April Alpines

 I haven't kept the flower spreadsheet up to date and this winter was quite harsh, so I will have quite a bit of editing to do. Over the winter I was not too keen at picking out plants even though several catalogs had arrived. Recently though I picked out some plants I want to add to the Heath and Heather garden. All are dwarf, small or slow growing. Want to go back and look for another with gold/lime green foliage for contrast.

• Erica Carnea, Aurea, gold foliage, deep pink flowers Jan - May
• Erica Carnea,  Ann Sparkles, orange foliage, rose pink flowers Feb - May
• Calluna Vulgaris, alba minor, bright green foliage, white flowers July - Sept
• Calluna Vulgaris, Lyndon Proudly, medium green foliage, lavender flowers Aug - Oct

And recently browsing through some blogs I saw someone's garden that had dwarf Iris, Iris Cristata, they would look nice around the pondlet.

No big 2015 plans for the garden. Still have some things from the 2014 Garden Plan that need to be done, Gunther has his marching orders.

Current Blooms:
 Here are some plants that made it through the winter.

 Hyacinth, a dwarf I think.

 Heath - Erica x darleyensis. Heaths have needles, Heathers have scales

 Primula x pubescens R. Lupp, from Wrightman Alpines

Azure Bluet, Houstonia caerulea, the flowers are such a pale blue, it doesn't come through well in the photo.

 Snow Cap, rock cress

 Dicentra, it grows like a weed and not really an Alpine. Had a white variety, but it was not as hardy as the red.

Juliana "Jay Jay" Primula

Meet the Estate Staff:
Hodge, my Valet, some would call Hodge their Gentleman's Gentleman, but that would be straying too far from the truth. I don't know much about Hodge, but I can tell you that Hodge wears a monocle and can pull it off, only seems to read books in braille and listens to audio books in what I think is Japanese. I have on occasion caught Hodge listening to British Military marches while ironing my socks.

 I posed a series of questions to Hodge and here is what I received in response*.

ME: Hodge, do you prefer polishing my titanium cufflinks or cleaning stains from my cravat?
HIM: I endeavor to give satisfaction, Sir.
ME: Is this one of the more humble households you have been employed in?
HIM: I wouldn't like to say, Sir
ME: Your Cuba Libre are quite good, how do you make them?
HIM: I'm not at liberty to divulge the ingredients, Sir.

PS  - I set up a nanny cam and recorded Hodge making one of these

  Cuba Libre

   4 oz coco-cola

   1/2 oz gin

   1 oz of a good white rum

   juice from 1/4 lime

   dash of club soda

   3 dashes of bitters, Hodge uses proprietary home made, so you are on your own there

ME: Do you prefer Archer over Bond?

HIM: I fear not, Sir.

ME: So where did you pick up that outrageous accent?
HIM: I wouldn't like to say, Sir
ME: I only have a few more questions, I have to go out.
HIM: Pardon for asking, Sir, but are you proposing to appear in public in those garments?
ME: So I shouldn't wear these clothes outside the house?
HIM: Very True, Sir.
ME: Boxers or briefs?
HIM: Will that be all Sir?
ME: Yes, yes, just lay out the freaking appropriate clothes.
HIM: Thank you, Sir.

While Hodge does light housekeeping, car windows are not part of the bargain.






*If Hodge's response sound at all like P.G. Wodehouse's character Jeeves, you may be on to something.