Morning all,

Busy week just passed with a full end of year stocktake. Always a big job but virtually all done and dusted, with just the last bits to add up. No final idea yet how it will all look on the books as it will take a couple of weeks to finalise all the accounts with still a few invoices for September to arrive etc. No matter how bad the year has been I always have a glimmer of hope at this stage that perhaps it wasn’t as bad as feared which is usually followed by the inevitable sinking realisation that it was. However this year maybe it will be different! Seeing and counting up the plants out on the nursery certainly highlighted some fab crops on the ground, our big crop of micropropagated soft fruit modules is by far and away our best ever, and there are some fantastically strong chunky plants all ready to sell in the coming spring. Every year we keep making little steps forward and with a bit of decent weather at the right time next season perhaps we might make up a bit on the losses of the last couple of years. Fingers crossed.

It is interesting to see some of the big boys in the garden centre world pushing their weight around again. I spoke to one nursery this week that was losing the will to carry on as negotiations and competitive quotations dragged on for the sale of stock destined for sale next spring and seasons beyond. Much of the stock is already grown for next year and there is the chance that the contract for those will go elsewhere, scary stuff. Although the competition is mostly between UK nurseries it is still a potentially very negative process with potentially dire implications for the losers. I did ask why the growers didn’t do some joint deals/quotes so that they could each sell their own stock rather than topping up stock shortages with imported stuff from abroad, but the initial reaction was one of it would be ‘sleeping with the enemy’. There then followed a slight realisation that perhaps the enemy wasn’t the other producer anymore but the buyer! This can’t be a very healthy way forward can it, where the suppliers hate and mistrust their customers? It doesn’t sound too clever to me. Even the mighty supermarkets are beginning to recognise that working together with their suppliers in a way that allows then all to make a penny or two is a much safer and progressive way to work. Prices driven down to unsustainable levels keep wages and profits low in an industry complaining of a lack of up and coming talent through the ranks.

Luckily we haven’t had to deal with this sort of bullying anymore having stepped away from it a few years back and I can happily say that we like our customers. It’s still tough to make it work but we don’t want our customers to beat us up we just want to be loved and that is our motivation to do better every year!

I might end up getting dragged a bit closer to modern life this week with a realisation that I might have got a bit behind the times on the personal communications front. I get so tied up with all the stuff here I can easily ignore what the rest of the world is getting hooked up to and the years just slip by. Apparently a nine year old mobile is getting a bit past its best an d now people’s lives are revolving around the phone in their pocket. I have hung out for a long time in the belief that a mobile phone was what you used to make a call in an emergency which is why I rarely have mine with me and when I do it is turned off (to save up the battery for the emergency). I have to admit that maybe they do a bit more now and might have a few

useful aids for modern living. I know Caroline spends a lot of time on hers, despite it also being a bit old, it certainly saves her talking to me over an evening. 

Availability

Fresh Asters coming on song with loads of bud and colour showing. Lady in Blue, Little Carlow, Starlight, Rosenwitchel and Snowsprite are all stunning.

We also have a fresh batch of Anemones coming into their own. Strong plants with flower stems appearing.

Winter and early spring favourites are coming beautifully with strong late growth on the Helleborus, Pulmonaria, and Bergenia varieties. 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 one, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries