Peekaboo!

I could perhaps be forgiven for missing the emerging shoots of these first Crocus tommasinianus near the stream amongst the grass still disturbed after being lifted for the planting of more bulbs, but I wonder how many days these purple parasols have been on show like this? It has indeed been a gloriously sunny day today, with blue skies and sunshine from almost first light and temperatures nudging double figures, so they may have especially chosen today to appear – or they may have been there even in January but missed. A welcome sight, as indeed was this clump of floro pleno snowdrops in the woodland edge border, my preoccupation with the specials and the more numerous ordinary nivalis distracting me from noticing that the doubles seemed to be opening up in advance of the latter.

Whilst the Golfer has a break from leaky roofs and continues rebuilding the downsized new greenhouse, I took pity on the very pretty pale pink hellebore that has been shyly growing undercover and moved it from under a large fern to a more prominent position where she can be seen more easily – another nameless orphan rehoused – and with the spade still in my hand I finally replanted some of the bulbs which have been in temporary accommodation behind the greenhouse for a year if not two in some cases. Two pots were definitely ejected from the hot border when it was revamped two years ago and are daffodils of some sort, so were replanted under the apple trees near the stream; the others were removed from pots after they had flowered last year and are probably muscari and fritillary – why don’t I think to label them when I do this?!