Were it not for the introduction of plants from around the world—from China, Japan, and Korea in East Asia; from the Himalayas; and from Europe—Vancouver’s plants would look rather drab in January. After all, a young ginkgo tree I saw (below)was showing only promise in its stubby spurs.
The only native plant I found flowering in mid-January was a small hazel tree. Oh, wait, it’s Corylus avellana, the European hazel, so it’s introduced too. And it is such a tiny female flower, though bright red, among the many hanging yellow catkins of pollen, that it is barely noticeable.
Also from Europe comes the Christmas rose, Helleborus niger, this one growing in a planter in a nearby boulevard, its dark pink petals opening to display a burst of yellow stamens. Its sharply serrate, dark green leaves protect the flowers from small marauding mammals. 
From the Himalayas comes an early flowing rhododendron, its pink petals not yet fully open, yet promising a big show soon. 
All the rest of the excitement came from East Asia: China, Japan, and Korea. The appealing scent of the insignificant white flowers of a sweetbox, Sarcococca hookeriana, drew me over. 
The large clusters of flowers on the Fatsia japonica, known commonly as Japanese fatsia or Japanese aralia, were in the process of fruiting, so they were looking rather sparse.
There were two camellias (I am guessing they are both Camellia japonica because their stems are not hairy but smooth), one pink on a small shrub and the first white one on a tree-sized shrub that will be ablaze with blossoms soon. 
Also full of promise and from Japan was the Pieris japonica, its panicles covered with plump buds.
And lastly, overlooking Lost Lagoon from its perch beside a small southerly staircase, was one of my favourite witch hazel shrubs, native to Japan, Hamamelis mollis. Its ribbons of yellow petals emerge chaotically from burgundy centres. A lone dead leaf reminds us that although floral colour is beginning, winter is still here for a while.
Photos and text by Nina S., Vancouver Master Gardeners
