In other news…

I’m now a Nanny!!

Lost

I think it’s time I explained my absence and am grateful for the people who have stuck with me.

8 weeks ago my Mum, my best friend, my World was diagnosed with brain, bowel and liver cancer.

Admitted to Sheffield University Hospital for ‘Gamma Knife’ laser treatment on her brain tumour, the professionals were 90% sure the treatment would be successful. After 2.5 weeks in Sheffield, she was transferred to Worcester Royal Hospital. After a further 2.5 weeks of fighting, unfortunately a build up of fluid on the brain took my best friend away from me and she died at 10:15 pm on Sunday 19th June.

My Mum was the biggest fan of my blog and really enjoyed reading it. After her funeral on 7th July, I will be back blogging as normal as I know in my heart she would want this.

My Mum was my ‘green-fingered’ inspiration and without her, I have to admit to struggling.

HEMEROCALLIS Highland Lord

Look what greeted me this morning 😀

Blooming at BBHQ

If the promise of buds wasn’t exciting enough, the nursery is now full of lovely colour 🙂

Here’s what is currently in bloom:

ANCHUSA Blue Angel The issue I had with the aphids obviously wasn’t a problem for these little beauties!

ANTIRRHINUM Liberty Classic These are really taking off now!

CALENDULA Fruit Twist What a fab range of colours!

CALIFORNIAN POPPY Golden West Looking fab!!

CALIFORNIAN POPPY ‘Jelly Beans’ Have never grown these before and I LOVE the range of colours they have bloomed with

DIANTHUS Deltoides Really coming on a treat now

DIANTHUS Panda Mix Love these – grow them every year!

GERANIUM ‘Joy’

HYDRANGEA

MARIGOLD Durango Mix Some survived!!!

POTENTILLA Miss Willmott Just the one flower so far

TRADESCANTIA ‘White’

Even my bin bag is blooming 🙂

In Bud at BBHQ

Peeps, I am so sorry that I haven’t updated for a while, ‘life’ has just got in the way a bit.

So, there is some EPIC catching up to do as anyone with greenfingers knows, things really get a wriggle on in the garden at this time of year.

I wanted to start with an update on what is just coming into bud in the nursery.  I love this stage of a plants’ development because you’re on the cusp of receiving your rewards for all the nurturing you have been doing.

So, here’s whats currently ‘in bud’

CAMPANULA ‘Double White’ An enormous bud on this!!

GAILLARDIA ‘Burgunder’ So close!!!!

GERANIUM I bought these Geraniums as a ‘mix’ lot so it makes it even more exciting that I won’t know what variety it is until it blooms 🙂

HEMEROCALLIS Highland Lord These buds are HUGE!

HEMEROCALLIS Daring Deception This plant is covered in buds 🙂

SHASTA DAISY Alaska Look at the size of that!!!

ZINNIA Starlight Rose Small, but perfectly formed!!

Flowering at BBHQ

We finally have some lovely colour here at BBHQ with several varieties bursting into flower 🙂

AUBRIETA ‘Blue’

AUBRIETA ‘Red Cascade’

CALENDULA ‘Fruit Twist’

CALIFORNIAN POPPY ‘Golden West’

GERANIUM ‘Wargrave Pink’

NEMESIA Poetry Mix Pink

NEMESIA Poetry Mix Purple

Plants on eBay 12/05/16

The last couple of days has been about getting all of the plants I have ready to go back onto eBay.

I’ve even surprised myself just how many varieties I currently have available so, here’s a list of everything that has gone on today:

eBay Page Link

Antirrhinum ‘Tom Thumb’ 40 plugs

Aster ‘Duchess Yellow’ 9 cm

Bidens ‘Golden Eye’ 9 cm

Campanula ‘Double White’ 9 cm

Campanula ‘Carpatica Blue’ 9 cm

Cleome ‘Rose Queen’ 9 cm

Dianthus ‘Deltoides’ 9 cm

Echinacea ‘Pow Wow Wild Berry’ 2 Litre

Euphorbia ‘Fireglow’ 1 Litre

Geranium ‘Derrick Cook’ 1 Litre

Hemerocallis ‘Fooled Me’ 2 Litre

Nemesia ‘Poetry’ PINK 1 Litre

Nemesia ‘Poetry’ PURPLE 1 Litre

Papaver ‘Miss Piggy’ 1 Litre

Penstemon ‘Vesuvius’ 2 Litre

Poppy ‘Golden West’ 9 cm

Potentilla ‘Miss Wilmott’ 9 cm

Potentilla ‘Monarch’s Velvet’ 9 cm

Primula ‘Denticulata Mix’ 1 Litre

Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’ 2 Litre

Sedum ‘spurium’ 1 Litre

Shasta Daisy ‘Alaska’ 1 Litre

Tradescantia ‘Mix’ 1 Litre

That’s a total of 23 varieties!!!

