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Author Topic: Let me introduce myself ...  (Read 160168 times)

Anthony Darby

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Re: Let me introduce myself ...
« Reply #570 on: January 20, 2009, 11:25:20 PM »
...or perhaps they have fallen asleep in the forest?
Anthony Darby, Auckland, New Zealand.
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Maggi Young

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Re: Let me introduce myself ...
« Reply #571 on: January 20, 2009, 11:38:48 PM »
...or perhaps they have fallen asleep in the forest?
Surely not, Anthony, with all your jokes to keep 'em awake?
Margaret Young in Aberdeen, North East Scotland Zone 7 -ish!

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Sinchets

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Re: Let me introduce myself ...
« Reply #572 on: February 18, 2009, 08:54:53 AM »
Hello- my name is Simon- a one time member of the SRGC in Aberdeen. I moved back to England to teach, and two and a half years ago moved to Bulgaria to establish a plant nursery- so fulfilling a lifelong dream. Why Bulgaria? Well it was cheap- but then when you get here - wow- why not! A developing alpine garden with mountain views - paradise! We were lucky to find a house with a large plot of land on a south facing slope. The former paddock is now being landscaped into a nursery, alpine gardens, a woodland garden and wildflower meadows. We are also converting the barn, hopefully for holiday lets in the future. The last few years have involved lot of hard work, but this year we are determined to get out into the mountains and explore more - Flora Bulgarica has been teasing us with its list of endemics for far too long ;)
Simon
Balkan Rare Plant Nursery
Stara Planina, Bulgaria. Altitude 482m.
Lowest winter (shade) temp -25C.
Highest summer (shade) temp 35C.

Anthony Darby

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Re: Let me introduce myself ...
« Reply #573 on: February 18, 2009, 09:07:28 AM »
Welcome and well done Simon. I would love to do the same but don't have the nerve. :(
Anthony Darby, Auckland, New Zealand.
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ian mcenery

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Re: Let me introduce myself ...
« Reply #574 on: February 18, 2009, 09:09:33 AM »
Welcome Simon

I look forward to your posts as our correspondent in Bulgaria
Ian McEnery Sutton Coldfield  West Midlands 600ft above sea level

ranunculus

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Re: Let me introduce myself ...
« Reply #575 on: February 18, 2009, 09:14:14 AM »
Welcome Simon

I look forward to your posts as our correspondent in Bulgaria

Do we have a correspondent in Burkina Faso, yet?     Any SRGC members growing alpines in Ouagadougou?    :D
Cliff Booker
Behind a camera in Whitworth. Lancashire. England.

Carol Shaw

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Re: Let me introduce myself ...
« Reply #576 on: February 18, 2009, 09:25:15 AM »
two and a half years ago moved to Bulgaria to establish a plant nursery- so fulfilling a lifelong dream. Why Bulgaria? A developing alpine garden with mountain views - paradise! We were lucky to find a house with a large plot of land on a south facing slope. The former paddock is now being landscaped into a nursery, alpine gardens, a woodland garden and wildflower meadows. We are also converting the barn, hopefully for holiday lets in the future;)

Welcome Simon - David & I visited Bulgaria twice a few years ago and really loved it... We've always planned on going back so let us know when you've got your steading converted and we'll book in an instant, alternatively we could come over and give you a hand in the nursery?  ;D  ;D  ;D
Carol
near Forres,Scotland [the banana belt]

Sinchets

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Re: Let me introduce myself ...
« Reply #577 on: February 18, 2009, 11:14:05 AM »
Thanks for all the welcomes! Give us another summer and the barn will be ready!
Simon
Balkan Rare Plant Nursery
Stara Planina, Bulgaria. Altitude 482m.
Lowest winter (shade) temp -25C.
Highest summer (shade) temp 35C.

Maggi Young

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Re: Let me introduce myself ...
« Reply #578 on: February 18, 2009, 11:23:39 AM »
Simon, great to have this update on your "life after Aberdeen" !! I  have a feeling that when you get the barn finished you will have no shortage of visitors  8)

It is a bold move for you and I wish you every success... and be sure that we want to hear ALL about the progress made with the nursery and barn.... 8)
Margaret Young in Aberdeen, North East Scotland Zone 7 -ish!

