Hairy and out of date

Hi. 

Here we are, the last of the Spring bank holidays is upon us, and the sun has come to welcome everyone into their gardens. Slightly frustrating that we move from vests and jackets to too much exposure over 24 hours, but a change from cold nights to a heatwave is where we are. Looks like it will calm down again in a week, but let’s hope the brief heatwave and holiday spirit will get everyone excited enough to loosen those purse strings over the next few days. We were hit this week with a combination of holidays and a lot of illness among the team, some more serious than others but all throwing a spanner in the works. Luckily the drivers all showed up so we still managed to get all the orders out before the end of the week which is always the main focus of a spring week. The biggest invalid was of course myself, hit with man-flu since last weekend, so everyone else suffers too. I’ve been dosing up on Lemsip and honey which has worked a treat in subduing the symptoms, I think the vintage state of the Lemsip added an extra kick as Caroline had me using up her parents old stock which had a use by date of 2020. Don’t care, it got me through. 

Electrician has been on-site all week again setting up a new distribution board and cabling for the replacement generator that is on order and tidying up the new charging station for the new EV van due in the next couple of weeks. The special automatic transfer switch which starts the generator in the event of a power cut was due to be ready for delivery in 2 or 3 days from ordering, it is now going to be 3 weeks. They saw me coming. Good news from the DVLA this week as they have announced that from June 1st 2026, you will no longer need to use a tachograph in an EV if the GVW is under 4.25 tonnes. Ours will be 4 tonnes, so that will save all the drivers having to get a ‘drivers card’ to put into the tacho recorder. Not quite sure how hauliers are expected to plan their investments in EV’s when these announcements are made at such short notice. There were very strong rumours that this was going to happen, but we weren’t sure quite when. We have been so lucky to order ours several weeks before the rush of orders that is likely to follow this change in the rules. There will still be a speed limiter, keeping the top speed to 57 mph, but that should reduce the temptation to go faster and keep efficiency up on the battery usage. 

We should have cleared most of the vital potting before the weekend, so that frees me up for another batch of seed sowing in the peace and quiet. Caroline should have been going to Wembley to watch Southampton on Saturday, but the embarrassing spy-gate scandal has put an end to all that. That is one PR exercise I’m glad I don’t have to deal with, the tarnish of cheating at such a high level  will be quite hard to remove.  Must go, I am under orders to get home 15 minutes ago so I can clean up before visiting relatives. What fun. 

Social media on trend To find our Instagram content, I am told you can try our username @thehairypotplantcompany  or use the link below; https://www.instagram.com/thehairypotplantcompany?igsh=MXhhMGxhcjgzNGYydA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr 

Availability list. 

The early summer flowering Allium Millenium is now producing bud. It’s a cracker, much tidier foliage and habit than the spring flowering Alliums, and it flowers for longer too. Not such spectacular flowerheads perhaps but a great garden plant. Coreopsis are now in bud in a nice range of colours. Summer must be here with bud on a couple of the Agapanthus varieties. Small and compact the Lewisia Elise have plenty of bud already and will flower all summer long. Quite a few Leucanthemum in bud now, the first of many flowers to come. We have a few Scabiosa Butterfly Blue with their first buds, more to follow, another long flowering summer star. Garden Pinks (Dianthus) were coming ready with bud appearing fast, but the hares have had the lot for dinner!  The ever popular Nemesia Wisley Vanilla is back on the list and there are follow-on batches coming too, but possibly not quite enough to maintain a constant supply, but it will keep reappearing! More summer stars are coming out now with bud appearing on the Bidens and the Salvia’s too are showing the odd bud although still a week or two away from colour I think. Erysimum Bowles Mauve are still flowering.  Summer cliff top walks always spring to my mind when I see Armeria coming into bud, and now’s your chance to take a stroll. Many Hosta’s have put in an appearance. Always a precursor to Spring proper, they are up and away. 

Herb sales seem to be booming this spring; it must be all that healthy home cooking we are being encouraged to do. Lots of stock is coming through nicely now and even the more tender herbs like Basil are now making their springtime appearance. 

Best wishes from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries.