For your interest we have
an archive newsletter section.
Please note that any special offers and prices mentioned may not
now be current.
 New
Season Catalogue
Our 2006-2007 Catalogue was published last month. It has a silver/grey
cover which we thought the most appropriate colour to have for our
Diamond Jubilee year. On the centre page you can read a brief history
of how we have got to where we are today. We are proud of what the
family has achieved, with the help of a splendid team of staff,
and we look forward to continuing to improve our services in the
future.
 The
first new item in our catalogue came almost by mistake! Last season
a batch of ‘Berberis
darwinii’ arrived on the nursery and immediately we knew
there was an error. ‘Berberis
darwinii compacta’ had been sent in by mistake but straight
away we realised that we should be offering this gem of a plant
for a dwarf hedge. It has all the properties of its larger ‘relative’
Berberis darwinii but as it is even denser and only grows to about
three feet (one metre) it makes a superb dwarf, prickly, evergreen
hedge. We did not need to complain but rather to thank the nursery
for this error, and this year we have included it in the catalogue
as well as on the web site.
Another dwarf hedge new for this season is Nepeta
Six Hills Giant. This upright form of catmint makes an informal
evergreen hedge between two and three feet high. Like other catmints
the foliage is heavily perfumed and it has the added advantage of
whorls of scented lavender blue flowers all through the summer.
For years now we have been asked for Griselinia,
especially by customers living near the sea, but have only supplied
them as ‘special orders’, but now the winters are so
much milder, even in our exposed site in north Buckinghamshire,
we feel that Griselinia will now happily survive the winter. We
expect this handsome evergreen will mainly be purchased by customers
in a maritime position, but it would be suitable for sites sheltered
from cold, drying winds. It certainly is worth planting and there
is a beautiful specimen living very happily very near the nursery.
 For
those wanting a dense evergreen, fast growing, thick hedge with
subtle and unusual variegation, then the Marbled
White Laurel could be their answer. The leaves are large and
deep green with white variegation with a marbled appearance, and
the plant produces spikes of scented white flowers in the spring.
Five new trees have been added, two for smaller gardens and the
others for those with more space. By popular request we have added
Cotoneaster Rothschildianus,
a most attractive evergreen tree which only reaches about 15ft (4.6m)
when mature. With white flowers in spring and yellow berries in
autumn this makes an ideal screening tree for small gardens. The
Contorted Willow responds
well to being cut back hard and if treated in this way it will make
an unusual dome of twisting yellow stems which are superb for flower
arrangers. If left untrimmed it will grow to about 20ft x 20ft (6m
x 6m).
For those with more space there are the Tulip
Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera), Claret
Ash (Fraxinus angustifolia Raywood) and the Bastard
Service Tree. The Tulip Tree has the most wonderful foliage
which turns from rich-green in summer to clear yellow in autumn.
It makes a splendid specimen tree eventually reaching 100ft (30m)
in height. The Claret Ash has been given its common name due to
its breathtaking autumn colouring on the leaves. It also bears pendant
fruit clusters which provide good bird food for spring. The Bastard
Service Tree is a naturally occurring hybrid between Whitebeam and
Mountain Ash taking the good qualities of both parents. The white
flowers contrast well against the dark green leaves, and in the
autumn the tree will be colourful with its arching clusters of red
berries.
For those wishing to plant some native hedging ‘out of season’
we have now introduced cell packs of native hedging with five different
species of plants in each pack.
In the ornamental shrub section we have introduced four new varieties
of Butterfly
Bush (Buddleja), Black Knight, Empire Blue, Royal Red and White
Profusion. All are excellent varieties. Gardeners who already know
the wonderful qualities of the Corkscrew
Hazel are bound to be tempted with the Red
Majestic Corkscrew Hazel with its eye catching new purple foliage,
and the purple nuts in autumn.
Another eye catching foliage shrub is the Mexican
Orange Blossom (Choisya), Goldfinger. This has striking fragrant
bright yellow finger-shaped foliage, plus the bonus of the fragrant
star-shaped flowers which appear in late spring and again in autumn.
In the ground cover and perennial section this year we have added
some interesting new plants. Crocosmia
Emily McKenzie and Lucifer
never fail to give a real show of vibrant colour for a long period
from mid to late summer; Emily McKenzie with bright orange and Lucifer
with bright red. Dianthus
has proved to be a very useful plant recently as it is very drought
tolerant. We have added four different varieties with colours going
from pure white through to carmine red, all heavily perfumed.
Euphorbias are always good structural perennials so we have added
three really good clump forming varieties as well as offering the
spreading variety, Robbiae.
Blackbird,
as one would imagine from its name, has spectacular deep purple
foliage, Redwing
has foliage which opens green tinged red, then turns to blue-green,
and Silver
Swan with foliage grey with bright cream variegation and edged
creamy-yellow.
Pink Day Lilies (Hemerocallis) do not seem so popular at the moment
so we have taken out Pink Damask and added Sammy
Russell with its brick-red flowers with a deep orange throat.
There are some wonderful new varieties of Heuchera available now
so we have added four of these to our catalogue range. Amber
Wave has really eye-catching yellow to amber foliage, Blackbird
with dark brown ruffled leaves, Chocolate
Ruffles with deeply cut mahogany-red leaves and Silver
Scrolls with its foliage silver above and purple underneath.
As these are evergreen they are most attractive all year round.
Finally in the ground cover section we have made a change in the
Lesser Periwinkle varieties by taking out the Silver Variegated
and put in Gertrude
Jekyll, with its neat compact habit and starry white flowers
over green foliage.
In the Fruit Section we have some very interesting new varieties.
A new cherry
Vega produces cherries which ripen to white so the birds do
not take them so readily. The compact Apricot
Tomcot is a very ornamental tree which has the bonus of producing
superb juicy fruits in late summer. As it is better to have two
different varieties for pollination we have added the Almond Ingrid,
which is a very reliable cropper producing well flavoured good quality
nuts.
Blueberries
continue to be very popular, possibly because they are very ornamental
shrubs and the fruit is so tasty. We are now offering four varieties,
Patriot being
the new introduction as this is tolerant of heavier wetter soils
and colder weather.
We are sure the three new Hinnomaki
Gooseberries will be popular as they are very vigorous and resistant
to mildew. The Green
and Yellow
are for cooking only, but the Red
is a dual purpose gooseberry.
 Finally,
a Walnut tree for the smaller garden. Rita
is not cheap, but it produces excellent crops of delicious walnuts
on a tree which only reaches about 25ft. With its attractive deep
green leaves it would make an ideal garden tree.
 An
ideal food for all of the new and existing varieties is the new
product Rootgrow Rootfood.
Many of our customers have already discovered the advantage of planting
with Rootgrow and this new Rootfood is the ideal compliment. It
is one hundred percent natural, bioactive humate fertiliser and
soil conditioner which will release nutrients in the soil to your
plants.
Throughout the year we will have a range of internet specials and
seasonal promotional offers - keep looking at the web site for the
latest offers! We currently have The Easy Gardening Collection:
Shrubs,
Herbaceous,
Climbers & Alpines,
Grasses and Ferns.
These are great value plants supplied in 2 or 3 litre pots at £5.99
each (or £4.99 if collected).
Autumn Bedding Ideas
The balmy autumnal weather has resulted in a final flurry of bedding
colour – dahlias, asters and pelargoniums are looking particular
fine. As soon as these flowers fade, pots, beds and planters will
benefit from a fresh splash of winter and spring bedding colour.
We’ve a fine range of violas and pansies (winter-hardy), forget-me-nots,
wallflowers (bare-rooted and cell-pack grown) and silver-leafed
cineraria available.
Do pop in some dwarf bulbs to complete the picture. Grape hyacinths,
tulips, February Gold narcissi amongst others are good contenders.
You can successfully multi-layer your bulbs to help extend the display.
Start by adding a few tulips on the first layer, cover with some
potting compost and add another layer of narcissi followed by a
final layer, around two-thirds to the top of the pot to add a few
filler bulbs like grape hyacinths, winter aconites or crocus. Make
sure the bulbs are spaced equally on each layer. The top planting
can consist of a centre plant such as a conifer or skimmia, surround
this with the likes of ornamental cabbage/kale, thymes, ajuga and
add colourful pansies and violas to inject seasonal colour. Ivies
can be used to cascade around the brim of the pot and flow over
the sides.
If you are feeling lazy about pots, why not check out The Potting
Bench display for inspirational planted ready-to-go pots, or bring
your empty pots or baskets in and we can re-set them for you. You’ll
also find a great range of colourful pumpkins (for carving and kitchen)
and gourds as we run up to Halloween at the end of the month.
Grab
a bargain
Just a reminder, Buckingham Garden Centre offers discounted sale
plants as and when available. These plants, often end of promotional
lines, are always good value and useful if you have the odd gap
to fill in beds and borders.
Special
Order Requests – and BIG Trees!
After a dry summer, tree planting has been delayed in many parts
of the Beds, Herts and Bucks region due to the extended drought
and Thames Water hose-pipe restrictions. Fortunately the autumn
rains are taking care of the irrigation of our gardens so now is
a good opportunity to consider any major plantings.
