April
Well what a challenge we are facing now & puts many things into
perspective, foremost everybody stay safe.
I’ve already resigned myself that we will not have any shows this year &
today 2nd April Dundee show has been cancelled, this is a September
show. I don’t think it will be long before other shows will follow suit,
so what to do with all the time we have in isolation? After a phone call
from good friend John Hamilton we agreed it was a time to have a little
fun with growing our favourite flower. I had already decided that most
of my plants were only getting 1 potting up into a final pot of 2 litres
just to grow many just for the tuber, this would help in conserving
space. With not being able to get to any meetings has meant that I have
a few surplus plants this is being overcome by not taking cuttings this
year. Although I have a couple of new varieties & a few where I’m a
little short of I will be taking a few cuttings. It will also be a good
time to have a real look at the seedlings I have. For the fun of growing
I’m thinking of a single stem 2 side shoots 6 blooms per plant, it will
also be fun trying some varieties that we don’t normally associate with
this form of growing. I’d be quite interested how the likes of
Anniversary, Tom Brownlee & Tequila Sunrise fair this way of growing. I
do have a small problem that my sterilised loam is ringing wet so I’ve
ended up dumping it & will revert to using some old compost with new
peat. I’ve already started moving plants into the glasshouse & if a
frost is forecasted, they are covered with fleece. My tubers I was
keeping back for Dundee I’ve already got them on heat a couple of weeks
earlier to try & get everything down early in the autumn so in hindsight
I was safe to get them in early. After not doing any hybridisation last
year I was going to do some this year but I’m a little unsure whether to
or not. I may just do 1 or 2 predetermined crosses we will see I don’t
need to take any cuttings till July August.
I’ve made up the first baskets one a single tuber of Isabella & Orange
cascade with 4 plants, these same tubers last year went back to sleep
when they got cold & didn’t wake up till the end of the year. They will
require the growing tips to be removed in about a weeks’ time.
Photo 1 plants for National, photo 2 plants for Dundee, photo 3 plants
in the glasshouse, photo 4 fleece covered, Photo 5 Isabella basket,
photo 6 basket for Orange cascade, photo 7 one litre pots, photo 8 made
up basket.
Keep safe Phil Champion
