Winter flowers

Winter flowers in lock down.

Some members have sent me photos of things that are out in flower at the moment.

What a joy it is to have plants to look at and grow, when you can't go anywhere and there are no meetings to go to. We are so lucky to be gardeners at a time like this and most of us are staying in touch with Zoom and Instagram. Don't forget our zoom meeting on Dwarf shrubs for the rock garden and favourites at 7.30pm Saturday night 22nd August, let Fermi know you would like to be included, see you then.

 

Colchicum szovitsii from seed in Aaron's glass house.

 

Narcissus asturiensis photo from Aaron in the rock garden, but it looks like it might have a bit of something else mixed in its genes there. Aaron said this year he put down beer traps to kill the slugs, so he got a good show of flowers and they weren't all eaten by slugs.

 From Mr Tecophilaea himself Jon,  produces the best Tecophilaea they grow for him like blue weeds, But Jon does put the work in to grow these bulbs so beautifully, they are kept dry and cool over our summers in his garage and repotted every year in a bulb growing mix, well drained, topped with grit to keep flowers clean from splashes and maintain bulb temperatures in pots. Fed with a liquid feed regularly and kept undercover during flowering season.

Jons benches in the shade house, so much out in flower, the green labels are to remind Jon the plants are winter flowering.

Jons Narcissus cyclamineus in the shade house.

Narcissus cyclamineus pale form, from Narcissus Gypsie Queen seed. You never know what you will get from seed it is so worth while. Yes you may have to wait awhile but look at what you get. We will be doing our own seed exchange this year in Australia so save your seed. We will let you know the post office box number later on and we will be carrying out our seed exchange after the Cyclamen have finished flowering and seed will be ready to harvest. There will very little seed exchanges this year from overseas, so we will be carrying out our own, so collect your seed, so you can be involved. Especially interstater's and country folk who can't always get to our meetings.

In a pot of Crocus, Anemone blanda has self sown herself in there, where she is quite happy, blooming away what a lovely gift.