Last October Monty Don showed us on Gardeners' World how to take cuttings from rose bushes. I and millions of others had a go - it seemed simple enough- no hormone rooting powder needed, just sharp secateurs, and this week he told us what to do next. "Leave them; do not transplant them; wait until October," he said. Too late! I had transplanted some of mine to where I wanted them a few weeks ago, living the others in situ. Anyway no great harm done; three out of the four seem to have survived and I've only lost one so fingers crossed. Hopefully by the summer guests will enjoy the lavender and rose display and accompanied by wafts of honeysuckle and rosemary summer evenings should be heady indeed. The Malvern Garden Show is just around the corner and we are well placed at Four Seasons for easy access to the Three Counties Show Ground with routes from Worcester via Callow End avoiding the gridlock of Malvern itself.
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A couple of days ago we were outside in the garden doing T'ai Chi when we looked up and overhead saw an enormous bird. It was a buzzard and we were just admiring its grace and elegance when two crows flew in to attack it. Nature is cruel but fortunately it survived. We have lots of birds here: I've seen magpies, sparrows, robins, blue tits, wood peckers and wood pigeons. We even once had a parrot staying in a tree for a fortnight. Obviously passing through on its holidays.
Our British weather is a scream; one minute you're rummaging for suncream and sunhats, the next you're rooting out long johns and rushing straight back indoors. I can't imagine how nature copes, but it does. We seem to lurch from one extreme to the other. If the weather gradually improved like it used to we would all slowly accclimatise but this week, surprise, surprise, there wasn't only a sudden change but we actually went backwards.
Today I picked the last two daffodils in bud for indoors as they are just starting to go over. Fortunately there is always a new spectacle to see: our red tulips are perfect right now, the wisteria is starting to drip it's purple glory, and the avenue of acers are on the brink of bursting into a magenta splash. Camelia buds are bursting forth and even last autumn's rose cuttings are promising displays of new roses for summer. Don't you just love Spring? |
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