Morning all,
Definitely warmer now, what a relief, and after a very wet day here yesterday the forecast looks much better today just a bit of a breeze. Hopefully the pent up demand will overcome the not quite perfect weather and carry on the upturn we saw last week. Ok it didn’t quite set the world alight but it was the first week for over a year when sales were better than the year before which starts the big come back. I hesitate to remind you that it was this time last year the rain started and the fears of a big drought started to recede to be replaced by increasing sales of wet suits and dinghies.

The cold has held back most stock by several weeks but it looks great, and we are lucky that sales have kept up with growth rates so far and nothing has yet gone to waste. We have sold out of some lovely flowering spring stock which is a relief but the anxiety remains that the season ahead could be a short one with a lot of competition for display space. I just hope that panic selling doesn’t swamp the market and destroy the margins for all growers at a time when we all need to recover some economic sense from the shocking results of the inclement weather over the last 12 months. Fingers crossed for some good gardening weather and a lot of loose purse strings.

It’s been a hectic weekend here with a delicious dinner at The Plough in Sparsholt village, a less delicious offering at the hockey club dinner on Friday and a soggy burger at the finals of the Wessex League Cup on Saturday. Early on Friday we were down to six players for the finals but after a few beers at the dinner enthusiasm and bluster increased numbers to 12 which was just enough. One recruit couldn’t remember his offer of help and had to be dragged out of bed on Saturday morning but we all made it. Sadly in the semi final we were 5-0 down by half time but drew the second half 2-2 which was a
marginal moral victory. It hissed down the whole game so got soaked through, got changed into some dry warm kit to find out we were playing again in the 3rd-4th play off half an hour later. Got soaked again in that one but at least we won, although I can’t actually remember the score. By this time I was so wet the water running in my eyes was stinging so much I was struggling to see a thing. Luckily the temperature wasn’t too bad so it was still fun. Two games in a day for old gits is a bit much so on my return home I had to go to bed for a nap to recover the energy for evening pizza. The combination of prophylactic drugs and back brace seems to have saved my back to much discomfort and now I have the summer to recover before next season. Must get fit for that. I have to go now and take our niece to her Hampshire under 14’s fixture in Oxford which seems to take up most of the day but at least I don’t have to run about and the sun is out.

Availability

Loads of stonking stock at the moment, the plants are later than last year but looking great. Doronicum Little Leo full of life with stocky growth and strong flower buds showing.

Super range of chunky Aquilegias looking full of life and vigour and starting to throw up flower spikes. Pulsatillas are showing their first buds now.

Polemonium Heaven Scent is a great spring performer. The strong chunky dark bronze-flushed early shoots are SO attractive in this early period and the first flower buds are already nestling among the leaves. Still STUNNING AT THE MOMENT.

The Sedums look so fit at this time it is a wonder they don’t burst out and run about.

Erysimums Bowles Mauve already has plenty of bud and will flower endlessly throughout the summer.

The border bulbs are looking strong, with most Camassia’s and Alliums up and the hardy Gladiolus Byzantinus looking perky.

Anemone blanda Blue and the White are both showing plenty of bud and flower but not too many left. Nature stuff

Tadpoles hatched this week once the frost passed. They are looking lively despite the hammering the spawn took in the cold. Quite a bit of migrant bird activity over the last week or two. We had a couple of White wagtails for a short while (related to pied wagtails) and yesterday there were three blackcaps on the feeders.

Eco news

Nice run of breezy weather in April has yielded some great electric output putting us nearly 50% ahead of 2012 for the year to date. Our inland turbines peak their output at relatively low wind speeds so we don’t need storm force winds to get good results just a steady breeze.

Central heating went off again last week after a long run of boosting the wood burner output. A bit disappointing that we have had to burn so much more oil this winter having got away with just three weeks input last winter but there is no substitute for being cosy at home.

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Have a good week, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries