News: Off They Go

Off They Go

Last week I was told that the British own more convertible cars per capita than any other nation. What an optimistic bunch we are. Perhaps that is what makes us such good gardeners, always looking for that ray of sunshine.

I am just in the process of having the terrace relayed, it looks a mess right now but does have me excited for next spring. I fully intend to go over the top with patio plantings. Some of the most outstanding tulips for pots are the early singles and doubles. One of the best displays I have seen were the “Prince” tulips planted at Pashley Manor. They are effective planted as single colours or as a mixture as featured in our Prince Collection.

Often, we do not always pay enough attention to the natural habitat of bulbs, we know where they come from but spend little time considering the climate they enjoy. Bulbs have evolved to contain a storage system so they can remain dormant until suitable conditions arise for them to restart their growth cycle, generally when temperatures start to cool. In many cases, the bud production is dependant not only on the healthy growth of the plant in the previous season but also on the temperature during its dormant period. Many of the bulbs native to the Mediterranean and Asia do need minimum temperatures during the summer months to sufficiently ripen the flower embryo. Keep this in mind when making your order.

We now nearly have all our bulbs in, the last shipment, after some delay, was finally cleared on Friday. There is apparently a shortage of CITES inspectors (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species). We are starting despatching orders at the end of the week, especially those that include the few bulbs that require early planting. Our picking and packing teams still have more bubbles than fairy Liquid.
 
Finally, if you had problems phoning the office last week, please accept my apologies. Our phone lines were being upgraded by BT and what should have been a seamless switch over proved to be anything but. Perhaps that should have been expected!