November 2006
News from the Nursery
The nursery is currently very wet! After such a long, dry summer, the rain and wind have washed everything down and covered all the plants with sycamore leaves. These have to removed, along with the more troublesome sycamore seeds which germinate very happily in pots, and I will put fleece over most of the benches to stop other debris building up over winter.
In the old cedar greenhouse, the heater is now on, keeping night temperatures a few degrees above freezing, so all the tender and debateable subjects, and my choice stock plants, have been put in there for winter. Except for the Aloe veras, which actually get to come indoors. I've been steadily potting up everything into larger pots, and this is about completed, as is the planting of bulbs. As it's still mild here, the bulbs such as Three Cornered Leek are already coming up.
Now that I've got rid of my much hated car, we have more room on the driveway and have cleared out the garage to make a big potting area, where I can keep pots and compost dry and under cover (not to mention me and the dog and cat!) and can work away in space and comfort. Frees up space in the greenhouse, too, so room to grow even more plants! This is just as well, because we'll be gearing up again next season, with a wider range of plants, including more edible plants, "purposeful" annuals to brighten the garden and an increasing number of young trees and shrubs - we already have vines, flowering currants and box, and future years will see a lot more. We often get asked for horseradish - so many thanks to Nigel and Carol, regulars at Blairgowrie Market, who recently brought me a bagful of roots - these are potted up, with a clump for my garden, and ready for next year.
Holiday News!
Yes, we did get away on holiday in October, and stayed in an exquisite village in Bohemia (Czech Republic) called Bechyne. Bohemia's woods and fields more than live up to their musical reputation as per the works of Smetana; the walking is brilliant and there are SO MANY PLANTS I DON'T KNOW or haven't seen in the wild! you can guess I was in my element. All I can advise is don't, whatever you do, stop at Prague. It is a beautiful, if now overcrowded, city, but there is more... so much more...
We came back to massive and expensive car problems, a garden full of seeds waiting to be collected and weeds, and a resolve to use my latest book on herbs and how to cook and decorate with them to the full - just as soon as I can translate it from Czech! I'm currently making herbal wreaths and table decorations with candles for Christmas markets:
Blairgowrie Community Market: 25.11.06, Wellmeadow, Blairgowrie
Aberfeldy Advent Market: 2.12.06, The Square, Aberfeldy
Coupar Angus Advent Market: 3.12.06, George Square, Coupar Angus
In the Garden
This autumn, our Jerusalem artichokes came into flower. This is abnormal for Scotland; they don't generally flower in our climate. Soon I will be lifting them for eating - and some for replanting, in the border and in pots, because they are getting added to the catalogue next year. The flowers were like small, spindly sunflowers, of which they are a close relative, and turned with the sun ("girasole" has been transmuted into "Jerusalem").
I mentioned that our garden was full of seedheads. I leave most of them on the plants because I harvest most of my own seeds, but they are also incredibly valuable for wild birds visiting the garden, especially finches and sparrows. The fruit on the guelder rose, crab apples and cotoneasters is vital for blackbirds and thrushes as well, and our overgrown ivy, which has just about murdered the "hedge", provides long-lasting berries in late winter. It's also a good excuse for not getting things tidied up, of course! Since doing things this way I have begun to see the beauty in winter seedheads and "dead" grasses and flowers - as good as the summer garden, lacking only perfume. The birds themselves bring life and colour into the garden.
Plans for next year!
The nursery will re-open Sunday to Tuesday, 9ish to 5ish, the first week in April, and at other times by appointment. Leaves and other hazards will be swept up by March!! Our first One Day Workshop will be on 31st March in Perth Library Meeting Room (see Courses), and we plan to have a Nursery Open Day in April or May, with demonstrations, swap-shop, herbal refreshments and who knows what! As I said earlier, we are increasing stock levels and this means more ground will be under control by then - it will have to be! Meanwhile, if you can't get to us, the on-line store will continue to display all our products that can be posted away, with the convenience of on-line payment and value for money of first class Royal Mail delivery. We're finding the main problem with the online shop is uploading images and information - because the website is on a shared server, sometimes its painfully slow and just logs you out. Grateful for any advice from computer professionals on this - we just grow plants!
We'd like to wish everyone a great and healthy winter, happy Christmas, merry Yule, or whatever way you celebrate!
Margaret Lear
November 2006
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