Hairy Wind

Hi

We have had a really exciting and productive week with the combination of fewer orders to prepare and a lack of potting to get on with, because the bulbs haven't pitched up yet. We were able get on with starting on the monster task of applying the overwintering mulch on the pot tops to slow up the liverwort and mosses, and hit a load of chores that have been building up over the season.

The irrigation tank lining crew were back again to fit the tank cover, which was very much missed. Blanket weed had started to grow in the open tank, which in turn clogged up nearly all the fine filters in each irrigation line. Draining the tank in preparation for their visit concentrated the weed which was then easily cleaned up from inside the tank itself, but unfortunately also introduced a good dollop into the pipes. Two afternoons of pipe flushing and filter cleaning followed but I think we are now over the worst, and we do now have a lovely new tank cover professionally fitted with not too much distraction from other work for our crew.

The threat of imminent solar panel installation is now hovering over us, so we have started to fight back the poplar runners and bramble invasion that was threatening to take over the previously cleared site. It was cleared long ago, assuming planning wouldn't take nearly a year to get organised and passed, and now a whole growing season has gone by and the bramble growth has gone ballistic. We had tried to get an outside company to come in and knock it back for us but having visited and seen the undulating terraced site, we never heard from them again. Probably just as well because we can be really thorough about the clear up, if we do it ourselves and I suspect we would still have had to clear up after the brush cutters anyway. It is going to take a while to win back the site but we made a really good start this week and at least now we can see the terraces again.

Today was not a day I had been looking forward to, with one longstanding challenge overcome and just one day to get it done. Recovering the propagation tunnel has been on the list since February when the outer sheet of this twin skinned tunnel split, but we could only do the job when there weren't too many sensitive plants weaning in there and temperatures extremes were not too harsh. The twin skins enable us to create a double glazed effect by blowing the sheets apart with a small fan and it works a treat as far as heat saving is concerned, but it's a bugger to reclad. At the best of times recovering a tunnel is fraught with anxiety and tension as you need warm still conditions together with enough time to get off the old cover, repair any tunnel parts that may have rotted away and get it recovered again. The wind inevitably gets up as soon as you unroll the huge replacement sheet, it happens every time. Doing a twin-skin way outdoes a normal tunnel, as we have to drag over two covers, one pulled over the other, while both remain unattached. Adding wind into the equation at this point gets a bit too exciting for my sanity, and sure enough that's how it went today. Delays in pulling the new sheets over the frame meant we were already tight for getting things secure in time for lunch break, but a combination of sheets snagging creating holes and slipping sheets, put us even more behind. Having tacked down the two covers we very nearly got away for our break when the wind really blew up raising one entire side of the sheet to probably 15ft in the air. We realised lunch was going on hold, as we rushed round fitting the sides into place and an hour later it was pretty much nailed down, although not as prettily as we would have liked. An afternoon of securing the remaining loose edges and trimming off the excess plastic put us into overtime for a heroic few, but at least it's on. Fingers crossed we won't have to do that again for another 8 or 9 years.

End of season wooden Box returns

We have already collected a lot of our empty wooden boxes from many sites and will continue to do so over the next few weeks. If you have empty boxes ready to go please do drop us a line and we will pop in when next in the area. 

Availability list.

Summer is rushing by and the Autumn flowering Cyclamen hederifolium are well ready with the bud and flower. Only a few of the white variety left,. Unfortunately after a poor seed harvest we only have one Cyclamen coum variety this winter (Silver Leaved and they are just beginning to produce the very occasional flower. They will go on right through until April so no rush! Premium variety Tiarella Pink Skyrocket are ready with attractive foliage and now also in bud and flower.

The other winter star is the Helleborus range, a few varieties already showing signs of flowering but a bit early for most. Good strong plants with plenty of potential. The more classic Aster varieties are coming on strong now, after all the new early Alpha range has sold out. Most are now coming into bud ready for their late summer and autumn display.

Summer colour is still there with Gaura Rosy Jane and its bicolour flowers plus the lovely delicate white Whirling Butterflies. New range for this year is the Helenium Hayday series, Strong and compact and still showing good colour and bud. 

Best wishes from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries.