New Year Flower Count – Charlton and Blackheath Amateur Horticultural Society

New Year flowers in Members’ Gardens

Following on from the New Year’s Day Flower Count in Charlton House Gardens, several members did their own Flower Count, and reported some surprising (and not-so-surprising) discoveries.

New Year's Day flowers in Ali H's garden (Chaenomeles, Geum, Hebe, Primula) — Japanese quince, water avens, elephants’ ears, Geranium, winter jasmine, Mexican fleabane, Viburnum bodnantense, Hebe, primrose, Salvia ‘Amistad’, Cyclamen coum, rose, brown-eyed Susan, Mexican orange blossom and laurustinus in Ali H’s garden

New Year's Day flowers in Ali H's garden (Bergenia, Geranium, Salvia, Cyclamen) — Japanese quince, water avens, elephants’ ears, Geranium, winter jasmine, Mexican fleabane, Viburnum bodnantense, Hebe, primrose, Salvia ‘Amistad’, Cyclamen coum, rose, brown-eyed Susan, Mexican orange blossom and laurustinus in Ali H’s garden

The winter-flowering shrubs were of course out in force (Camellia, Jasminum nudiflorum – winter jasmine, Skimmia japonica, Viburnum – both V. bodnantense and V. tinus, Clematis ‘Freckles’ and Daphne odora), as were the hellebores (though mine have remained resolutely in bud with not a single one opening yet!). Mandy A’s Loropetalum (Chinese witchhazel) was in flower, as were several people’s Hebes. My Chaenomeles japonica (Japanese quince) was covered in fruits, but still producing the odd confused flower too, along with a nearby Geranium macrorrhizum and Geum rivale.

New Year 2026 Flower Count at Charlton House Gardens

On a perishingly cold day – encouraged by a wintry sun – the intrepid Garden Volunteers ventured out on their mission to spot which brave flowers are showing off in the gardens this new year, 2026.

Viburnum tinus at Charlton House — *Viburnum tinus*

This is the third year we have undertaken a flower count, so we should know roughly what to expect. UK weather data shows that 2025 was the sunniest on record, and probably the warmest too. Here in the depths of winter, it’s easy to forget the unprecedented spring sunshine and incredibly hot summer that we’ve had. This is bound to have disrupted plant lifecycles and confused some into flowering at the wrong time.

New Year Flower Count at Charlton House

Our first volunteer session of 2024 fell on a wet and windy day (a Severe Weather Warning day in fact), so we decided to abandon gardening tasks and go for a bracing walk around the estate to spot for plants in flower and work off a few mince pies.

Although a lot of our findings were to be expected (Primroses, Hellebores, Mahonia) others definitely felt wrong – Penstemon Garnet, you should NOT be out! It will be interesting to do the same exercise next year and compare. In the meantime, below are some cheering pictures of our walk:

Volunteers counting flowers — Mahonia japonica in the Glade

I think you could say that the Mahonia in the Glade was a “Star Plant” for this time of year.

Penstemon ‘Garnet’, top left, then Achillea ‘Cerise Queen’, Sarcococca confusa (you should smell this!) and Viburnum bodnantense ‘Dawn’.