Warm and Hairy

Morning all,
A feeling of control is beginning to come back onto the nursery as end of the mad potting season comes within sight. One more day of spring flowering bulbs to pot up, then the last batch of Erysimums to see off and we can nearly relax. We have even started to make a dent in the backlog of other jobs that have been hanging around for a while. The prop house is close to readiness to fulfil its valuable winter work, the inside of the cover is clean so that we can make the most of the available light, some of the grow-lights lights are programmed to add a few hours to the day-length and the heating system is halfway through its pre-winter servicing and repairs. We have been struggling with heaters in the cooler end of the prop tunnel for a while, the fans that move the warm air across the area have been misbehaving and the under-floor heating pipes have been working on a manual valve for ages. It adds up to both an embarrassingly inefficient use of the heating oil and a risky strategy for keeping the plants free from damage in the cold if we don't keep on top of things. It is usually in the worst of the weather that these issues come to a head and you wish you had sorted it all out beforehand but the cost of getting in the climate control experts from far afield tends to put you off if you think you can cope. Anyway this week we got them in and quickly sorted out the broken relays in the computer system to control the heater fans. They are back next week to fit a new computer controlled valve to accurately control the under-floor heating too. What a relief it is to have it being dealt with and feel the heating is running as efficiently as it can and the plants are safe too, let's hope the bill is not too scary!
I took the time on Friday to pop over to our local recycling company (Ecogen) who have been in the horticultural press recently as they are potentially looking to recycle some of the plastic pots and materials that could be collected by garden centres and nurseries. I stopped by to book in our own delivery of card and plastic waste that we have accumulated over the year and catch up on the different sorts of material that we could send in. I thought it was a handy moment to ask how the pot recycling idea was panning out and from the conversation I had I'm not sure quite how effective / practical smaller scale pot recycling from individual sites is going to be. The economics of recycling are so tight that they need to be dealing with very large volumes to make it pay, collecting by the lorry load rather than by the pallet load, otherwise it just turns into a huge transport/logistics exercise costing lots of money which the waste producers are not often prepared to pay. Bigger sites or chains may have the volume, infrastructure and storage space to make it work but for many looking to this sort of solution there are going to be some disappointments. All the issues are still there that have caused the breakdown of previous pot recycling schemes, the direct financial material values involved are very low but the handling, storage and transport costs are high. Maybe the motivation to do something is a higher than before, but as soon as the costs hit home the financiers are not going to be happy. Then we have the pots suitable for kerbside collections to think about, again the finances hit home with many local authorities doing less with plastics than before or even nothing at all, due to a lack of desire or simply a lack of funding. Life is complicated and I can't say I know the answers, but it's going to need a commitment above and beyond the 'norm' to make a real difference. We are having a go at it, but it will take us all to push for real change if things are to improve.
A fun Green Impact audit last week, two young students to show round and hopefully impress. We await a report, but ever hopeful of getting to the top of the class. Never happened at school, but better late than never!
WOODEN BOX RETURNS
Thanks to everyone who has rustled together their boxes ready for return. We have a good number back here now, all cleaned and stacked to fully dry out, with loads of pallets already put away in the barn. We have been round 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
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.