Prenplants Update – April 2016

Spring has sprung at the nursery and with the longer days and the warmer weather starting we are starting to see a lot of new life. We have tadpoles and newts enjoying the nursery pond, the orchard is beginning to blossom and bluebells are in abundance all along the paths and field, filling the air with their distinctive perfume. The resident chickens and ducks are starting to get more vocal, especially Barry the cockerel who is in full voice. You may also have seen on our Twitter account that Mrs Robin has returned once again to lay in one of our plant label pigeon holes (or robin hole?!). We are definitely a wildlife friendly corner of Sussex, and we’re enjoying our very own Spring Watch on sunny days (between sowing, potting and dispatching of course!).

We have held another successful potting day this month where 18 volunteers managed a weekend record of 5985 plants in one day. They were fuelled by a feast of homemade soup & bread with chocolate, ginger and fruit loaf cakes. On the next potting day at the end of the month we hope to try to beat that volunteer record!!!

Each week more plants are becoming sale-able with plenty coming into bud and beginning to flower; every day we spot something new that has put on a growth spurt in the April sunshine & showers. We have just about sold out of all the bulbs that gave us some early colour, although we do still have some late flowering Daffodils that have just come into full, fresh lemony yellow flower (fragrant too!) and these are sure to glow in any gaps that may have sprung up in your spring displays.

Spring favourites, Dicentras, are in flower too. Polemoniums are looking great with flowers almost upon us, our Paeonias are all bursting into leaf and the Dahlias are beginning to show too. Lupins are looking the best they ever have (the April showers have helped) and the Viola riviniana Purpurea are putting on a resplendent show of purple that will brighten the dullest corner and their nodding flower heads are sure to put a smile on anyone’s face.

With so many plants springing into life and so much wildlife springing on to the nursery it’d be easy to get distracted from the day-to-day, but we have plenty to keep us busy. Lots of new seeds are sown and germinating, with more going in this month. More plugs are arriving to be potted and dispatch is taking off with lots of orders coming through, so if you need anything then please be sure to get your order in early and don’t forget to confirm with us if you want something. Keep your eyes peeled for some attractive new varieties hitting the availability list too; we’re trying to keep the range fresh, just like spring!