Carboot.

We will be at Awsworth carboot again today, the weather is much better than last Sunday and hopefully will will meet some lovely people and get some good feedback. Hopefully we'll see some of you there. Wish us luck :D

Bees, weeds and grass.

Jo-Plants as well as growing and selling plants has started doing garden maintenance
as well.
Yesterday I did my first big Jo-plants Garden job and I'm quite proud of it. I had a few issues because I found two mining bee nests in the lawn that I was working on and eight ants nests. Due to these issues my work was slowed down a little as I had to worked around them, so I didn't finish weeding the entire garden but I will be going back another day once the bees have been successfully rehoused. Here are some before and after photos:

Busy.

I had such a busy day today, I had quite an easy morning I walked Niche (my dog), tied the canes to dads nine foot bean row, walked my sisters dog and ordered 150 plant pots. After a delivery of around 15 packets of seeds I set off to work in the poly tunnel. I made a start on throwing away the plants that I are too old to sell, I potted on a mass of different perennials and potted up some New Zealand grasses, Re-organised one of the tables in the poly tunnel, sowed three of the biannual seedlings that needed sowing straight away and watered everything. I was working for a good four hours straight out there and its only just made a start on everything. Hopefully after five or six attempts it will all be sorted and the next batch of insanity can begin.
Oh yes and I almost forgot, I've started soaking some yellow banana seeds ready for sowing too.

Last night Me and the OH spent four hours writing out price labels and sticking them to the sides of plant pots, we also found a couple of snails and slugs which I guess it a sure fire way to get rid of pests. A number of our plants are past their best now and will be planted out in my own garden so that I can collect the seeds for next year. The main body of my plants are just hitting that perfect age to be planted out so now is the time to buy them. I just need to work out a means of transporting myself and my plants to the public when the OH is at work. Does anyone know where I can borrow a donkey and cart? :D

The inclement weather of the British summertime.

Today I woke up at 5.25 am and with the help of my OH (other half) we became the Jo-plants squad. (strikes heroic pose)  
We went to our very first car-boot to sell our plants but in that way that weather has, it let us down by raining all morning. We went to Cossall car boot, but got sent off due to inclement weather. We tried again valiantly and traveled to Awesworth car-boot which  was a much bigger car boot with a nicer atmosphere but alas that also got rained off so by 8.15 am we have returned to Jo-plants headquarters.

Today I ordered
Pansy 'padparadja'
viola cornuta 'endurio mixed'
Aquilegia chrysantha 'yellow star'
Polyanthus 'gold laced'
Pansy 'purple rain'
Cyclamen coum 'hybrids
Pansy 'envy'
Auricula 'viennese waltz'
Musa Velutina
Pansy 'Flamenco
Pansy 'chalon french Riviera'
Foxglove 'milk chocolate'
Yesterday I potted up 64 plants and the day before that I potted on 76 plants. And starting from Monday I am officially self employed. Scared much.

Needs must.

I must, must, must go out and get some more compost. I've been out of plant pots for a couple of days but they arrived at my house yesterday and I potted on 36 plants before the compost ran out. Soon the vermiculite will run out too so I must go out and procure that along with compost. Hopefully then I can use up the remaining 250 plant pots before complaining about how they have run out :P
Its pretty manic at the moment, i'm awaiting the go ahead from the legal people before I can start selling, and I really need to start selling. I've started to line my plants up out on the lawn as I've run out of space in the polytunnel and greenhouse. I have to say though that it makes a stunning sight now that things have started flowering, there is so much colour under that curved plastic roof.

I know it doesn't look too impressive in the picture, but the colours are more intense in real life. And the sound of buzzing is quite deafening.

Greetings.

Hello and welcome to Jo-plants the plant nursery blog.

This blog will mainly be about what I'm growing, plotting, planning etc all in the name of my plant nursery. I might wonder off on occasion to things like my pets or cooking, but mainly plants. That is after all the main subject that buzzes around inside my head. Ha, buzzes, Bees. You see what I did there. Completely by accident too.

Right well, in my tiny nursery I've got one 8 foot by 15 foot poly tunnel

And a six foot by seven foot greenhouse.
They are currently packed full to the rafters with California poppies and regular poppies, lenoria, violas, rudbeckia, echinacea, African marigolds, assorted cabbages, assorted tomatos, osteospermum, cosmos, hares tale grass, fox tail barley, Pheasants tail grass, Nicotiana, poached egg plant, cornflowers, morning glory, nasturtium, mirabilis jalapa and blanket flowers.
I'm sure that I've forgotten something but that's the gist of it.  I will be selling my plants on market stalls around Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, and hopefully I will make a positive effect on the plight of the bees.