Diary:

            I am pleased to report that, despite the return of winter last month, the Echevaria and Aeonium that were put out of doors at the end of March survived and are thriving.  I was not too concerned about the Echevaria, but the Aeonium can be rather sensitive to frost.  I am gradually making more room in the greenhouse by moving the hardier of my succulents out of doors. This includes a large Gasteria bicolour whose huge branching stems of flowers were dripping nectar on all the surrounding plants. 

           In the greenhouse the flowering season is well under way. I don’t think I have ever seen so many buds and flowers as this year.  The Echinocereus and Rebutia will be a real joy in the next few weeks.

           Bristol Show will take place on Saturday the 7^th of May.  I will take a few plants along to show. I like to give them my support but many of my older plants while still in show condition will have to stay at home because they have become too heavy for us to carry around (the plants are growing heavier and we are growing older!).  

           This brings me on to thinking about our show.  Can I please beg those of you who have not yet plucked up enough courage to show your plants, to give it a go this year.  A small number of us have found ourselves year after year having to bring along far more plants than we want to in order to help to make a worthwhile show.  This year I cant do it and hope you will help out.  Every year people visit the show and I hear them say “I have a much better plant than that prize winner at home in my greenhouse”.  This year I hope it will be on the showbench and not in the greenhouse!!!

Zone 9 Convention.

          The Convention was a most enjoyable occasion and I would like to thank all of you who came along and who helped. A particular thanks to Maurice for printing the tickets and to Val and Peter for their immense help and support on the day.  Maurice and Brian were ill and without Val and Peter I would have been in real trouble.