Morning all,
What a relief, nice and damp this morning after some cooler weather and a nice bit of rain last night. Very lucky with the rain holding off until the end of King Somborne annual flower show and fete on Saturday. We do a little stage display of a few bits and pieces in flower which always seems to go down well. They very much bank on dry weather as the key to getting the income in for getting by the rest of the year, the ice creams and tea/cake stands did brilliantly as the local brass band played away, a lovely English summer scene. Lost a fortune on the skittles and putting games and failed to win the raffle but drowned my sorrows by going out with the committee for the end of show pub dinner. A wild time was had by all as usual!
It was a tough week on the technical front with slow progress on installing our evaposensor which apparently needs a different chip programmed and installed to achieve what we paid for when we put in the system. That’s another £200 or so and that still leaves me to fit it. Not got instructions or correct wires for that yet but I’m sure it will come together now I have an expert on the case. Mind you it could take a few months for the chip to be sorted as the company is very busy at the moment so I won’t get too excited yet. My little USB temperature and humidity logger arrived this week which is the key bit of kit to use with the HDC powdery mildew predictor programme. Simply plug and play as usual. Actually rather unusually it did just that. It is set to record the values every 30mins at the moment and produces a nice little graph as part of its programme. The tricky bit was getting the files produced by the device to load into the HDC programme, it looked so simple on the demo I saw at the open day a couple of weeks ago all working so simply, however that had already had expert input where as mine just had me. Spent most of my Saturday trying to get it to work, trying to make sense of the instructions written for the programme. Why can’t they get a real person to write the instructions rather than someone who already knows too much. I always end up making up bits myself where the gaps appear to be and naturally I have already had a go at doing it without reading the instructions at all. Ended up writing a rather tense email asking for help so hopefully someone will take pity. What have I done, why does everything I get hold of never work right. I know it’s just me everyone one else has such perfect lives.
Availability
Aster Purple Dome is about to burst forth with its short height and big purple flowers. Mildew resistant and showy, a great plant for any garden.
Stunning Hemerocallis are showing plenty of bud with colour. The dark flowered varieties Crimson Pirate and Pardon Me looking great, and the two-tone blooms of Frans Hals and Pandora’s Box are open. The deep colour of Pink Damask contrast beautifully with the deep gold of Aten. Don’t forget the large flowered Catherine Woodbury with her big pink blousy heads and of course the ever flowering Stella de Oro.
Exotic Oxalis Iron Cross is up and in flower. Black and green leaves contrast nicely with the red/pink flowers but very few left. Stunning foliage colours of Heuchera Melting Fire, Marvellous Marble and Palace Purple alongside the fresh strong green of Malachite, all great additions to any garden.
We have our best Japanese Anemones ever at the moment, stonkingly bushy plants. Most are throwing up their first flower stems with Serenade looking very strong and the short white of Andrea Atkinson just getting going. Numbers are dwindling. The grasses are coming into their own at the moment. Carex Evergold and Ice Dance both look fantastic and the silver variegated Miscanthus Morning Light is very strong this year with the first delicate flower heads just appearing. Panicum Prairie Fire looks great too with its upright elegant blue/grey foliage.
Eco stuff
Attended the Winchester Council celebration coffee break in town last week, rejoicing in the successful delivery of Carbon Smart awards to 100 local businesses which is all very encouraging. Most are just starting out on their journey so have three levels to achieve, blue, silver and gold. Luckily we were able to leap start in with the gold which is nice recognition for everyone here for all the hard work of the last few years. Still a way to go yet but things are still getting better. It would be great to have a bit of spare cash to splash on some more improvements which in turn would save us more but after the two seasons we have had there isn’t much of that about. I have my shopping list of energy saving kit all ready just need a couple of more encouraging seasons to build confidence again.
The turbines are two years old now and I believe we are still the biggest wind installation in Hampshire which is pathetic. For a county with some much being consumed and CO2 produced is no-one taking any responsibility for their actions. Ok I know the answer. Life is too easy, but watch out it will creep up and bite your bum Hampshire.
Have a good week, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries
Monday 29 July 2013
Monday 22 July 2013
Morning all
Phew, keep up the fluids and remember some of us aren’t sleeping to well so might be bit touchy and even slower off the mark than usual!
