plants to go . . .

October at plants to go . . .

As promised last month, after Liverpool's victory against Everton, we are extending 15% discount off Trade prices until 15th November 2008. Hold on, we are joint top of the Premiership at the moment, we will extend it until 31st December 2008.

The news of banks collapsing, financial turmoil and all that goes with, it is of concern for the world of Horticulture. Listening to our customers, the market is very uncertain, and there is no real pattern yet. It is very sad that a few greedy Yanks in Banks appear to have wrecked the world economy.

I guess, selling plants and gardens can brighten up customers lives through the current gloom, so that is perhaps the way to sell them. Either way over the next year to 18 months we are all going to have to work harder, and be more clever to earn our £ or €.

Our blog is a little late this month due to Steve's trip to Italy to source plant material for customers. It went something like this....

Day 1 - Left home around 06:30, off to Gatwick, arriving at Pisa around midday just in time for our first Italian lunch. That afternoon off to the first Nurseries, and we found an absolute gem of a Grower, specializing in unusual specimen varieties of Magnolia along with Cornus florida and kousa. The fading light beat us, but we agreed to start here the next morning.

Day 2 - Off to the Nurseries around 08:00 and back to select plants like Magnolia stellata Sylvia around 175cm, this is a most unusual stellata form with a beautiful flower. Also Magnolia Athena with flowers 25cm across, wow! After another late finish, trying to select 6 metre tall Phyllostachys by car headlight was interesting.

Day 3 - Off again early in the morning, saw a stunning Chamaerops humilis with at least 20 trunks, around 2½ metres wide and high. Sadly my customer didn't go for it, but you never know? Finally got finished around 17:00 at this Nursery so off to the next part of the trip, a 4½ hours drive, south of Rome.

Day 4 - Well this was an experience, with plants bigger than I had seen before and very good quality overall. Acca sellowiana 240 litre, Callistemon (many varieties) 240 litre, Callistemon standards 30cm girth or bigger, Pittosporum tobira Nana 240 litre, and the best Yucca rostrata I have ever seen. If the light had not faded I think that my client would have bought the entire field of them!

Day 5 - Nearly over, just the morning seeing more amazing plants. Some stunning, but rather spiky Trithrinax, mostly multistem from 2 metres to around 5 metres from memory. We passed a whole line of 2 metre Osmanthus aquifolium, in full flower and the scent was wonderful. So at 13:00 we finished, and back to the Hotel to write up our notes and plan deliveries. Another particular stunner was a Banksia integrifolia around 4 metres tall, in full flower, I had never seen one before.

So there you have it, 5 days to allow our customers the opportunity to select some of the best plants in Europe, and enjoy the Italian sunshine. It was a bit manic, and as always you never have enough time to see everything, leaving me this week to ask our suppliers for more photos of stock that we did not get to see. From now to Christmas all these plants will start arriving, why not pop in and have a look.

Just back from Italy after taking one of my customers out to select plants for a couple of his projects. Whilst I was away, Tina was minding the "shop" and she had a enquiry for 15 evergreen trees, 6 metres or bigger, so with some enthusiasm I selected those whilst I was in Italy.

Day One - Left home around 0630 off to Gatwick, a smooth journey and flight, arrived at Pisa just in time for lunch. Off to the Nurseries in the afternoon, selecting and tagging plants until it got dark. Found a great new grower with some new Magnolia and Cornus varieties all over 2 metres, must go back in the morning! Evening meal with our suppliers in their home, then back to the hotel around 11:00p.m. One problem though, Hotel bar closed!

Day Two - Off to the Nurseries at 0800 back to the new grower, even better in daylight. Much driving around after looking for particular specimen plants, finishing again at dusk, it's difficult to select plants by moonlight. That evening my customer took me out for a meal in one of my favourite places, as a thank you, very kind of him. Back to the hotel around midnight, bar closed again!

Day Three - Find of the day, 350/400cm Acacia dealbata - best I have ever seen. We finished shopping in Pistoia around 17:00, so then came stage two of the visit, south of Roma. So in the car for a 4½ hour drive to find a hotel that I only had a hand drawn map to find. Well we did find it with no problem, checked into the hotel and managed to get some food around 10:00p.m.

Day Four - Off to the Nursery around 08:30, well it was only a 2 minute drive. Really beautiful plants, 240 litre Acca sellowiana, 240 litre Pittosporum tobira Nana - my customer bought 20 of these, and at the end of the day some fantastic Yucca rostrata all between 150/250cm. We had to leave the Nursery as the owner wanted to close up, so another full day. Back to the hotel for some food, and yes the bar did stay open for us afterwards, some very nice grappa!

Day Five - Almost done, Phyllostachys 500/600cm, Callistemon standards with 30cm girth, and some more Callistemon in 240 litre. Finished at lunchtime, and back to the Hotel. That afternoon spent going through all the lists to decide what was to be delivered and when. I think in total around 4 or 5 full lorries of plants, and I have to unload them.

So back to the airport for my late flight home, followed by a rather expensive taxi, getting home around midnight, totally exhasted!

Sunday, write up all of my notes whilst it is fresh in my mind, that will be another 7 day week.

Monday - back to the Nursery, or reality, my customer staying on for a few days holiday in Roma, holiday - whats that?