Hairy turbines

Hi.

A big weather week around the UK with snow, rain and wind aplenty. We were very lucky to be in an area avoiding all the main weather warnings. We had one night of light snow and one of -8C, which is the coldest here for a couple of years at least. We haven't yet noticed much cold damage, despite the plants looking very sad for a few hours until they thawed out. Next week looks much warmer if a little damp, not quite sure which I prefer, warmth seems quite attractive when your fingers hurt so much in the cold, but the lack of sun when it's very grey doesn't exactly fill you with vim and vigour.

I forgot to mention last week Caroline's exciting Christmas trip out. If you can remember as far back as Christmas Day it was pretty stormy and at 03.00 we had a short power cut during strong winds, and as a result, one of the turbines threw a wing tip. With the wind forecast to blow for several days that was a potential loss of significant income, so I was fairly keen to get the tip reset. It was way too windy on Christmas day itself, when you are perched on a ladder 15m up in the air you (as in Caroline you understand, not me!) feel pretty exposed even with a full multi-anchored safety harness on. 

The weather forecast was spot on when it predicted an early Boxing Day lull in wind speed and up she went, under expert guidance from the ground crew (this is where I step in). It was close to freezing, so a good job there was only one tip to reset, as the wind chill was quick to do its thing.20 minutes later and all was completed, A quick warming hug. a hot chocolate and it was back to more traditional Christmas holiday fun.

The production of our 12,000 new little capillary mats for the marketing trays, came to a grinding halt this week with the demise of our rotary cutter. It probably wasn't the best purchasing decision I have ever made, although I have made a lot worse. It worked a treat to start with and proved it was the right type of tool for the job, but it was a bit of a dodgy looking make and design, and after just a few weeks it coughed and spluttered before giving up completely. I have now sourced two battery operated ones of a more respected make, which arrived this afternoon. They work a treat, even better than the previous one, and slice through the mat like butter. There is no cable to get in the way and the blade is much better protected from any stray fingers etc. Touch wood they last a bit longer this time, the cutter that is, not the fingers. Summary of the improvements to shelf life for 2026

We are introducing three major changes next year in how we prepare our plants for delivery to our lovely retailers. We are aware that some sites struggle to maintain the quality of our plants once they arrive on the retail plant sales areas. The plants thrive over long periods when kept here on the nursery, the irrigation is pretty accurate and applied in a timely manner in the correct volumes, and the nutrition levels are set to give long lasting healthy growth. But once we set them free, the real world isn't always so kind to them. As I have mentioned previously peat-free compost mixes struggle to hold onto as much water as peat and also don't grip the nutrients as tightly either. When added to the extra breathability of our Hairy Pots, quicker drying out can be an issue, especially if the ideal of 'little and often' applications of water is not a practical option. When the plants dry out they then tend to get over watered which flushes out the available nutrients resulting in premature deterioration in condition. To help reduce these stresses and provide a longer lasting 'looking good' shelf life we are doing the following;

1/ Adding a reusable, recycled wool capillary mat in the bottom of each tray which will hold onto extra water for the plants to take up. These are expensive and will need to be returned for reuse with the boxes.

2/ Adding extra wetting agent at despatch to allow the compost to hold onto more water and rewet more easily if dry.

3/ Adding a dose of organic slow release feed as a top dressing to compensate for any leaching of nutrients.

It will be interesting to see what a difference these measures will take over the coming season, hopefully it will lead to longer lasting displays and lead to more sales for all.

Do your 2026 retail prices need changing?

We have increased our cost prices for 2026 by just 5p per pot, which is a little under 2%, to partially cover our ever increasing costs. If you have your stock pre-priced by ourselves, perhaps now would be a good time to let us know any changes you would like to make for the coming season. We can then adjust our records accordingly and get started on printing the correct price labels in advance of the fast approaching madness of those spring sales.

Availability list.

The winter flowering Helleborus Christmas Carol is showing some bud already and H. orientalis Halcyon Early Red is looking really good with bud and some red/purple colour showing too.

Cyclamen coum are coming on quickly. This selection is a champion winter performer, very hardy and just keeps on flowering, usually from November through to March and April.

Some Erysimum varieties are already showing bud and the odd flash of colour but this has been brought on by the mild winter so far. They are all pretty tough and are standing well against the frosts so far.

The first spring bulbs are here and a few are already showing their first buds. Not much in the way of colour but it won't be long. Two of the hoop-petticoat Narcissus have bud, White Petticoat and the pale lemon yellow Julia Jane, both are crackers. 

Seasonal best wishes from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries.