Birthdays, books and a day in the Borders

I'm trying so hard not to keep talking about the rubbish spring weather, feels like a throwback to 2018 when we went straight from a very very long winter straight into summer! Some sunshine and spring warmth is very much needed and everyone is feeling the same. Any hoo I'll shut about the weather. Work at the nursery progresses regardless of how much rain is falling and how cold it is. Plants continue to come out of the poly tunnel to be potted and go in the stock beds to grow on. We are making good progress this year in the stock bed tidy up, Isabel has finished grasses and is now in shrubs and I am in the main stock beds in L's. Lots of lupins, Lythrum and Lychnis being potted and tidied. Work had ground to a halt in the path refurb in the scented garden as the soil is just too awful to work with after all the rain. Instead David has been making new doors for the wee free library and we hope to have it back up and running soon. Some wee gems flowering in the nursery gardens this week. Every day there is something else in flower.

Anemone blanda 'White Splendour'

Brunnera macrophylla 'Hadspen Cream'

Chionodoxa lucilliae

Primula 'Gigha'

Pulmonaria 'Rachel vernie'

Scilla bifolia

Scopolia Hlandnikiana (S. carniolica var. brevifolia)

Our April Gardeners Notes information sheet is available in the nursery

Full of things to look out for on your walk around the nursery and gardens, looking good plants and tasks you can be doing in your own garden in April (appropriate for Scotland and this area) pick one up when you visit us

I forgot to take photo of the other side with the nursery map and things to look out for. I think all the rain has flooded my brain

Have you seen Scotland Grows magazine? An online magazine dedicated to Scottish gardens and gardeners, for only £18 annual subscription you get each issue popping into your in box. In this months edition you can see my recommendations for hardy spring plants

Go to @scotlandgrows for links to sign up. There is also a great podcast to listen to while you are weeding, sowing seeds or wading through this weeks mud

A day of books at the nursery. The first was a gift from one of our lovely customers, very appropriate don't you think? I'm looking forward to reading it.

The second was recommended by another lovely customer Jenny and I've added it to my wish list.

The third was a surprise entry in Scotland the best for Quercus mentioned by @walledgardenleitholm and delivered today.

As always looking for positives amongst this stormy weather, give me the rain, I hate the wind!

A good end to a stressful day worrying about what storm damage we are going to suffer this time

After a day working in the rain, a rain storm across the loch seemed an appropriate painting tonight

Happy Birthday to this wonderful young man. 30 today, how is that possible? So proud of you Ben and seeing you settled into your job and life on the west coast We have so many wonderful memories. Cant wait to see you and Cheryl next week xx

Well that was a week of weather! Torrential rain and destructive howling winds. I am looking forward to some quieter more peaceful days weather wise and in my head and they say gardening relieves stress! So far we have escaped any damage at the nursery apart from some broken signs, we actually had more damage at home in our sheltered town garden! The gardens continue to come to life despite everything the weather flings at them, the stock beds are greening up and we continue to bring plants over from the polytunnels and pot up new plants. Our wildlife is busy too, with birds nesting and the tadpoles in the wildlife pond have hatched. But watch out the newts are about!

The weather was supposed to rain on our day off so we thought we’d go and see the Great Tapestry of Scotland along the road in Galashiels. Of course it didn’t rain, one of these days I’ll get all those lovely walks I have planned done…. Anyhoo the tapestry is quite a thing, I hadn’t quite appreciated all that was involved, a visual history of Scotland in textured, colourful interpretation in thread, the texture, all the different stitches bringing it to life, truly amazing. From the geological formation of th eland, to the first inhabitants of the land right through to present day. We enjoyed lunch in the café there and then a walk at Abbotsford to exercise her majesty. Home to an hour in my garden before the rain came on. The photos of the tapestry represent parts that caught my eye, some that have meaning or I just liked a lot. We also visited the exhibition about the weaving of Paisley shawls in Scotland.

It was nice to have a couple of hours this afternoon to do a more involved painting of this butterfly. Making the most of yet another sh*t weather day to catch up at home and make myself relax (haha, an impossible goal) back to work tomorrow for another week of very mixed weather and the effect that has on business there's no such thing as a stress free life, but sometimes it takes the p*ss

I put my rhubarb forcer over one of our rhubarb clumps a few weeks ago ……………. Look at that colour. I picked it today and the flavour was amazing. I decided to cook it simply so we could enjoy the colour and flavour so I poached it in some sugar and raspberry juice and with some vanilla ice cream it was perfect. We have 3 clumps of rhubarb in our cottage mini fruit garden which I brought with me from our last garden at Easter Mosshat. One is Rhubarb ‘Victoria’ which I bought to plant in our last garden, the second clump I got from my grandad from his allotment in Leith, so a very old family heirloom plant and the third is a piece from the clump of rhubarb which was one of the only plants left growing in the old garden of the derelict house when we bought Easter Mosshat so goodness knows how old that plant is!

A much needed relaxing 2 days off, really trying to work on feeling calmer, less stressed and not letting anxiety get a hold. The Camellias are from Jamie and Natasha’s garden last Monday when we gave it a prune. Maisie caught steeling our coffee while we worked in the front garden yesterday afternoon! Tulip ‘National Velvet’ complimenting the new shoots on the pieris. Poppy with her one eyed, grand dame of the house attitude, a walk this evening in sun and blue sky at last, but it’s not to last. Torential rain again tomorrow.

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