Hysterically Hairy

Hi,
High excitement (I don't get out much) our small van is back on the road after nearly 4 weeks off, perhaps if I had a breakdown I could get 4 weeks off too. Came quite close this week when I had a fit of slightly hysterical giggles when everything went a bit nuts, but pulled it together in the end and got my glum face fixed back on.
That was a very busy week as we ran up to the bank holiday weekend, just the four day week to cope with after it and we should be back home and dry with some nice steady long weeks again.
Potting and clearing crews in again this morning and Monday to try and catch up a bit, and it always feels like we are getting somewhere, but time flies and before you know it the next week has flown by and we are back into 'catch up' mode again. Mustn't grumble, make hay while the sun shines and all that.
Must go and get on with finishing the last of the days potting and get them put down, the pricking out done this morning needs a home and Caroline still needs a birthday present, or at least a card so I might need a trip down to the petrol station too!

Availability highlights
Salvia Hot Lips is now in bud with colour very close to showing. The early flowers tend to be all red rather than red and white but don't worry they will return to the usual red and white combination soon. Occasionally they will produce a flush of all white flowers too, a novel characteristic of this very popular plant.
Tradescantia Blue and Gold is now showing it's blue flowers which contrast so sharply with the narrow yellow leaves. Summer must be here, although I believe that it is officially next week really, the Rhodanthemums are back on song and showing bud and the odd flower. Masses of flower all summer, these are proving really popular. Lovely batch of the classic Geum Lady Stratheden are ready to go. Buds are showing well.
The delicate looking foam flower (Tiarella wherryi) are in bud. Not as bold as some plants but puts on a delightful show. Dianthus Scent First varieties are back on line. Buds are thrusting through on all varieties. We have go to town on Scabiosa this season, Lots potted ready for summer flowering and a few ready now with their first buds appearing. The first batches of Butterfly Blue and Mariposa Blue are there now but please don't all rush in too soon, there will be more of a show later because these beauties keep flowering all summer.
We have a nice range of fresh Achillea on the list. The taller (proper!) varieties of Moonshine, Paprika and Terracotta make fab garden plants, very popular the bees and butterflies. They are fairly short at the moment so don't hang on too long before getting some in! I don't have a huge number in stock either. The ever popular Verbena bonariensis are available again along with the more compact forms Lollipop.
Although not in flower, the Hostas are up and looking smart. Not a lot left now but still looking good. We still have a few really strong Japanese Anemone for sale. Chunky over wintered plants raring to go. One of my favourites. Really strong Rudbeckia Goldsturm plants available now, a bit early for their flower stems yet, but can't be far away.
The various Echinacea varieties are selling well. They are now beginning to show signs of flower stem production with the odd bud on show. We also have a new compact form (Salvia Caradonna Compact) of the deep purple upright Salvia Caradonna which is a stunner in itself. The new variety has early bud showing and I'm looking forward to seeing how it performs.
The old favourite Erodium Bishops Form is back on the list again and already carrying plenty of bud on tidy plants. The white form is now available too with open flower and plenty of bud. We have a very smart batch of the short variegated grass Carex Evergold. We accidentally gave it a rather overzealous and very short haircut back in the early spring, but it has recovered beautifully with a fresh flush of clean strong growth. I'll try and remember that one for next year.
To those who have been asking our Erigeron karv. Stallone are close to being ready, a week or two should see a load on offer in bud and flower. Apologies for the delay but the cooler temperatures have held back growth a bit.
Have a great week from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries.

