A mid-summer update from the nursery

June news from Border Alpines

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Summer has arrived in North Devon

It has been a while since I managed to find time to put another newsletter together, the weeks and months seem to roll by so quickly but we have been very busy since our last update. The 'Beast from the East' did its worst here in North Devon and we lost quite a few plants but we are gradually building stocks of these back up and are pleased that warmer days are now upon us. We are constantly trying to add new varieties to the website although the older ones seem as popular as ever. One of the plants we grow that never ceases to amaze me is Anemonella, flowering since March and some varieties (like A. thalictroides 'Shoaf's Double', pictured) are still flowering now!

Thank you for all the lovely comments you send us when you receive your plants; it is very rewarding to know that on the whole we are doing a good job. We are constantly trying to improve our service and you will be pleased to know we are addressing the use of plastic in our packaging. The blister packs we use to keep our plants upright and safe in transit are made from recycled plastic and we are told they can be recycled by most local authorities so please do re-use them or add them to your kerbside recycling collections once you are finished with them. We also use a limited number of plastic bags and we will be switching to corn starch or potato starch bags once our current stock is depleted.

Malvern Spring Flower Show was a great success this year, we were blessed with perfect weather and it was lovely to greet old and new customers to the stand. The judges seemed to like our display this year but more importantly the visitors to the stand loved it and saw that even the smallest of areas can be enhanced with the addition of a few planted containers. We took a vast range of plants for sale (in all around 200 varieties) to suit beginners and seasoned gardeners alike ranging from the elegant Cypripedium hardy orchids (pictured above) to the cheeky Asarum probiscidum.

I was fortunate to be invited to an evening reception at The Lemon Tree Trust Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May. The Lemon Tree Trust is an organisation that encourages and supports refugees from Syria, now living in camps in Northern Iraq, to produce their own fruit, vegetables and ornamentals. This work is vitally important to the wellbeing of the refugees who see gardening as a way to regain dignity, pride and hope. When being displaced from their homeland, and only being to take with them what they could carry, some of the essential items chosen are seeds and cuttings of herbs and ornamentals that they continue to grow in their makeshift homes. These plants are a reminder of home and a statement of intent in their new environment. Photo © Britt Willoughby Dyer.

The Rhodohypoxis on the nursery are looking stunning at the moment and is such an easy plant to grow in the ground or in containers. If you haven't tried them before, take a look at our tips on how to grow them via the website and we would encourage you to give them a try - you won't be disappointed. Pictured is Rhodohypoxis 'Giant Pink'.

There has been a lot of TV coverage this season of the tall stately alliums at both the RHS Chelsea and RHS Chatsworth flower shows but there are so many dwarf varieties that are worthy of garden space such as Allium cyaneum (pictured left). You will find plenty more dwarf alliums on the website here.

One of the most popular of all our bulbous plants has to be Gladiolus papilio 'Ruby'. We are constantly propagating this to try to always have some in stock. Some of the other beautiful gladioli will soon be in full flower and they compliment G. papilio 'Ruby' very well. Pictured right: G. dalenii sub species dalenii, G. papilio and G. callianthis murielae.

As many of you know, we grow a lot of cinerium type geraniums (pictured: G. cinerium 'Alice') and one of my jobs over the next week will be to cut them all back to encourage stronger growth before we repot them. We would encourage you to do the same with yours, particularly if they have been in the garden for a number of years.

We have been growing many varieties of plants this year for cutting and it is surprising how many of our popular plants that can be used as a cut flowers, from Dodecatheon and Gladiolus to Triteleia, and of course the ever popular Astrantia (pictured below). I am not sure if I mentioned in a previous newsletter that I had the opportunity to contribute to a flower installation at our nephew's wedding last year and I have been asked to do the flowers at our goddaughter's wedding next year. As a result I am busy planting varieties that I may be able to use in August next year and will keep you posted on my progress.

Finally may we wish you all a relaxing summer of enjoying your gardens and plants and thank you for your continued custom and support.

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10% discount on orders of 10 or more plants
Don't forget every order of 10 or more plants is eligible for a discount. We dispatch orders from Monday - Thursday with a 24 hour service to UK mainland addresses. Please leave instructions for the courier at the checkout stage if you have a preferred 'safe place' for delivery in case you are out. Or contact us with this information if you prefer.

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BUYING FROM US IS EASY AND SECURE

We accept online orders from across the UK and many European countries. Postage and packaging will be added automatically at the checkout and you can find out more about our pricing here. We understand the cost of postage is high and are constantly looking for alternative providers who can help us reduce costs. For most of the UK we offer a 24 hour postage service and for Northern Ireland, the north of Scotland and Highlands & Islands we aim for plants to arrive within 48 hours. We will pass on any cost savings to customers as and when we can. Read about what customers say about us here.

You can purchase our plants securely online via PayPal but please note you do not require a PayPal account to do this. PayPal will give you the option of paying by credit or debit card at the checkout stage. However, if you are not comfortable buying online, or are having any problems with PayPal, please contact us. We are happy to accept a cheque as payment for your order, and we can take orders via telephone. If you live locally or are going to be travelling to North Devon, we are happy to arrange for you to collect your order from the nursery. However, please note we are not generally open to the public.

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