We have just had our first real snowfall of the winter. I know that people in the eastern and central parts of the continent will probably laugh at our 4 inches of snow and the few degrees below zero that we currently have, but it does present problems since it seldom lasts more than a few days and we are back to our usual mild temperatures and rain.

Although my allionii are all in pots and under the eaves, they are now covered by blowing snow. Yes they are alpines and don't mind the cold, but when the snow melts in a couple of days, they will be sopping wet,something they definitely don't like. So tomorrow I will be outside with a fine brush or a hair dryer on "air" to try and get the snow off the leaves and out of the crowns before the snow melts. I think that what I really need is an alpine house.

Rhondda

I went out yesterday to try to get some of the snow off my allionii. I gave up on the hair dryer and used a large sable-hair watercolour brush. I managed to get some of the snow out of the crowns, but a lot of ice crystals remain.

While I was working I kept seeing little dots of pink and purple. Some on my plants are blooming under their cover of snow. One of the reasons that allionii are my favourite primula!

Rhondda

The weather has been very unusual this spring and early summer. The spring was cold and wetter than usual. Alpines are usually happier in colder weather and since most of mine are growing under cover, the rain was not a problem. However, the lack of sunshine was. Even my allionii are leaning, trying to get more light. Usually in the spring and summer they get enough diffused sunlight to keep them happy without cooking them, but not this year. About two weeks ago we finally got a bit of more typical summer weather, and a couple of my marginatas decided to bloom again. They must think that they have already gone through another winter.

The new year has arrived and with it our first frost of the fall/winter season. We have had torrential downpours, occasional flurries of snow or sleet, but no extended periods of cold weather. My alpines are not happy. I find myself constantly battling botrytis.

I recently found a new 3-in-1 spray for fungus, molds, mildew, and bugs. One of the principle ingredients is sulphur. I have been using sulphur powder for several years to deal with the occasional outbreak of botrytis and the allionii tolerate it quite well. I have been using this new spray on the surface of my plunge beds, around the pot rims and on the surface of the soil after I remove all the infected leaves. I avoid spraying directly on the leaves. I started doing this last month and so far it seems to be working. What would work better would be a nice long period of cold, dry weather!