Showing posts with label hardy fuchsias. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hardy fuchsias. Show all posts
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Hardy Fuchsias
As you will see we have greatly extended the range of hardy Fuchsias we grow and of the 20 or so we added last year the majority are still in the running and some have become favourites with some customers. If you want to try some new varieties we will supply one of each as samples free of charge, or five of each at 50p per plant. We have a cribsheet available by post, fax, e-mail or on the website.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Notes for June part 2
More varieties of Fuchsias are appearing on the list now and we do have a handy crib sheet available. We have chosen these either because they have newly received the AGM or because they were recommended to us as a result of the RHS trial. All are ‘hardy’ varieties and it will be interesting to see over the course of time if any can challenge the supremacy of Mrs Popple, Tom Thumb and the like. We will supply 5 per variety at 50p each if you want to try new ones.
At the risk of teaching the sucking of eggs we have had a number of comments about leaf problems on Phormiums – damage starts as streaks that develop into unsightly holes. The problem is fungal, but can be largely prevented by attention to keeping the leaves as dry as possible – if you are not using sub-irrigation then make sure you water early in the day and that, under protection, there is adequate ventilation to reduce the humidity.
Over-wintering outside is risky, and under cover make sure the plants are not being dripped on. We use Octave if we think a problem might be developing.
There has been a rapid increase in the ease of plastic recycling and because we can now only use a certain amount of used pots we would prefer not to take pots back unless you find you cannot get them recycled (we can give you a good contact). However we do like to have our marketing trays returned if possible.
At the risk of teaching the sucking of eggs we have had a number of comments about leaf problems on Phormiums – damage starts as streaks that develop into unsightly holes. The problem is fungal, but can be largely prevented by attention to keeping the leaves as dry as possible – if you are not using sub-irrigation then make sure you water early in the day and that, under protection, there is adequate ventilation to reduce the humidity.
Over-wintering outside is risky, and under cover make sure the plants are not being dripped on. We use Octave if we think a problem might be developing.
There has been a rapid increase in the ease of plastic recycling and because we can now only use a certain amount of used pots we would prefer not to take pots back unless you find you cannot get them recycled (we can give you a good contact). However we do like to have our marketing trays returned if possible.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Notes & news for March 2007
The current availability list has probably the greatest range available at any time during the year – but if there are items, which we catalogue, that are not on this list then it is still worth enquiring.
We are offering grafted Campsis for the first time, which may seem a little odd as they are obviously more expensive. However grafted plants flower much more readily than those from cuttings; these will all flower in July/August. The logical thing to do is have some of these for summer sales and use the cheaper ones for the rest of the year. We are also grafting Corylus (in yellow and purple) and Wisterias. Watch out for Hamamelis in future years.
If you haven’t bought Camellias from us you will not know how good they are, and we can say this without bragging as we do not grow these but sell them for a friend. They are all traditional varieties from this country and will do well in our conditions; please ask for the list which currently has 50+ varieties.
We have substantially increased our range of hardy Fuchsias, but for this year we will be just supplying sample quantities so that we can jointly decide which are worth pursuing. If these push your buttons (or those of your customers) let us know and we will send you the details.
Ugni molinae ‘Flambeau’ appears for the first time. It is a small white and pink variegated shrub and would have been a Myrtus if it had appeared a few years ago. It is pretty and clearly lends itself to impulse sales and patio culture. I have some doubts as to its quality as a plant for the open garden but it could be a rising star.
Cornus capitata reappears after a year or two off. It is not for all of you, as it is a tree but only a small one. Its claim to fame is sulphur yellow flower bracts in June and July possibly to be followed by strawberry-like fruit. Older books say that it is tender, but this does not seem to be the case.
Party Dress Hellebores are double-flowered and we have more this year. Having seen them flower again they have to be worth your while trying; they certainly provoked a lot of interest at GAN. The names refer to the seed parents and the progeny does not come true as reliably as the singles do; the form of the flowers is also very variable with different numbers of whorls of petals and varying amounts of remaining stamens. Some are stunning, most are very pretty and only a few are disappointing.
Uncinia egmontiana is similar to the Uncinia rubra you are familiar with, but the leaves are glossier and more maroon than red, if it is selected carefully. We have had seed lots which gave plants that we couldn’t sell as U. egmontiana but this current batch is very impressive.
Now that we have got our bamboo production largely in house we are slowly increasing the range that we can reliably offer. We have good quantities of Phyllostachys for this year, and the Fargesias look promising. We are learning what will and what will not sell and would be interested to know what further forms you would be interested in.
Our phone system has been causing confusion because it always dials out on our fax line (891113) in order not to clutter up the phone line (891473). Those of you with CLI, or receiving calls on a mobile, or using 1471 are therefore getting the false impression that we have changed our phone number which we haven’t. By the way, we rely on cordless phones when we are out on the nursery (because we have no office staff) so you do need be patient and let the phone ring for quite a while as it is not always easy to answer promptly when your hands are not free.
Danish trolleys. We have more of these than we need, particularly during April and May, which is not such a busy time for us as it is for you. Therefore we have up to 20 trolleys
(with three or more shelves each) to hire out at a price of £3.00 per week which is less than CC charge for April/May, and without the deposit, minimum hire periods etc. etc
Finally – there is more positive thinking in the trade this year; so let us capitalise on that and make it the year that banishes the memories of the last three. Here’s to warm sunny weekends. Cheers!
We are offering grafted Campsis for the first time, which may seem a little odd as they are obviously more expensive. However grafted plants flower much more readily than those from cuttings; these will all flower in July/August. The logical thing to do is have some of these for summer sales and use the cheaper ones for the rest of the year. We are also grafting Corylus (in yellow and purple) and Wisterias. Watch out for Hamamelis in future years.
If you haven’t bought Camellias from us you will not know how good they are, and we can say this without bragging as we do not grow these but sell them for a friend. They are all traditional varieties from this country and will do well in our conditions; please ask for the list which currently has 50+ varieties.
We have substantially increased our range of hardy Fuchsias, but for this year we will be just supplying sample quantities so that we can jointly decide which are worth pursuing. If these push your buttons (or those of your customers) let us know and we will send you the details.
Ugni molinae ‘Flambeau’ appears for the first time. It is a small white and pink variegated shrub and would have been a Myrtus if it had appeared a few years ago. It is pretty and clearly lends itself to impulse sales and patio culture. I have some doubts as to its quality as a plant for the open garden but it could be a rising star.
Cornus capitata reappears after a year or two off. It is not for all of you, as it is a tree but only a small one. Its claim to fame is sulphur yellow flower bracts in June and July possibly to be followed by strawberry-like fruit. Older books say that it is tender, but this does not seem to be the case.
Party Dress Hellebores are double-flowered and we have more this year. Having seen them flower again they have to be worth your while trying; they certainly provoked a lot of interest at GAN. The names refer to the seed parents and the progeny does not come true as reliably as the singles do; the form of the flowers is also very variable with different numbers of whorls of petals and varying amounts of remaining stamens. Some are stunning, most are very pretty and only a few are disappointing.
Uncinia egmontiana is similar to the Uncinia rubra you are familiar with, but the leaves are glossier and more maroon than red, if it is selected carefully. We have had seed lots which gave plants that we couldn’t sell as U. egmontiana but this current batch is very impressive.
Now that we have got our bamboo production largely in house we are slowly increasing the range that we can reliably offer. We have good quantities of Phyllostachys for this year, and the Fargesias look promising. We are learning what will and what will not sell and would be interested to know what further forms you would be interested in.
Our phone system has been causing confusion because it always dials out on our fax line (891113) in order not to clutter up the phone line (891473). Those of you with CLI, or receiving calls on a mobile, or using 1471 are therefore getting the false impression that we have changed our phone number which we haven’t. By the way, we rely on cordless phones when we are out on the nursery (because we have no office staff) so you do need be patient and let the phone ring for quite a while as it is not always easy to answer promptly when your hands are not free.
Danish trolleys. We have more of these than we need, particularly during April and May, which is not such a busy time for us as it is for you. Therefore we have up to 20 trolleys
(with three or more shelves each) to hire out at a price of £3.00 per week which is less than CC charge for April/May, and without the deposit, minimum hire periods etc. etc
Finally – there is more positive thinking in the trade this year; so let us capitalise on that and make it the year that banishes the memories of the last three. Here’s to warm sunny weekends. Cheers!
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