It is hard to believe that two of the crab apple trees are still holding on to some of their leaves this late in December. The vibrant colours give the area a festive look and I hope that they last until Christmas.
The absence of much dramatic colour at this time of the year has taught me to search very closely for the small gems in the garden, such as this seed head. In the next photograph the Anemone seed head seems to be leaking cotton wool, so I presume it is ready to burst open soon and add even more invasive plants to my tiny border.
I don’t visit every part of the garden each day, so it can take a while to become aware of the full extent of the damage caused by Storm Darragh. Most of the perimeter of the upper garden is fully protected by shrubs and hedgerows with a few exceptions as I have now discovered. Two hydrangea and one rhododendron have been pulverised by the northwest wind which found a gap in my defences. The shrubs have done a sterling job in protecting the next rhododendron in the line but the one in the photo looks terminal. It would be very tempting to cut the poor creatures back to the ground but as we are likely to have many storms before the end of the season I need to leave them in place until the risk is over. 
My sage continues to thrive despite the cold and a dusting of snow. The seed heads of the golden oregano are the perfect companion and this a case of each enhancing the other. Usually, it is the rosemary that flowers throughout the winter and the sage dies away by now. For some reason the situation is reversed this year. I have learned that there are no certainties when it comes to gardening.
When you look at the current state of some of the hydrangea It is hard to believe that a few continue to sport relatively intact flowers and in some cases fresh ones. I have two or three different varieties providing almost a full bush of flowers. Some others are looking pretty spent, but as I use them as hedging to provide protection from the wind to other shrubs it is not a surprise.
Luckily, my pine trees lost just one branch during Storm Darragh, but as this looks as if it could do serious damage if it hit me on the head I will continue my strategy of staying indoors during storms until the worst is over. Of course, it could also make a nice natural sculpture if it was moved to a safer place.
Another of the Hebe getting ready to give a display before Christmas.
I do tend to go on about this plant, but if you consider that this picture was taken a day after Storm Darragh, the Correa is covered in flowers and is doing well in a dull semi-shaded spot under a large pine tree you can forgive the fact that it is not as flamboyant as some other shrubs.
Some of my hydrangea suddenly had an impressive growth spurt late in the autumn. Here you can see that while a few of the tall branches remain upright the rest have collapsed. This has tended to happen to those planted in the semi-shade where the heavy rains led to some unusual flooding in the area. I guess I will have to cut them right back even if it means no flowers next year. I hope the endless rain and flooding is not a taste of things to come.
The birds have needed a lot of food this winter. I find it amusing that they wait for me in shrubs full of untouched berries like the Cotoneaster salicifolius ‘Rothschildianus’ below. These will eventually be eaten, but must be the least favourite berry as they are the last to go.
My attempts at an outdoor decoration foraged from the garden (above). I have a long way to go, but I could not resist the vibrant green cones that accompanied the fallen pine branches and wanted to use them before they turned brown. The quinces hiding under the leaves were a pleasant addition of colour.