Spring
Growth Bark and Gravel
I’m busy dividing my chamomile and replanting it in raised
beds this week. I’m anticipating a lot
of demand for the small plantlets this year as more and more people appear to
be opting for something that bit different in the garden. I’ve found small areas
suit chamomile better as the plants only have to come within a foot of a weed
and they bow down and surrender. Invasive it’s not.
For a square metre of chamomile lawn you’d need nearly 100
plants. Good for me selling them but not so good for the buyer. That’s why I
stress to customers to be patient and plan ahead, that way only a few plants
are needed and offshoots can be taken and potted on. After a couple of years
the customers can then set up in direct competition to me. I’m not much of a
business person but my best “Get Rich Quick Scheme” is the one I haven’t
started yet, so I’d be happy going on to pastures new.
Bags of compost
I wanted a couple of bags of weed free compost to put the
chamomile into so thought I’d pop into the bargain shops to see what they had
to offer. The bit of sunshine we had last week must have started a mass panic
for the stuff. The only shop with some was Lidl in Derry, which was just for
ericaceous plants like rhododendrons; pity anyone sowing seeds into that.
I remembered a great farm shop on the Springtown industrial
estate and they had loads of really good local compost in 80 litre bags and it
worked out cheaper than buying the discounted bags in the bargain shops.
On coming out of the farm shop I noticed a new place selling
gardening products. Through the railings I saw a very familiar face; it was
Cyril Quinn who used to work for Buncrana Council and was jointly responsible
for the fantastic floral shows the town has enjoyed over the years. I had to
pop in and say hello.
It turns out Cyril has also moved to pastures new as well and
set up his own business on the industrial estate.
Spring Growth Bark
and Gravel
His business is called Spring Growth Bark and Gravel and
supplies all types of gardening and horticultural supplies. Cyril likes to keep
things local too sourcing products from as near as he can to keep the carbon
footprint to a minimum.
As well as paving slabs of all shapes and sizes there are
small concrete figures and plaques suitable for presents and gravesides. He
also has some bedding plants, some really 10kg bags of “priced to sell” seaweed
feed chicken manure and compost. I didn’t need compost but couldn’t resist
buying some “barbed wire”plants (Tylecodon
reticulatus) native to Australia and really drought tolerant. Cyril was
thinking of putting them into hanging baskets as they will put up with neglect
but as they grow upright don’t really work although they are looking very smart
in my old enamel milk jugs in the garden. Cyril likes to experiment and it’s great
to come across a bedding plant I have never seen before.
As well as bedding plants, there are hardy shrubs and Cyril
will know better than most what grows well on our blustery coastline having
worked on it for years.
Cyril has built large concrete bays and has a full range of
loose gravel and stones on offer as well as different sized woodchip. If
shovelling into a trailer isn’t your thing you can get them bagged up too and
it works out so much cheaper.
Hopper
I particularly like the large hopper on the site. It’s full
of a dry sand and cement mix and as you pull the lever it is mixed with water
to give you an instant mortar mix. It’s so popular and it’s particularly good
for builders and landscapers who just need a bucketful for a small job. You can
have as much or as little as you need at the pull of a lever.
What initially caught my attention from the roadside were
the paving slabs. I’m looking for some to put on top of the lawn that’s being
taken over with algae. Cyril’s will be a one stop shop for the purpose. I can
get the gravel base, sand and mortar to go with the slabs
You can find Spring Growth Bark and Gravel on Facebook or
you could give Cyril a ring on (0044) 07725 460262. He says if he hasn’t got
it, he will source it for you. Friendly and professional service doesn’t get
any better than that.
