Make Hay While the Sun Shines

It's another beautiful early Summer day today. Thank Heavens

I took delivery of some new Auriculas yesterday. Those of you who follow my other blogs will know that I collect these little jewel like flowers. They are quite ticklish to grow but when they do grow...they are very rewarding.
And growing they are...and flowering. Only a few weeks ago I was despairing of them ever coming out. The weather hasn't been kind to them this year.

I have about 30 plants in clay pots which live in an Auricula Theatre...a sort of staging. I lost a couple last winter and about 5 in the winter before ( as did a lot of the expert nurseries, ) in prolonged minus 20 temperatures, despite coddling them in fleece. The good thing about these little Alpines is that they are prolific. They have lots of babies, named offsets and so you often find you have more than one plant of a variety.

Now I have bought another five.

There aren't many true blue ones but I've bought two, though in the photo they are still tinged with purple.
They, in common with a lot of other plants, have some strange names. Maybe they are named for some famous growers or fanciers. Perhaps they carry the name of famous people - like Racehorses...some of the names are unfathomable.

 So here are a few others for you to look at, which are flowering at the moment.

They transfer really well to being made in paper.
The great thing is that, although the flowers are fleeting...those in paper last forever. Yes alright! I cheated. I put paper flowers on real plants. :) Now who was taken in?