Hairy Cider Sampling

Good morning all.

Very busy week, for a change. Lots of orders and young plants starting to arrive for next year’s output. In the back of my mind I always imagine a short break between this year’s sales and next year’s production when we can pause for breath. Unfortunately that gap doesn’t actually exist and we don’t really get a relaxing break in activity until the potting is more or less finished in September. Not complaining really, a good run in sales is always very welcome.

The ongoing label design is progressing nicely so we should have some test samples at the National Plant Show in a couple of weeks. As this will be our first trade show for a few years I was determined to be well organised and put aside last Sunday as my catalogue production day. All the computer preparation and updating was done and card, paper and string in stock, just the printing and weaving to do! Having got all the chores out of the way early I was relaxed and ready to roll. Print the first page and the printer stops. Spent a couple of hours trying to trick it into starting up again (the spare isn’t able to do double sided printing so was no use) without success. Sadly a relaxing Sunday turned into something else and my trust in all things IT evaporated again. I ordered the replacement consumables which came on Tuesday, meanwhile on Monday the printer started up again for Caroline’s computer followed by mine later in the day! Anyway most of the printing is now done so a bit of a relief there. Bit nervous about going to a new show, not quite sure what to expect and it’s a long way from home, especially after I’ve been confined here for so long.

I am actually getting to escape this afternoon for a 25th anniversary party at an old friend’s orchard. Home brew cider, live music and a hog roast as well as lots of happy faces, can’t wait. Good job there are no important football games on tonight. Back for Caroline’s dads Fathers Day lunch on Sunday should be a relaxing recovery day should any excesses occur the night before! See, there is more to life than playing with plants.

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 the 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 and 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.
Lots of Hemerocallis varieties are just beginning to bud up as summer approaches.
The shorter Verbena bonariensis Lollipop are strong and shooty, and showing bud. V. bonariensis 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.
The more unusual Oxalis triangularis are up and displaying their vibrant purple foliage with the first 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 strong flower shoots above its rosettes of flat leaves.
Platycodon Blue is very strong this year with first buds appearing. A great, deep blue stunner. 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. Edibles
We are having a play with a couple of new strawberry lines to us, Toscana and Roman, both with strongly coloured red/pink flowers and long flowering and fruiting seasons. They are just starting to flower and fruit now and looking great. Tuck in.
Have a good one, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries