Colchicum

In Norfolk I grew a lot of the bigger colchicum, they liked the free draining soil and the sunshine.   Here in Wales, much smaller, wetter garden, less sun and a losing battle with slugs and snails.  The larger ones have declined badly.  However, the smaller, species colchicum are easier to accommodate and although the flowers don't always survive long, in my raised beds they do well.  Here Colchicum longifolium, raised from my own seed collected before I moved over to Wales.  Colchicum are slow from seed which sometimes takes years to germinate but I think it's worth the wait when the flowers start popping up :-)  This one is about three inches high.

A lovely sunny day here, started with a walk for Meg, the lane to Cynfal again.  Lots of interesting sniffs in the hedgerows for her, lots of blackberries for me!   Back home, I cooked the blackberries and then got all the South African bulbs potted up and a few others too, more good progress.  After a latish lunch I did a few more before heading into work at four, the Friday fish and chip special.   Home again by half seven, so still light enough for more bulbs!

The day not quite done, I popped to pottery and added a couple of coats of glaze to pieces I started work on last night and then delivered Jamie's old wheelchair to him.  He has a use for it when in Brighton at Clara's as it's narrower than his current one.  

And finally, having collected some sugar from Jamie, the coop having sold out (!) I cooked up the juice from the todays and last night's blackberries and now have five jars of Bramble Jelly cooling :-)

A day well spent!