We are currently taking orders for larger trees (both 65-litre
and large girth bare-rooted material). Do please come and have a
chat with the Plant Information team as we can offer guidance and
prices for a wide range of tree and special plant request stock
for the new autumn-winter season.
Christmas
It seems much too early to start mentioning Christmas, but people
do like to get organised early so we thought we should give you
a few ideas. Since last year those who have visited the shop will
know we have extended our floor space and created a giftware area.
This is geared towards the ‘gardener’ but does have
some exceptions so it is well worth having a browse around. Very
popular ranges there are the Town and Country footwear range including
cloggies and wellies, Tayberry clothing and outdoor thermometers,
clocks etc.
For Christmas gifts we have a range of hyacinths with glass planters,
and amaryllis in gift packs, but also we have 26 different varieties
of amaryllis available in non-gift packs with prices ranging from
£4.99. Amongst these are mini varieties, hybrids and doubles.
Amaryllis are such good bulbs to grow and they will flower year
after year as long as you remember to feed them!
Seeds
Again it does seems early to mention seeds, but like Christmas
many gardeners do like to get organised early and all the next season’s
range is now in stock. This year we have the complete Thompson and
Morgan range, plus a choice from Kings, Suttons and the Italian
Franchi, so as usual we have the best range for miles around. For
those who cannot visit the shop the Thompson and Morgan and Franchi
seeds can be ordered on line. Visit the web
site to make your choice.
We are also pleased to be stocking the Suttons award winning ‘Wildlife
Collection’ which is a very attractive pack of five varieties
of seed to grow to attract birds and other wildlife to the garden.
It has Lavender Provence Blue which is aromatic and produces lots
of nectar, Honesty (Lunaria annus) with attractive flowers followed
by silvery seed pods, Sweet Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) another
nectar producing variety, Single Asters which attract butterflies
and beautiful insects to its sweet nectar and Tall Yellow Sunflowers
which will produce large seed heads which can either be left in
situ, or cut and hung out later when food is scarcer. For every
packet sold Suttons will donate 5p to the RSPB.
Apple
Day
 For
the third year running Buckingham Garden Centre will be putting
on an APPLE DAY weekend where their customers will be able to celebrate
the English Apple.
Central to the week-end will be the two apple experts who will
be bringing lots of samples of wonderful, diverse varieties of English
Apples, many of these a lot of us will not have even heard of and
certainly not tasted. They will be handing out samples for people
to taste and everyone will be encouraged to plant fruit trees in
their gardens if they have room. There will, of course, be pot grown
apple trees available for sale on the day, or there will be details
available of bare root trees which will be ready when they are dormant
later in the autumn.
People with unknown varieties of apples will be able to bring them
along and try to match them to the many samples on display or the
experts may be able to help identify them. There will, of course,
be lots of good varieties of apples and fruit juices to purchase.
Apart from this there will be a Falconry Display and this is always
of particular interest to children as some will be able to have
the thrill of handling the birds themselves. Linked to this the
RSPB will be there to talk to visitors about the wild birds in our
gardens and how we can encourage and help them, and also BBOWT to
talk about other wild life.
Members of the Drunken Monk Tavern will have their superb range
of ciders and meads on sale (giving the Garden Centre staff a chance
to do their annual stock up!). There will be an expert on pruning
to give advice on the way to prune and the best tools to use for
the job. Members of staff will be around to answer questions all
week-end.
There will be a local artist in to show you how to paint your own
personal piece of pottery, mainly mugs or plates. Apples will be
the theme for the week-end, and anyone will be able to try their
hand at decorating, then the piece will be taken away for glazing
and firing to be collected later. We will also have demonstrations
of ‘chain saw’ carving, with the resulting ornaments
and furniture for sale. Amongst the ornaments should be some carved
apple cores!
On the Sunday only there will be representatives of the Buckingham
Society present to talk to everyone about their exciting projects
and a local bee keeper with his award winning honey and pure bees
wax candles, plus his wealth of knowledge about bees and ‘bee
products’ and their health giving properties. His enthusiasm
for his hobby is wonderful to listen to.
Also on the Sunday for doggy lovers there will be the chance to
bring their dogs in for a bath and groom and all profits will be
donated to Hearing Dogs for Deaf People. Watching the dogs enjoying
their ‘beauty therapy’ is entertainment in itself!
There will be a competition open to everyone and we are expecting
the results of our challenge at Potato Day earlier this year. We
are hoping for lots of ‘Ugly, Funny or Enormous Potatoes’
to come in for judging. We will be encouraging as many entries as
possible as the more will definitely be the merrier.
