Monday, 7 January 2008

Early Beginnings

Sparrow Perches
Climbers rarely look good at this time of year especially if they’re early spring flowerers and mine are no exception, however, sparrows seem attracted to the Clematis Alpina that clambers all over a variegated summer jasmine that adorns my garage wall. It may be Clematis Alpina “Pamela Jackman” but as it’s been in situ some years I can’t be sure, suffice it to say at this time of year it looks less like a Clematis more like a bad hair day. One thing I’m sure of is that it flowers reliably first in Spring, with a second flush in later summer. I only cut it to tidy, so it fades to hundreds of fluffy seed heads in autumn which hang on through winter and also seeds around freely, to the extent that I’m frequently pulling it out like a weed. Where the Sparrows come in is, at this time of year, they sit and shelter in it and sun themselves if the opportunity presents itself, but most significantly they peck away at the seed heads. I like to think they’re feeding, though I’d be surprised to find much nutrition in such tiny seeds. Perhaps they just enjoy tearing the heads to pieces in a relatively comfortable environment, like they do with primulas in the spring, especially the red ones.

The Hellebores look promising, or at least the foetidus, they’re almost out; the more picturesque are not quite so forward. They may not be as spectacular as some spring beginnings, but at least they are beginnings.

No comments: