A Sunday morning diversion

I stepped out of the front door this morning with a mental list of outside jobs to attend to, just as an inky black shower cloud loomed into view over the woods and the heavens opened... I quickly retreated to the greenhouse, had a quick rethink, and spent a happy, warm, dry hour repotting and dividing house plants that have been spending their summer holidays snoozing quietly under the staging. Every time I have been in to feed and water the tomatoes, sow seeds or take cuttings over the past few months, I have guiltily contrived to avert my eyes from the sprawling pot-bound specimens awaiting my attentions "below stairs". This morning, the weather and my mood aligned to change all that and soon the greenhouse floor was a mass of upturned pots, spent compost, and assorted plants in various stages of undress.

First to get the treatment was this enormous Christmas Cactus Schlumbergera that came from my Mum and gets more challenging to handle and keep intact with each repotting.

Next up were the Clivias inherited from our dearly loved and much-missed friend, Janet Kear, who, in addition to being a world-renowned ornithologist, mixed a mean gin-and-tonic and was as green-fingered as they come. I split the congested rhizomes and potted them in fresh compost. I look forward to the big, exuberant flowers (fiery orange-red on one plant and rich butter yellow on the other) every year, reminding me of Janet's warmth and her larger-than-life personality.