Monday 20 March 2017

Awaiting Spring!







Today is the first day of spring and I am anxious to do some gardening!  So off I  into go my cold room where I overwinter my succulent and Phormium collections under a 3-tier light system.   As the name 'coldroom' implies, the room is very cold during the winter months, approximately 5 to 10 celcius.

At these temperatures the plants go into a somewhat dormant state with my attending to them very little.   This is a great benefit as the plants require next to no watering.  From October, when they are placed into the room, to late April, I may water them a wee bit 2 to 3 times....and when I say "wee", it is exactly that, maybe one-quarter cup in an eight-inch pot.  In this dormant period there is no fertilizer added until the end of March and given a very weak solution.







Today they are doing very well although I do cut off some of the blossoms that have occurred in my absence from last check.  I also notice some dried up dead 'leaves' along the stems which I gently pull off.   If they resist, I leave them as this would show that they are not quite ready to be removed.  I notice that along the occasional stem there are roots growing from it.   I think these plants too, are anxious that spring arrive and they be placed outside to savour the blissfulness of full sunshine to bask in and show their ultimate beauty.