Everything's Coming up Roses

One week seems to be merging into another and time is passing quickly, sometimes it feels like I'm getting nothing done and yet when I step back and look how far we've come so far, I am amazed that I've done what I have in little over a year. Summer is half way through already (some sun would be good, hint hint) and we're already into Persicaria and Sanguisorba season. As the blog title suggests everything is going well at the moment, the feed back we are getting is amazing and I'm really pleased, but also pleased to be able to give visitors somewhere lovely to visit. It's a good feeling.

Roses have added a real splash of colour to the sales are and are selling well. I deliberately chose scented
varieties and the smell has been glorious every day

The madness of spring has eased slightly and the pressure is less to get everything sown, potted and ready for the busy season. Now we are slipping into a more maintenance orientated routine, weeding stock beds, planted beds and the sales area, propagating stock and keeping the sales area fresh and appealing to customers. It's more often than not a case of once I get to the end of weeding the stock beds or planted beds it's time to start again! I'd really like to get some new beds created both on the top terrace and middle terrace. I suspect this may become an autumn task.

I've been filling up David's vertical planter with herbs, annuals, scented plant and bright colours,
it's a lovely place to sit on a sunny day and watch the world go by

There is plenty happening here on the farm and in the nursery over the summer, something for everyone. From new art exhibitions in the gallery, great food sourced straight from the farm in the cafe and of course our great plants and gardens here in the nursery. You can see a list of events for all the businesses here

Annual Shirley poppies and Nepeta 'Six Hills Giant'' go really well together in the stock bed borders

On Friday evening David was doing a visit to a house which potentially has a bat roost in it. He came home with two juveniles which had been trapped in the house. So we had two tiny house guests overnight before they went away on Saturday to stay with Tracy, a bat worker who looks after injured bats and those who have got trapped or lost. Once they have recovered she will release them back into the wild.

The bats needed dried with cotton buds as they were quite wet and then some water from a dropper before going into David's bat care box where there is a dark space for them to roost and some food and water. Latest update is they are feeding well. Never a dull moment in this house.

On Saturday we had a working day out at the Biggar Show where we had a stand to advertise the nursery and sell some plants n things. With no idea how it would go we looked on it as a day out with the younger two in tow. Tractors and animals are always an attraction, and food, don't forget food, especially when dealing with teenagers, bribery and corruption in the shape of burgers and all things fattening always works

Our stand all ready for business

. 

Plants to suit everyone

Herbs n things

Garden things

We had a great day, the weather stayed dry and we manage to have a wander or two around the show, sample wine and cheese in the food shed and talk to other stand holders. We handed out leaflets, talked to people about the nursery and sold plants and pots. Granny had a successful day in the nursery being a great sales person, so a great day all round, home for dinner together to catch up. Roll on the Peebles show next month, as long as the weather holds.

On Sunday it was away with all the show stuff, topping up the sales area and helping customers. The weather was a bit damp, ok raining. But I did get started on weeding and sorting out the shrub and tree stock beds at long last. It also means I can get new plants out into sales.

The greenhouse plants got a hair cut on Monday at home!

A day off on Monday to catch up at home, luckily the weather was mainly dry and I got some gardening done, yeh I know, bus-mans holiday. I got all the front garden borders weeded, some new plants put in, the compost heaps emptied and turned over and when it was raining I worked in the greenhouses. By the middle of summer the pelargoniums need a hair cut as they out grow their spaces and become leggy. This summer trim keeps the plants compact and can encourage them to keep flowering. As you can see above it produces a lot of material for the compost bin. As well as tidying the garden I got the house cleaned and a pile of stuff put away in the attic, best of all was a relaxing evening in front of the TV with the dog and chocolate.

My waterlily flowered this week, looking lovely in it's bowl

I won't be using my string line any time soon, I have
squatters in my shed!

Another flowering excitement when I found the Cautleyas were flowering in the
greenhouse

On Tuesday we dragged the youngest two out for the day, reckoning farm machinery and animals and the lure of lunch would keep them happy. At 15 and 17 it's not always easy to find things they want to do that doesn't involve a computer. We visited The National Museum of Rural Life near East Kilbride which we've never been to before. As part of the national Museum of Scotland it is very well done and in a modern building which sits well within the country side, the cafe is great too. we had lunch first then wandered around the museum building, lots of farming and domestic implements and machinery. From the museum building it's a 10 minute walk up to the working farm where you can look around the farm house and farm, see life on the farm in the 50's and 60's, see the cows being milked, pat the new calves and look for chickens, pigs and horses. 

Somewhere we haven't been before

Inspecting the tractors

A lot of old things

Stepping back in time on the farm, veg and fruit gardens, animal, a farm house left exactly as it was in the 50's and 60's, cows to milk, calves to pat, an old tool shed and a black cat that looked very like our Milly.

Scarecrow in the veg garden

Original gates into the farm house

A relative of Milly? It's even got the same look

Heading in to get milked

The old tool shed, just as it was left

A work bench frozen in time

Cute calves, these were only three weeks old, awwwwww

Meet Amy

Bright Pelargoniums in the farmhouse
porch

Now you see them

Now you don't

Talking to the animals

Tamworths rooting in the ground

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