[Umbrian]

Quite a few members have reported unusual weather this autumn/early winter and how is affecting things in their gardens. For me it has been a pleasure to continue to enjoy many things for longer than is normal , many salvias and the plumbago for example. My salvia guarantica is often only just really opening properly when the first spell of cold weather stops it in its tracks, this year all the flower heads have opened and even the smaller, less mature ones are nearly out.
The poppy in the photo is really out of its normal seasin though, I spotted it several weeks ago in. a corner of the vegetable patch and it has been flowering ever since with many buds to come.

[Umbrian]

Nobody picked up on "out of season plants" - well I suppose it has been a busy Christmas holiday time.
Here is another one to perhaps encourage some posts!
I always plant some Matthiola bicornis, Night Scented Stock, seeds near to our outdoor sitting/eating areas and this year ,finding a few in a packet quite late in the summer ,I sprinkled them into a pot that was looking a little bare. They germinated and grew well, flowering through the long warm autumn and in fact are still doing so despite recent low temperatures and severe ground frosts. Needless to say we are unable to enjoy their scent any more in the evenings but the flowers are still a joy to behold. The photo caption says December 1st but they are still going strong.