Hairy pots

Morning,

We seem to have gone into some sort of recovery mode after the excess heat of last week. I don't think I quite appreciated how much work we lost over that week and with a few illnesses and holiday breaks this week we just haven't been able to get to the potting machine. We had no space prepared so have had to divert the potting team into tunnel clearance. Sales did recover well this week, which was great but time consuming, and plenty more stock arrived for potting. Definitely no rest for the wicked just yet although Saturday potting has been cancelled, so I might get a short lie in.

Energy prices are still nuts, but we did have an object lesson this week in how much we rely on it and how hard life is without it. There was planned maintenance/replacement of some local electric poles on Wednesday, which meant no power all day. Despite the advanced warning it still took a couple of hours to run cables here and there so that we could operate everything once our large, but noisy generator was fired up. Luckily I had prefilled the tank and checked the battery so it did fire up first time. It is an ancient tractor engine based unit, very agricultural but it does the job. Good thing that we don't have fussy neighbours!

Next week sees our third container of pots arrive with one more to come in a couple of months. Things have got slightly out of kilter with deliveries this year with the extra pots now squeezed on board to help combat the extra shipping costs. It looks like we are going to have to find a bit more storage space somewhere to house the increase in overwintered stock levels. In reality we are fairly stuffed if we don't have the pots here and building up a bit of a stockpile does give us more security against production disruption later, if not helping much with the cash-flow now. Unfortunately the costs like everything else have shot up again, the last load was nearly 30% higher than last year and it may be even more this time because the exchange rates have gone against us while the shipping has dropped back a bit. We'll see.

Hopefully sales won't be hit too hard by our local domestic hosepipe ban which comes into force on Monday. Desperate for a bit of rain here, but none forecast for us in the next 10 days. Watched the BBC program 'Big Oil v The World' last night, it opened my eyes to how much effort and cash the US oil industry ploughed into discrediting the climate change science over the last 30+ years. Capitalism maybe our way of doing things, but taken to the extreme it may well have done us all in. Fingers crossed we can salvage something at this late stage although I have my doubts. There are still too many thinking of themselves first and not the future generations to follow. Do more now, don't leave it to others.

Availability list highlights

Plenty of lovely looking stock, don't hold back, get some bud and colour on those benches. Summer favourite the hardy Osteospermum Tresco Purple looks strong and bushy and swelling buds are visible

Tiarella with it's pretty and short 'foam flowers' are looking great. Just a few of the purple/pink Erodium Bishops Form left. Neat, tidy and in flower. Goes on for ages. The late performing Cerostigma plumbaginoides have their first buds appearing and the odd deep blue flower opening.

Gaura looking fab with lots of buds, as have the Rhodanthemum, both good selling summer favourites. Blue flowered and compact Platycodon are ready to roll. Not got many yet but more to follow. Crocosmia are going well. Showing colour now and looking great.

Verbena Lollipop in flower again on nice compact plants. Lovely foliage on display from both of the Heuchera and Ajuga ranges. Loads of bud and pretty little flowers showing on both Calamintha compact varieties. Fresh batch of the cerise/red Penstemon Garnet are in bud again, colour not far away. Time flies and already we have our first dwarf Chrysanthemums in bud. Lots more to come.

Potted an early batch of Cyclamen hederifolium which have surprised me by starting to flower already, An autumn flowering type they are looking good, The Rose pink ones are the biggest at the moment. Ever popular summer flowering perennial Salvias are doing their thing,

Large daisy flowers of our Leucathemum range are ready to shine. All are compact varieties. Summer flowering hardy Fuchsia Tom Thumb are looking good with plenty of bud and flower. Plenty of bud to come on the little alpine Lewisia, already showing colour in attractive mixed pastel shades

Summer favourite the hardy Osteospermum Tresco Purple looks strong and bushy and swelling buds are visible.

Have fun, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries