The Stinking Hellebores (Hellebore foetidus) were the first plants to flower in the garden this year and the subject of the first entry in this diary on January 21st.
 To my surprise they are also the last plant of the year to flower! H. foetidus flowers in late winter but I wasn't expecting them to flower again this side of Christmas. I thought it might be due to favourable conditions in this particular garden but I've noticed a large patch of them in full flower by the railway line just north of Stevenage.
 I purchased mine from a garden centre but they are a native wildflower in parts of the country. Their natural habitat is calcium rich chalky soil in woods and scrub. I have spotted them quite often by railway lines in and around London- I wonder if this is because the gravel used to lay track contains lime chippings?
 Even now in December I saw a bumblebee in the garden feasting on the lime-green flowers. As I mentioned in a recent entry (concerning Mahonia species) bumblebees are furry creatures that may well have originated in the Himilayas so they are able function in cool weather if need be.