It’s hot and muggy down here, really difficult to keep going, quite fancy a nap. Plant sales are bowling along which is great although it has delayed the start of the potting slightly. Spent yesterday afternoon and evening dismantling the potting machine take-off conveyor to try and find the source of a very loud squeak which has been driving the potters bonkers for months. Liberal quantities of grease and oil would seem to subdue the racket for a minute or two but then it returned. After several failed ‘solutions’ and feeling very ineffective I ended up releasing the entire belt to get the end rollers out and dismantled where I found the problem. A worn, dry and dirty central shaft. I replaced this worst one with one from an old conveyor all clean and greased up, and tidied up the other one at the other end, just in case. So an exciting surprise for everyone next week, a quiet potting machine, what a relief that will be. Nursery life doesn’t get much more exciting that that!
Having said that, we have received fab samples of the new skewer we have had made to thread into our new labels for next season as well as new samples of the labels themselves. (I am happy for you to share this excitement, see below)
That’s much more excitement than I can really cope with in one go, I’m off for a lie down.
Availability
Summer is on its way with the first buds appearing on all the Crocosmia’s. It seems early but many of the Asters are showing buds and to occasional open flower, a great range of colours.
The feathery foliage of Coreopsis Zagreb is also now supporting bright yellow colour. Bud and strong fresh growth on the Anemones, looking good. The shorter Verbena bonariensis Lollipop are strong, shooty, and showing bud and colour. Bushy V. bonariensis are also showing bud. Leucanthemum Broadway Lights are showing their first signs of flowering, large pretty pale yellow blooms and lots of bud on nice strong stocky plants.
Ajuga Black Scallop is also new on our list this year with really very dark tight foliage, a stunner. The variegated Burgundy Glow is looking great too.
The Lobelia Fan range are so strong and bushy they could burst and flower spikes are thrusting too , but not many left now. Beautiful pale yellow flowers of the Eucomis autumnalis are opening, short and chunky a really eye catcher but only a few left. A few new addition for this summer is a range of hardy fuchsia’s which are wonderfully bushy and flowering nicely now.
We have a great range of good looking chunky Agapanthus we are producing for the first time this summer. Summer Penstemons growing well and looking verdant with numerous buds appearing.
Lots of Hemerocallis varieties are colouring up as summer approaches. Dianthus Gran’s Favourite and Hayter White are also strongly in bud.
Achillea Desert Eve series are just producing their first buds again but just a few left. Also a nice short bushy batch of The Pearl with its little white button flowers is reaching perfection.
Wildlife
Not had any room in recent weeks to report on latest news. Tiny frogs and newts have started leaving the ponds and spreading out over the nursery. Looks like a good batch this summer with still loads left in the main pond and plenty being seen in the tunnels. I have moved a few in by hand where they miss the doors and get stuck between the tunnels, but I can’t think it will really make much difference. Perhaps we should be thinking about frog-flaps down the tunnel sides! Maybe a few holes might be easier.
Counted 20 house martins feeding above the house yesterday evening, so assuming I might have missed a few we should have another good summer, I must take a moment to survey all the nests on the house to see how many look occupied. I suspect babies are on the way but I haven’t heard any shouting yet. At the end of last summer we witnessed a mass swarming of families in the yard as they prepared to fly off for the winter, there were 80+ birds, perching and diving about it was a riot, very lucky to see them as in a hour or two they were off. There are advantages to being here for so many hours a week!
Chickens have been on a go slow for 6 months now, 1 or 2 eggs a day is not a viable output for 8 birds. Tried hanging up a pack of Paxo but it hasn’t helped.
Have a good one, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries
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