Morning all,
The weather is helping out at long last and we are seeing a bit of momentum and confidence returning in the plant buying world. Phew! This weekend looks like being another good one for leisure and gardening so let’s hope it keeps going. We had a little bit of rain yesterday which will help dampen the ground a bit and there is a bit more due next week I believe which will help a bit more. Let’s hope it rains at night so as not to disrupt sales too much. It has been dry here for a while and the ground water levels have now subsided but that first dampening of the ground yesterday threw up that great smell of fresh rain on dry ground, if only we could bottle and sell that!


We had another very busy week last week which does make us feel a lot better after such a late spring but a couple of decent weeks will not be enough. We have the bank manager coming over this week for a quick catch up so we have been adding up a few numbers and it doesn’t look brilliant, just proving that a couple of nice weekends isn’t going to save the day. Thank goodness he didn’t come three weeks ago when the cold was still having such an effect on sales for everyone. Luckily we haven’t yet had to chuck away much unsold stock as the plants have rather conveniently waited for the sales to pick up so if the weather stays with us and sales continue to make up over last year I’m sure we can get by.

Last weekend’s anniversary celebrations went well, I saved the day by offering to finish off Caroline’s last hours tub packing so she could get off site by 8pm (to get home muck out the donkeys, chickens and feed the cats and get the dinner on!). Well it is a daft time of year for an anniversary.

We have a small gang in on Monday to make sure we get off to a flying start when the week starts properly on Tuesday so hopefully there won’t be too much of a delay in getting the orders out in the shortened week but we may have to stretch to sending an order or two out on Saturday if demand is high. Over the last couple of very busy weeks we have managed to get everything out in time so well done to everyone, we even got several orders away despite not receiving them until Thursday or even Friday morning for the odd local one.

I may well take the advice today of one of the garden retailers and diversify my efforts as a grower into other money making ventures. As the weather looks reasonable I might take out the metal detector for its second run before the newly sown crop emerges. I feel I should add to my current horde of 4 nails and a broken plough share tip before putting it all on ebay. Even if I don’t make a fortune I won’t lose as much as working on a nursery!

Availability

Fantastic looking chunky Aquilegias looking full of life and vigour, all with flower spikes showing and the odd flower opening, the best we have ever grown.

More Geraniums are showing flower buds as the weather warms. G sanguinium and G.s. striatum both showing buds. Dicentra spectabalis in flower and looking striking.

Pretty pink flowers of Erodium ‘Bishops Form’ are already showing with loads to follow.

Symphytums (Ornamental Comfrey) in colour and looking great with their delightful blue and white flowers.

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 the first colour is showing. It will flower endlessly throughout the summer, a great garden favourite but there are only a few left.

The border bulbs are looking strong, buds are showing on the Alliums and some colour showing on the Camassia varieties. Verbascums phoeniceum hybids and the white form V.p. Album are showing their first flower shoots and looking chunky. Thalictrum aquilegifolium showing strong flower shoots already but very few left.

Veronica gentianoides throwing up strong flower shoots now, full of vigour prior to showing its delightful pale blue flowers.

We produced a new range of Phlox for this spring as a trial and have been very impressed with their strength and vigour. The Flame series is a more compact strain with improved disease resistance and available in a wide colour range. We only have low numbers for this year but will have more in 2014.

Eco news

April was the second best month ever for the turbine production, joy oh joy.

Availability List availability!

If you ever need a fresh list should you mislay this one you can download and print off a copy from our website at;

www.kirtonfarm.co.uk/assets/perennialsherbs.pdf

Have a good week, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries