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| New foliage on Astilbes in the nursery |
Settle down with a coffee for another two week catch up post, it's silly season in the nursery when there's barely time to breath never mind write blog posts. With all the warmer weather recently the nursery and gardens have really come to life, after what seems forever looking a brown and bare stems it so lovely to see all the shades of green, reds and greys of fresh new foliage filling the borders and stock beds. The past week or so has been gloriously sunny and warm and it really makes everyone feel much better, especially me. Customers spend longer wandering around the nursery and gardens and enjoying being out in the warmth. The birds are singing their wee hearts out and there are nest of blackbirds, swallows and wrens that we've seen so far.
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Salix gracilistyla 'Melanostachys', Sesleria caerulea, Valeriana phu 'Aurea' and
Sanguinaria canadensis f. multiplex 'Plena' and Alchemilla vulgaris |
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Artemisia absinthium 'Lambrook Mist', Primula vulgaris, Pulmonaria 'Opal' and
Artemisia abrotanum |
Work continues in the nursery, when does it not? In the tunnel I am nearly finished tidying up the herbs and propagating them, so it's all looking much tidier. We've lots of new and unusual herbs coming out into the sales area, propagated from the herb garden. Seedling potting up is well under way and I'm hoping to get the first of the veg seedlings out into the sales area at the weekend, starting with kale, beans and lettuce. Out doors in the nursery I am still working through the stock beds, weeding, cutting back, tidying and labelling. I've got a much better idea of what has come through winter and what needs propagated. In between I'm potting up last years propagation to go in to the stock beds.
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| The stock bed tidy up continues, I am now half way ..... yay! |
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| Narcissus 'Thalia' in the wild life garden |
On Friday two weeks ago the weather was lovely when I arrived first thing in the morning, so I took my camera and had a walk around the nursery and gardens. Sometimes we really need to make ourselves slow down and take stock, and see what we've actually achieved.
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| The wildlife garden |
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| The herb garden is coming to life after the long winter |
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| Borders in the herb garden |
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| The seating area in the scented garden |
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| Looking back along the stock beds |
Friday 4th May would have been my sister Mhairi's 46th birthday, a day for remember the wonderful person she was to so many people and to think of Graeme, Fiona, Katrina and Al and send them our love. We can't send a card, gift or birthday wishes anymore, but what I can do is my next challenge for charity. I am going to climb Ben Nevis in Mhairi's memory and raise money for Macmillan Cancer Care at the same time. Sadly I can't make any of this years dates so have signed up for next year's charity walk in June (that should give me plenty time to get fit!) I'll be setting up a just giving page nearer the time for donations.
How amazing was that weather last weekend? Lovely to see people enjoying the nursery and gardens and sitting outside at the cafe enjoying the sun, the swallows are back and we got lots of work done too. Lovely to catch up with Ann on Saturday (we were at Threave, a long time ago) Its all go with bat surveying season for David too.
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| Bracken finds it all quite exhausting |
A long long time ago when I was head gardener at The Murrel in Fife, one of the plants that we grew and I loved were double primroses. I haven't seen them in a lot of years and was reminded of them when I was reading an article about primula, so I treated myself to a few varieties, looking forward to seeing their vintage, double flowers in a range of colours as they grow and come into flower.
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Beautiful cherry blossom on the trees in the
back garden at home, lovely against
that blue sky |
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Another of my auricula primulas,
this is 'Stubbs Tartan' |
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Doglet of the glen....... well the garden bench, Bracken doing what Bracken does best,
tracking the sun round the house and garden and sunbathing |
We had a mad Bank holiday Monday! It was great to see so many people at Whitmuir and visiting the nursery and gardens, Yay! The weather was stonking and it was a busy day helping customers. Even had a visit from Bill Hean who was in charge at Threave School of Gardening when I was a student there, a long long time ago.... great to have a chat and catch up with him. Home and lovely to sit out in the back garden with Batman before he went off for tonight's survey.
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| Driving down to Duns |
On Tuesday, our day off, the weather was still lovely so we headed down to Duns for a walk with the doglet. We parked up in the town and headed out to the east to a local nature reserve where we stopped for our picnic beside a lovely pond in the woods. We had swans for company and it was lovely to sit in the dappled shade and have a leisurely lunch.
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| We spotted a yellow hammer on the hedge |
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| Bracken doing his best give me a corner of your sandwich look |
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| Swans on the pond |
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| Enjoying some time off on a sunny day |
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| Quirky Bird on a day off |
After lunch we walked through the woods towards Duns Castle and it's lake which is called Hen Poo! That gave us cause to laugh. There was plenty cherry blossom and masses of marsh marigolds by the side of the lake.
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| Cherry Blossom |
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| Marsh marigolds (Caltha palustris) |
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| Wild garlic or ransoms (Allium ursinum) |
Walking back into Duns we stopped off for coffee and cake to finish off our day before heading home
Another week and the nursery is bursting with new growth. In the sales area dwarf Rhododendrons and Viburnums are in full flower with perennials catching up. Grasses are finally pushing up shoots and filling the table with their colourful leaves. Work wise in the nursery it's more of the same, potting and pricking out seedlings in the tunnel and keeping the sales area full and colourful and working through the stock beds.
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I planted a medlar at the end of the nursery
near the crab apple I planted last month,
they will form a nice back drop
to the nursery and a screen |
The weather has been glorious over the last week, warm and sunny every day with very little wind, it's been short sleeves, sun cream and enjoying working out in the sun. It also brings customers out, who have been enjoying walking around the nursery and gardens.
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| The herb garden in the sun |
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Picking some edible flowers and herbs for
dinner on Saturday night |
After another sunny busy day at the nursery it was lovely to relax and catch up with friends when they came to visit for dinner on Saturday night. On the menu was morrocan meatballs, a yoghurt and mint dressing, heritage tomato salad, freshly baked bread from Whitmuir and for dessert a lemon thyme and orange cheesecake decorated with crystalised flowers accompanied by sliced oranges drizzled with honey. Its great to be back at the time of year when I can harvest fresh herbs and flowers from the garden for cooking.
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| My goats cheese and beetroot salad |
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Three generations, my Uncle Andy, Me and Daniel
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| Wild garlic in the woods |
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| Walking by the river |
I hope you are enjoying your gardens in this lovely early summer weather and lets hope it continues for a while longer.
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All contents and photographs © Rona, unauthorised reproduction & use of these images is strictly forbidden, thank you
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