Thought about buying a new BBQ as ours rusted through years ago but decided to save the pennies and visit everyone else’s instead. We’ll return the favour with dinner when the weather turns back to normal and we can turn the cooker and boiler back on. House has just about been cool enough for some sleeping which is a relief. The turbines have kicked back into action and aren’t far short of estimate for this month which is a silver lining. Naturally on Friday at the peak of the heat and breeze the irrigation pump tripped out, but the electricians came and changed some settings on the new pump unit installed a couple of weeks ago and all seems fine again. Hurrah, but still a stressful few hours as the hot weekend approached.
Ran out of lightweight shirts this week, the summers have been so short over the last few years I haven’t bought any and now the laundry rota has had to be shortened. Tried a bit of shopping but ended up with pizza instead.
The micro-prop laboratory has been suffering too. One of the air source heat pumps in the work room died several months ago and we had hoped to muddle through but this weather has found us out and we have had to replace it together with its twin unit in the same room. Although a bit costly it will be a great improvement as the new inverter driven units are much more subtle with their temperature changes which makes them easier to work with as well as much cheaper to run. One unit is fitted and running and the second nearly there so work rates are sure to improve in the next few days in the extra comfy working environment.
No such luxury on the nursery and everyone has put in a sterling performance to keep going and not lose too much time or work rate although the day is so much harder to get through. Hopefully you are all managing ok out there, please do be careful and keep an eye out for each other.
Several little nursery projects coming along nicely. Our little trailers which transport our CC trolleys on that we tow behind the electric golf carts are getting a bit old and ropey are in need of a bit of extra TLC so we are sending them off in rotation to a chap down the road for an overhaul. We’ll get a great set of repairs from our local welder that will extend their life by a few more years and make their use a bit easier. We are also awaiting the arrival of a new potting machine drill and plate to match our main jumbo modules a bit more closely which will make life a bit simpler and neater. The use of a bigger propagation plug over the last couple of seasons has helped enormously reducing losses after potting and improving evenness of growth which would have been really useful if we had managed to get some decent weather and sold what we produced. Still, such is life as a grower in the UK. Must go and sit in the dark for a bit.
Availability
Stunning Hemerocallis are showing plenty of bud with colour. The dark flowered varieties Crimson Pirate and Pardon Me looking great, and the two-tone blooms of Frans Hals and Pandora’s Box are open. The scented delicate pale yellow of Citrina contrast beautifully with the deep gold of Aten. Don’t forget the large flowered Catherine Woodbury with her big pink blousy heads and of course the ever flowering Stella de Oro.
Exotic Oxalis Iron Cross is up and in flower. Black and green leaves contrast nicely with the red/pink flowers.
Platycodon varieties are showing their first buds and odd open flower. Those balloon flowers are just awesome.
Stunning foliage colours of Heuchera Melting Fire, Marvellous Marble and Palace Purple alongside the fresh strong green of Malachite, all great additions to any garden.
Plenty of bud and flower showing on the deliciously scented Garden Pinks Dianthus.
Very strong Tradescantia in many colours with bud and flower colour in abundance. The dwarf and chunky Satin Doll are just starting opening now.
We have our best Japanese Anemones ever at the moment, stonkingly bushy plants. Most are throwing up their first flower stems with Serenade looking very strong and the short white of Andrea Atkinson just getting going.
The grasses are coming into their own at the moment. Carex Evergold and Ice Dance both look fantastic and the silver variegated Miscanthus Morning Light is very strong this year with the first delicate flower heads just appearing. Panicum Prairie Fire looks great too with its upright blue/grey foliage.
Nature notes
House Martins really stuck in to feeding their first hatch of youngsters. If all 14 nests go well we will end up with a riot of activity by the end of the summer. Can’t wait.
Have a good week, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries
Phew, keep up the fluids and remember some of us aren’t sleeping to well so might be bit touchy and even slower off the mark than usual!
Thought about buying a new BBQ as ours rusted through years ago but decided to save the pennies and visit everyone else’s instead. We’ll return the favour with dinner when the weather turns back to normal and we can turn the cooker and boiler back on. House has just about been cool enough for some sleeping which is a relief. The turbines have kicked back into action and aren’t far short of estimate for this month which is a silver lining. Naturally on Friday at the peak of the heat and breeze the irrigation pump tripped out, but the electricians came and changed some settings on the new pump unit installed a couple of weeks ago and all seems fine again. Hurrah, but still a stressful few hours as the hot weekend approached.
Ran out of lightweight shirts this week, the summers have been so short over the last few years I haven’t bought any and now the laundry rota has had to be shortened. Tried a bit of shopping but ended up with pizza instead.
The micro-prop laboratory has been suffering too. One of the air source heat pumps in the work room died several months ago and we had hoped to muddle through but this weather has found us out and we have had to replace it together with its twin unit in the same room. Although a bit costly it will be a great improvement as the new inverter driven units are much more subtle with their temperature changes which makes them easier to work with as well as much cheaper to run. One unit is fitted and running and the second nearly there so work rates are sure to improve in the next few days in the extra comfy working environment.
No such luxury on the nursery and everyone has put in a sterling performance to keep going and not lose too much time or work rate although the day is so much harder to get through. Hopefully you are all managing ok out there, please do be careful and keep an eye out for each other.
Several little nursery projects coming along nicely. Our little trailers which transport our CC trolleys on that we tow behind the electric golf carts are getting a bit old and ropey are in need of a bit of extra TLC so we are sending them off in rotation to a chap down the road for an overhaul. We’ll get a great set of repairs from our local welder that will extend their life by a few more years and make their use a bit easier. We are also awaiting the arrival of a new potting machine drill and plate to match our main jumbo modules a bit more closely which will make life a bit simpler and neater. The use of a bigger propagation plug over the last couple of seasons has helped enormously reducing losses after potting and improving evenness of growth which would have been really useful if we had managed to get some decent weather and sold what we produced. Still, such is life as a grower in the UK. Must go and sit in the dark for a bit.
Availability
Stunning Hemerocallis are showing plenty of bud with colour. The dark flowered varieties Crimson Pirate and Pardon Me looking great, and the two-tone blooms of Frans Hals and Pandora’s Box are open. The scented delicate pale yellow of Citrina contrast beautifully with the deep gold of Aten. Don’t forget the large flowered Catherine Woodbury with her big pink blousy heads and of course the ever flowering Stella de Oro.
Exotic Oxalis Iron Cross is up and in flower. Black and green leaves contrast nicely with the red/pink flowers.
Platycodon varieties are showing their first buds and odd open flower. Those balloon flowers are just awesome.
Stunning foliage colours of Heuchera Melting Fire, Marvellous Marble and Palace Purple alongside the fresh strong green of Malachite, all great additions to any garden.
Plenty of bud and flower showing on the deliciously scented Garden Pinks Dianthus.
Very strong Tradescantia in many colours with bud and flower colour in abundance. The dwarf and chunky Satin Doll are just starting opening now.
We have our best Japanese Anemones ever at the moment, stonkingly bushy plants. Most are throwing up their first flower stems with Serenade looking very strong and the short white of Andrea Atkinson just getting going.
The grasses are coming into their own at the moment. Carex Evergold and Ice Dance both look fantastic and the silver variegated Miscanthus Morning Light is very strong this year with the first delicate flower heads just appearing. Panicum Prairie Fire looks great too with its upright blue/grey foliage.
Nature notes
House Martins really stuck in to feeding their first hatch of youngsters. If all 14 nests go well we will end up with a riot of activity by the end of the summer. Can’t wait.
Have a good week, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries
Monday 15 July 2013
Morning all
Another busy week on the sales front as the summer flowering stuff and delicious herbs hit the spot. Hopefully this blast of summer gets everyone into the gardens and enjoying their efforts. I suspect a cooler spell with a drop of rain wouldn’t go amiss but at least everyone has been able to get outside this summer.
I can’t say this is the best weather for me, I wilt too easily and get stressed about getting the water on the plants, especially when it always seems the time when the systems decide to go bonkers. We are very grateful to our electricians for sourcing a replacement control unit for one of the irrigation pumps that lost the plot a couple of weeks ago (at less cost than expected but more than a bargain). We have stuttered on with one pump instead of two which makes everything a bit of a juggle in the sunshine but now we have both on and back to full flow and pressure. Phew.
Made the most of my HDC levy payments this week by attending the Summer Herbaceous Group meeting. It was really good, picked up a few nuggets of info which will help us move forward another step or two and met lots of other growers to swap a few ideas. One interesting device was a powdery mildew predictor based around a special memory stick and an HDC computer programme. It looks very practical, good value and could help reduce spray applications for lots of growers which is benificial on lots of fronts. It is easy to say that any spray is a bad spray but there are some plants that would never get to the garden centre without some protection. Having a simple prediction device reduces the spray applications, spray costs, labour, the rate of disease resistance build up and should reduce waste through unsalable stock. The wonders of modern technology. The sandwiches were really good too, so made the most of that. Had an apple for dessert to compensate for carb overdose.
I was inspired enough to get out the Evaposensor kit I purchased a while ago which should allow infinite adjustments to the irrigation system allowing for the daily variations in water loss from the crops. It is quite a simple idea but the instructions for fitting one bit of technology to another bit (each made by a different company) so that they talk to each other are a bit sketchy. There are quite a few wires, circuit boards and terminal blocks involved and you can’t always tell what goes where. I filed it away hoping it would fit itself one day but no luck with that. Having now made some progress I have come to a complete stop where I need expert input, so emails and photos are whizzing about to various targets trying to get some answers. It looks like I am going to have to pay for someone who knows about both bits of kit to come and help out, naturally this isn’t the supplier of both bits of kit, what would they know! Sticking to manual adjustments for the moment.
Availability
Summer must be here as most of the stunning Hemerocallis are showing plenty of bud with some colour. The dark flowered varieties Crimson Pirate and Pardon Me looking great, and the two-tone blooms of Frans Hals and Pandora’s Box are starting to open. The scented delicate pale yellow of Citrina contrast beautifully with the deep gold of Aten. Don’t forget the large flowered Catherine Woodbury with her big pink blousy heads and of course the ever flowering Stella de Oro.
Short and chunky Lythrum Robin are colouring up nicely, a great addition to the border and loved by the butterflies and bees.
Exotic Oxalis is up and in bud. Purple foliage and pale pink flowers of O. triangularis are stunning. Iron Cross is in flower too. Campanula carpatica short and chunky with masses of buds coming. Only a few of the striking white ones left.
Platycodon varieties are showing their first buds and odd open flower. Those balloon flowers are just awesome.
Stunning foliage colours of Heuchera Melting Fire, Marvellous Marble and Palace Purple alongside the fresh strong green of Malachite, all great additions to any garden.
Delicate, pale yellow flowers of Coreopsis Moonbeam looking fab.
Plenty of bud and flower showing on the deliciously scented Garden Pinks Dianthus.
Very strong Tradescantia in many colours with bud and flower colour in abundance. The dwarf and chunky Satin Doll are just starting opening now.
We have our best Japanese Anemones ever at the moment, stonkingly bushy plants. Most are throwing up their first flower stems with Serenade looking very strong and the short white of Andrea Atkinson just getting going.
The grasses are coming into their own at the moment. Carex Evergold and Ice Dance both look fantastic and the silver variegated Miscanthus Morning Light is very strong this year with the first delicate flower heads just appearing.
Nature notes
Our first Elephant Hawk Moth of the season appeared this week, stunning colours and size. Difficult to believe it’s one of ours.
Have a good week, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries
Another busy week on the sales front as the summer flowering stuff and delicious herbs hit the spot. Hopefully this blast of summer gets everyone into the gardens and enjoying their efforts. I suspect a cooler spell with a drop of rain wouldn’t go amiss but at least everyone has been able to get outside this summer.
I can’t say this is the best weather for me, I wilt too easily and get stressed about getting the water on the plants, especially when it always seems the time when the systems decide to go bonkers. We are very grateful to our electricians for sourcing a replacement control unit for one of the irrigation pumps that lost the plot a couple of weeks ago (at less cost than expected but more than a bargain). We have stuttered on with one pump instead of two which makes everything a bit of a juggle in the sunshine but now we have both on and back to full flow and pressure. Phew.
Made the most of my HDC levy payments this week by attending the Summer Herbaceous Group meeting. It was really good, picked up a few nuggets of info which will help us move forward another step or two and met lots of other growers to swap a few ideas. One interesting device was a powdery mildew predictor based around a special memory stick and an HDC computer programme. It looks very practical, good value and could help reduce spray applications for lots of growers which is benificial on lots of fronts. It is easy to say that any spray is a bad spray but there are some plants that would never get to the garden centre without some protection. Having a simple prediction device reduces the spray applications, spray costs, labour, the rate of disease resistance build up and should reduce waste through unsalable stock. The wonders of modern technology. The sandwiches were really good too, so made the most of that. Had an apple for dessert to compensate for carb overdose.
I was inspired enough to get out the Evaposensor kit I purchased a while ago which should allow infinite adjustments to the irrigation system allowing for the daily variations in water loss from the crops. It is quite a simple idea but the instructions for fitting one bit of technology to another bit (each made by a different company) so that they talk to each other are a bit sketchy. There are quite a few wires, circuit boards and terminal blocks involved and you can’t always tell what goes where. I filed it away hoping it would fit itself one day but no luck with that. Having now made some progress I have come to a complete stop where I need expert input, so emails and photos are whizzing about to various targets trying to get some answers. It looks like I am going to have to pay for someone who knows about both bits of kit to come and help out, naturally this isn’t the supplier of both bits of kit, what would they know! Sticking to manual adjustments for the moment.
Availability
Summer must be here as most of the stunning Hemerocallis are showing plenty of bud with some colour. The dark flowered varieties Crimson Pirate and Pardon Me looking great, and the two-tone blooms of Frans Hals and Pandora’s Box are starting to open. The scented delicate pale yellow of Citrina contrast beautifully with the deep gold of Aten. Don’t forget the large flowered Catherine Woodbury with her big pink blousy heads and of course the ever flowering Stella de Oro.
Short and chunky Lythrum Robin are colouring up nicely, a great addition to the border and loved by the butterflies and bees.
Exotic Oxalis is up and in bud. Purple foliage and pale pink flowers of O. triangularis are stunning. Iron Cross is in flower too. Campanula carpatica short and chunky with masses of buds coming. Only a few of the striking white ones left.
Platycodon varieties are showing their first buds and odd open flower. Those balloon flowers are just awesome.
Stunning foliage colours of Heuchera Melting Fire, Marvellous Marble and Palace Purple alongside the fresh strong green of Malachite, all great additions to any garden.
Delicate, pale yellow flowers of Coreopsis Moonbeam looking fab.
Plenty of bud and flower showing on the deliciously scented Garden Pinks Dianthus.
Very strong Tradescantia in many colours with bud and flower colour in abundance. The dwarf and chunky Satin Doll are just starting opening now.
We have our best Japanese Anemones ever at the moment, stonkingly bushy plants. Most are throwing up their first flower stems with Serenade looking very strong and the short white of Andrea Atkinson just getting going.
The grasses are coming into their own at the moment. Carex Evergold and Ice Dance both look fantastic and the silver variegated Miscanthus Morning Light is very strong this year with the first delicate flower heads just appearing.
Nature notes
Our first Elephant Hawk Moth of the season appeared this week, stunning colours and size. Difficult to believe it’s one of ours.
Have a good week, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries
Monday 8 July 2013
Summertime...
Morning all,
Very busy week on the sales front his last week which was perfect timing having got all vans back on the road again . Hopefully the Hampton Court Show will give another little boost to sales if everyone hasn’t cleared off to the beach. At least with the better weather now everyone has the opportunity to get out there, use and appreciate their gardens and perhaps want to add to them. With a bit of luck the heat-wave won’t be too long and we can all get back to achieving something again as it cools off. Maybe a good performance from Andy on finals day will give everyone a boost too, there’s nothing like a bit of positive excitement to give everyone a lift.
Next seasons potting now well underway as the nursery begins to refill ready for next year. The bulk of the production is a few weeks off yet but rushing closer and loads of young plants are being currently being pricked-out into big plugs ready for the later summer potting. It’s all go. Higher temperatures add an extra little bit of tension to the week with plants suffering quickly if something goes awry and sure enough last Sunday the irrigations pumps tripped out the electrics and we had to get the electricians in. They did a great job in getting us up and running quickly using one pump rather than two but it looks like the pump control circuit board has gone, which will cost over £1,000 to replace (that’s just the parts cost) and we are naturally a few months past the warranty period. We may be able to get the board repaired although I can’t say I’m that hopeful. Let’s hope this isn’t a regular occurrence with these variable speed pumps, it’s great that they are cheaper to run but we are going to have to save a lot of electric to cover this one. Ho hum.
As the temperatures are expected to rise to near 30C tomorrow we have devised a perfect plan for a relaxing Sunday away from the crowds. A 5 mile walk on the Oxfordshire hill tops, great planning for someone who hates getting too hot! Despite the overheating prospects I am still looking forward to a day off meeting with great friends, poking at some ancient archaeology, communing with nature and supporting some rural hostelries. I will put Andy on tape to watch in the cool of the summers evening.
Availability
Short and chunky Lythrum Robin are colouring up nicely, a great addition to the border and loved by the butterflies and bees.
Exotic Oxalis is up and in bud. Purple foliage and pale pink flowers of O. triangularis are stunning. Iron Cross is in flower too.
Just a few Kniphofia Flamenco left in bud, a lovely range of colours.
Campanula carpatica short and chunky with masses of buds coming. Available in blue or white but not many left.
Platycodon varieties are just showing their first buds. Those balloon flowers are just awesome.
Stunning foliage colours of Heuchera Melting Fire, Marvellous Marble and Palace Purple alongside the fresh strong green of Malachite, all great additions to any garden.
Delicate pale yellow flowers of Coreopsis Moonbeam looking fab.
Just a few of our fantastic sky blue Salvia’s left, all very well budded and showing great colour.
Summer must be here as most of the Hemerocallis are showing plenty of bud with some colour.
Plenty of bud showing on the deliciously scented Garden Pinks Dianthus.
The bright tiny scrambling flowers of Dianthus Brilliancy and Flashing Light are now shouting.
Very strong Tradescantia plants in many colours with bud and flower colour in abundance. The dwarf and chunky Satin Doll are just starting opening now.
We have our best Japanese Anemones ever at the moment, stonkingly bushy plants. Hadspen Abundance are showing signs of flowering already although only a few left, but the delightful pink flowered Serenade is now budding and looking even stronger.
The grasses are coming into their own at the moment. Carex Evergold and Ice Dance both look fantastic and the silver variegated Miscanthus Morning Light is very strong this year with the first delicate flower heads just appearing.
Nature notes
Another exciting new visitor in the garden this week with our first Nuthatch. It was using the feeders, which we keep going all year, and has been around now for a few days. This one is a bit shy at the moment, I wonder if it is a youngster, it is a bit pale in its colouring. It may have had a tough spring and have lost confidence in itself, it can happen.
We have been hearing quite a bit of the turtle doves during the week although only fleetingly seen.
House martins loving this weather and feeding all around the house and nursery, still calling in at the yard puddle for building materials although we are now having to keep it wet artificially.
Just look up to see the house martins wheeling and the turbines turning to lift the heart.
Have a good week, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries
Very busy week on the sales front his last week which was perfect timing having got all vans back on the road again . Hopefully the Hampton Court Show will give another little boost to sales if everyone hasn’t cleared off to the beach. At least with the better weather now everyone has the opportunity to get out there, use and appreciate their gardens and perhaps want to add to them. With a bit of luck the heat-wave won’t be too long and we can all get back to achieving something again as it cools off. Maybe a good performance from Andy on finals day will give everyone a boost too, there’s nothing like a bit of positive excitement to give everyone a lift.
Next seasons potting now well underway as the nursery begins to refill ready for next year. The bulk of the production is a few weeks off yet but rushing closer and loads of young plants are being currently being pricked-out into big plugs ready for the later summer potting. It’s all go. Higher temperatures add an extra little bit of tension to the week with plants suffering quickly if something goes awry and sure enough last Sunday the irrigations pumps tripped out the electrics and we had to get the electricians in. They did a great job in getting us up and running quickly using one pump rather than two but it looks like the pump control circuit board has gone, which will cost over £1,000 to replace (that’s just the parts cost) and we are naturally a few months past the warranty period. We may be able to get the board repaired although I can’t say I’m that hopeful. Let’s hope this isn’t a regular occurrence with these variable speed pumps, it’s great that they are cheaper to run but we are going to have to save a lot of electric to cover this one. Ho hum.
As the temperatures are expected to rise to near 30C tomorrow we have devised a perfect plan for a relaxing Sunday away from the crowds. A 5 mile walk on the Oxfordshire hill tops, great planning for someone who hates getting too hot! Despite the overheating prospects I am still looking forward to a day off meeting with great friends, poking at some ancient archaeology, communing with nature and supporting some rural hostelries. I will put Andy on tape to watch in the cool of the summers evening.
Availability
Short and chunky Lythrum Robin are colouring up nicely, a great addition to the border and loved by the butterflies and bees.
Exotic Oxalis is up and in bud. Purple foliage and pale pink flowers of O. triangularis are stunning. Iron Cross is in flower too.
Just a few Kniphofia Flamenco left in bud, a lovely range of colours.
Campanula carpatica short and chunky with masses of buds coming. Available in blue or white but not many left.
Platycodon varieties are just showing their first buds. Those balloon flowers are just awesome.
Stunning foliage colours of Heuchera Melting Fire, Marvellous Marble and Palace Purple alongside the fresh strong green of Malachite, all great additions to any garden.
Delicate pale yellow flowers of Coreopsis Moonbeam looking fab.
Just a few of our fantastic sky blue Salvia’s left, all very well budded and showing great colour.
Summer must be here as most of the Hemerocallis are showing plenty of bud with some colour.
Plenty of bud showing on the deliciously scented Garden Pinks Dianthus.
The bright tiny scrambling flowers of Dianthus Brilliancy and Flashing Light are now shouting.
