| For
your interest we have an archive newsletter section.
Please note that any special offers and prices mentioned may not
now be current.
Pulling Power!
Do you remember the Delia effect? It was when TV cook Delia Smith
caused sales to soar after her recommendations for sea salt, omelette
pans and prunes!
Well, our friend Alan Titchmarsh has been creating a stir in his
latest series of How To Be A Gardener. We’ve seen sales of
cottage garden plants increase as well as the likes of hydrangea,
lavender and rosemary. We also expect renewed interest in yew hedging
and dwarf conifers as Alan waxed lyrically over these plants.
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Hedging your bets!
Good news looks imminent for problem hedge neighbours! New laws
that will force local authorities to get tough on overgrown and
‘monster’ hedges could come into force, according to
the campaigning group Hedgeline.
The High Hedges Bill looks set to be read in the House of Commons
this spring, and if successful will allow complaints about problem
hedges on domestic properties to be enforced by local authorities.
Watch this space!
WHAT WE SAY: All hedges need to be correctly
maintained – its sad that some people, often through no fault
of their own, are unable to control their hedges successfully. We
think responsibility should be the key phase when it comes to planting
and maintaining. What do you think?
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What’s looking good!
Fresh unfurling growth – it just has to be spring! Don’t
you just love it when you can smell unturned earth, or freshly mown
lawn? Well, the season for clematis and other climbing plants is
upon us. We’ve some stunning montanas and macropetalas as
well as the robust spring-blooming evergreen varieties.
New shrubs also jostle for attention and this includes a wide
range of camellias, including the biggest specimen plant you’re
likely to come across this side of Milton Keynes!
Finally, if you’re looking to re-plant a new bed or border,
our new stocks of containerised roses have arrived, and includes
this year’s rose of the year, ‘Rhapsody in Blue’.
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Perennials
If you are wanting to set some more perennials in your garden this
spring, do come in very soon as we still have a good range of them
in 9cm pots, mainly priced at £1.99. These small plants always
seem to do really well and you can get so many more for your money
than buying the two or three litre size. As the small ones will
be going off sale soon for re-potting, do hurry, hurry!
Incidentally you may remember in a past newsletter I mentioned
the Tardina Hostas, especially Remember Me, being less attractive
to slugs. We have sold quite a few of these and we should be very
interested to hear from anyone who has planted them what their experience
of these varieties has been.
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Hanging Baskets
Many of you bring your hanging baskets back to us year after year
for re-setting and this year we will be offering a choice of a standard
basket, similar to those we have done in the past and also a ‘deluxe’
version which will be even more stunning. The deluxe version will
cost about £5 or £6 more, but you may consider this
would be money well spent. Do ask for details when you bring your
basket in.
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Furniture
With all this fantastic sunny weather we have had
recently, we have already had many enquiries for furniture, so
in response we have some on display already. For a few lucky customers
we have some really good offers on some sets. For example there
is a Bridgeman Iroko set comprising of 1.1 metre folding round
table, 2 carvers, 2 chairs, 2.1 metre green parasol and base with
a normal retail value of £957, at £765. Also a Kewdos
Parashorea 1.2m folding round table, 4 carvers, 2.1 metre green
parasol and base normally retailing at £631, now at £511.
There are other sets available but these offers are not repeatable,
so once again hurry, hurry!
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The Bedding season
For those who know our staff, you may be interested
to hear the good news that Catherine who has been growing our
bedding plants for many years is now on maternity leave, having
given birth to a bouncing baby girl last month. She and her husband
are delighted, but it has meant she is now working for their home
based nursery! Patrick, her assistant has bravely stepped in to
take over the growing this year and by the look of the greenhouses
and polytunnels you will be seeing some ‘stonking good plants’
in the selling area very shortly. Violas are out and depending
on the weather other varieties will be coming out soon. Plug plants
have been available from the house-plant area for a while, so
if you have a heated area to grow the plants on in, these are
a good buy.
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Hedging and other catalogue
items
With all the warm weather we have had recently it
has meant that some of the bare root stock has come into leaf
and is now not safe to plant out. However, there are still some
varieties which are dormant, so if you are wanting to get a hedge
planted do come in during the next few days to see what is still
available.
Most of the pot grown hedging plants, ground cover
plants, grasses, ferns, ornamental shrubs and fruit is still available
and very soon will be moving outside to the area where the bare
root soft fruit was. This will give us space to make up a display
of shade loving plants such as acers in the ‘tunnel’.
After all the rain in the autumn it seems unbelievable
that I should be writing an urgent reminder to you to water any
newly planted trees, shubs, hedges etc We have had virtually no
rain for a long time, possibly two weeks, with the exception of
yesterday, which is very unusual for this time of the year. Also
we are experiencing some wonderful sunny days, which is good for
us but not for the plants if they are not kept moist.
On the nursery we have had the irrigation on now
for over two weeks and I am writing to remind everyone how important
it is to water newly planted stock, even though it may look totally
dormant still. Under the ground the new roots may be forming and
it is imperative that they are in moist soil. Please do go out
at least twice a week and give the plants a real soaking, About
a gallon of water per metre run should suffice, but when you think
you have given enough it is a good idea to push your finger down
well into the ground to make sure the water really has penetrated
right down into the soil.
If you have not carried out the recommended pruning
yet, please do it now as the sap is starting to rise in many plants.
If you have lost your pruning instructions just let us know and
we will happily give you advice.
As our Springs do seem to be getting warmer and
drier it is a good idea to mulch around newly planted stock as
this really does act as a barrier to hold the water in for the
plants to use.
A good fertiliser to use now is a slow release
one such as Vitax Q4, or Osmocote as one application at the beginning
of the season will suffice. This will apply to existing hedges
as well, as the deluges of rain we experienced in the autumn will
have leached many nutrients from the soil, and as hedges naturally
have many plants close together, in order for them to grow well
they do need an annual feed. If you have the time it is possible
to use Growmore, but that really needs applying more than once
in the growing season.
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Aquatics
It is time to start looking at your pond. If you
need to introduce more pond fish these are now available. The
fish in your pond which you should have been feeding on wheatgerm
food over winter will benefit from some normal food now the water
is warming up. As a general rule once the temperature of the water
is 10 degrees or above the fish should be on normal food, but
to use up any wheatgerm you have left it is a good idea to mix
the two at this time of the year.
If you have water lilies in the pond, now is the
time to feed them. Lotus lily grow sachets are a convenient way
to do this as they are a slow release fertiliser which will promote
healthy growth a good flowers.
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