At long last I have got down to some serious repotting. However I had almost forgotten that repotting must necessarily be followed by my least favourite part of my hobby – washing used pots!  I have managed to put it off so far this year but there is now a large mound of dirty pots under my potting bench awaiting my attention.   

The dull cold weather in March seems to have slowed down flowering in many of my cacti. The buds seem scarcely bigger at the end of March than they were at the end of February.  Today’s promise of warmer weather may get them moving once more.   Aloes and Gasteria on the other hand are flowering away regardless.   Gasteria rawlingsonii was coming into flower at the Oxford Show in October and has not been out of flower since.  This also has advantages and disadvantages. The advantage obviously is the long period of beautiful flowers, while the disadvantage is the long period of dead flower heads scattered around the conservatory floor.  There is no pleasing some people!

Another casualty of the recent cold spell is the Nolina that I planted out in a raised bed.  It came safely through the winter months and then was caught by a hard frost in March. The growing point has been damaged and some of the leaves have been marked but the main stem is healthy and it is likely that it will send out side shoots. 

I have started moving some of my hardier Echevaria out of doors for the Summer.  I am tired of having the greenhouse so full that I can hardly find foot room on the floor.  I also need space for the plants that have been moved into bigger pots. Why don’t they make greenhouses with expanding walls??