Hairy Dad Dancing!

Hi,

Autumn struck this week with torrential rain here on a couple of days and high winds on Wednesday. I was hoping for some big wind turbine output to make up for the shortfall of the previous couple of weeks, but a series of short power cuts and blustery conditions popped out the blade tips and all three turbines stopped. This hasn't happened for 5 years so was a bit of a surprise and we had to wait for calmer conditions to reset. Caroline is a dab hand at this and luckily has a great head for heights, so I manage to do the easy bit and drive the blade into the right position from ground level, while she don's the hard hat and climbing harness and climbs the mast. We have a special light-weight padded 'pokey stick' to 'encourage' the tip back into position and it works a treat. Thursday morning provided the perfect conditions for it, once the ladder had dried out we were back up and running by coffee break.

I managed to find some young Erysimums to pot this week, after one of our suppliers had a major crop failure. I don't have quite the numbers I was after, but it's a start. Next will be the spring flowering bulbs, which is a big job. Many of them have multiple bulbs in each pot and with the speed the potting machine runs at we have to populate the line with 3 or 4 extra crew to get them accurately inserted and topped up with compost. Even the filling of the machine with our peat-free bulb mix is more challenging, as it comes in bulk bags rather than loose. This isn't helped either, by the forklifts water pump bearing giving up today. What a racket that made! Hoping for a repair on Tuesday.

Last weekend's family wedding went brilliantly. Perfect weather and a jolly day was had by all, especially Emily and Myles, the 'very happy' couple. There were a loads of smiles and laughter, plenty to eat and drink, lots of dad dancing and I suspect a few sore heads in the morning. As an old fart I did manage to restrain myself from too much over indulgence, especially as I was on duty as a jive partner for several guests who were looking for a lead. The dance floor was so packed at times, dad dancing was the only option but as some of the youngsters retired for refills, we managed to throw a few moves just to prove we still had it in us, then had a sit down to recover! How come the dance floor at weddings is never big enough?

I am not going to get into discussions on the Government change of tactics on our journey towards Net Zero, it's just too depressing to get worked up about it. We are still going to do as much as we can at our end no matter what they say and hope that the rest of the world will cotton on before it's too late, although I suspect self-interest and money will do most of the talking and decision making to bugger it up for the future generations, if not for this one. Hey- Ho.

Availability list.

Plenty of fast growing stock at the moment with some lines only available for just a few weeks before they get too big and have to wait for the main spring sales period after we have completed their overwinter manicure (cut back and mulched). Cylamen coum pink and white forms are already on the list and showing the occasional bud. These will usually flower from October through until well into Spring, with a tasteful sprinkling of flowers rather than being drowned in them.

The Asters are beginning to show some colour now as buds swell and open. Jenny, Starlight, Rosenwitchel are the most showy at the moment. Flora's Delight are showing well but I only have limited numbers available. Tiarella are looking healthy with plenty of flower.

We have plenty of Sedum Autumn Joy in bud this year for that classic autumn show and pollinator jamboree. We cut it back early to make it flower on a more manageable short stem, so beware it will be taller in the garden next year. There are some buds on a few of the Anemones.

Masses of colour on the new batch of Erodium Bishops Form which should flower for quite a while yet. Foliage colour looking smart on Ajuga and Heuchera always popular autumn lines. The ever-giving Erigeron karv. Stallone is available again this week and should be around for ages as this is our big overwintering batch we are into now. If the weather is with us we often still have colour up to Christmas..

A slightly odd collection to see in bud and flower are the Phlox paniculata and subulata ranges but there they are. The paniculata range is shorter than 'normal' as they are this summers potting so haven't yet reached full size but they are strong growing and giving a hint of next year's potential show. There are already a few flowers on the Helleborus niger varieties so Santa can't be far away! A new variety of H. orientalis for us is Halcyon Early Dark Red and it has surprised us by showing a few buds already. 

Wooden box collections

If you have any of our wooden boxes ready to return and aren't expecting to order anytime soon, then please do drop us an email and let us know. A rough idea of numbers might be handy but not essential. We will get to you as soon as we have a vehicle with space in your area. Thanks

Take care out there,  from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries.