Lavander and Sage

about 200 modules of a mix of Lavander (Lavandula multifidia Blue) and Clary Sage (Salvia Blue Spire) are adorning the garden table along with several seed trays of Hyssop, more lavander and some rosemary waiting for module space (small garden problem)

I'm debating whether to plant out this 'hedging' now (late autumn) or wait until spring.

Arrivals

I have been lax I'm afraid and forgot to post about our new arrivals. The first from Seagate in the form of:

Ace
Baubles & Beads
Honorabile
Oh So Cool
Welch's Reward

The rest arrived post haste from the US via Christine Lomer in Spain:

Merit
Maslon
Connect the Dots
Dancing Lilacs
Ben a Factor
Bumblebee Deelite
Poker Chips

Gulp that was some digging and preparing for them to get in the ground quickly. SO we are now sitting on 31 cultivars. They look a bit lost in their big patch of earth but the spring planted ones are romping away and showing their vigour in spades.

Next step is getting our collection registered.

Counter RANT

Well I would have been putting a counter in but it parses an error every time I try. It's not a code error as I used the exact code used by someone else (whose counter works on his blogger) as a check. Blogger, Google and the counter provider have no help available. Maybe it is too well buried to find. Too little time to waste on services that are poorly thought out and don;t work as they should.
As ever real human help would be faster and they would have 'sold' thier service well...as it is it is not sold and they are down as being a rubbish provider :(

They are in!

After two mornings of hard digging, leveling, raking and so on we have got them in. 2 beds about 1.5m wide and 5m long each carrying 10 cultivars.

They look a tad wind swept the following day so new plans for low hedges of lavendar (Lavandula augustifolia Rosea, Hidcote and a couple of others) rosemary (Rosmarinus officianalis) maybe winter savory (Satureja montana) and box (buxus sempervirens) are now in the planning and cutting beds.

Pic to follow soon

Planting

Finally our piece of land is ready. We plant on Saturday. Early. I will be watering all week if it carries on like this.

I have planned space for 40 MTB cultivars which we will hold eventually. About 18 will go in this week. There are some odd TB's and Sibirica also to go in. Collecting is addictive. And Expensive!

MTB Frosted Velvet

MTB Striped Pants

Buying stock

We have had mixed experiences buying from nurseries. At least two were completely delightful enthusiasts, generously sharing knowledge and helping us with finding things even offering to search US nursery catalogues and import them if we covered plant and import costs!.

Seagate and Iris of Sissinghurst

Another was about as helpful as a chocolate teapot, though quick to offer to find us plants he didn't have 'for fee', UK only. A fourth was unhelpful, sent us tiny struggling plants a month later than promised along with plants we didn't order, all this 3 months after taking the money, then took another 6 weeks to send a refund by cheque having taken payment by CC - all good for their cash flow but sadly we will never buy from them again and notably we will tell our friends how bad the service that they provide is..... not to mention the pooooor quality and high price of plants.

If we ever get to selling our MTB's I aim to have only good quality plants going out, take money only on delivery and any refunds by the same method of payment.

ho hum

Bangles

Apricot Drops