Despite the bitterly cold weather the UK has seen since Jan and the fact the worst now seems to be coming at the end of Feb I’ve started the year optimistic about my botany journey.
My ‘first’ loves of carnivorous plants and orchids are largely doing ok, nothing very exciting to report, although the Pleiones mentioned below have started to emerge and my very first Phalenopsis orchid I’ve had for years has again bloomed. Couple of small spikes coming in on the cool growing Masdevallias but thats all.
I don’t grow many sundews (Drosera) as I find I don’t have the light requirements for the tropical ones. This year I’m trying to grow a bunch of UK natives from seed so I’ll see how that goes. I do however have a nice few Drosera aliciae coming up and my reliable Drosera dichrosepala have flowered for the first time.
In addition to the British native sundews, I’m also trying to get a larger number of Pinguicula grandiflora grown from hibernicula. I did have two adults in my bog garden, but something (squirrel I think) seems to have taken a liking to them and they’re no longer there, just a nice little hole. Most are outside so currently shivering in -2degrees C temps, one however thinks its early spring as its in with my masdevallias in the highland tank.
As I continue to learn about British natives I keep my eyes open for new plants even at this time of the year. On my most recent walk I found species I knew and keep my eyes open for things to submit to the ever excellent #wildflowerhour on twitter (usually I’m a day late).
My recent submissions are below. Starting with a poor ill looking Periwinkle (Vinca not sure if major or minor) then Dogs mercury (Mercurialis perennis).
Next in the pictures are some of the crocuses I’ve seen out this year – not native species but they naturalise well. The first cluster was in a dog crap infested path leading off a canal toepath, the later bunches in a locked compound in the heart of the industrial black country (Dudley). How either set got there is a total mystery but they really gave both stops some much needed colour!
Finally – the old winter flower staples of Snowdrops and Gorse.
