Hairy mud

Morning all,

Very damp here, we had one lovely spring day this week and then the heavens opened again. The new sumps have been running to the soak-away as we are not quite ready to start pumping into the storage tank. I'm sure it will stop raining just as soon as we get it all up and running, but at least then a bit of dry weather might pump up the sales. Having said that we have had a hectic week on the sales front as everyone bulks up the stock levels for the Easter rush. I'm sure it won't be in vain there has to be some nice weather coming up soon. The forecast certainly looks more promising, not quite wall to wall sunshine but an improvement.

One or two slight issues this week to throw into the mix, the main one being the cable trench through the middle of the yard. It may well have got resurfaced with concrete on Monday but no-one has yet been allow to drive directly on it since. We have heavyweight road plates laid over the top for the last couple of days which have allowed careful access but it's not the same. Good job it has happened at such a quiet time of year. Having worked all over the weekend to get the trenches refilled and most of the main heavy works completed, the chaps left on Wednesday to hopefully return next week and finish things off. With a bit of luck we should have a functioning rainfall recycling system on the go by this time next week. How long it takes the track-ways and yard to recover from the turmoil we will have to see. It has certainly added to the workload for the picking up team who are having to carry around several kilos of mud on their boots while walking huge distances over the day. They usually wear fairly lightweight footwear to help cope with the distances travelled but in this weather on top of the muck everywhere it is pretty wearing.

There seems to be plenty of traffic out there slowing up deliveries which is a pain, although we did manage to do our bit and add to everyone else's problems on the roads by having a flat tyre on the M11 this week. We always carry a proper spare so once the breakdown people arrive it's a quick fix, but the two hour wait was a bit frustrating. However we are very grateful there is a system out there to rescue us in these tricky situations.

Lovely first birthday party last weekend, jelly all round and a good time had by all. Another one this weekend but this time for the granny of last week's celebrant. Likely to be a bit more riotous so looking forward to that. Also looking forward to the arrival of our electric car although all signs of it actually being built seem to have evaporated. It was due in the factory during week 9 but apparently it hasn't made it, yet as we approach week 14.

The first big delivery of predators for the nursery arrived yesterday, including three 'beetle breeding buckets' already seeded with batches of 500 of the predatory beetles which are great at seeking out and munching through those little black flies you typically get attacking the roots in propagation areas (scarid flies, shore flies, mushroom flies etc). We have found them very effective, although there is always that niggle at the back of your mind of not being able to see them doing their job, you just have to trust it is working in seeing the resulting lack of flies. There was also a big bag of lacewing larvae which are voracious predators even giving the staff a nip if they stand still too long. We use them to spot treat aphid outbreaks and we are currently trialling them as a leaf hopper control. We use red sticky traps for the hopper with reasonable results, but would like to hit them a bit harder early on to reduce early adult numbers. 

Availability list highlights

Pre-Easter week will be very busy, so please bear in mind that we are likely to deliver into Good Friday and possibly later. 

Polemonium Heaven Scent is a stunner and looking great just at the moment. Finely cut bronzed green foliage is really smart and the pale blue flowers are now beginning to colour up. Grown in our own micro-prop lab it's not one you see everywhere. Nice batches of Pulsatilla in red and purple forms, emerging quickly and in bud. Not a huge number, they won't hang around. The compact Bergenia Diamond Drops are showing nice form and strong buds.

Not many left but the delightful pale blue flowered Veronica gentanoides is now in bud, get in quick before it gets too tall. Brunnera macrophylla now bursting through and instantly showing buds. Dicentra spectabilis are just pushing through and also showing early bud, Muscari latifolium now in bud and looking good, as are the last few Ipheion's

I don't have many in stock but the purple foliaged Viola labridorica is looking tidy with flower showing. Very popular Fritillaria meleagris (Snakes Head Lily) are now pushing though and flower buds appearing. Camassia Sacajawea has smart variegated foliage so looks good even without the flower. Spring flowering Symphytum are in bud now, don't hang about there aren't many left. Phlox paniculata has started to shoot strongly. Again another overwintered crop in a range of colours. 

Best wishes  from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries.