Hairy and newsworthy

Morning all,
Are we on or are we not? There's nothing quite like being able to plan your business activities to alleviate any stress levels that might have built up for some reason! By Sunday night we will know (possibly) one way or the other whether the garden centres and nurseries are allowed to reopen on Monday morning and under what rules or restrictions.
Luckily all garden centres will have their little nurseries 'out the back' ready to restock the retail area overnight and get going at very short notice, or is that just the perception most people have of how plants reach the retail areas? I had ITV on the phone on Friday asking if I wanted to do a piece on Monday morning about our reaction to garden centres reopening (assuming it happens). When I explained that we were a production nursery supplying garden centres, rather than actually a retailer/garden centre, the researcher had no idea that there was a difference. She was desperate to get hold of a retailer but all the numbers she tried just had messages saying they were shut and I was the first to answer. I gave her some of my contacts and haven't heard back so I assume she found a suitable victim, apologies if it was you!
On the subject of media appearances, did many of you notice our mention in the Saturday Daily Mail last weekend, I know one or two did. If you google 'daily mail nurseries' you should find your way to the on-line version. We had a few lovely email responses which was great, and a few well intentioned requests for free plants to Hull etc. Luckily I think most people, if they were interested, found their way to the website which nicely said what was going on and stemmed too much over excitement. We'll have to see what comes from our BBC Panorama appearance on Monday evening. I have been notified by the producer that all is prepared and we are definitely on, just no idea if it is for 30 seconds or a few minutes. She was really pleased with it, apparently the camera work was brilliant, so well done Joe the cameraman. He must of used plenty of soft focus if he made me look good! She's phoning back on Tuesday to see what I thought of it, so no excuse for avoiding it. I did ask if was going to be embarrassing to watch and she assured me it was not, so I must brace myself and bite the bullet.
Outside the sun is shining and we are so busy. After a busy week sending out a few restocking orders to a few brave centres, we worked most of the later part of the week with a full potting team and again this morning. Most of that space created by shifting the plants through the community project has rapidly been cleared, cleaned and refilled, not quite enough for my liking, but considering the reduced staffing levels a remarkable achievement by all.
After a week or two of seeing swallows passing over, we have two this morning that seem to be settling in the barn, there is a lot of chattering and diving about. The robin nesting in the potting shed, right under the tray filling table, hatched it's brood this week and is now dodging the potters to get feed into the youngsters. The partridges are pottering around and seem much tamer than usual, not quite sure where they are nesting yet, but they are keeping the fennel and chives trimmed up, Greg was stood only a meter or so away from one happily nibbling and clucking away while he filmed it. Life goes on. Take care out there.

Availability list highlights
No idea what next week will bring on the orders and delivery front, but we may all have to be a bit more flexible than usual if we are to get all the stock delivered, if it goes completely nuts. Luckily, in a very disappointing way, many of our usual customers will still be closed, as we supply a lot of visitor centres which may be later in being given the green light, so that will ease a bit of potential pressure. We will as always do our best.
Main current highlights on the flowering stock front are; Catanache coming into bud, always does well for us. Erigeron Sea Breeze Mauve and Pink colours in bud. Erigeron Wayne Roderick chunky and strong with buds appearing. Scabiosa Flutter series with first flowers showing colour and masses of bud to follow. Compact and bushy a belter. Leucanthemum Freak, large but short stemmed flowers, white and fluffy with the first flower beginning to open. Incarvillea is a late emerger but rushes up to flower pretty quickly. It's up and buds are on show so don't miss it.
Nice range of Dianthus Scent First varieties in bud now. Helianthus in a range of colours now in bud. Compact Achillea Milly Rock series (now in four colours) are chunky with bud just starting to appear. We will have more batches through the summer. The Osteospermums are budding up already. Lovely patch of Nepeta Walkers Low, bushy and in bud. Not a huge number but perfect at the moment.
Take care out there, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries.