Tuesday 24 June 2014

Good morning all.

Apologies for a slightly late list this week. A few challenges his weekend after a back twinge or two ended up with me left in casualty this morning, feeling a bit fraudulent, tired and sore. Disturbing all those busy people with such a silly compliant was a bit embarrassing but I was in a bit of trouble. Anyway to cut a long story short, they were sympathetic and brilliant and now I’m back here and nearly vertical again. My back still hurts but after a good dose of diazepam I don’t care! I may be a bit flippant this week, so apologies now, especially for anyone I meet at the National Plant Show on Tuesday and Wednesday. I have to blame it on the drugs.
The stand for the show is luckily all sorted and should look ok I think, catalogues knitted and some samples of the new 2015 labels ready to show. The bamboo skewers are not quite right, I’ve got some of the right length and some the right shape but the sample proper new design doesn’t get here for a bit. It will still give a good idea what we are up to. I will post some images as soon as I get a minute in case you don’t make it to Stoneleigh (or I don’t).
Hopefully the world cup isn’t affecting trade too much. I did hear a reporter saying how the England players couldn’t afford to lose against Uruguay and I did worry that they may become destitute if the result went the wrong way. Somehow I think they will be ok. Otherwise I have seen some great matches with unusually some very sporting behaviour. Love the new high tech improvements, goal line camera technology and especially the shaving foam lines the referees are using. Sometimes the simple ideas are the best.

Availability
Verbascum Primrose Path, a stunning short yellow variety, has just started to show flower stems, a great plant.
A few new additions for this summer are a range of hardy fuchsia’s which are wonderfully bushy and budding up nicely now and there are a couple of new dahlia’s who’s dark foliage and bushy habit look great, flowering just around t he corner. There is also a small range of Agapanthus we are producing which are now showing strong growth.
Astilbe varieties are now showing beautiful colour, looking fresh bushy, feathery & vigorous, at the top of their game. Coreopsis Sunray and Corey Yellow have plenty of bud nestling in fresh green foliage. The feathery foliage of Zagreb is also now supporting early buds.
Summer Penstemons growing well and looking verdant. Lots of Hemerocallis varieties are just beginning to bud up as summer approaches. The shorter Verbena bonariensis Lollipop are strong, shooty, and showing bud. Bushy V. bonariensis are also available again. New Leucanthemum varieties to us (Lacrosse and Banana Creme) are showing their first signs of flowering, as are the pretty pale yellow Broadway Lights and white Snowcap.The traditional Dianthus, the garden pinks, are also in bud, the new ‘Scent First’ (SF) series are compact and as the name suggests fantastically scented with some lovely colour combinations. Some of the slightly larger classic varieties Doris and Hayter White are also strongly in bud.
Catananche are coming into strong bud now, their delightful papery blue flowers just a moment away, although selling through fast. We have a batch of the pretty white form as well this year which are also in bud. Just a few left now.
The more unusual Oxalis triangularis are up and displaying their vibrant purple foliage with the f irst pink flower buds appearing and now the red buds of Iron Cross are poking through its two tone foliage too.
Another unusual plant is Limonium (Sea Lavender) is throwing up its subtle flower shoots above its rosettes of flat leaves.
Summer campanula’s are in bud (carpatica blue, white and posharskyana). Lythrums now starting to show colour on strong stems, although not many left. Achillea Cerise Queen and Summer Pastels with plenty of bud and some colour. A new batch of the compact Desert Eve series are just producing their first buds again.

Edibles
We are having a play with a couple of new strawberry lines to us, Toscana (very dark pink flowers) and Roman (pretty pale pink and now a few very tasty fruit), both have long flowering and fruiting seasons. Quality control in despatch means any ripe fruit is taken care of to prevent red juice contamination of the van!

Have a good one from all at Kirton Farm

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