The good weather for the past week has hastened all the spring flowers and the garden is a riot of colour. The dawn chorus is so loud that one would need an ear plug which is a sure sign that spring is well and truly under way.
The area round the bird table has turned into a squabbling ground with constant arguments and scoldings going on all the time as the birds establish a pecking order. There was no problem all winter, but then when they started to acquire mates the whole pecking order descended in one long quarrel. The downside of all this is that the plants in the area are taking on the appearance or creepers with all the stamping activity.
Now that most of the bulbs in pots are in flower I took the opportunity to check the labels for proper identification. Sometimes seed from the various exchanges get mixed up a little or maybe the donor is not sure of exactly what the have growing. Anyway when they are in bloom it is easy to tell weather or not a mistake has been made with the numbers cross referenced in the seed record book.
Most were ok this time with one or two exceptions, and that could have been my fault because there was no name on the labels, just the numbers, which would indicate that I was not sure of the name when sowing the seed.
The Primulas are at their best now and it is a full time job just trying to get decent shots with the digital camera, loading them unto the computer and them saving them an a C.D. The Primula seedlings have to be graded and the good ones numbered and recorded in a book, as have all the Lewisias which are just starting to flower. The next two months are going to be very busy indeed.
The Cyclamen Coum species are just going over now but a lot of the cultivars are just coming to their best and some have not opened any buds yet. The good weather provided an ideal opportunity to shade the two alpine housed as the Cyclamen leaves were starting to flag with the long days of sunshine. I use cool-glass and spray in on with a little hand sprayer after straining the mixture through an old pair of ladies tights to prevent the nozzle from getting blocked.
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