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Sinchets

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Re: Let me introduce myself ...
« Reply #579 on: February 18, 2009, 12:59:02 PM »
Maggi thought this might be interesting to others.
Our house is set in over 4000 m2 of land. This was an overgrazed paddock with the remains of an orchard and a decently built barn. We had some interesting wild flowers in places. We had been thinking about offering the barn for summer lets- we just need to finish converting it! We are quite isolated here so it would be a great place for people who want to get away from it all and explore the woods, hills and mountains, which are in easy access of the house. We have a lot of landscaping work to finish, but the 1ton of plants we dragged across Europe in a trailer seem to be happy enough- well most of them. The bulbs did very well over the first summer and split fantastically. Unfortunately the voles found them last winter and had a feast on the Crocus. They also had a go at some Tulipa and Muscari and moved loads of other things around so much that we now have lots of labels that just say Muscari?, Narcissus?… So hopefully we will get to re-identify many to these soon. A plus side is that we now have one bed full of randomly planted Oxalis brasiliensis and O.obtusa as well as Ranunculus kochii and R.ficariiformis – which should be interesting when they flower! We hope to do more exploring this year in the mountains, with a view to being able to recommend good places to visit for wild flowers. We have had a list of good sites recommended to us, so we shall get up there in the summer when the snows have gone.

Simon
Balkan Rare Plant Nursery
Stara Planina, Bulgaria. Altitude 482m.
Lowest winter (shade) temp -25C.
Highest summer (shade) temp 35C.

Maggi Young

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Re: Let me introduce myself ...
« Reply #580 on: February 18, 2009, 01:12:26 PM »
Simon, this is so interesting to many of us, whether it is just envy of the scale of the lifestyle change the two of you have taken on to move to a new country to begin a new business, or to hear how you wage war against the voles   :o    Janis Ruksans in Latvia will sympathise with you.... he has more voles than he knows what to do with.... they burrow under the snow and chomp on his bulbs at will  >:(

Perhaps a new forum group of Vole Haters is on the cards? Make a change from the Galanthophiles, though there will be something of a crossover membership, I expect.

My own knowledge of Bulgaria is restricted to a love of the folk music and small glimpses of the country through some TV programmes which show the beauty of the countryside and the possiblility to develop property there..... I tell you many will have be seduced by that thought, but how FAB to actually get out there and DO it! 
Looking at  the photos I can see why you decided to take this plunge......the land looks so rich and fertile..... happy growing possiblities, indeed..... now then, who has a good anti-vole plan?????
Margaret Young in Aberdeen, North East Scotland Zone 7 -ish!

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maggiepie

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Re: Let me introduce myself ...
« Reply #581 on: February 18, 2009, 01:26:17 PM »
Simon, you look like you have found your own little paradise.
Good luck with the nursery.
Helen Poirier , Australia

ranunculus

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Re: Let me introduce myself ...
« Reply #582 on: February 18, 2009, 01:55:51 PM »
Don't be cruel, Maggi ... let them go of their own volition!   ;)
Cliff Booker
Behind a camera in Whitworth. Lancashire. England.

Maggi Young

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Re: Let me introduce myself ...
« Reply #583 on: February 18, 2009, 02:34:55 PM »
Don't be cruel, Maggi ... let them go of their own volition!   ;)

Janis is good to them... he's always giving them tasty snacks in his vole restaurants   ;D
Margaret Young in Aberdeen, North East Scotland Zone 7 -ish!

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Carol Shaw

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Re: Let me introduce myself ...
« Reply #584 on: February 18, 2009, 02:46:05 PM »
Simon, out of serious curiosity, where are you in Bulgaria? We spent time in the Pirin and the Rila Mountains when we visited, first time we'd ever seen folk mountaineering in bare feet!
Carol
near Forres,Scotland [the banana belt]

 


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