Very strong Tradescantia plants in many colours with bud and flower colour in abundance. The dwarf and chunky Satin Doll are just starting opening now.
We have our best Japanese Anemones ever at the moment, stonkingly bushy plants. Hadspen Abundance are showing signs of flowering already although only a few left, but the delightful pink flowered Serenade is now budding and looking even stronger.
The grasses are coming into their own at the moment. Carex Evergold and Ice Dance both look fantastic and the silver variegated Miscanthus Morning Light is very strong this year with the first delicate flower heads just appearing.
Nature notes
Another exciting new visitor in the garden this week with our first Nuthatch. It was using the feeders, which we keep going all year, and has been around now for a few days. This one is a bit shy at the moment, I wonder if it is a youngster, it is a bit pale in its colouring. It may have had a tough spring and have lost confidence in itself, it can happen.
We have been hearing quite a bit of the turtle doves during the week although only fleetingly seen.
House martins loving this weather and feeding all around the house and nursery, still calling in at the yard puddle for building materials although we are now having to keep it wet artificially.
Just look up to see the house martins wheeling and the turbines turning to lift the heart.
Have a good week, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries
Monday 1 July 2013
Morning all,
Luckily we had a slight lull in sales this week after a rather damp blustery weekend. We had our big van off the road getting ready for its MOT and of course when you are down to one van plus the emergency farm van as back up everything always goes smoothly. Had to get two new tyres on our little comedy van which held up the start of the week a bit, then within an hour of getting back on the road the windscreen got hit by a stone and developed a crack. We then discovered that we were losing access to the farm van on Thursday as its MOT was due. Fun-juggling all the way. Anyway we managed to get it all sorted out in the end so no worries.
I made use of the quieter week by visiting the National Plant Show at Stoneleigh on Wednesday for the first time. We used to show at Woking and GAN but since they both stopped we have hidden ourselves away and not shouted much about what we are up to. Apparently one is supposed to try harder than this to promote your products but I wouldn’t want to appear rude by imposing myself on anyone! Anyway I had a great day out. It was quite quiet with a fairly thin crowd of visitors, apparently Tuesday was much busier, but it did allow time to have a chat with lots of people I knew and I managed to drum up a few more micro-prop sales, as well as getting some very positive input on the value of the show. We stirred up a few old memories after a couple of encounters with old college counterparts despite one of them not recognising me. The penny dropped when I reminded him that I had peroxide hair at the time rather than the wrinkly silver fox look of present. It always surprises me how badly some places can make a cup of tea, a simple pleasure easily fulfilled unless you are at a big show venue apparently. On taking
advice, the onsite farm shop did a good sandwich so I didn’t miss out too much. The mood was generally good although all the growers I spoke to were dreading looking closely at the overall figures for the season despite the revival of the last few weeks. I dropped in to a friend’s nursery on the way home to find plans of severe downsizing and redundancy meetings already underway, a scenario that I suspect will be repeated in many nurseries over the next few months. Downsizing isn’t the end of the world though, a tightly run less speculative business can do really well, keeping wastage low and costs down and reducing risks and stress levels. Sounds quite attractive really.
To top off a great day I got to listen and sing along to Marcus Bonfanti’s new cd ‘Shake The Walls’ for 4 hours at full volume.
Saw him on Monday night, brilliant stuff in a tiny venue. Bit deaf on Tuesday and a sore throat on Thursday. He was so good we are thinking of driving to Bristol to see him again next week. Caroline very smitten, got just about everything signed including a second copy of the cd (this apparently makes the cd twice as good).
Availability
Exotic Oxalis is up and in bud. Purple foliage and pale pink flowers of O. triangularis are stunning.
Another dark leafed vision is Geranium Black Beauty with bud and blue flowers showing.
Campanula carpatica short and chunky with masses of buds coming. Available in blue or white.
Platycodon varieties are just showing their first buds. Those balloon flowers are just awesome.
Just a few of our fantastic Salvia’s left, all very well budded and showing great colour.
Echinacea has sold really strongly this year. We still have a few left and they are now producing buds on strong stems. Both the White Swan and Magus (magenta/purple) are looking good but the stock won’t be here for long.
Summer must be here as most of the Hemerocallis are showing bud with some colour on the ever-flowering Stella de Oro.
Just a few left of the dark flowering Verbascum Cherry Helen and the Pink Petticoats.
Plenty of bud showing on the deliciously scented Garden Pinks Dianthus.
The bright tiny scrambling flowers of Dianthus Brilliancy and Flashing Light are now shouting.
