Hot and Hairy

Morning all,

Phew, that was a hot one.
Had to apply some basic physics principles to the despatch tunnel this week to keep everyone on their feet. Despite doors, open net sides and shade all over the place we still had a significant heat build up but this week I finally bit the bullet and created two new ‘windows’ above the door height, as high as I could get them. Releasing the heat collecting under the roof just made such a huge difference, now I’m cross with myself that I hadn’t done it before.
Still lots of plants finding new homes which is great, fresh stock still coming on line to keep up the summer and autumn interest. We have a few new lines coming along very soon, some small hardy garden chrysanthemums which will be in bud and flower, new asters and more autumn/winter flowering cyclamen. Months of interest and sales to come!
We have started to clear out a few tunnels now, ready for fitting in next year’s stock. It’s great to see a cleaned up tunnel but it’s always quite difficult throwing away and composting the last few plants in a batch although if they look colourful and half decent they usually find their way to a local fete or good cause. Some plants will trim back and come again, bushier than ever but many are just better started afresh. Sods Law always dictates that as soon as I have made the decision to compost a batch a landscape order comes in wanting just that item, but if we are not careful we can end up with bits and pieces hanging about all over the place and when we are growing over 450 varieties it doesn’t take much of each to fill quite a few tunnels.
Cooler next week which is a big relief to me, I’m hopeless in the heat. Ok I know, not much good in the cold either.
Afternoon off now, so I can pop up to the ‘new’ wood at the top of our hill and collect seed heads from the wild primroses we planted there 15 years ago. Then a nice bit of evening sowing to get this crop going for next spring. I got fed up with the rather artificial looking ‘wild’ primroses we were getting delivered by various seedling suppliers.

Availability highlights
Fresh batches of Echinacea now coming on stream, plenty of bud coming on the Pow Wow varieties, Cheyenne Spirit and Prairie Splendour. Flavour of the month it seems.
Lovely compact plants of Verbena Lollipop now showing colour. Our taller variety V. bonariensis is short and chunky at the moment, just too tall for us to flower in the pot but a stunner in the garden.
Eucomis autumnalis coming into bud now, a compact summer display of its delightful pale yellow columnar flower spikes.The summer flower stems of the Crocosmia are now emerging, pushed on by the high temperatures. Lucifer has the best scarlet colour making it the most popular although it does get very tall in the pot, Emberglow is tidier yet still impressive. Summer colour from the Lobelia Fan series already just showing. Burgundy is stonkingly bushy and a great colour.The pastel yellows and oranges of Kniphofia Flamenco are showing nicely but not many left.
Don’t miss out on a great fresh crop of Geranium Black Beauty, masses of bud coming and some blue flowers opening. The popular dwarf Eryngium Blue Hobbit is in bud now (isn’t there a film out again?)
The Garden Pinks (Dianthus) are beginning to bud up nicely with colour showing on many. Most of the varieties we grow have a delicious scent, classic cottage garden flowers. Still plenty of fresh Erigeron karvinskianus shooting all over the place with masses of bud and flower.
Delightful Catananche looking lush with flower stems and buds appearing on both colours. Very attractive plants and very popular when buds and flower are showing. Sold very quickly last year so took a gamble on extra this year, don’t miss out. The short Campanulas are in bud, a real taste of summer (carpatica blue, white and posharskyana)
The hardy Fuchsias are just beginning to produce their seemingly endless supply of bud and flower.
Summer sunshine in a pot, Coreopsis are looking brilliant, colour on the Sunfire and plenty of bud on the feathery leaved golden flowered Zagreb and the lovely pale yellow Moonshine. Just a few Sunray left but with masses of bud. Stunning amounts of bud and flower on both Oxalis varieties, great pot fulls.
Just coming into bud and flower are our great range of Leucanthemums. Snow Lady and Lacrosse have flowers now open. All stonkingly bushy plants, Banana Creme has masses of bud, very attractive large daisy flowers of varying shades of cream/pale yellow. Last few plants of the pale yellow Real Dream left to whoever is quickest. Our Daylily range is throwing up its flower shoots now. The dwarf dark red, Pardon Me looks fab.
Have a good one, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries