At Home

Sunday, September 13

Having recently received an alpine bulb order, which I'd forgotten about, from Pottertons Alpine Nursery - ordered in the spring - and some new alpine plants from Slacktop Nurseries in Yorkshire, it was time to sort out where to plant them.

 

Pam and I worked on the bulb trough first. Removing the carnations from a long trough made room for most of the bulbs. I can then keep an eye on them as they establish, before deciding on a permanent home. 

 

I still had an unplanted sink from a bargain buy (!) I made last year. I use a mix of 2 x JI3 to 1 x grit as the planting medium. The grit usually has enough sand in it to help with the necessary drainage. 

 

 

A further layer of grit on the top surface after planting keeps the necks of the plants dry - as per alpine habitat. A failing of mine is to put too many plants in a container, they always look so sparse when newly planted. Looks about right this time - but I've thought that before.

 

We had a new moth for the year this morning, a Large Wainscot. We usually get one or two but Cley always had plenty. They are reedbed and reedy ditches moths. Our bottom of the garden drainage dyke does have a few reeds.

 

A Pine Hawk-moth in very good condition, was a surprise. It's late for them, and the one we caught last week was very tatty indeed, as expected for September. Townsend and Waring give the flight period as May to early August. I expect it will be put down to global warming, everything usually is.

 

Beautiful beasts - they are rather large. Townsend and Waring print the size as being 35 - 42 mm I don't know where they are measuring.... ours is 60 mm from nose to wingtip when closed, more than that from wingtip to wingtip when the wings are open. There does not seem to be a standard method of measuring moths. Sometimes it's forewing length but that's usually stated in the case of some micros. I've tried to find out, with no success so far.