Hairy Hurry

Morning all,
Another hectic week behind us and looks like another ahead. May hay and all that.
Not enough hours in the day today so a very brief resume of the week. Busy, nicely damp, turbines went round a bit. Definite decision made that despite my loud protests the trousers have to go, apparently despite what I glimpsed on the Manchester fund raising gig last weekend, I have passed the age when a flash of underwear through rips in the fabric is considered fashionable. I must admit it was a bit draughty this week. Now I just need a moment to get to town.
A revival dance tonight with a band called The Ordinary Joes. Not seen them before but could be a tiring night. They would have to go some to beat the Ben Waters Big Band who we saw last night. Can you believe it, they stopped us dancing, health and safety gone mad, but it has saved a bit more energy for tonight. Leaving in ten, just time to send this and shower. Have a good one.

Availability highlights
Buds are appearing on many of the very popular Sage Hot Lips which is back on the list for the summer, while stocks last. Don’t forget that this variety does produce pure red and pure white flowers on occasions but the ‘proper’ red and white lippy ones will prevail throughout most of the summer.
The gold leaved Tradescantia Blue and Gold is in bud and flower. A standout plant if ever I saw one.
The ever popular Dianthus Doris showing their first buds. The scented compact range (Scent First (SF)) are also coming into their own. We have also extended the range this summer to broaden the colour palette.
Fresh batches of Salvia nemerosa in a range of colours are now back on stream with plenty of bud showing.
Most Echinacea are now in bud and selling really well, We still have good stocks of strong plants of this increasingly popular border plant. We have some nice batches of Erigeron karvinskianus Stallone in bud and ready to fly out.
Fresh batches of the Digitalis Dalmation range are ready to roll. Just showing their flower shoots extending up. Exotic Oxalis are both in bud now. The purple foliaged triangularis has delightful contrasting pale pink flowers, while the Iron Cross looks quite different with its greener dark spotted leaves and deep pink/red flowers. Summer has arrived, in case you hadn’t noticed, with bud rushing up in the Hemerocallis varieties. Loads of Leucanthemum in bud now. The Polemoniums are coming into colour now, the compact upright Bambino Blue looks particularly neat. Rhodanthemum is deservedly proving very popular. Low growing silver foliage with pretty flowers all summer long. Coreopsis Illico, a really compact form with masses of sunshine yellow blooms over a long period. Loads of bud already and the odd flash of colour. Sunray and Sunfire are back this week too.
We have a fresh batch of Phlox available with some monster bushy plants in the new Sweet Summer range of colours. Don’t hang about with these we don’t have huge numbers available this year. A fantastic range of foliage sizes and colours in our Hosta range, all showing off well. To see the colours check out the hosta pages in our flip book catalogue.
Astilbe Fanal (red) and Ellie (White) are still looking good, buds beginning to colour nicely. The compact Eryngium Blue Hobbit is just about to do its thing with flower shoots erupting from the centre of the leaf rosettes. The variegated Eryngium varifolium is showing signs of flowering too. A pretty spiky flower stem but quite dramatic. Dinky Erodium varieties are back again, low growing and flowering for ages.
A mass of fresh foliage and buds all appear in a rush on the Astilbes, just two varieties left including the deep red Fanal. Fresh young stock of Erysimum Red Jep are looking good (in bud). The Rudbeckia Goldsturm is looking great, very strong bushy plants, always a really popular plant.
We have two Strawberry varieties which have coloured flowers now showing bud, Roman are pretty pink preceding delicious fruit and Toscana is a strong red.  There are just a few left of a fresh batch of the Foam Flower Tiarella wherryi, plenty of bud and flower.
Have a good week from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries.