This past week has been a rather busy one considering the heat has affected our mail order side of things. As many of you are aware, due to the extreme heat we’ve been having, we decided to stop posting out plants at the beginning of July as we felt the conditions are not ideal for young plants to be travelling in. In the mean time we have been getting ourselves ready for the Autumn as our new catalogue is due to be sent out at the beginning of September with loads of must have varieties to tempt you!! But more about that later…
Our Stand 2018
We were once again invited to exhibit in the Royal marquee at Sandringham flower show and although this year we didn’t walk away with a Gold Medal, we’re still extremely proud to have received a Silver guilt instead. We decided to do something different this year with our stand which perhaps was not to the judges taste however we’re still really happy and proud with the result.
Rubbing shoulders with Royalty
Besides winning a silver guilt, another highlight is of course having the opportunity to meet Prince Charles and Camilla again who as you can see, took a real shining to our young Daniel. It was so warm in that marquee and not sure how they coped walking around in their smart attire but despite the heat and excessive dusty conditions, it was a great show and we thoroughly enjoy exhibiting every year.
As I mentioned earlier, our Autumn catalogue will be available in September and we’re really excited to shed some light on some of the stunning new arrivals we have to offer…
Queens Award
To name a few, we have introduced several new Regal Pelargoniums which we highly recommend taking a look at. One in particular that should not be overlooked is Queens Award. It is a true stand out beauty with the most striking large blooms however it is just one of many seriously stunning varieties… They are grown locally in Kent by Nicola Stempt who approached us earlier this season to show us her collection.
It proved rather difficult to select only the few we did as she really has some show stoppers but we are limited with our space and therefore had to resist taking them all, however we know our customers won’t be disappointed with the varieties we have chosen and we love to support local growers which makes them extra special.
We will also be introducing several new windowsill varieties which are perfect if space is limited. They make lovely compact little plants that produce an abundance of flowers. Varieties such as Baby Brocade, Pac Unity, Vic Cawes, Jayne and Sussex Gem are just five of the fourteen new varieties being launched in September.
And if that’s not enough to tickle your fancy, our new scented pelargonium Royal Delight
Mandy Gamble
is a real beauty with its variegated foliage and angle like flowers or why not try the Prince of Orange a good old variety dating back to the 1800s, and what’s more, we’ll be sending this gorgeous smelling plant FREE with orders that are £75 or more. We have a new garden pink – Mandy Gamble also making an appearance, this laced variety is such a stunner and for a limited time only, you will be able to buy it at half price… so don’t waste time… get browsing and get ordering.
We’re not sure what sort of Autumn we’re in for weather wise which is why we’ve been working so hard through the Summer to ensure we will be able to complete all orders despite the weather as we found this year to have been particularly challenging from a growing perspective. Again, we would like to apologise to any customers whose orders we were not able to complete during the Spring and to thank you all, for your patience and continued support and understanding of the issues we face working with a living product, it really means so much to us.
We wish you all a great Summer and make the most of the sunshine while it lasts as no doubt three months from now we will all be longing for these lovely warm days. We look forward to dealing with you in the Autumn and supplying gardens all over the country with our plants. For any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact our office from Monday to Friday, 9am to 4:30pm or alternatively send us an email.
David, Emma & the Allwoods Team