Railways, Memories and Summer Flowers

So now I'm a week behind, damn. Yes I know, running to catch up again, but I get there one way or another. It's such a busy time in the nursery and garden, and life too, but that is a good thing. How are you all doing? Having better summer weather than we are I hope, the weather here not so much, a typical summer now the kids are on holiday.

Unsurprisingly we are back to normal Scottish summer weather, rain one minute, sun the next, but at least the temperatures are not too bad. One my main jobs for this week are to carry on weeding, tidying and propagating in the stock beds. It's a big job, but good to work though the plants keeping them tidy, getting rid of dead plants that didn't make it through winter (having been given a chance to shoot away until now) and propagating low number batches which I talked about in my last blog here . It also gives me a chance to update the database with accurate numbers and see how my plants are doing.

A lovely apricot foxglove I planted on the dry shade banking in the nursery.
It was amongst the seedlings I removed from stock plants when I was re-potting
everything last year. I planted some and potted the rest for sale. They are
all brightening up the sales area.

The cafe flowers this week

I also want to get on with potting more of the seedlings in the tunnel, a lot of them are going over to the stock beds so this makes room for the cuttings in the tunnel and other plants I've been sorting out. I'd really like to crack on with the grasses, there are still so many to re-pot and then move to the new stock beds. They are now well into their second year of not being potted, fed or divided. So much to do!

This is middle son, doesn't he
scrub up well, Can't believe he
will be 20 in 3 weeks time!

Sanguisorba menziesii in the nursery gardens

The cafe flowers this week, taking the wild flowers of the bankings indoors

David is making lots of progress with
the bottle edges in the wildlife garden

I've been finding lots of frogs and toads in the tunnel, hopefully they are keeping on top of the slugs

Aquilegia 'Chocolate Soldier; grown from seed, a very nice bi-colour variety

What is it about men and BBQ's? This one was for David's survey team before a visit to a large bat
maternity roost last Friday

Iris 'Black Knight' in the garden at home

Apple mint and Lavander looking lovely and smelling wonderful in the nursery

On our day off on Tuesday we decided to visit Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway in Bo'ness with Ben and Dan while they are off on holiday and around. I grew up at this railway and it's former yard in Falkirk as my Dad was one of the founding members of the Scottish Railway Preservation Society that runs the railway, he was chairman for many years and instrumental in getting the railway to Bo'ness and getting many engines back on the rails. Sadly he died 13 years ago aged 62, a much missed Dad and Grandad who achieved alot and still had so much to do.

It's years since I've been at the railway, too many memories, but it was lovely to go back with David, Ben, Dan and Bracken. We had a good walk around the museum, went on the train to Manual, which is the first time I've gone right to the end of the line and then went and put flowers on Dad's grave. A bitter sweet day.

I'll leave you with some photos of our day out,