 

Nothing Occurring :(

I am still waiting with baited breath and my fingers crossed that something germinates from the following seeds in the next few days.  They are all well within their ‘germination window’ and as yet, nothing is occurring 😦

You’ll notice some familiar Nemesis’ in the list below – GRRR!

DELPHINIUM Blue Bird

DIANTHUS Kiwi

ERIGERON Azure Fairy

ERIGERON Profusion

PLATYCODON Blue Pygmy

SWEET PEA Soulful

SWEETCORN

Everything off eBay

I made the decision yesterday to take all the plants I was selling on eBay off.

I have received some wonderful feedback for the plants I have sold so far and due to the fact that I am struggling to keep up with everything, the heat and sun of late is drying everything out and a lot of the plants are looking ‘tired’, I have decided to remove them to give them some TLC before re-listing.

I want to be known for selling quality plants and in order to do this, I have to take my time to get things right.  I would be really upset if the standard of my feedback fell from that detailed above so I know I am doing the right thing.

I’m hoping to get some plants back on there (including new varieties) in the next few days so will keep you posted!!

Nursery Update at BBHQ

Things have been rather manic here at BBHQ and I apologise for not updating you sooner.

The warmer (and drier) weather has been playing havoc with some of the plants, yet others are simply thriving!

My hands feel like leather, are full of callouses and I have broken 8 out of 10 nails, but the plants are looking great!

So, what’s occurring?  Well, the ANTIRRHINUM ‘Liberty Classic’ and ‘Tom Thumb’ varieties are doing extremely well in their 40 cell tray homes.

I have these advertised locally for £5 per tray as I could not fathom for the life of me how on earth I could post these.

The ASTER ‘Duchess Yellow’ plants that I have been concerned about for months have done me proud.  After transplanting them from 40 cells into 9 cm pots a couple of weeks ago they are doing REALLY well and are looking fabulous (apart from that one on the right ;))

I’m chuffed to bits with these as at one stage I genuinely thought I was going to lose the lot.

The CLEOME ‘Rose Queen’ I potted up last week (not sure if I mentioned this) have gone off like a rocket and are looking great in their new 9 cm pot homes.

I had intended to grow these and sell them as plug plants, but when I realised that they can grow to 150 cm tall, I thought it best to give their roots a chance to ‘ground’ in a deeper pot to aid stability as they mature.  These will be going onto eBay in the next couple of weeks.

The BIDENS ‘Golden Eye’ have gone mad in the last week or so.  Having never grown these before, I am chuffed to bits with how they are looking right now.

These are a great perennial and I will be selling these on eBay once they fill into their pots a bit more.

The ECHINOPS ‘Ruthenicus’ are growing a bit slower than I would like, but nevertheless, they are finally coming along now.

Having never grown these before from seed, it has been a bit of a pleasing experiment.  Once I am happy with their growth, these will be placed on eBay also.

The handful of OSTEOSPERMUM ‘Akila Mix’ I managed to germinate are slowly coming on now.

I will be keeping these to collect seeds from for next year, sorry guys, it’ll be another 12 months before any of these are available for sale.

The CAMPANULA ‘Carpatica Blue’ are also finally looking fabulous.  I sowed these from seed last Autumn and by the end of the Winter, I have to confess they weren’t looking like they were going to come to much.  I’m not sure the wet and mild winter we had did them any favours to be honest.

Once I am happy with their sizing and quality, these lovely perennials will be going onto eBay.

Onto ANCHUSA ‘Blue Angel’ which if I am honest, aren’t looking as great as I would like them to.  Their roots are coming along beautifully, but I think they need an extra couple of cycles of feed to perk them up a bit.

Once I am happy with them, these stunning perennials will be going on eBay.

The PRIMULA ‘Denticulata Mix’, TRADESCANTIA Mix and SEDUM ‘Spurium’ all finished their first cycle on eBay and have all become ‘too big for their boots’ so I have re-potted them into 1 Litre pots.

These will all be going back on eBay once their roots systems fill out adequately in their new homes.

The DAHLIA’S are finally on the move.  I was getting  little worried to be fair, and thankfully apart from the one I mentioned in a previous post, there has been no further damage from the frost.

I currently have ‘Decorative Mix’, ‘Cactus Mix’ and ‘Dinner Plate mix’ in stock.  Some of these will be going onto eBay.

The CALIFORNIAN POPPY ‘Golden West’ which I transplanted into 9 cm pots a couple of weeks ago are thriving.

Once they fill out a little more, they will also be going onto eBay.

And finally, NEMESIA ‘Poetry Mix’.  These have been grown outside all winter and are now full hardy.

They are filling out beautifully and should be on eBay in the next 10 days.

Don’t worry, this isn’t everything….. another update to follow 🙂

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