Hairy Beards

Morning all,
Well that was a big week. An interesting weekend of reflection and contemplation to come and a lot of ‘wait and see’ to follow. Friday night highlight for us was Glastonbury getting started, beer out and rain falling and us in the comfort of a cosy kitchen jigging about to ZZ Top just metres from a shower and a clean loo. That’s how to do the festivals. Scary how ancient old rockers get especially when I think how little I’ve changed since the early 80’s. I just love the driving energy you can create from a guitar, bass and drums, we were ready to take on the world after that, well after an Ovaltine and a good kip anyway.
We are starting to collect back a few extra wooden boxes now as things slow up a little bit, so if you have any excess do let us know and we will pop in when next in the area. If you are a bit further afield then please feel free to pallet up a collection and we can get a pallet carrier to pop in and clear them away. We can then get them cleaned, repaired and start storing a few away ready for next spring.
Next spring’s young plant material has already started to arrive which is a bit of an eye opener as to how quickly the months are slipping by. I can’t believe we ever took time off in the summer, there is just so much to do, plan and look after. As well as the hairy pot plant season getting longer, the micropropagation lab is extending its productive season as we battle to increase output to cover big labour cost increases. Let’s hope it all comes together in the end.

Availability highlights
We have some stonking Lobelia Salmon with their buds beginning to form at the top of their colourful stems. I have seen the odd flower head forming in the Eucomis. Short stocky pale yellow and exotic flower spikes.
We have very few Leucanthemum varieties left other than a lovely crop of the pale yellow compact Banana Creme but they won’t hang around long. Just spotted the first buds in our crop of white Platycodon Astra. A dwarf Balloon flower, it’s a beauty. Liatris spicata producing it’s flower spikes now and flying out, just a few left now. Veronica Inspire Blue has suddenly produced a flush of flower spikes with the odd flash of blue peaking through, The dwarf Eryngium Blue Hobbit now has its short strong thistly flower heads appearing. This year’s hardy Fuchsia’s are wonderfully bushy plants and showing their first of many flower buds now. The super compact Monarda Balmy Purple and Balmy Pink are budding up and about to do their thing. Lovely plants but not as someone suggested named after the nursery owner. Just a handful left of the dwarf pretty blue Polemonium Bambino Blue, colouring up now don’t miss out.
We have a fresh crop of very short and bushy Coreopsis Moonshine and Zagreb and the first buds have now appeared. Golden orange flowers just beginning to open in a fresh batch of chunky Bupthalmum now looking very summery. Many of the Echinacea varieties are starting to produce their upright flower stem, no colour yet but it won’t be long. Strong purple foliage of Oxalis triangularis contrasts fantastically with delicate pale pink flowers which are just beginning to appear. Iron Cross with its dramatic darkly marked green leaves are now showing their first of many deep pink blooms. Our Dianthus are now all in bud with first flowers opening, looking neat, a great range of these garden pinks to pick from. Strong and compact Delpinium Delfix Blue is now in bud and showing colour. Two of our most popular lines this season are back on stream and in bud. Erigeron karvinskianus are still in tight bud so a week or two from full colour but strong and bushy and Salvia Hot Lips are there with bud and the odd flash of colour. The Gaillardia varieties are producing masses of bud now, a blaze of colour to come.
It must be summer, the Hemerocallis varieties are now producing their first flower shoots. We have some very strong Anemone japonica varieties already producing signs of flower shoots, they must think it’s summer. Seranade and September Charm looking particularly good. Bright gold foliage contrasts nicely with the deep blue flowers of Tradescantia Blue and Gold making it a popular choice. The pretty little Foam Flower (Tiarella) are producing plenty of bud and flower now. They flower for an age. The Astilbes are showing strong fresh growth and showing good colour. Top tip; Take care to water regularly avoiding full sun and drying winds to prevent the buds drying out. In bud are the three colours of Fanal (deep red), Deutschland (white) and Europa (strong pink).
Have a good one, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries