Rain at last, a new greenhouse and home garden happiness

On Saturday, 24th May we celebrated 10 years of owning Quercus. I know how can it be 10 years? We wanted to celebrate with our customers, because without you all supporting us we wouldn't be where we are now. So we gave anyone making a purchase in the nursery 10% off over the weekend.

A huge thank you for helping us make it this far through the ups and downs of the past 10 years

Much thanks from the Quercus Team

10 years! It doesn't seem that long, and on others it feels like a life time

We've grown in so many ways, especially me, in so many ways. We've met folks who have become much loved friends, we've met fellow like minded business owners both in horticulture and others who have created and built their own businesses, who have become customers and us their customers too.

There have been highs (growing the business, featuring in magazines and papers and the love we get from our customers) and lows (covid, having to close, the uncertainty of the farm sale, growing costs)

But here we are, still standing (just, well me anyway lol) growing and giving our customers a fab place to visit and buy plants

We are now stocking these fabulous hand woven willow plant supports and cone baskets made by Hermione of Weaving in the Wild. We love stocking natural products in our wee shop and even more so when they are locally made by talented crafts people. We currently have four of the plant supports which are approx. 2 metres high and 45cm wide at the base. The cone shaped baskets can be used for all sorts of things from holding wool for nesting birds, to garlic or onions in the house or bird food or whatever takes your imagination. You can find more info on Instagram at Weaving in the Wild and www.weavinginthewild.co.uk

Plants and views that caught my eye on an end of day wander around the gardens. We are definitely out of spring and into early summer as the leaves are now fully out and the colour palette has changed to softer blues, whites and pinks with the odd blast of orange, Euphorbia griffithi ..... I see you.

Lets go on a floral Friday tour of the nursery and gardens, names in the photo captions

Yes my new greenhouse is installed, yes it looks amazing, yes it was a bl**dy nightmare, instructions were bad, but for now more exciting garden news..........my Wisteria is flowering again, for the third time in its 30 odd year life!!!! Considering how bad it looked earlier in the year now it looks amazing with 20 blooms in its new home here

Oh my goodness I think we are getting several days of rain in one go! I think I might have to throttle back the rain dancing, I maybe over did it? But we desperately need it, not just our gardens and plants, but the wider countryside and the farmers. I swear I can hear the plants sooking it up and then sighing with relief, I know I have enjoyed a day of not dragging hoses around, thinking where needs watered next and emergency watering plants.

Here are some photos of the nursery gardens taken over the past week with that amazing blue sky.

Gardening at its best, something beautiful and something you can eat and now we have rain, thank goodness, it is much needed, the gardens, plants and country side are parched after 13 weeks of no rain and high temperatures. Its been a relief not to have to water at the nursery and then again when I get home.

Last week's days off and several evenings after were all about building my new greenhouse at home, I'm so excited. I've tried for 3 years to do without one but my cacti, succulents and tender collection all need a greenhouse. So here it is fitted into a small area of the back garden opposite the potting shed. I chose one that would sit in the garden but not stand out, a subtle addition to the garden but useful too. In between is a wee courtyard area with my fountain, acer and a few pots. The whole back garden has changed in the past 2 months with the new seating a pot area and now the greenhouse. I love it, it's even better than I hoped it would be when I was planning it Tomorrow I sort out all my plants and move them in

What a weather week that was! From perfect blue skies, hot days and blazing sunshine to very much needed rain both for us gardeners, our plants and the farmers and wider countryside.

Everything feels so refreshed. Mind we could do with out that wind though! Still it was great to not have to be constantly thinking about watering, hauling hoses and spribnklers around and thinking where needed watered next, emergency watering on top of all the usual nursery work. 13 weeks of hot weather and no rain is so unusual for us

I have been working through the stock beds, tidying, potting, labelling, and am now almost finished L’s. I’ve also been bringing over all the grasses in the farm tunnel, tidying, propagating and sorting them out into new tunnel 2 or sales

We had a top up of water plants, so if you are looking to refresh the planting in your pond, pop over and have a look at what we have in stock

Isabel is away at the moment and Erin was in on Thursday helping get the water plants unpacked and out into the sales area, she also potted up lots of plants which is really helpful

David got the irrigation sorted out in tunnel 2, the one we covered last Sunday, and new moveable sprinklers sorted out for the sales area, gradually we are getting everything streamlined

Fiona has potted up lots more of last years cuttings, placing them in the new stock beds infront of the new tunnels. We are going to be doing a massive amount of propagation soon to keep up with all the sales. Keeps us busy

On Sunday I started planting out the annuals which have been in the tunnel growing, waiting until it rained so I didn’t have to water them as well. Now we have had rain the ground is wet and they wont be stressed. These mainly go into the scented garden and herb garden and include sweet peas, beans, borage, nasturtiums and sun flowers

Finally this weekend we celebrated 10 years of owning Quercus and as a thank you to our customer we gave 10% off to everyone who came and bought plants this weekend. If it wasn’t for our customers we wouldn’t still be here and we hugely appreciate all the support buying from us, the lovely comments we get both online and in person, the love you all have for the nursery and gardens, honestly it really carries me though the tough days of running a business, the days when the exhaustion wins or when things go wrong. We’ve had a few years of it and you’ve always been there cheering us on

Finally a massive thanks to the Quercus team who are fabulous, make me laugh when I want run away and keep it all running smoothly behind the scenes and front of house

I spent a wonderful relaxing peaceful day in my own garden (I know) filling up my new greenhouse, no deadlines, no hassles, just me, my plants and the birds singing in the hedge, those spuggies are noisy! Sorting out, potting and feeding my cacti and succulent collection that’s lived in the potting shed at home (heater in winter) since my greenhouse was destroyed at the nursery a year and a half ago. Then working through what is left of my Pelargonium collection which has lived in the farm tunnel at the nursery since the greenhouse disaster, sadly not heated and no way of saving all of them. I have 25 which have survived out of 62, fortunately 3 of my favs are still there. I cannot put into words just how much I love this back garden, its been quite an organic creation (not like me, no real planning, defo not like me) I’ve gone with the flow, come up with ideas as we’ve lived here over the past 3 years and managed to create a wee oasis with all the things we need and love is what is a very small garden, but it doesn’t feel crammed. Happy happy.

Highlights in the back garden this week, Rosa 'Constance Spry' is stunning and so scented at the back gate Lots of bees and insects about enjoying the flowers as are we.

In the front garden this week after a tidy up yesterday. Its been a bit battered this week what with the roofers and then the very hot sunny weather. The soil in this front garden is very stony and well drained so dries out very quickly. Not something I'm usually dealing with at the nursery! I've planted and sown annuals to fill in the gaps this year while the plants recover.

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