Hairy Judgement

Morning all,

Another holiday weekend, loads of time to put our feet up and take a breather. Just a container load of pots to get filled, the boxes to clean and tunnels to prepare then we’ll take a break. Mum is here for the weekend which is great, I was wondering how we were going to get those seedlings pricked out!
The week shot by, even with five days in it. The container of pots arrived at last, together with more plants to pot, a lovely plug and play storage tank was delivered and installed and the judges came round for the Winchester Green Business awards. All that on top of a hectic week sending out loads of plants and juggling the van lottery. Our older little van spent all week in the garage as they tried to get the engine management system to play ball after fitting a very expensive bit to the exhaust system. It seems to be running great now but I have asked them to put a note on the invoice envelope to make sure we are sitting down before we open it. It has to go back on Thursday for a final computer debrief after a few runs out and hopefully that will be it for a while. Meanwhile we are really pleased with the new van, mpg is good, the payload is much bigger and it is really comfy to drive. The new mod cons like the reversing camera are great for improving safety and driver confidence and the adjustable air suspension helps reduce the loading effort on the ramp. It’s always nice to feel like you are progressing when you make a new purchase.
The green award judging went really well although there was just too much to show them in the time we had. Everything from big things like the products we supply, the LED lights in the growth room and the wind turbines to the little things like the cupboard in the new mess room made out of the scrap wood left from building it and the subtle design changes we made to the bamboo labels skewers to make them work for us. There was a heap of things I forgot to mention which you always remember as they drive out of the gate but hopefully we made the right impression. We’ll find out in a few weeks.

Availability highlights
Growth is bursting forth despite the nip in the air this past week, so just hoping we don’t run out! A fresh batch of Achillea Paprika is now in bud and looking good, a hot plant. We have a nice range of Campanula rushing into bud but selling fast. Both the C. glomerata types are showing colour (superba and alba).
The ever popular Geum Lady Stratheden and Mrs Bradshaw are flushing into growth nicely, and have flower buds too. The blue Geranium coming into bud at the moment is a nice batch of Geranium magnificum.
Still a few Primula japonica Apple Blossom and Alba coming into flower if you are quick. The next candelabra primula types into flower will be Primula x bullesiana and Primula bessiana which are both showing their early bud stage at the moment and the occasion flash of colour.The ever popular Erysimum Bowles Mauve are showing bud and colour. A real long term performer with flowers all summer long. Fresh young stock of the other varieties looking good too (in bud).
Subtle white flowers with a blue flush are opening on the Symphytum Wisley Blue, lovely strong plants. A mass of foliage and buds all appear in a rush with many of the Astilbes, early tight bud is visible now.
Camassia Maybelle are showing strong buds. Blue flowers, strong and upright and often with multiple flower stems. The Rudbeckia Goldsturm is looking great, very strong bushy plants, always a very popular plant.
We gambled on a bigger range and quantity of Echinacea this year and they look great and are luckily selling well, We have good stocks of strong plants of this increasingly popular border plant. The newer more compact varieties are proving a great seller, although for me the taller varieties still have the edge on flower size and beauty. Plenty of bud on show on the Ajuga Burgundy Glow and Sugar Plum but only a few left.
Thalictrum flower stems really do thrust up, eventually getting quite tall, producing delightful delicate flowers. In bud now. Spring must be here, the Hostas have all suddenly shot out of the compost. A lovely range and all showing off their wide variety of leaf designs.We have a few Erigeron Azure Beauty coming into bud and the very compact but big flowered Sea Breeze Mauve and Sea Breeze Pink are there too. The big selling E. karvenskianus will be ready in a couple of weeks. We have a variety called Wayne Roderick on trial this spring but it is much bigger leaved and flowered than the more traditionally flowering Stallone so we will see how that one goes. The dwarf Veronica Inspire Blue are budding up well now.
Many of the Leucanthemum are either in bud already or close to it. Lovely strong plants and very popular. Have a good week from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries.