What a great autumn we are having down here. Striking winter foliage colour and some glorious sunny days to appreciate all that splendour. Perhaps it's partly the release of pressure with more relaxed sales volumes and the end of potting nigh, but feeling pretty jolly. A few of those long standing maintenance tasks got completed last week with the prop house heating system all up and running again thanks to the help of an expert engineer from Tom Tech , the boiler chimney got refitted into the roof by us, so it doesn't leak water into and heat out of the tunnel anymore and a several old and poorly external taps were replaced with more frost resistant and less leaky versions in preparation for the coming cooler months. We loaded the big van to the roof with our waste plastic collected over the year to drop into Ecogen next week and the pallets of card are ready for a second follow-on trip. Just in time to make enough space in the barn for the next container of pots which arrived on Thursday, all ready for the early spring potting. All very satisfying to get completed, albeit a tad costly.
I had a slog at my huge and complex label and stock spreadsheets this week to try and pin down our label requirements for the coming season. Floramedia who make our colour pot labels, are keen to get stuck into our next project so that the stock can be ready for the start of next year. The colour pot labels are the last main component of our perennial plant sales package that uses plastic, but from next season we are going to start replacing these with a waterproofed card label, a material called B500. If the label was being inserted into the compost itself it would have a fairly short shelf life because water can ingress along the label edge when held in long term damp conditions, but by using our bamboo skewer mounted design the label is held just above the compost rather than in it, so the ingress is much slower. We are helping pay for a new label cutter, needed to subtly adjust the position of the slots in the new label, so that the label retains its integrity for as long as possible. You shouldn't notice any real difference with the new label, the overall look will be very similar, although if you are unlucky enough to hold a bit of stock for a very long time we may need to replace the odd label if there is too much deterioration. There is always an element of risk on being the first to do anything and it seems additional costs, but it feels like the right thing to do and without some element of risk life might get a bit dull!
Sorry to have to repeat this message but our cordless phones are still misbehaving so if you don't get through to us directly on the phone please do leave a message or drop us an email. We are ever hopeful of a solution as we await another phone engineer visit.
WOODEN BOX RETURNS
Thanks to everyone who has rustled together their boxes ready for return. We have a really good number back here now, all cleaned and stacked to fully dry out, with loads of pallets already tucked away in the barn. We have visited most sites now and our van trips have dropped away, so we won't be coming by quite as often, however please do keep in touch and let us know if you have a batch to go and we will try and get round to you at some point.
Availability highlights
Helleborus orientalis in a variety of colours are now well under way, for that winter interest and early exotic colour. Stonking bushy plants which are from a strain (Crown series) that has a high percentage of first season flowering. I hardly dare mention it, but there are a few odd plants threatening to flower already. I haven't put them on the list as being in bud as there aren't
that many yet.
Viola Konigin Charlotte traditionally flowers in the spring with its deep violet colour and stunning scent, but we find it does produce a pretty smattering in the autumn too. Looking and smelling great.
The late summer flowering Anemones are still looking good in many gardens if not too battered by the recent winds, and we have some looking strong. Compact and chunky Leucathemum Banana Creme with lovely bud showing and the odd splash of delightful pale yellow. We have a fresh patch of Achillea Moonshine in bud on short stems with its attractive, silver leaves.
Many of the Asters are still in bud or flower. The massively popular Erigeron karvinskianus Stallone is still sprouting plenty of flower buds, full of promise and dainty colours. If the weather is not too harsh we have had these still flowering at Christmas before now.
Foliage starts to be of interest at this time of year and there are some good shows of colour from the Brunnera variegata, Carex Evergold, Ajuga, Heuchera, Lamium and Euphorbia.
Have a good week from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries.
No comments:
Post a Comment