Feeding the Wildlife

Sadly, yesterday one of our large Koi Carp died, a Chagoi around 10lbs in weight, I guess. We used to bury dead koi in the garden, but there were usually dug up again by the wildlife,

so lately we’ve left them out for the foxes.

Last night while slugging I went to see if the fish was still where I left it. It had been moved a yard or so but was being devoured by a badger. The badger didn’t run off as the meal was too heavy to pick up and make a rapid exit, so he kept eating, ignoring me. I thought I’ll go back in doors and get my camera, to hopefully get a picture. It turned out that

even the repeated flash full in his face, wouldn’t put him off his, ‘as much as you can eat, fish supper’. I got closer and closer until in the end I was crouching no more than a yard in front of the feeding creature. I wanted him to look up and had to make quite loud noises for him to react to me, giving me the second picture..

Seedling Updates

The Phyllostachys kwangsiensis seed continued to germinate since my recent post about them.

About a week ago I potted them off into small square pots.There were a few with little or no chlorophyll in their leaves, and I think these have now failed. There are a couple with yellow striping in the leaves which I will watch with interest.

The Epimedium seedlings have been producing new leaves, but frustratingly slowly. I recall reading on an American website they get some flowering from Epimedium seedlings in their first year. I will be extremely surprised and happy if I see a flower from any of them next year.

It has been a challenge to keep them from being eaten, during the worst slug and snail outbreak I can remember. There have been several evenings when I have collected as many as I pictured in my earlier post. Only on suddenly colder nights does there seen less out there. Other than then, there seems little reduction in numbers despite my best efforts!

 

Bamboo Flowerings

Over my forty years or so of having bamboos in the garden there have been quite a few flowerings. Some have resulted in the death of the plants a few of considerable size.

Some have produced viable seed, others haven’t, or at least I haven’t found any. Most plants have not recovered, but Yushania anceps was a notable exception.

Until recently, it was an occasional bamboo species flowering,  Fargesia murielii, Yushania anceps, Himilayacalamus falconeri,

Pleiblastus gramineus and simonsii ‘Variegata’,  and Fargesia nitida. These were spread out over the years, but recently there has been several flowering. There has been the Phyllostachys kwangsiensis I posted on earlier, but I have three others currently, Thanocalamus spathiflorus, Phyllostachys praecox ‘Viridisulcata’ and most significantly,  our very large Chusquea couleau ‘Wisley’s Tall Form’. The loss of this will be a significant one. Hopefully someone will keep Phyllostachys praecox ‘Viridisulcata’ going for the keen collectors.I guess the more different species and varieties in a collection the more often flowering will occur.