Silene stenophylla: The Ice Plant Cometh

Scientists in Russia have brought an ice age flower back to life some 30,000 years after squirrels stored its fruit away in permafrost.

The fruit of Silene Stenophylla, more popularly known as the narrow-leafed campion, was found by researchers digging on the banks of the Kolyma River in Siberia – a popular site for scientists looking for woolly mammoth bones. (more…)

Sarcococca confusa: A winter bloomer

The snow and heavy frosts this week have dispelled any idea that we were going to manage to get through an entire winter enjoying only mild weather.

Although we may not have escaped the cold it’s not bad news for all of our flowers and plants, some of which not only tolerate the freezing weather but seem to thrive on it.

We’re used to the idea of plants flowering in the spring and summer, from daffodils to roses, but there are a surprising number of plants that will happily flower in the bleak midwinter.

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