"Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush."

The weather is still mixed but we are going through a week or two of dry weather, which is great for getting on with work in the nursery and gardens. I am going to whisper the fact we could do with some rain to water the plants though, now I've probably jinxed it. David has been making great progress behind the scenes getting rid of lots of rubbish and starting to build my new industrial compost bins. We are ticking off the outstanding tasks we need to do before opening on the 7th of April, exciting!

A beautiful spring day to be working out in the nursery

Wednesday last week was a beautiful day! So spring with some heat in the sun, the birds singing their wee hearts out in the hedge and removing 2 jackets and a bodywarmer so I look like I instantly lost 2 stone. Now that the gardens have had their spring clean, my attention turns to the stock beds. I start at one end and work through all the batches of plants, sweeping and weeding the mypex as I go. Because I am a neatness and organisational freak the stock beds are alphabetical, this does make it much easier for me and customers to find plants too though.

Each batch of plants gets weeded, fed, top dressed with fresh compost, new price labels and an information sign if I have one printed.

If there are any new plants, propagated and potted in the tunnel last year and ready to pot, these come out and are potted and put in their relevant place in the alphabetical scheme of things.

Any batches needing potted, get done now too. It all seems very OTT organised but it means everything has a space to go.

I can see what has come through winter ok, what needs attention, is dead or needs more propagation doing.

We've also moved the old shelves at this end of the stock beds, extended the stock bed to the new trellis fence and finished off the gravel, so it looks much more streamlined and neater.

Making good progress

Throwback Thursday - keeping in with the theme of stockbeds here's a photo of 2015 when we arrived on site and have thrown out all the dead plants and rowed up the remaining stock and uncovered the mypex from all the weeds and debris and today!

I brought these wee gems over to the sales area from the polytunnel this week. I didn't realise there was a bit of a colour theme going on until I set them up to photograph. Spring can be all about subtle colours too. Viola odorata 'Alba, Corydalis malkensis and Arum italicum subsp. italicum 'Marmoratum' AGM are all perfect for early spring colour in shade.

It was mixed day on Friday, I spent an hour in the tunnel sowing perennial seeds and propagating and tidying more alpines, ready to come across to sales and bulking up low numbers. Then back to the nursery to tidy up and put out the pots for the shady pot corner and some other pots for spring colour. Then on with more stock bed tidying and potting with my trusty companion but only because it was warm and sunny enough

Lots of plants have been tidied and put out onto the sales tables ready for opening on the 7th.

Its quite tiring being the nursery dog!

Sunbathing

Every day the nursery gets a little greener, and little gems are popping up in all the gardens. Spring is springing

Crocus 'Blue Pearl'

Helleborus 'Pink Lady'

Ranunculus 'brazen Hussy', what a great name

On Saturday I emptied the shade tunnel of the last of the plants and things stored there over winter. I sorted out all the planters, feeding, weeding and top dressing them before putting them out in the nursery. I started painting the two chairs that go in the scented garden and waxing the wooden antique trolleys to preserve them a little longer. Busy busy. I decided this year to make time to do the painting and waxing early in the season so the furniture looks better for us opening and helping preserve them for longer.

Any one else had a 24 hour sickness bug? I thought it was a reaction to our take away on Saturday, which would have been disapointing as they are really good, but a few folk have said they've been ill, so I suspect its a bug. Not sure how I got it as I don't see any one. Managed to get through work on Sunday at a much slower pace than normal and then slept on the sofa for the evening. Began to feel better as Monday went on, thankfully. I don't make a good ill person, lol.

This years Garden scheme book

We now have the Scotland's Gardens Scheme book in stock and available for sale. They will be on the counter when we open in a couple of weeks time :)

Its a great resource to find new gardens to visit, many of which are private gardens only open under the garden scheme. We are also having two days this summer where we will be helping raise money for our chosen charities. You can get details on our events list here on our Facebook page, on our website events page or in the book :) Lets hope this year we can all get out and about and explore new gardens.

Primula 'Old Port', one of the earliest primula to flower and a hose-in-hose primula where the calyx is turned into petals of another flower so it looks as if one flower is nestling inside another. The name derives from the way fashionable Elizabethan gentlemen wore their long stockings (their “hose”) one inside the other and with the top of the outer one turned down. Very floriferous plants which will flowers for weeks and occaionally through summer. Available in the nursery.

On our day off this week we didn't go too far as I had lots to catch up on at home. A walk up through St Ronans wood up to the hill fort on Caerlee Hill overlooking Innerleithen. Great views up all the valleys, windy on top so we didn't linger long. Back home for coffee and cake then on with my task list.

Striding out, no Dad I need to sniff this!

Walking up through St Ronans Wood

Chilly up top

Taking a moment to reflect on this past year. To think about those who have died and those families bereft of their loved ones. Those who's hard worked for businesses have ceased to trade, those who are out of work and who've had the added stress of home schooling. Those of us who have been keep apart from our friends and family for far to long and are desperate to hug our loved ones. Those who live alone, are feeling isolated from the world and those whose mental and emotional health have been affected. Those who have worked tirelessly in the NHS, frontline workers and those that have to deal with an often un- operative public on a daily basis. We are thinking of us all as a community and a country today as we mark one year of lockdown and covid

Traquair House in the distance

Painted stones by the path

When you are bored waiting on your humans because
they are chatting about hill forts, YAWN

Daffodils in the woods

So there we go, another week gone, the count down to opening is ticking away. I really do hope life will become more of what we know and love. That we will see loved ones again, be able to travel further a field. Who knew we would ever crave normal?

Keep safe, well and keep gardening

Quote title - Doug Larson

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