Hairy, um you know stuff

Hi,
Not quite summer yet, vest and fleece back on today, but not too nasty out there really. We could do with some rain down here, we seem to keep missing out on any passing precipitation. Looks like we might be lucky and catch a shower tonight but after that it looks pretty dry again for the coming week.
The last in a long line of bank holidays coming up so anticipating a busy week of getting those plant areas stocked up. All early orders greatly appreciated although if you get desperate for a later top up don't be afraid to ask, you may get lucky if we are in your direction and if the vans are still going. We will always try our best even with the best attempts of Peugeot to scupper us. Still waiting for parts to mend the van, that will be at least a month off the road luckily during a quiet time of year. Something to do with losing the part between changing factories or something. Anyway hopefully they will find the factory next week and we can have another go.
When I'm bowling along during the week I quite often think to myself, 'That would be a good note to add at the weekend' and inevitably by the time I get to the moment of putting all down on paper it's gone.  Can't make up my mind if I'm too tired, too old or there just isn't any room to remember anything anymore. Not to worry, if anything bad happened it has passed me by, a bit like our recent 35th anniversary. Must make up some lost ground and remember Caroline's birthday this time.
Nursery is still fantastically busy but a marginal increase in staffing levels has helped no end. An extra part time driver and a returning member of the team, who had been tempted away by larger concern, has really taken some of the panic out of this hectic time. I can't say we are ahead of ourselves just yet but it doesn't feel quite as scary as other springs have been. Looking forward to maybe taking a morning off to help with the shopping in perhaps a few weeks. Always good to have something to look forward to!

Availability highlights
Lovely batches of the classic Geum Lady Stratheden and Mrs Bradshaw are ready to go. Buds are well on their way, Dianthus Scent First varieties are back on line. Buds are thrusting through on most varieties. We have go to town on Scabiosa this season, Lots potted ready for summer flowering and a few ready now with their first buds appearing. The first batches of Butterfly Blue, Mariposa Blue and Pink Mist are there now but please don't all rush in too soon, there will be more of a show later because these beauties keep flowering all summer.
The ever popular Verbena bonariensis are available again along with the more compact forms Lollipop and rigida. The ever popular Erysimum Bowles Mauve are looking fabulous as we get well into spring. We are now into another later potted batch with the first flowers close to opening but not much colour showing at the moment just loads of promising buds. Although not in flower, the Hostas are up and looking smart. A fab range with the leaves showing off nicely. The short Achillea Milly Rock series are now showing signs of budding up.
We still have a few really strong Japanese Anemone for sale. Chunky over wintered plants raring to go. One of my favourites. Rudbeckia Goldsturm and the various Echinacea varieties are selling well. They are now beginning to show signs of flower stem production with the odd bud on show.
The next batches of the Salvia nemerosa Sensation series are coming on line with bud pushing through. A good range of colours which just keep coming. We also have a new compact form (Salvia Caradonna Compact (someone worked hard coming up with that name!)) of the deep purple upright Salvia Caradonna which is a stunner in itself. The new variety has early bud showing and I'm looking forward to seeing how it performs. Another new Salvia on the list this week is in bud too. Blue Marvel is fairly compact but carries quite striking larger blue flowers, I can see already that this is going to be a good one.
The old favourite Erodium Bishops Form is back on the list again and already carrying plenty of bud on tidy plants. The white form is now available too with the odd open flower. We have a very smart batch of the short variegated grass Carex Evergold. We accidentally gave it a rather overzealous and
very short haircut back in the early spring, but it has recovered beautifully with a fresh flush of clean strong growth. I'll try and remember that one for next year.
Have a great week from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries.

Too big and hairy

Hi,

Sorry, I'm getting later. These four day weeks with a full crew are taking their toll for those of us still here on the other days. I also have to get back out there and service the Saturday potting team so no time for all the exciting news, just a taster. Highlight of the week was Caroline's first sighting of the returning House Martins. Just the one, but a very close encounter. It was stuck in the larder down the side of the fridge. Perfectly ok, if a little startled. Caught it up and set it free. Flew round the house a few times and seems to have gone away now. Probably feeding itself up after a long trip, like you do, so hoping to see them back in numbers in a week or two. Here comes the summer.
Toss up on the low point, either the further delay on getting the Peugeot van back due to a parts delay, or the arrival of the next batch of wooden boxes which arrived just as we were about to run out of old stock. This sounds ok, until we discovered that they had changed the external size and three wouldn't fit on a shelf. Fab. Luckily we had some spare stock of thinner box sides for our box repair jobs, so we were able to knock off the new thicker sides and replace them with our own stock. Fun bit of extra work, good job we aren't busy. Next batch arrived on Friday the correct size so all sorted in the end. Hopefully we have enough now to see us through.

