What's happening at the nursery

Well we've been busy again, and getting frustrated with the weather... like everyone else!!

But we won a bronze at Malvern, which is great... but we still want that silver.

I made a birthday wish while at Malvern and what did I get, more groundfrosts!  Still on a more cheery note, solanum and nuytsia germinating despite all the cold.

Well well, melaleuca nesophila with flower buds appearing, obviously it's a sales plant not my RHS display one!

RHS Malvern

Ready and raring to go at RHS Malvern. We're on stand 37 and would love to see you.

Boabab Trees

Thankfully it's warmer today, please can we have some warm nights now, as I've still got only 2 germinated boabab trees so far.

Greenovia

Well you won't see this very often, greenovia dtplocycla, shame it will now die, but the seed!

Drought resistant gardens

Southern Waters Chelsea garden to be.

I was asked to give a bit of help to the creation of their drought tolerant garden and this is what I came up with.

Drought resistant gardens... Why Prairie Plants ?

When asked to give a bit of advice I wanted to get away from the traditional Mediterranean solution of lavenders, rosemarys, and agaves. Which are great in hot and dry summers but struggle or fail in cool wet summer/winters.

I wanted to find plants that can survive all the rubbish that a typical British year throws at us (just look at this March and then April).

One answer was prairie plants, taking as inspiration the weather of the Russian Steppes, wickedly cold in the winter, miserably muddy in spring/autumn and devilishly hot in  summer. So anything surviving there would do the trick. Russian Steppes, European Plains and American Prairies it was.

As you know that is not all, but that will be another story!

RHS Cardiff - Bronze

Pleased with bronze medal at RHS Cardiff, especially as our plants are germinating sooo slowly this year! Although really wanted Silver this year!

Day and a half later voila. One #RHS Cardiff display!... just add sweat blood and tears!