Hairy planning

Hi

Loads of compost, another container of pots and more young plants delivered but still no time to hit the potting hard. Getting a bit desperate to make some inroads into the production backlog, but another busy sales week together with holidays and a load of occasional and sick days this week decimated the available man hours so very little got done. The fallout from the rather disappointing spring weather is beginning to come home to roost with a shortage of empty tunnels and a slight over stocking of young plants. Don't get me wrong, sales have been steady over the season and are pretty good at the moment, but we missed out on those odd mega weeks we usually get when the weather works out perfectly for the gardeners over the peak spring period. There is space out there but it is taking a lot more work to find and clear it which just adds to the production hiccups. Last year we had whole tunnels prepared well ahead of the potting team creating periods of constant potting output which smashed through the waiting young stock, we are going to have to find another plan for this summer.

We have already started moving some of the weeny modules into our own big reusuable peat free trays so that they keep on growing and gives us the chance to pot them a little later in the season. It adds a bit to the plant handling but critically it keeps the plants growing with vigour. It is always a bit of a juggle this plant growing thing, we just make it up as we go really.

Put in an order for a new tray filler and seeder to speed up our own propagation work and possibly add a few more lines to our peat free home-grown list. Not an investment I would normally consider as it runs into tens of thousands but we had a grant offer of 50% funding through the Rural Payment Agency and I couldn't resist. It's always fun getting a new toy. We won't be properly operational until next seasons sowing, but it will take quite a bit of fettling to get it all to work properly, so a nice winter project.

I'm hoping the solar panels will be in before then, so even more toys to play with. At least this one generates cash from the day you turn it on! Planning is slowly progressing, the period of public input has passed uneventfully, we just have to fill in another biodiversity plan for a grassland area and a couple of trees and we should be all ready to go. Good job there is no rush to save the planet.

Availability list.

Summer is rushing by and the Autumn flowering Cyclamen hederifolium are just about ready with the odd bud and flower already on show. Lots more growth and flower to come. Lovely foliage plants on show with Ajuga, Euphorbia and Heuchera displaying nicely.

Looking great are our new compact and very early flowering range of Asters is now on stream. The Alpha series has fresh green foliage and very neat domed habit carrying masses of flower. Fresh batches of Scabiosa in bud, green compact and bushy with masses of bud on the way.

Fresh batches of the summer and autumn flowering mini garden Chrysanthemums are coming into bud. Golden leaved Tradescantia Blue and Gold looking good with plenty of bud and colour. Tiarella wherrii are back on the list and in flower again, and the premium variety Pink Skyrocket are also ready with attractive foliage and I am hoping for bud shortly.

Exotic Oxalis Iron Cross in flower now. Summer flowering Crocosmia are now throwing up bud and flower. Summer colour is on its way with the Gaura range doing it's thing. Hoping to have a good run of availability over the next few months but they are selling so fast there may be the odd short break.

New range for this year is the Helenium Hayday series, Five colours, nice and compact and already showing good colour. Fresh crops of Erigeron karv. Stallone are ready with its tiny multicolour daisy flowers that keep coming all through the summer and autumn. We have had bud on these at Christmas some years.

Salvia's of all sorts are now growing strongly and producing the first of many flowers. Sunshine yellow flowers of Euryops chrysanthemoides are beginning to open, another all summer performer. The hardy Osteospermum Tresco Purple are in bud and flower. Excellent bushy stock. Armeria Dreameria series of long season flowering Armerias are now showing plenty of colour with loads more to come. No white this year but a series of three pretty different pinks making a delightful show. The more standard classic Sea Thrift. Many of the Leucanthemums are coming into strong bud now with flowers open on some.

The Balloon Flower Platycodon Twinkle Blue and Twinkle White are now well into bud with the odd flash of colour. Rhodanthemum's are also in bud and showing colour, ready to flower all summer long. So many other lines doing their thing at the moment, Veronica, Penstemon, Lewisia, Astilbe, Achillea, Calamintha don't hold back make the most of them while they are here.

Best wishes from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries.