Monday, March 8
Time for the annual celebration of our wonderful Acacia/Mimosa/Wattle tree. Acacia for us, Wattle for Australians and the flower is Mimosa - and a rather nice cocktail. It started life in a pot, for many years spending the summer outdoors and the winter in the greenhouse. It was planted outside when it grew too tall for the greenhouse roof. It had two chances and has flourished, I don't know how much longer it will survive. Last Autumn, a gale caused the trunk to split downwards from the first major trunk division. It has a tourniquet around it which seems to have sufficed this year. The right hand side of the tree now leans down rather more than before, its weight pulling the split in that direction. I have to duck to get through underneath.
A joy for several weeks in early spring.
Nearby is a Hazel tree I planted for nostalgic reasons. During my youth, I spent my free days roaming the hillsides of my welsh valley home. My friend Olwen and I knew where all the Hazel trees were and which ripened first I am still very fond of fresh hazelnuts - which is why Sara sent me a kilo of Kent cobs last year. In photographing the Acacia, I thought to look at the Hazel for signs of a possible fruiting this year, It had a total of a dozen last year when it fruited for the first time.
Yes, there were a few catkins.
And many more of the much more insignificant, female flowers There should be a few nuts.
Although Pam has seen two frogs in the pond, there is no spawn as yet. Toads have been active though, laying their strings of spawn, attached to whatever is handy in the pond.
No comments:
Post a Comment