All posts by Stephen Barstow

Mass Hablitzia germination for Xmas

In mild but cool weather during early winter the last couple of years, Hablitzia has germinated en masse around my mother plant next to my house. These all died in later cold weather last winter. When mass germination happened around Xmas 2015, I therefore decided to rescue them by potting up and bringing them in to a cool room. It was just in time as it froze solid just after with very low temperatures since and now deep snow…here they are today (it’s been between 0 and 8C where they are growing). P1510764

SRGC seed are here…

Yes, perfect timing for the weekend and Margaret Young was in the letter box when I got home…well, Margaret is synonymous with the Scottish Rock Garden Club for many of us…..  ;-)
What I’m trying to say is that my seeds from the Scottish Rock Garden Club Seed Exchange have arrived and all were first choices I believe….
These are mostly destined to a period of stratification / cold treatment under the snow…

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Snow clearing on 20th January 2015

With an accumulated snow depth of some 30-40cm over the last 3-4 days, it was time to clear my driveway (the snow was over my highest boots). With 30m in to the house and another 20m to the wood pile and outside bioloo, I got some good healthy winter exercise :)

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The pictures are long exposure shots in the dark with some light from the street lights and moon…
This winter is a hard one for perennials as the soil was probably frozen solid down to the bedrock before the snow arrived…
My Facebook feed and newspapers have been full of adverts to buy your snow-clearing machinery yesterday…no way in my garden!

See the pictures here http://www.edimentals.com/pictures/index.php?/category/105

Eagle fly past

Malvik is on the north edge of a large low pressure system over the UK giving southern Norway a lot of snow and strong easterly winds here, the house creaking as we speak! Much warmer today at -8C, but bitterly cold because of the wind chill. My garden is quite exposed and the small birds disappear to more sheltered spots on days like today. Rushed out to get these pictures of a White-tailed Eagle / Havørn, you can get an impression of its size against the Hooded Crow / KråkeP1510576 P1510577P1510574P1510575