Lucky dip.

It's a good time of year for growing echeverias, the garden is full of plants in flower.  Every where I look there are little spikes of colour vying for attention.

Normally I would be looking around trying to decide which plants to cross, but it seems there is a very good reason that experts hybridize in more control environments.

The bees have decided that echeverias are the flower of choice. You don't have to watch a plant for long before the next one comes along for a top up, often there are two or three on a plant at once. It is funny watching them trying to get into the delicate flowers, but they have worked out how to do it, going from flower to flower on a plant before moving off to the next one.

I am pleased to say that the garden is full of bees this year. Last year was terrible and it as noticeable how few bees were around, but they are back with a vengeance this year. It has been interesting to watch them with the succulent flowers.  Whenever I bring a new variety into the garden they usually take a while to work out what it is.  I would have thought that any flower would be attractive,  but right now they are all flying straight past the cactus that is as bright as can be.

With all the activity any selective hybrids are out of the question, so I guess I am going to have to see what nature comes up with, my very own lucky dip.