Hello - this is the last blog entry of 2009 - so I would like to take the opportunity to wish all our customers and friends a very Happy Christmas and all the very best wishes for the New Year!
The nursery will close at 1pm on Wednesday December 23rd - and re-open on Monday January 4th 2010 at 9am.
UNTIL NEXT YEAR,
RICHARD
Friday, December 18, 2009
THE SNOWMAN COMETH!
Hello - the world of Crown Nursery is very white just now!! Between 4 and 6 inches of snow fell on most of East Suffolk causing the usual traffic chaos.
It does look pretty as a picture - but shows little sign of going anywhere fast. Underneath it there is quite a thick layer of ice making for some very slippery roads.
Outside work is difficult at the moment - but it does give us time to step back a bit - and take stock of the past year. It has been an interesting year!! Again, as so often in this part of the UK, it is the extremes of weather that give us headaches.
Early snow in February did not last very long - and it was an excellent spring - with some of the best blossom I have ever seen after the cold spell. The real headaches set in about the end of March when it stopped raining altogether for pretty much the next 7 months!! While most of the country had a fairly wet and dismal summer - Suffolk enjoyed conditions similar to Tuscany - hot,dry and windy!!
This set some plants back - especially those that were planted late in spring. It does go to prove that autumn planting - which gives them time to establish has huge advantages over spring work. It is strange in that there seems to have been a move away from autumn planting lately - which us nurserymen find very odd - in favour of the spring option. While accepting some items do prefer spring planting - from a moisture and establishment point of view planting at nature's time in autumn does convey huge benefits.
The Suffolk Show back in May gave us a real opportunity to show the locals what we are all about - and we were both proud and honoured to receive the Nottcutts Cup for Best in Show.
But back to the drought - it carried on right up until October. The watering burden dragged on for longer than I have ever known. Autumn colour was excellent though - as it often is when plants are a little stressed - and our Apple Day was an incredible success.
Now here we are under the white stuff - but prior to that it had really turned very wet.
As we look foward to 2010 - we are now planning our grafting list. It has always been a case of looking at least 3 years in advance on a tree nursery - but trying to guess what people will want to buy in several years time can be quite a guessing game!!
We know the items that remain ever popular - but it is always worth having one or two new ones up your sleeve - and with the ever changing climate here in Suffolk - particularly in terms of drought - one or two old favourites may well have to disappear.
All in all - 2009 has been a good year - but full of challenges - still at least it keeps us on our toes!!
UNTIL NEXT TIME,
RICHARD
It does look pretty as a picture - but shows little sign of going anywhere fast. Underneath it there is quite a thick layer of ice making for some very slippery roads.
Outside work is difficult at the moment - but it does give us time to step back a bit - and take stock of the past year. It has been an interesting year!! Again, as so often in this part of the UK, it is the extremes of weather that give us headaches.
Early snow in February did not last very long - and it was an excellent spring - with some of the best blossom I have ever seen after the cold spell. The real headaches set in about the end of March when it stopped raining altogether for pretty much the next 7 months!! While most of the country had a fairly wet and dismal summer - Suffolk enjoyed conditions similar to Tuscany - hot,dry and windy!!
This set some plants back - especially those that were planted late in spring. It does go to prove that autumn planting - which gives them time to establish has huge advantages over spring work. It is strange in that there seems to have been a move away from autumn planting lately - which us nurserymen find very odd - in favour of the spring option. While accepting some items do prefer spring planting - from a moisture and establishment point of view planting at nature's time in autumn does convey huge benefits.
The Suffolk Show back in May gave us a real opportunity to show the locals what we are all about - and we were both proud and honoured to receive the Nottcutts Cup for Best in Show.
But back to the drought - it carried on right up until October. The watering burden dragged on for longer than I have ever known. Autumn colour was excellent though - as it often is when plants are a little stressed - and our Apple Day was an incredible success.
Now here we are under the white stuff - but prior to that it had really turned very wet.
As we look foward to 2010 - we are now planning our grafting list. It has always been a case of looking at least 3 years in advance on a tree nursery - but trying to guess what people will want to buy in several years time can be quite a guessing game!!
We know the items that remain ever popular - but it is always worth having one or two new ones up your sleeve - and with the ever changing climate here in Suffolk - particularly in terms of drought - one or two old favourites may well have to disappear.
All in all - 2009 has been a good year - but full of challenges - still at least it keeps us on our toes!!
UNTIL NEXT TIME,
RICHARD
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
BUSY - BUSY - BUSY!!
Hello, we are enjoying an extremely busy period on the nursery at the moment. With the weather changing, everybody is rushing to get their plants in.
There are large numbers of parcels going out all over the country daily - the girls are working very hard, busy packing and wrapping as fast as they can! Fruit trees again proving very popular.
The hedging is going out - and plums and greengages are selling like hot cakes!
If you are still not sure what to give a loved one for Christmas - why not give them a living gift?
A fruit tree will get better year - after year - and what could be nicer than when those first fruits are picked!
Failing that - we have some lovely items in the shrub line - and if you still cannot decide we can offer a Crown Nursery Gift Voucher that can be exchanged at the nursery for a plant of their own choice.
UNTIL NEXT TIME,
RICHARD
There are large numbers of parcels going out all over the country daily - the girls are working very hard, busy packing and wrapping as fast as they can! Fruit trees again proving very popular.
The hedging is going out - and plums and greengages are selling like hot cakes!
If you are still not sure what to give a loved one for Christmas - why not give them a living gift?
A fruit tree will get better year - after year - and what could be nicer than when those first fruits are picked!
Failing that - we have some lovely items in the shrub line - and if you still cannot decide we can offer a Crown Nursery Gift Voucher that can be exchanged at the nursery for a plant of their own choice.
UNTIL NEXT TIME,
RICHARD
BARE-ROOT HEDGING AND SOFT FRUIT NOW AVAILABLE!
Hello - we have just about got all our bare-root stock in now.
We have a wide range of bare-root hedging - from Hawthorn to Beech and much more besides. Our popular Mixed Hedging Packs are proving just as good as ever - if you are not really sure what to plant - but you want a hedge then this is the answer. A pack of mixed native English hedging - 50 plants - will give you a good colourful effect - in both berries and density.
We also have a wide selection of Soft Fruit - from raspberries to currants to gooseberries to blackberries.
And just in last week - we have a selection of plums,damsons, almonds,pears and greengages.
These are going very fast - so if you want to get a fruit tree into your garden pop in and grab one!!
The nursery is open Monday-Saturday - 9-4.
UNTIL NEXT TIME,
RICHARD
We have a wide range of bare-root hedging - from Hawthorn to Beech and much more besides. Our popular Mixed Hedging Packs are proving just as good as ever - if you are not really sure what to plant - but you want a hedge then this is the answer. A pack of mixed native English hedging - 50 plants - will give you a good colourful effect - in both berries and density.
We also have a wide selection of Soft Fruit - from raspberries to currants to gooseberries to blackberries.
And just in last week - we have a selection of plums,damsons, almonds,pears and greengages.
These are going very fast - so if you want to get a fruit tree into your garden pop in and grab one!!
The nursery is open Monday-Saturday - 9-4.
UNTIL NEXT TIME,
RICHARD
IT'S PLANTING TIME!
Hello - I am back!
Regular readers of this blog may have noticed that there has been a long gap since the last entry - and that is because I have been recovering from an operation in hospital - but I am back on the road of recovery!
Well, we have had one of the wettest November's on record in Suffolk - I know it is small fry compared to our friends up North - but we have had nearly 5 inches of rain since the end of October - that is a lot for Suffolk - especially when you think that it is actually more than for the entire previous 7 months.
It has meant that the ground is now perfect for planting - before the weather gives in - trees and shrubs and hedging plants can now be planted - they will make a lot of root growth while the soil remains warm - and be partially established by next year - giving them a head start on spring plantings.
What are you waiting for - get out there!!
UNTIL NEXT TIME,
RICHARD
Regular readers of this blog may have noticed that there has been a long gap since the last entry - and that is because I have been recovering from an operation in hospital - but I am back on the road of recovery!
Well, we have had one of the wettest November's on record in Suffolk - I know it is small fry compared to our friends up North - but we have had nearly 5 inches of rain since the end of October - that is a lot for Suffolk - especially when you think that it is actually more than for the entire previous 7 months.
It has meant that the ground is now perfect for planting - before the weather gives in - trees and shrubs and hedging plants can now be planted - they will make a lot of root growth while the soil remains warm - and be partially established by next year - giving them a head start on spring plantings.
What are you waiting for - get out there!!
UNTIL NEXT TIME,
RICHARD
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