July 2006
NEW!!!! ON-LINE-STORE NOW OPEN!!!!
This scary new addition to our services goes on-line today. As I write, only about half the plants in the catalogue are in the store, but the rest, together with all the soaps, candles and other sundries, are being added bit by bit on a daily basis (you wouldn't believe how long it takes to stack virtual shelves).
What this means is that customers will now be able to buy and pay on-line for the plants and things they want, without the hassle of having to send a cheque. Payment, through Paypal, is secure and straightforward. Visit the store today and see how it's coming on! In the interim period, the full catalogue remains on-line. Of course we will continue to accept cheques as well!
News from the Nursery
This month, it's been pretty busy, and with all the seeds and cuttings taken through the spring coming to fruition, we have found we need more space. The combination of rain and sun has made most things grow quickly after what was a very slow start, so a lot of plants have needed potting on. So another piece of the wilderness between the garden and the bees and hens has been cleared, raked out and covered with fabric ground cover, and is now nearly full of stock, and the polytunnel is emptied and about to be extended and re-skinned (Big thank you to Matthew at Northern Polytunnels for persevering with the despatch of bits!)
Markets for July and August: we will have a stand at
2nd July Victorian Market, Letham, Angus
8th July Community Market, Crieff
22nd July Blairgowrie Community Market
12th August Kinross Show
18-19th August RHS Centenary Show and Gardeners Market, Perth Concert Hall
26th August Blairgowrie Community Market
Hopefully, there will be other markets/shows in the intervening weekends - if you know of any, get in touch!
DRIED HERBS
It was pointed out to me this week that the website lacks any mention of the dried herbs packets we produce. It started because of a waste-not-want-not compulsion to dry and use the trimmings from cutting back thymes and other nursery herbs, as well as the stock in the garden, and as the nursery has grown the quantities of dry herbs have as well. So we are now packaging certain blends of herbs at £1 per 5g package inc. postage (90p at the garden gate!), and these are the blends we have in stock:
Savoury Herb blend (for cooking; contains oregano, thyme, hyssop, lemon thyme, lemon balm, vietnamese coriander, and a few others. Very lemony and tasty)
Yarrow, Sage and Peppermint Tea (very soothing at the start of a cold)
Lemon Balm, eau-de-cologne Mint and Moroccan Mint Tea (calming and delicious)
Lemon Verbena Tea (the continental verveine tea, fantastic as an iced drink; use also in cooking)
Bay Leaves
AND ABOUT TO BE PRODUCED....
Mint Medley (an eclectic mix of dried mints to aid digestion)
Thyme for Something Different! (a mix of thymes for culinary use)
GARDEN NEWS
Well, you don't want to hear about all the new weeds, so I'll just say the spinach has taken over from ground elder as the Number One vegetable crop, but we are still getting nettle soup, even though the tough nettle fibres are now becoming noticable even in the youngest leaves (I toyed with the idea of collecting and spinning them but.....nah). Peas, Runner Beans (Scarlet Emperor) and the heritage Mr. Bounds Bean Pea (a Must Have variety) are all in flower, and the comfrey/nettle barrel is producing a grand organic liquid fertiliser to spur on the courgettes, anonymous squashes/pumpkins that I acquired, and the sweet corn.
In the flower border I am finding Downy Woundwort (Stachys germanica) vies with welsh onions and ....... for the attentions of an ever-growing tribe of bumble and other bees. A chive plant we put next to our new little Rosa Mundi (a stripey form of the Apothecary's Rose) in order to protect it from blackfly, appears to have become a giant and overpowering minder - see picture - and the lawn is, as usual, a meadow of buttercups and clover we can't bear to mow, and anyway, the bees need it!
Margaret Lear, 30.6.06.
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