As I was already one month behind with the potting, and the trees were already showing signs of life, I had no choice but to set about the task immediately. With heavy rain and the temperature hovering around 5 C, a heater had to be employed in the potting shed to keep my hands in working order.
Some of trees have been in the same pots for three years, and it proved a difficult enough task, to separate the tangled roots. After a little friendly persuasion and a lot of chopping of roots, most of them were put back in there own pots. Four of them had new pots that I purchased this year, for they had outgrown the largest pots that I have in stock.
One was a white pine that I started training 30 years ago, and is now a beautiful specimen. A little fern sprouted up in the pot three years back, and since it complimented the pine so well, I just left it there. Another one, a weeping silver birch, (betula pendula tristis) was created from a standard plant that had the stem broken 18 inches from the root, and since it had still some branches growing near the bottom, I cut off the stem. The wound has healed up so well now that is barely visible. The third one, a European larch from seed 15 years ago, is now over 18 inches and had to be pruned hard to reduce the height. The last one, a contorted and weather beaten Ash tree that I found beside a quarry works while out hill walking one day, is a much admired and prized possession. Isn't it strange that in spite of all the training, care and attention you might give a plant, Mother Nature can produce a much nicer specimen with no help at all?
The Narcissus seed that was sown six years ago are now starting to flower. I am delighted with one particular batch, belonging to the section Cyclamineus. When I tried to purchase some of these bulbs, they were not available. The one lot that I did manage to get my hands on almost caused the house to be re-mortgaged to pay for them. The variety asturiensis is a graceful flower with long slender trumpets and reflexed petals in a rich golden yellow. Other varieties showing buds include Rupicola, Scaberulus and Serotinus, and, of course, Romeuxii of which I have a nice white form given to me by Margaret and Henry Taylor, the well-known Scottish alpine plant specialists. The yellow and lemon forms of Romeuxii have long since finished flowering, and have been dispatched to the outside frame to enjoy the cold spell.
