A Change of plan

The dry weather only lasted one week and it is back to rain as usual every day. I don't know if it was depression because of the bad weather or just senile dementia, but last week I decided on a different plan of action. I placed five trays of some of my best plants, including some of my new introductions, in one local well known garden centre over two weeks ago, just to see what would happen, and guess what! They are practically all still sitting there, so that finally made up my mind that it is a complete waste of time producing new plants if people are not interested. In future I only grow plants for my own amusement, and of coarse continue to hybridise as much as possible, but the new plants will not be distributed in any way.

All the plants in the garden that were surplus to my own requirements had to go and this amounted to hundreds of pots. The raised beds that were been used to accommodate these plants were cleared and with a fresh topping of gritty compost, some large rocks, and a generous supply of alpine plants, now resemble a pleasing mountain type landscape.

This gave me the opportunity to fine a good home for all the Saxafragas that had been sitting around in pots for the last four years and were quite pot bound at the stage. Let's hope they appreciate their newfound freedom and cover themselves with flowers in the springtime by way of reward for the move.

Instead of planting one plant at each station, with the generous supply of plants at my disposal I was able to plant three and with the bulbous plants five, so instead of waiting two or three years I should have fairly decent results by next spring.

One of the two beds is L shaped with the bottom part of the L having a dividing wall. My son has decided that this is to become a water feature with water running from the highest part into a pool at the bottom. So for once I agreed with him for after all he will be here to enjoy it long after me.

He soon discovered his mistake of making such a suggestion as I quickly handed him a spade, a shovel and a wheelbarrow and told him to get started.

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