As usual there is no entry fee so a good event to bring all the
family to. There is wheelchair access to all of the events, and
there will be special dishes on the menu in the restaurant to compliment
the event.
10
gardening tasks for October
1 - Plant for autumn colour
The hot weather of the summer may feel like a dim and distant
memory but now is the time to make sure your beds and borders are
prepared to give you colour and interest over the next few months.
There are plenty hardy plants to select to do just that, perhaps
a new tree such as Amelanchier, Liquidamber or Fraxinus. Shrub-wise
don’t miss out on the coloured foliage of Nandina domestica,
Cotinus, Japanese Acers and Rhus Tiger Eyes. Autumnal border gap-fillers
include the floriferous Japanese anemones, rich coloured foliage
of the Heuchera family as well as late colour from Crocosmia and
Geranium macrorrhizum Album.
2 – Daddy long legs invasion
The humble daddy long legs made the news the other day with huge
numbers being reported across the UK. According to Dr Kevin Moffat,
an expert in insect behaviour at the University of Warwick, "This
is peak daddy long-legs season when they hatch into adults. They
don't feed and they don't bite but what they are doing at the moment
is mating and laying eggs."
Daddy long legs are the leatherjacket adult and each female may
lay several hundred eggs from June onwards and these take a fortnight
to hatch. The grubs feed through autumn, winter and spring as leatherjackets
- or larvae. The insects don't feed as adults, surviving on what
they've already stored.
So, if your lawn is full of nasty brown patches, it could well
be the effect of these and chafer grubs feeding on your lawn roots.
Help is at hand for gardeners with the recent launch of Provado
Lawn Grub Killer, a chemical based on the chemical found in Provado
Ultimate Bug Killer, so it’s going to be effective at control.
You do need to apply at first signs of damage and you do need to
follow the instructions carefully to achieve the desired results.
3 - Gathering fruit
Check if early-ripening apples are ready for harvesting by cupping
them in your hand and gently lifting them upwards to see if the
fruit comes away easily. If not, leave it to ripen further on the
tree. Most early-ripening apples need eating straight away, as they
do not store well. Remember if you need further apple advice pop
along to our Apple Weekend 21-22nd October.
4 - Potty time
Empty pots and baskets of summer bedding material and plant up
with a new selection to provide colour and interest right through
autumn and into spring. Use one or two small evergreen shrubs, such
as skimmia or dwarf conifers, as structural features within the
pot, filling in around them with seasonal bedding and dwarf bulbs
to provide flowers during mild spells and into the early spring.
5 - Prepare your Mediterranean plants for winter
Temperatures are falling as we head towards winter, so it is time
to wrap up and pamper your tender tribe of exotic plants before
the cold weather hits them for six. If you have olives trees and
hardy palms outside, it is best to move them to a protected corner
of the garden, out of the winds, perhaps close to house, but somewhere
you can keep a close eye on them. Plants such as Bougainvillea,
Oleander, Tender Palms and Bananas should be given light, frost-free
conditions throughout the winter.
6 - Bulbs to go
Continue planting bulbs for spring-flowering displays. Give priority
to daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, fritillarias, erythroniums, irises
and small bulbs in rock gardens. Tulips can be kept back for planting
later this month and even into early November.
7 - Dahlias
Lift and store dahlia tubers as soon as their foliage has been
blackened by the first frost. Cut the hollow stems back down to
about 10cm (4in) above the tuber. The tuber should then be stood
upside down to allow any water to drain out, then stored in a dry,
cool but frost free position
.
8 - Prepare for big moves
Autumn is a good time to move established conifers and evergreen
shrubs. Dig them up with the largest root-ball you can manage. Prepare
the new planting site well and keep them well watered until they
have re-established. Protect sensitive varieties from drying winds
by surrounding with a netting wind-break. Apply Rootgrow ® to
the immediate soil area making sure the friendly-fungi granules
are in intimate contact with the roots of the plant being transplanted.
9 - Compost it!
During October and November the garden often produces more waste
than you can cope with, so now is the time to consider investing
in a shredder and additional compost bins. Recycling organic material
by composting it is always preferable to having bonfires, as any
neighbour will remind you!
10 - Down on the plot
Hardy varieties of peas and broad beans can be sown now. Most
benefit from cloche protection in winter, especially in very cold
areas. And, finally, plan now for autumn and winter fruit planting,
by ordering new varieties of fruit trees, bushes and cane fruits.
Reminder: our fruit (both top and soft) becomes available bare-rooted
from the latter end of November.
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