Love songs and haircuts

Weather has been wet on and off for most of the week. Today was a mixture of overcast and sun with quite a strong wind. Tomorrow promises to be sunny. Just half an hour in the garden today, but another half an hour in a garden centre buying some summer tubers and bulbs. Combining hobby and retail therapy - bliss!

Chaenomeles (Ornamental quince) coming into bloom on the front fence

Love songs: amorous croaks from the first frogs in the pond. If this year is anything like last year we will have pounds of frog and toad spawn - not that I weighed it I hasten to add! The big downside of having fish in the pond is that, between them and the newts, very few of the eggs get to be adult frogs/toads. Next door have a new pond with no fish so hopefully I can transfer at least some of the spawn there. Need as many slug eaters as possible! I am also thinking about using some fine mesh to segment part of the marginal shelf as a tadpole nursery. Needs more thought..


Haircuts - aka pruning:
- Caryopteris x clandonensis 'Worcester Gold' and 'Heavenly Blue' cut back by about a third today. The key requirement is to take it back to the main shape making sure the centre doesn't get overcrowded as well.
- Epimedium. An overdue haircut as I missed the key time last year. ALL of last years leaves off to show off the emerging flowers and new foliage. I have two forms Epimedium x versicolor 'Sulphureum' and another which I think is x warleyense (has a taller orange flower). Sulphureum flowers stems already coming through so quite proud that I only snipped off one by accident in the whole clump.
- Clematis - need to do tomorrow!