February is determined not to go quietly, as I started writing this blog post we have had more than six inches of snow, it's drifting, it's a blizzard when it snows and everything had ground to a halt, including yet again, work at the nursery. It is very frustrating as we were due to open for the 2018 season this weekend. But what can we do about the weather, especially when we can't get anywhere. The met office issued a red warning, which is very rare and advising people not to travel. Lets hope our water supply doesn't freeze and the gas doesn't run out before we get out delivery.
Last week was cold enough with the wind coming from the east and thank goodness for a hat and a huge heater in the office. Moving bags of compost and trolleys of plants helped keep me warm and works off the creme eggs and mochas. This is Hepatica noblis, one of my favourite early spring flowers being brave amongst the snow showers we have had in the nursery.
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| It snowed all day Wednesday |
Snow Day 1 ~ Last day of February and schools were cancelled, roads barely passable and blizzards all day meant we were all at home on Wednesday. This did mean that I got a lot of paperwork, emails and outstanding tasks done which is good. We are of course concerned about what is happening at the nursery and whether we will open at the weekend. The forecast is for a lot more snow over the next day or so.
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While we're snowed in, snowed out, snowed under and watching blizzards swirling past the window, we can but dream and plan for spring. Apparently, conifers are having a Renaissance. We've added nine new varieties to our collection this year. They are mainly smaller varieties, ideal for containers and alpine plantings, but they pack a punch with their colourful, evergreen foliage. They are now on the website and will be available once we manage to get to the nursery and actually open!
Snow Day 2 ~ Hello March! We woke up on Thursday to even more snow, over twelve inches and even deeper in the drifts! It then snowed all day, with blizzards and strong winds blowing the snow about and causing more drifting over cleared roads and complete havoc everywhere. Another day in the house working on nursery signs, emails, and so on. At least we'll be ahead in that respect! Bracken wasn't over joyed either as the snow is deeper than him. We did walk to the end of the road to see what the main road was like, passable with care, but I suspect the drifting higher up over the hill would be causing problems.
Snow day 3 ~ The beast from the east has claws! We hoped to get out but there are many closed roads and drifting around us and the A701 past the nursery was closed so won't be getting over to check it either. We had to start rationing the gas for the house heating as that was due to be delivered this week. Hoping we will get out for food if the shops have been re-stocked. It's another day trying to keep warm and getting on with admin. I am powering through the paperwork it has to be said. If nothing else this has enforced a rest after a couple of manic weeks, so apart from the delays of getting things done in the nursery, it's no bad thing.
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| Beautifully inconvenient |
Snow Day 2 ~ Hello March! We woke up on Thursday to even more snow, over twelve inches and even deeper in the drifts! It then snowed all day, with blizzards and strong winds blowing the snow about and causing more drifting over cleared roads and complete havoc everywhere. Another day in the house working on nursery signs, emails, and so on. At least we'll be ahead in that respect! Bracken wasn't over joyed either as the snow is deeper than him. We did walk to the end of the road to see what the main road was like, passable with care, but I suspect the drifting higher up over the hill would be causing problems.
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| Walking to the end of the road |
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| Bracken the snow dog |
Snow day 3 ~ The beast from the east has claws! We hoped to get out but there are many closed roads and drifting around us and the A701 past the nursery was closed so won't be getting over to check it either. We had to start rationing the gas for the house heating as that was due to be delivered this week. Hoping we will get out for food if the shops have been re-stocked. It's another day trying to keep warm and getting on with admin. I am powering through the paperwork it has to be said. If nothing else this has enforced a rest after a couple of manic weeks, so apart from the delays of getting things done in the nursery, it's no bad thing.
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| 4 paw doglet-drive |
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| What's that? |
Last week I took the plunge and got my hair cut, I've been thinking about it for a while, although I should have maybe waited until the warmer weather! It's a bit of a leap from one extreme to the other, but I'm pleased I did it. The hair I had cut off has been donated to the Little Princes Trust who make wigs for children with cancer. It is so east to care for now and good to donate to a good cause too.
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| Keeping warm and working from home during the wild snowy weather |
Snow Day 4 ~ This was supposed to be our opening day at the nursery for 2018! How it will affect business this year we won't know for a while, it all depends how long all this snow takes to melt. We managed to make it out onto the main road this morning and headed up to Straiton just south of Edinburgh to get food. We got the last of the bread and milk in the supermarket, but generally everything else was well stocked, apart form loo rolls, those were getting low! Having done our weekly shop (tesco cancelled our delivery due to the weather) we headed to the nursery. All main roads were clear and it was interesting to see the depth of some of the snow drifts that had been cleared and cut through. The nursery is underneath anything between twelve inches and three feet of snow depending on the drifts. So there will be nothing happening for a while sadly. After a coffee and catch up with some of the Whitmuir staff we headed home to hide from it all.
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| Snow has drifted over the stream at the nursery entrance! |
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| Snow joke! |
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| Interesting shapes with the wind |
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| Drifting snow |
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| Its blown right into the covered area |
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| Views on the way home |
Snow Day 5 ~ Almost like a proper Sunday, like the ones we had before we owned a nursery! A long lie, and catching up with bits and pieces and more admin for the nursery. There is no point is going to the nursery when it is under so much snow. We plan to get back to a normal working week on Wednesday and see how we go from there. We are also planning on opening for the season on Saturday the 10th of March. Fingers crossed.
Monday and lunch with a friend and domestic chores, before giving up our day off on Tuesday to go to the nursery, catch up pn some work and get the wee shop ready for opening this weekend. At least it was an office and under cover task, pricing and photographing everything then setting up our exciting new stock. The snow is melting quite quickly but then we had heavy snow showers in the morning, fortunately not causing problems on the roads. I did get some more good photos of our momochrome landscape.
You can see some of the new items we have in our wee shop on the nursery website here:
Quercus Garden Plants
Hopefully the snow will continue to thaw quickly and the weather is forecast to get warmer. Have a great week what ever you are up to.
We might not be as far ahead as we hoped for opening at the weekend because of all the snow and freezing temperatures we've had, but we will still be there with a warm welcome, good advice and a great selection of tough plants for Scottish gardens.
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Find out more about the nursery here - our web site: www.quercusgardenplants.co.uk
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