As April scurries past, spring seems to have got lost somewhere. We've tried the reset button and had sunshine for a day, then we tried switching off and then on again, and had a couple of days of sunshine and dry weather, but all too soon the wind and rain were back. Fortunatly it hasn't put off our hardy customers or maybe everyone got fed up waiting and need to be buying plants. The lambs in the field next to the nursery are skipping around and the highland coos have moved to the other field next to us and in usual cow curiosity love a nosy when they see us around our poly tunnels, cute.
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Looking good in the garden this week, some
of our favorite daffies in the garden 
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In the front garden, I've been mulching the shade borders with compost and enjoying the spring flowers on my way to and from work. The Forsythia was a bit lean on flowers this year, but I did give it a much needed thin out last year. The Narcissus 'Jenny' and Scilla sibirac have worked well together.
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| Corylus 'Red Magestic' |
How lovely was it to have another dry day, it makes all the difference. Bonus was that now the night are light and it was a dry evening I got a couple of hours in my own garden when I got home. So good to get some of those jobs done and enjoy all my spring bulbs while I'm pottering away 
We've been filling up the sales area again and there's lots of spring beauties out, including a couple of very lovely unusual epimediums for sale.
The gardens are full of spring colour and as always, pots, compost, wee shop gifty garden things, great advice and so much more.
Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm
See you soon
It was time to do the first grass cut of the season at the weekend and a chance to look in detail at how the grass paths are doing. As with all things plants in gardens with more challenging conditions, its all about choosing the right plants. This also goes for grass seed. When we installed the new grass path in our scented garden in spring 2024 I chose a hard wearing grass seed as that path gets a lot of use. This garden is also one of the wettest areas of the nursery gardens. The grass sadly did not cope well over winter 2024 into 2025 and by the time we were due to open in March 2025 it was looking very sad and had to be cordoned off.
So onto the internet to do some research I went, as we really didn’t want to replace the grass with something else and start again. My research came up with a grass mix especially for wet areas and clay soil, perfect. Soon a bag of it arrived in the post and I got started over sowing what was left. Within a couple of months the grass had grown and was looking fantastic. Fast forward to the real test, the next winter, 2025 into 2026. By spring 2026, despite being a very very wet winter it was apparent the grass seed for wet ground had done the job and the grass path through the scented garden looked excellent and does not need replaced, whew!
This week in the nursery and gardens - Again another week of all the weathers, 17C and sunny at one end, rain, winds and colder temperatures at the other, such is spring in Scotland. But regardless of the weather our hardy customers are venturing out to visit and shop which is much appreciated 
I have finally finished and escaped tidying and potting S’s in the stock bed. Next is R, but there are only 5 varieties, lol, does that count? Then P’s of which there are a lot which I have started. I’ve also been doing some cuttings and propagation to replace batches that failed over winter. Isabel has been sowing large batches of perennial seeds which are filling up tunnel 3. Infact, as fast as we take plants out of tunnel 3 to pot up and put out in the stock beds we are filling it back up. We mutter about tunnel 5 and got some dark looks from David, he says 4 tunnels is more than enough, we will see 
The talented bakers in the Whitmuir café have been leading us astray with crème egg cookies. Maisie was offended she didn’t get a bit, but they were far to good for mere Mouse dogs 
If you look closely in the wildlife pond you will see hundreds of wriggly tadpoles, lets hope some make it to adult frogs 
All the annuals expertly sown by Fiona and Isabel have germinated and are looking great, although we are still throwing a fleece over them on chilly nights. These are all destined to be planted out in the gardens. The perennial seeds Fiona sowed into 1 litre pots are also germinating quickly and looking great. It doesn’t matter how long I’ve been doing this, I still get a kick out of seeing all those seeds sent out their first leaves, signs of new life and another year 
The grass paths got their first cut of the season by our newly serviced and sharpened mower that now works perfectly. No more cursing by an irate gardener (me) because it won’t start. David has been doing lots of wee tasks and fixing jobs around the nursery and gardens, although most go unseen, they do make a big difference. Sundays job was to create a stand for customer's trees that have been bought and reserved and awaiting collection. Now I don’t have to worry about them blowing over in the wind 
In other news, pond plants have been selling well so I have done another order and hopefully they will be with us next week, this also includes a first selection of water lilies 
A lot of folks have been asking for herbs and I am hopeful looking at next weeks weather we might get them out into the sales area for the weekend, fingers crossed 
In the garden at home on Tuesday. Finally a dry day in my own garden. Tidying borders, tidying out the greenhouse, feeding and top dressing plants and enjoying the peace and quiet of my own garden.
There's nothing more precious than spending time with all my wee family and on Monday we headed west again, this time to visit Jamie and Natasha. We are so excited to help them celebrate their marriage in June, our first family wedding so it was lovely to deliver their wedding present yesterday.
I haven't done much painting this year, lately because I'm just too busy with the nursery and exhausted when I get home, but between new year and March I was working on my biggest project yet and a very well kept secret for the happy couple. I have been equally terrified it wouldn't work and quietly impressed that I managed to pull it off.
Painted from a photo of Jamie and Natasha I took last summer and expertly framed by Tweed Art in peebles, here it is, my gift, painted with much love (of course I do realise I have now set myself up to paint another four over time for each or our youngsters 
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Before we went to see Jamie and Natasha on Monday we went for a walk near Lochwinnoch at the Castle Semple Estate. Typically the weather did a different thing from the forecast and it was a soggy walk with the sun coming out on the way back to the car 
As well as a new walk somewhere different, it was also has a family history slant. My great uncle x 8 bought the Castle Semple Estate in 1727. You can read about him in the info boards at the visitor centre and in the photos here. The house no longer exists having burnt down in 1924 and demolished in the 1960’s
As well as a new walk somewhere different, it was also has a family history slant. My great uncle x 8 bought the Castle Semple Estate in 1727. You can read about him in the info boards at the visitor centre and in the photos here. The house no longer exists having burnt down in 1924 and demolished in the 1960’s“The estate was sold by Hugh Sempill, 12th Lord Sempill, in 1727, to Colonel William M'Dowall (d. 1748), a younger son of McDowall of Garthland. In 1735, McDowall demolished the house and erected a new one on its site. The new Castle Semple was an elaborate gothick mansion which became renowned for its extensive gardens which formed the centrepiece of the 900 acres (360 ha) estate. In 1818, McDowall sold Castle-Semple to John Harvey, Esquire, of Jamaica. Some workmen repairing drains in 1830 found part of the foundations of the castle still existing below ground. “
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