Colour Time-Bombs

I really like planting bulbs. They go in the ground unprepossessing, and a little boring; then, several months later, they come up and finally make a colourful impact. Spring bulbs, particularly, I like, as they come when it's cold and a bit miserable, and they're often the first thing of the year. I'm pleased, therefore, to have finished planting all the bulbs we'd ordered, having put the last of the Paperwhite narcissi in pots (hoping for Christmas blooms), and the hundred anemones in the wall (I think they failed last year from rotting off in damp ground; hence hoping that the well-drained wall will suit them better).

We also planted up the hanging baskets for their winter display. Two have curry plants, two have a lavender ('Walberton's Silver Edge'); the latter have Cat's Whiskers pansies, the former Amber Kiss. Then, all four have a couple of ivies, and some of the bronze sedge we keep growing.

The rest of the pansies have gone along the wall. I'd forgotten to say that the 'loose' cyclamen bulbs (ten thereof) have gone around the virginia creeper in the front, and a few in a pot with a conifer. Hopefully they'll take: I've never before grown cyclamen from naked corms. We also put another dozen (in four groups of three), but potted plants, outside the kitchen windows, in the wall, to add some colour. They're looking good there, and add some interest to the view: hopefully they'll thrive!

We picked up ten metres of 90cm-wide chicken wire from B&Q yesterday, to make some bins. It's been cut into three equal lengths, and I've twisted the edges together to make three collars (each with a diameter of about a metre: think 2πr). These have been placed near the prospective greenhouse site. We emptied a few bags of chippings from earlier this year into one (not very full); the bags of leaves from last year's clear-up into another (about half-full). Then we started collecting this year's leaves... These filled the hitherto empty bin, and we've had to put the rest on top of last year's, separated by a layer of cardboard. Once they start to rot down, we'll put all of this year's leaves into one bin: but there'll be more to collect, which we'll probably do in about three weeks. Leaf mould (broken down by fungal action, rather than the bacterial action in a compost bin) doesn't need the high temperatures of compost, so wire cages suit it well. On which note: I need to turn, aerate, and water the compost heap. Hopefully when I construct the new bin(s)...

Lastly: Gary's finished the floor, which is looking excellent, while we've been outside. Next weekend we'll hope to start the curtains and do the gloss work, which will both really add the finishing touches (I hope).