Prenplants Update – December 2016
Wow, it’s been a long time since the last blog update here on the website. It looks as though April was the last time we sat down and updated you on what we’ve been up to. It’s been a busy year that’s for sure, and it’s only now as the winter has well and truly declared itself that we’ve been forced to retreat indoors. The plants are currently frozen blocks, and although the sun has been looking down on us all day it hasn’t found enough heat to thaw the plants. Or us. The chickens are chasing every ray of sun they can find whilst the ducks don’t seem all that bothered, determined to swim in their pool despite the chill. At least it’s dry and calm after a week of stormy weather where strong winds were threatening but, thankfully, not strong enough to cause any damage as they have in the past. Our trees are still standing and the tunnels are fully covered, including the two newly covered that’ve been transformed into bright green shaded tunnels to aid in our propagation and the growth of some shade loving plants; the ferns and hostas appreciated the new colour from the off, even if it took us a while to adjust.
Elsewhere on the nursery our second season of potted bulbs has been proving just as, if not more, popular than last season with potted Narcissus and Muscari already flying out the door as soon as they hit the availability list. We have expanded the range of Tulip varieties with the likes of Honky Tonk and White Emperor included in this season’s line-up. We’ve also expanded the line of Frittilaria and introduced Mixed Crocus to the range, as well as others, in a bid to increase our options for you when it comes to early colour.
We’ve also made a start on the new catalogue for the 2017 season. We deliberated on this, wondering if the current catalogue could be used for another season or not, but in the end we decided to update because we’ve got an exciting amount of new lines being added to our range. New varieties to keep your eyes peeled for include the likes of Agapanthus Black Pantha, Aquilegia Rhubarb & Custard, Astrantia Gill Richardson, Dierama Strawberry Ice Cream, Fuchsia Silver Linings, Iberis Pink Ice, Heuchera Dark Spirit, Kniphofia Papaya Popsicle, Salvia Rose Rhapsody, Silene Firefly, Marjoram Gold Tipped and Chamomile to name but a few. Other varieties were successful trials part way through this season, so cuttings from Penstemon and Salvias for example, and new seed raised varieties will be seen again, hopefully in larger quantities.
There’s been plenty going on, and there’s plenty in the pipeline for the new season that we’re gearing up for, so keep your eyes peeled for lots of updates via email, Twitter and (if we get a chance) here on the blog.
The Prenplants Team.
