As we now enter the crazy crazy busy time of year in the nursery as opposed to the crazy busy time of year in the nursery everything is happening at once and needs done at once. Every day more and more plants come to life and come into flower, more plants need potted, propagated, watered, labelled, moved and tended. The nursery is busy with customers and we are delighted to welcome each and every one, regular and new to enjoy the nursery and gardens, especially as the weather has dramatically improved.
A happy accident. I love blue and yellow combinations, so this combination of Muscari latifolius and dandelions was a great discovery last week in the orchard. I planted the muscari in autumn when the dandelions weren't flowering, and along with the daffodils and Philadelphus 'Aureus' its a bright and golden moment in the orchard.
I found a wee newt in the stock beds when I was tidying. We see them a lot in the wild life pond and I regularly find them in the polytunnels. Now that the weather is warmer up I occasionally find them in the stock beds too, along with frogs and toads.
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| Maisie |
As dog owners we know how great it is to be able to take your dog places you visit, especially as the weather warms up.
We are super dog friendly and love seeing all our doggy visitors. All we ask is you keep them on a short lead and clean up after them. If you have forgotten a poo bag, we have plenty, please ask 
There are several dog poo bins around the farm and car park now to place them in, just look out for the red bins. If your dog likes a wee snack we also have a jar of dog treats Lastly dogs, like children never do what you want when you want and Maisie is no different The last two photos are me trying to get a cute dog photo for this post!!! As they say, never work with dogs and children lol.
The cowslips are looking stunning and providing plenty cheery colour all over the wildflower bankings here in the nursery and they are loving the damp soil after the rain. We are open 10am to 5pm, Wed to Sunday, with great plants and advice, no matter the weather.
See you soon 
Our wee free gardening library is back for 2024
Big thanks to David for building new doors, which look very smart and repainting the interior. Exchange - bring a garden book you no longer want and swap it for one in the wee library. Donate - simply bring along gardening books you no longer want - great recycling!
Return - you don't have to swap or donate, you can borrow a book and bring it back once you've read it.
pop a cash donation in our charity can for the books you want
We've also got old journals from the Botanics, Hardy Plant Society and the Caley free to take away and enjoy - I can't bear to throw them out but will be glad if another gardener enjoys reading them.
Here are all the lovely tulips I've had flowering in my garden this spring. I love tulips but have never been successful with them, mainly due to mice, voles and squirrels eating them in previous gardens. But here is a success They have given me joy and brightened up the garden for nearly two months now, and the latest ones have just come into flower so will go on longer yet.
Tulipa 'National Velvet', Tulipa ‘Gavota’, Tulipa 'Purissima', Tulipa 'Aveyron’, Tulipa 'Black Parrot', Tulipa 'Red Riding Hood', Tulipa 'Grand Perfection', Tulipa 'Spring Green' and Tulipa 'Queen of the Night'
Over the last two weekends we've started getting all the display pots and planters out the polytunnel after winter. We start with the hardiest working towards the tenders later in the month. A tidy up, feed, top dress of compost and gravel for the alpine planters and feed and compost for the herbs and they are ready to go out into the herb garden and sales area. These give our customers more ideas of what to do with the alpines and herbs that can be bought in the nursery sales area and they make the nursery more interesting.
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| Planters for the herb garden |
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Alpines troughs have been freshened up with
new gravel and dead plants replaced |
Seems hard to believe it’s been 35 years since I left Threave Garden & Nature Reserve NTS as a newly qualified gardener and off into my first job. Back last Monday to visit the Threave Garden show, which was great as usually garden shows are on when I’m working at weekends. A soggy drive down but at least it stayed mainly dry while we were there. We explored the gardens and I might have bought some plants for myself and the nursery. Maisie Mouse had a great time networking as nursery dog! I caught up with folks I know through the nursery and friends, so a bit of business networking too. Great to catch up with Colin and finally meet MT from Scotland Grows and Caroline from Discover Scottish Gardens in person instead of at the other end of emails. Some plants bought from Kevin at Cally Gardens, Hartside and Elizabeth MacGregor to fill out the nursery alpine troughs and some for the nursery woodland garden. Another soggy drive back with David and his lurgy and my car now needs to go back to the garage again as its now got a noisy exhaust – fed up, not sure who sounds worse, David or the car!
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| In the walled garden |
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| Threave House |
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| In the Secret Garden |
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| Berberis |
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These conifers were smaller than me
when I was studying at Threave! |
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| Davidia involucrata |
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