Availability highlights
Dianthus Scent First varieties are back on line. Buds are thrusting through on most varieties although I have only marked those clearly showing at the moment. The ever popular Erysimum Bowles Mauve are looking fabulous as we get into spring. We are now into a later potted batch
with the first flowers close to opening but not much colour showing at the moment just loads of promising buds. Although not in flower, the Hostas are up and looking smart. A fab range with the leaves just now unfurled.
The compact low growing Achillea Desert Eve range is now on line and coming into bud. The short Milly Rock series are also showing signs of budding up. Lovely batches of the classic Geum Lady Stratheden and Mrs Bradshaw are ready to go. Buds are well on their way.
We still have a few really strong Japanese Anemone for sale. Chunky over wintered plants raring to go. One of my favourites. Rudbeckia Goldsturm and the various Echinacea varieties are selling well. They will be a while before they produce flower but they are great plants. The next batches of the Salvia nemerosa Sensation series are coming on line with buds pushing through. A good range of colours which just keep coming.
We also have a new compact form of the deep purple upright Salvia Caradonna which is a stunner in itself. The new form has early bud showing and I'm looking forward to seeing how it performs. The old favourite Erodium Bishops Form is back on the list again and already carrying plenty of bud on tidy plants. Last few Erigeron Wayne Roderick are available this week, which will be followed by Sea Breeze Pink which is threatening bud on strong very chunky plants. There is the very occasional flower but not yet the full flush I'm looking for. We have a very smart batch of the short variegated grass Carex Evergold. We accidentally gave it a rather overzealous and very short haircut back in the early spring, but it has recovered beautifully with a fresh flush of clean strong growth. I'll try and remember that one for next year.
Have a great week from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries.

Relaxed and Hairy

Hi,
A very short note this week as I am well aware that time is against me today. It's quite a challenge keeping up at the moment there is just so much to do.
It's funny how nearly everyone else views the springtime bank holidays as days of leisure and they all get into the holiday relaxation mode and we all see it in a mad panic trying to get all the jobs done in time, with fewer days to get it all completed. And then at moments like this, spanners get thrown in to add to the excitement. Most of this week we had two vans of our 4 vans out of action due to mechanical issues, one got repaired for another to develop a fault the following day. Still got one off the road for a warrantee repair being done, they are awaiting parts and it won't be back until the end of next week. The parts are coming all the way from France hence the long delay! Still at least everyone is safe and well  and all the plants got to their destinations eventually which is what counts.
We dashed out on Tuesday night over to Salisbury to see Jools Holland and his R & B Orchestra. We just got there in time to see a great show, I could have done with a beer to relax me first, I was still mentally printing labels and tidying plants so it took a while to let go. Never did get to the bar, but still good to step out into the real world for an hour or two.
Swallows appeared this week, always a thrill seeing their return. One on Monday and a pair yesterday. They were flying in and out of the barn a lot, but perhaps it was not to their taste as there was no sign of them today. Our House Martins are usually a week or two later, so we were glad to get the bedroom window repairs completed before their arrival.
Time to lie down, potting gang in Saturday and Monday so hoping to catch up a bit, hope your weekend goes well, nice and relaxing!

Availability highlights
Dianthus Scent First varieties are back on line. Buds are thrusting through on most varieties although I have only marked those clearly showing at the moment. The delightful pale yellow Anthemis Sauce Hollandaise flowers are close. Buds just beginning to appear on very busy plants. The ever popular Erysimum Bowles Mauve are looking fabulous as we get into spring. We are now into a later potted batch with the first flowers close to opening but not much colour showing at the moment just loads of promising buds.
Although not in flower, the Hostas are up and looking smart. A fab range with the leaves just now unfurled. The compact low growing Achillea Desert Eve range is now on line and coming into bud.
Lovely batches of the classic Geum Lady Stratheden and Mrs Bradshaw are ready to go. Buds are well on their way,
We still have a few really strong Japanese Anemone for sale. Chunky over wintered plants raring to go. One of my favourites Rudbeckia Goldsturm and the various Echinacea varieties are selling well. They will be a while before they produce flower but they are great plants. The next batches of the Salvia nemerosa Sensation series are coming on line with buds pushing through. A good range of colours which just keep coming.
Best wishes from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries.