus midwinter fire as bare root, 30-40cm, for £5.40, and in a 3ltr pot for 13.98. Crocus have it for £16.99 for a 2 litre pot. (I think we do it for £3 bare root and £9 in a 3 ltr, but I'd have to check as it's only just come in). At Crocus, sarcococca is 19.99 for a 2ltr pot; at Grasslands it's 9.95.

It's an eye-watering difference in price.

Honestly nothing, the grass needs cutting and it’s just too wet. The potted palms and cordylines look the same as usual. I have am evergreen clematis round the door which looks lovely, but everything else looks a bit shit.

Bay, rosemary, olive trees and jasmine all looking good but the absolute star right now is the Daphne. Smells glorious and seems to know it’s the scented main event until the bulbs break out.

The goldfinches.

I don’t think anyone has mentioned Viburnum Bodantense. Pink blossom on bare stems with a wonderful scent. It can get a bit frosted if it’s really cold and the buds go brownish then but as soon as there’s a mild spell it’s off flowering again.

Also pittosporum, eunonymous, camellia and mahonia are all nice evergreens that I don’t think have been listed.

I still have the dried heads of hydrangea ‘Annabelle’ looking good.

I was comparing to Bruncoose, which I’d found much more expensive, and I was thinking it would let the OP compare to her expensive local nursery. It’s comparable to our nursery.

I’ll look at Ashridge though. I hadn’t heard of it.

And actually sometimes you pay a bit more for the range - which actually works out cheaper than paying multiple delivery charges.

The bird table/feeders. We’ve had quite a collection of birds this year and we keep a pair of binoculars by the window.

Ashridge is fab! Proper, serious nursery. I think what you pay for with Crocus/Sarah Raven is the styling of it. Granted, Sarah Raven does really lovely colour combinations, but you can always look at those and then buy the same plants elsewhere! Definitely take your point about delivery charges.

Snowdrops have started to sprout and my hellebores is flowering

I'll tell you what smells nice - my Daphnies. I have three in strategic spots so that when I walk past I get a gorgeous whiff

Sarcocca confusa near my front door smells divine every time I walk by. I bought it from crocus and am very happy with it.

Our garden is heavy clay but all these do well and add colour in winter:
Callicarpa bodieneri - stunning purple berries all winter and the birds seem to leave it alone.

Heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica)) - 2 different ones in pots - evergreen - bright green and red leaves all winter
Flamingo willow (Salix integra 'Hakuro-nishiki) - green,white and pink all summer and bright red bare stems in winter
I also have 3 jasmine trachelospermum - the colour seems to vary depending on the direction they are facing - one is west facing and is completely red in winter, the south facing one is still green with some red leaves,and I also have a variegated one which is north facing.

Also Box leaved honeysuckle (lonicera ligustrina) which has tiny green or yellow leaves and can be cut into shapes. It grows and roots really easily (I am always pulling out tiny new plants from under mine) so if you know anyone who has some.....

I can't say anything looks lovely, but I've just been pottering round out there and it doesn't look as bad as I had feared.

I planted several pots of muscari to put around the place, and they are all coming up. The tulips in my pots are also just starting to poke through. I have a cutting garden (pretentious poncery alert) and most of my biennials are looking pretty good, although I have lost some.

My mimosa tree is looking good, getting ready to bloom, it’s one of the first and is cheery very early.

Nothing sadly.

i don’t mind though it’s January, a few crocus shoots have come up, but I use this time of year to rake away dead shrubs and cut everything back so that come the end of February I can jet wash the paths and patio and lay new bark and get my pots ready to plant out. By End of March everything will be wonderful again.

I went on a bulb splurge in the autumn and planted loads in pots , troughs and borders.

I've got a fair few shoots but I've had a fair bit of fox damage.

My pansies haven't faired well and the garden is in a bit of a sorry state. My winter jasmine looks to have given up the ghost, too.

Hate this time of year.

Crab apples with fruit and hazel catkins, dogwoods like mid-winter fire look good to me. Roses with rose hips left on. A few small yew and holly bushes for the ever greenness. It’s the first year the black birds have taken the crab apples and some field fare too which is exciting in a city garden.

Snowdrops and pale blue pansies.

My fatsia japonica is looking good and the frost doesn't seem to have done it any harm, also my bamboo.

I think I need a cornus in my border to brighten things up a bit at this time of year. I've got a lot of evergreen plants but not a lot of colour at the moment!

My pink heather also adds some cheer.