Well the new year is here and we all had hopes it wouldn't be as bad as the last one? But here we are in lockdown #3 and whilst this is incredibly hard for many people with all the restrictions, rules and regulations. For us, little changes, living and working on site has it's advantages and the plants always need looking after so we are able to continue working, which is a huge benefit to our mental health.
2020 was without a doubt one of the weirdest, hardest and most interesting years ever experienced yet despite the lockdowns, business adjustments, rules, regulations, lack of movement, holidays and Christmas fun cancelled etc, it also (to us) whizzed by.
We ended the year quietly - sounds odd but for us it really was quiet. Normally November and December we are flat out busy with our Flowers by Post side of the business, sending Christmas cut flowers to people as gifts, but this had to be closed back in March 2020 due to Covid and because of several factors, it is yet to re-open. This means we have lost half of our income through Covid but on a positive note did mean that for the first time ever we were not working all hours in the run-up to Christmas and completely exhausted when Christmas came - which was not only a complete surprise to us but to our kids also!
This extra "free" time has also meant we could really get on top of jobs that normally we don't start until January, our propagators have never looked so full nor has the greenhouse been so tidy, we have also started the renovation and redevelopment on the site (read our previous blog for more information on this)
All this extra time has also meant we have had the opportunity to bulk up some varieties and be able to add them for the first time in our Spring range, and this year we have added over 40 newly listed plants! So we thought we would highlight a few here.
First up, Fuchsia's.... they never get much of a mention as most people know what they are and how good they grow and perform, but this year we have added a few newly listed ones to our range. In the basket Fuchsias we have the popular giant blooming variety Cecile this lovely purple bloom is large and blousy and makes a stunning basket plant. Another in the giant bloom range is Deep Purple which as the name suggests, has deep purple blooms with creamy white sepels, it is a strikingly pretty flower.
In the hardy Fuchsia range we have added Army Nurse, this is a popular variety that has received the award of Garden Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society, another re-listed variety which also has the garden merit seal of approval is Mrs Popple. In our Bush range we have added Mandarin Cream, this really is very pretty with its orange flowers and soft/white pink sepels.
In our succulent range we have re-listed several popular varieties that we have now managed to bulk up, our particular favourite is the beautiful Aeonium Haworthia Variegata, this hasn't been listed for some time as it quickly sells out, but we have managed to bulk up our mother stock so hopefully shouldn't have the same issues this year. Another interesting re-list is the lovely Sedum Furfuracium, this low growing red/green plant will never outgrow a windowsill, yet easily rewards you with it's dainty white flowers. We have also added for the first time in our range the easy flowering Ruschia Indurata, this will never get huge and will fill a pot nicely given time and finally Aloe Juvenna, this will make a bigger specimen and as with many of the Aloe varieties will make a nice plant quite quickly - good if you have a bit more space or a larger pot to fill.
Remember all succulents can be put outside for the summer months if space is a premium in the greenhouse during the summer.
Moving on to our range of Pelargoniums, we have added many to this range, (more worryingly is the fact we still haven't listed them all yet!) but top of my list and definitely worth growing is the trailing pelargonium Crocodile, this is such a beautiful plant with it's veined leaving, which is caused by a virus (Ooh should we be mentioning the "Virus" word currently?!!) but this virus is harmless and is what gives the plants it's characteristics, there are many plants that look like they do because of harmless viruses that they carry, Mr Wren is one and Appleblossom Rosebud is another. Another newly listed variety in our trailing pelargonium range is Bonko this is such a pretty flower and will be a great addition to any basket or window box.
In our ever popular windowsill
range we have added the lovely flowering variety Rose Eye. This is really best seen in person than any picture can show as it is such an alive and vivid colour, and being a windowsill variety will always remain relatively small - so a win win!
In our Regal range we have the delightful Salmon Slam. Regal pelargoniums are large flowering plants that look stunning in tubs and containers. They can flower all summer long with regular deadheading and feeding and make nice bushy plants. If you're looking for other plants that flower abundantly then our Uniques are a perfect choice and our top picks would be Paton's Unique and Polka
Well this is just a few of the beautiful newly listed plants we have added to our catalogue. You can view all of our newly listed varieties and our full range of plants and gardening accessories online direct from our website or alternatively if you would prefer to look through our printed 64 page colour catalogue click HERE.
Thanks for reading and we hope we have tempted you.
Happy growing and stay safe
Emma
Office Manager
Allwoods