The Busy season

The RHS Plant Finder came out a week or so ago. Thrilling, we're in it for the first time ever. 'Commercialising our collection' as someone put it, making ends meet I muttered under my breath with a smile plastered on my face. All this collecting costs. Buying plants from nurseries, feeding, housing, replacing plants that die off, making pathways so it's relatively safe for anyone but me to walk through the collection, oh and labelling and re-labelling when I trip on one and it breaks in half!

So yes I am commercialising the collection because I want the collection to go on and I want it to get bigger.

During the winter I was researching parents, not mine but my Irises and as I researched I found out that I have a tiny number compared to the actual number available. Now before PH get worried that I don't have the pre-requisite 75%, I do that is 75% of the UK varieties (RHS Plant Finder listings) but in the USA there are another 400+ varieties. (source American Iris Society)

So you can see why I am commercialising it all. Given those numbers I need at least 3 more plots, an assistant/willing volunteer to help weed and so on, then of course purchase costs, shipping, duty etc etc etc. more labels, more food, more pathways.... MORE

I had a letter from an enthusiast this morning asking for a printed catalogue, if we had one and enclosing an unstamped envelope. So I suppose I need to add paper catalogue, postage and envelopes to my list of things that might need to be covered going forward. For the moment the online catalogue will suffice.