Hello All,
This morning we experienced our first real frost of the season here in Waikato, NZ. Our daff foliage is frozen and looks horrible, but experience has told us that they are very resilient and will be back to normal by lunch-time. I agree with Graham Phillips that the flowering season looks like being much earlier than last year. There are indicators other than the daff foliage (or in Graham’s instance early blooms). We have galanthus in full flower and some buds well on the way on the daffs. The mallard ducks which inhabit our lake are also good indicators of the timing of the season. The male ducks have come out of their camouflage plumage much earlier than usual and are now resplendent in their lovely green and brown uniform. They are now looking for their mates and the couples are dating! Tui have also returned and are feeding on our camellias which are in bloom – also a season indicator.
All of the above suggests that we should have lots of flowers for the North Island National show which is in our home town, Hamilton. We are looking forward to welcoming and entertaining overseas visitors in September.
We will post photos of flowers when they appear!
Cheers,
Peter and Lesley