In Swanley this week at Provender Nurseries. Ferns, creeping dogwood, asiatic jasmine and my favourite posh compost [not telling], potted and bagged. Richard and his friendly team always on hand to help and hunt down other botanical quarry. And I always get a cup of tea there. Best nurseries in SE England and a pleasure to visit. They might need a bigger car park though – very busy with vans and poodled pines taking up my parking space!
Friends of The Grove [FOG] met park officers at Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and their contractors today in The Grove. Really pleased to see the new grass has sprouted and a pleasant green fuzz is taking over the bare mud. Storm Katie did her best to blow down some of the protective barrier netting but locals and FOG committeee members got together with a box of cable ties and re-secured the netting. The Grove looking very good over-all, despite the torrential rain – but at least the new grass will be happy! Plans for another autumn planting event including two new trees and a possible re-planting of the bed outside The Compasses were also discussed.
Great day at the Kenward Trust this week volunteering in the nurseries. Just a bit of sun and the polytunnels were hotting up pretty quick. Hundreds of dahlias to pot up and sprout with some cuttings already made earlier looking perky. There are so many varieties of over-wintered tubers that we potted some of them up directly – bypassing the cutting stage. Huge and stirling efforts by the residents outside the polytunnels this week have also seen the dahlia beds prepared and dug-over. Meanwhile two of my own stock bananas were repotted with much-needed help – they are getting pretty heavy – and half a dozen suckers or ‘pups’ were taken off and potted up for growing on and selling later this year or next. Recently split and divided hostas also looking fab – and not a slug or snail in sight.
Come and visit the Kenward Trust near Yalding in Kent soon and get some very high quality plants at very good prices. Vegetables, bedding and some perennials also coming on soon. The dahlias will be ready for picking later in the year – well worth a visit just to see this amazing collection.