A New Start

It's been one heck of a summer - given 2 months to get out back in April, I actually didn't officially leave until August. Four months, four heat-waves, every moment my brother and I could spare digging up plants, potting them up, dismantling the tunnel and the greenhouse (sadly not the shed though, which I really miss), and hoping a new site would become available somehow. 

There were a few false dawns along the way, but just in the nick of time a site in Patching near Littlehampton turned up, along with an extremely generous landlord who uses it for his landscaping business, and had tried a couple of times before to get a nursery going. 

So mum helped out by paying for van hire to take as much as possible to the new site. Lots of people stepped up to help and I'm immensely grateful. I've had to leave some very rare specimens behind, as well as my poor old shed, but it's mostly there now and I've been spending the last month or so keeping everything alive and attempting to make sense of the chaos. 

Needless to say some things have suffered from being moved at the wrong time but it's remarkable how well most have coped - especially a large Chamaemespilus alpinus which barely flinched, and an Aesculus pavia rosea nana which dropped its leaves but has already produced new ones since. Both had major roots severed and are in huge pots. Very few things have completely died so far. One interesting problem is the number of plants that are dormant and unlabelled (Arum, Fritillaria, Cyclamen etc). It's going to be a real lucky dip sorting them out. 

The main job for the immediate future is clearing space for the tunnel and getting that erected in time for the less weather-resistant types to survive the winter, then there'll be a new shed to build, new plantings in the ground for things that don't like being in pots (Paeonia especially) and areas for stock outside. At the same time I want to keep on top of packing and sending orders, and propagating and potting on new stock, plus at the same time still doing people's gardens to earn a crust. It's going to be neither quick nor easy, but I'm optimistic. 

So anyway, I've just added some new things to the catalogue and I'm still taking orders. Thanks for your patience.

Oxalis oregonum

A very striking woodland species from western USA, with vivid pink flowers over somewhat shiny lustrous green leaves. A bit like our native wood sorrel (O.acetosella) but two to three times bigger in all parts. 

This is a remarkably pretty creeping plant that is not deep rooted or weedy, but runs on rhizomes just on or under the surface. Best of all it's an excellent addition to the list of plants that thrive in dry shade (as do many western US plants) making a nice solid ground cover even under evergreen shrubs.
£8

Homalomena erubescens

It’s not often I sell houseplants, but I happen to have a few of these south-east Asian aroids about the place. It’s proved a ridiculously easy thing to grow – very like one of the red tinted Philodendrons with big hastate dark leaves on red stems, but on a stout stem rather than climbing. 

From time to time, clusters of ‘flowers’ appear under the leaves, each made up of a deep red spathe with a milky white spadix poking out. Each inflorescence is short-lived but there’s a succession of them over several days. 

Ordinary room temperatures and medium light are fine, and they don’t seem to need high humidity to look good. 
Mature plants in 3L pots ~ £15

Hypericum ascyron

A very striking herbaceous perennial from North America with substantial and shapely rich golden flowers in summer on upright green leafy stems up to 12ins high. 

New to me but so far easy and adaptable and not at all weedy. 
£8

Salix myrtilloides Pink Tassels

A very cute little Himalayan willow (see the wood anemones there for scale) - inconspicuous most of the time, but the pinky purple catkins are very striking - complementing winter flowering heathers well and lovely with Narcissus species. 

A naturally picturesque gnarly alpine shrub - I've found it more adaptable in our increasingly dry south-eastern climes than other dwarf Salix. 
£12

Viburnum brevitubum CBCH807

 
A beautiful new evergreen species for our gardens with masses of milky-white trumpet flowers and smart red-tinted bracts, new leaves and stems. The leaves are narrow and nicely textured and of a satisfying glossy mid-green - not at all dark and heavy in any way. Not scented unfortunately.

Flowers freely and for a long time from early in the year, and unaffected by frost so far (that might change if we had any proper frosts however). Another one from Pépinière Aoba that I got in just before brexit. 
£16

Phymosia umbellata Aubergine

A Mexican mallow with very dark glossy bell-shaped flowers in chunky green calyces. It may or may not be darker than other forms in cultivation, but I like the name because the flowers really do look a lot like aubergines. Photos of similar plants online look a lot more red. People who like black flowers (and who doesn't?) should definitely grow it.

Anyway it's my seedling so I'm naming it 😁  It's very photogenic.

In other respects it resembles other malvaceous shrubs like Abutilon and Lavatera and grows to about 6ft tall and across.

Hardiness is uncertain but it'll take some frost - probably safest fairly dry at the roots and in full sun, against a wall, or in a pot brought in for the winter. 

£16