Hairy High

Morning all,

A nice steady overcast weekend to settle everyone down after the excitement of the past week. Let’s hope a dose of strong healthy plant sales makes the ideal distraction from the exposure to the over stimulated media and politicians. We have had our heads down beavering away as usual, lots more sales and plenty of potting. Another release of predators this morning to keep those pests at bay and sprays to a minimum. Still waiting for the early April wooden tray delivery, we had a few arrive last week which will see us through a few more days and hopefully the rest will pitch up soon. Lots of emergency tray repairs going on to plug the gap a job we usually save for the winter months but needs must.
Exciting news this morning when I heard that one of my college friends has just been nominated as one of the three finalists in the Guardian Small Business Leader of the Year. Neil Grant runs a brilliant Garden Centre in Sheffield and his innovative ways have won him plenty of admirers. I have done my voting in support, why not add yours for a fellow horticultural enthusiast and promote the industry image; http://gu.com/p/486mb
Two visitors for the bank holiday weekend, one ended up passing away and is now under the floorboards creating a terrible smell. Can’t get to the source, we’ll just have to sit it out, we hope it has peaked now and we can ask people in the house again. For any relatives reading this Mum did make it home and she is fine.

Availability
Fabulous crops of Gallery Lupins and Delpiniums will be on stream for the next couple of weeks. Chunky and fresh full of vim and vigour. Get them while you can. Hollyhocks (Alcea) are strong and bushy, ideal condition to sell and plant before they shoot for the stars. Incarvillea has suddenly leapt out of the compost and started producing flower shoots. Exotic in appearance and a bold show. Geum’s are approaching flowering, Lady Stratheden already has bright yellow flowers about to burst on strong stems.
Papaver Garden Gnome looking fresh and vigorous with their first plump buds appearing among the leaves. Astilble varieties all coming into bud now, looking fresh. We have a lot more Achillea varieties this year, there are signs of flower shoots on many and buds on the very dwarf Dessert Eve varieties. The DE Rose form is a new one to us and I must admit I wasn’t expecting too much as ‘Rose’ as a colour description can often be a bit of a dull pinky purple but this is a really attractive two tone flecked deep pink and white petals. Naturally I haven’t got many, more of that one next year I think.
Coreopsis Sunfire puts on a great summer show and we have lovely bushy plants with the first buds nestling in the tops.The Gaillardia range is producing its first few buds with masses to follow. I love the Peach and yellow ones myself but the bolder Arizona Red and bicolour Arizona Sun put on a great show too.
All three of the Campanula glomerata varieties are in bud with the odd bit of colour showing.
Striking yellow foliage of Tradescatia Blue and Gold contrasts well with their blue flowers (now coming into bud). Probably one of the reddest flowers in the garden, Lychnis chalcedonica has shot up and its buds are appearing. Very strong plants of Bupthalmum are about to show its lovely yellow flowers, a great garden performer.
Last year we grew the popular Erigeron karvinskianus for the first time and sold out in a week. This year’s batch has just come on stream with buds already showing, don’t miss it. Other Erigeron are approaching flowering. The Sea Breeze varieties have a few buds with masses to follow.
Delightful little flowers of Erodium’s are showing well with months of colour to follow. The odd open flower is now appearing among the foliage of the Geranium nodosum. Salvia’s East Freisland, Sensation Blue and Sensation Rose are showing strong bud and the odd flash of colour. Hostas are showing strong shoots with fresh verdant leaf growth. The Pyrethrum (Tanacetum) varieties are in bud although not many left now. The Phlox Flame varieties are showing really strong bushy growth.
Herbs are coming along nicely as the range begins to grow. A few weeks to go before the Basils appear, just not warm enough yet.

Have a good one, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries