A fortnight ago we went on our first trip with the local gardening club to Colesbourne Gardens near to Cheltenham, it is known for its beautiful selection of snowdrops. As much as I love snowdrops I think the similarities' between the 2500 varieties are difficult to determine if you're not a huge snowdrop enthusiast like the person that I sat next to on the coach. Dave's most expensive snowdrop bulb was a whopping £150, and unluckily it didn't produce a plant. I felt wounded for him, but he didn't seem to mind.
Colesbourne Gardens is not just all about snowdrops though it has the most beautiful selection of trees, Crocuses, Hellebores, Iris's, and it was where I spotted my first Winter Aconite, which is from the buttercup family. You can tell by the leaves, and the flowers as they closely resemble the buttercup plant. A picture can be found below;
Also on the grounds is a beautiful blue lake, it has the clear blue colour because it contains cyanobacteria that contains a pigment called phycocyanin. They are quite rare in the UK so it is worth a visit just to see the lake. Also on the grounds is a small church, which unlike most churches still has an organ. It was an enjoyable outing and I am looking forward to the next one, which will be an RHS garden.
On the plant front I haven't done an awful lot outside yet as I have been waiting patiently for the temperature to stay above 10 degrees, well it has been lovely, but we are still getting a cold frost in the morning so I am still holding back on getting down and dirty in the garden. We have sown some loofa seeds and we are patiently waiting for those to germinate. We have done some in a wet paper towel and have planted the rest directly in soil. We really hope that they do germinate although they might not grow much anyway as I believe that they need a constant warm temperature to thrive, and they don't like it too wet. I will be growing them in a pot so it maybe tricky.
Anyway I hope that you are enjoying the slightly warmer weather and that you are happy.
Muchos love