Monday 23 September 2013

Morning all,


Great growing weather with the warmth and moisture about. We are seeing a real late summer growth spurt which is good to see. The potting was done in good time this summer so the size of plant material going into the winter is going to be really strong which is always the best start to this nervous time. What will the winter be like? Will the right weather come in to catch some early spring sales? We have tweaked the nutrition this summer to get a greener crop without making it too fleshy and changed the bark mulch on the compost surface to one that knits’ together better than last years. Every year brings together more little improvements as we continue in our endeavours to keep ahead of the game while trying to balance all the sustainability issues that continue to challenge us all.
On top of the cultural changes we are also looking at adapting the range of our perennials to try and incorporate even more plants and varieties that will bud or flower in the pot through the long gardening season. The somewhat inclement weather we have all experienced over the last couple of years understandably seems to have focused a lot of plant buyers to concentrate more on those lines with the more instant appeal of plants in bud or flower. The desire is to clear stock quickly in case it starts raining/snowing/tempesting next week and doesn’t stop, and then restock if it stays fine. We hope to be rising to this challenge with gusto and will be issuing the new catalogue for 2014 very soon although not all the newcomers will necessarily appear in there as we will be trying to selected and pick up new stock as we go through the next year. Watch out on this list for extras’ appearing soon.
One line that we haven’t had for a couple of seasons is the pretty little Snakes Head Fritillary which looks so stunning in the spring. We had two poor years with them after severe mice attacks. In the second season we had just two or three bulbs remain in the pots out of about 2,500, the whole lot got dug up and shifted over just a few nights, then found in various hiding places as they shot a few weeks later. Little tykes. Anyway this time we have a new master plan to outwit the rodents and I will let you know how it goes after we pot them in a couple of weeks. Fingers crossed.
Having considered retiring from the hockey pitch with old age and bad back coming into play, I was tempted back yesterday and am now suffering the consequences. However despite the discomfort this morning it was good to get back, I just need to put a bit of effort into getting a bit fitter and keep taking the tablets to make the best of it. Why is it that the thought of getting fitter seems such a good idea until you actually have to do it?
Music scene has been a bit quiet for a few weeks but we having a little flurry of activity now. Its certainly much easier than getting fit. We saw Marcus Bonfanti last weekend at a free concert in a 5 star country hotel, he was brilliant as usual although Ive never pai£6.50 for a bottle of beer before. Scary amount of money about in some areas. Next week is a young American blues lady in Basingstoke followed the night after to a trip to Putney for a sell out concert at the Half Moon pub to see our favourite boogie-woogie pianist Ben Waters. This one could be our long awaited claim to fame as it is being recorded as a live CD and we all get to be on the CD credit list. Or it could just be a good way to sell 200 CDs?
Availability
Fresh Asters coming on song with loads of bud and colour showing including some of the ever popular Monch and a fresh batch of the stunning Purple Dome.
We also have a fresh batch of Anemones coming into their own. Strong plants with flower stems appearing.
The short Verbena bonariensis Lillipop is in flower and a fresh batch of Verbena bonariensis is l ooking very strong and chunky. Panicum Prairie Sky looks great too with its tall, upright, elegant blue/grey foliage and flower stems bursting forth.
There are some late summer blooms appearing on the new bushy Salvia which will brighten the border.
Winter and early spring favourites are coming beautifully with strong late growth on the Helleborus, Pulmonaria, and Bergenivarieties. There are even a few stray flowers on the Primula vulgaris having a quick practice for their spring performance
Box returns
Thanks for the great response to the email appeal I sent out for the return of as many boxes as you can lay your hands on. Don’t worry if you are still using them for display of our stuff we just need to track down the spares of which there appear to be a scary number out there! It is really very important we get these boxes returned or accounted for, so we can maintain a good looking and sustainable delivery and display system. Please do drop us an email to update us on the current position if you haven’t already done so.  
Cheers, 
Have a good week from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries

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