Very strong Tradescantia plants in many colours with bud and flower colour in abundance.
The ever popular Geums have plenty of bud and colour coming now.
We have our best Japanese Anemones ever at the moment, stonkingly bushy plants. Hadspen Abundance are showing signs of flowering already and looking great.
The Hostas are very chunky and yummy this year too, get them before the slugs do!
Carex Evergold and Ice Dance both look fantastic.
Nature notes
Still have the turtle doves here although the competition with the pigeons and collared doves must be stiff.
14 occupied house martin nests with a couple spare empty one too.
Have a good week, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries
Luckily we had a slight lull in sales this week after a rather damp blustery weekend. We had our big van off the road getting ready for its MOT and of course when you are down to one van plus the emergency farm van as back up everything always goes smoothly. Had to get two new tyres on our little comedy van which held up the start of the week a bit, then within an hour of getting back on the road the windscreen got hit by a stone and developed a crack. We then discovered that we were losing access to the farm van on Thursday as its MOT was due. Fun-juggling all the way. Anyway we managed to get it all sorted out in the end so no worries.
I made use of the quieter week by visiting the National Plant Show at Stoneleigh on Wednesday for the first time. We used to show at Woking and GAN but since they both stopped we have hidden ourselves away and not shouted much about what we are up to. Apparently one is supposed to try harder than this to promote your products but I wouldn’t want to appear rude by imposing myself on anyone! Anyway I had a great day out. It was quite quiet with a fairly thin crowd of visitors, apparently Tuesday was much busier, but it did allow time to have a chat with lots of people I knew and I managed to drum up a few more micro-prop sales, as well as getting some very positive input on the value of the show. We stirred up a few old memories after a couple of encounters with old college counterparts despite one of them not recognising me. The penny dropped when I reminded him that I had peroxide hair at the time rather than the wrinkly silver fox look of present. It always surprises me how badly some places can make a cup of tea, a simple pleasure easily fulfilled unless you are at a big show venue apparently. On taking
advice, the onsite farm shop did a good sandwich so I didn’t miss out too much. The mood was generally good although all the growers I spoke to were dreading looking closely at the overall figures for the season despite the revival of the last few weeks. I dropped in to a friend’s nursery on the way home to find plans of severe downsizing and redundancy meetings already underway, a scenario that I suspect will be repeated in many nurseries over the next few months. Downsizing isn’t the end of the world though, a tightly run less speculative business can do really well, keeping wastage low and costs down and reducing risks and stress levels. Sounds quite attractive really.
To top off a great day I got to listen and sing along to Marcus Bonfanti’s new cd ‘Shake The Walls’ for 4 hours at full volume.
Saw him on Monday night, brilliant stuff in a tiny venue. Bit deaf on Tuesday and a sore throat on Thursday. He was so good we are thinking of driving to Bristol to see him again next week. Caroline very smitten, got just about everything signed including a second copy of the cd (this apparently makes the cd twice as good).
Availability
Exotic Oxalis is up and in bud. Purple foliage and pale pink flowers of O. triangularis are stunning.
Another dark leafed vision is Geranium Black Beauty with bud and blue flowers showing.
Campanula carpatica short and chunky with masses of buds coming. Available in blue or white.
Platycodon varieties are just showing their first buds. Those balloon flowers are just awesome.
Just a few of our fantastic Salvia’s left, all very well budded and showing great colour.
Echinacea has sold really strongly this year. We still have a few left and they are now producing buds on strong stems. Both the White Swan and Magus (magenta/purple) are looking good but the stock won’t be here for long.
Summer must be here as most of the Hemerocallis are showing bud with some colour on the ever-flowering Stella de Oro.
Just a few left of the dark flowering Verbascum Cherry Helen and the Pink Petticoats.
Plenty of bud showing on the deliciously scented Garden Pinks Dianthus.
The bright tiny scrambling flowers of Dianthus Brilliancy and Flashing Light are now shouting.
Very strong Tradescantia plants in many colours with bud and flower colour in abundance.
The ever popular Geums have plenty of bud and colour coming now.
We have our best Japanese Anemones ever at the moment, stonkingly bushy plants. Hadspen Abundance are showing signs of flowering already and looking great.
The Hostas are very chunky and yummy this year too, get them before the slugs do!
Carex Evergold and Ice Dance both look fantastic.
Nature notes
Still have the turtle doves here although the competition with the pigeons and collared doves must be stiff.
14 occupied house martin nests with a couple spare empty one too.
Have a good week, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries
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