Infinite Variation

Crocus sieberi, from the mountains of Crete where it is a snowmelt plant, flowering as the snow recedes in spring.   The white flowers are marked with dark purple in a seemingly infinitely different way.   All my plants are raised from seed of cultivation although their ancestors were wild plants.   I have seen everything from pure white flowers through to plants where the outer petals are entirely dark purple and this diversity is reflected in the pictures of wild populations that I have seen.   This one is relatively restrained, all have a golden yellow throat and all are quite beautiful.   They don't increase much by corm division so are not cheaply available (3 years from seed to flowering) although I sent a particularly good clone to a Dutch grower a couple of years ago to see if he can increase it in the fertile bulb fields there.

A busy sort of day.   I walked Meg early in anticipation of the promised rain which has yet to arrive in force.  A routine blood test for Jamie, bakery, chemist, post office all before lunch.   On the admin front I've begun the process of renewing Jamie's blue badge.   Not an online process here in Wales so forms have been printed off and accompanying documents copied.   A lengthy phone queue to talk to the PIP people to request a proof of benefit letter was ultimately fruitful and I used the wait time to sort some more pots of hot water plant rhizomes ready for replanting.   We also need the proof letter for a council tax discount, forms for that downloaded and filled in too.   A few things ticked off the list.

Jamie's baked a delicious looking chocolate brownie (I'll have some for afters) and prepped another brioche in between discovering David Attenborough's Perfect Planet, so we've both had a good day.