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Sunday 17 March 2024

Plant Thugs Make Useful Ground Cover

Comfrey

We all have problem areas in our garden. Rather than grow weeds we do sometimes need a few strong plants to cover the ground and beat the weeds. These are some of my recommended thugs that can do the job!

Magnolias Month of Glory

Magnolia stellata (Star Magnolia)
Magnolias really about to have their month of glory. I have seen the deep purple Susan, soft pink Betty, Magnolia × loebneri Leonard Messel, M.stellata, Magnolia × soulangeana and Vulcan another deep coloured variety all flowering soon.

How to Prune your Garden and when to Pruning

 If It Flowers Before June Don't Prune


*Things that flower before June are flowering on wood or stems produced last year so don't cut them off before its had chance to flower, if you have time to prune it properly. Plants that flower later can have a trim in the early spring because they will flower on new growth later in the year.

Exochordia Is A beautiful Spring Flowering Shrub


Exochordia  xmacrantha, one of my all-time spring favourites it is soon to be absolutely flush with flowers. Otherwise known as the pearl bush.

Top Perennial Plants for Early Colour This Spring


Lamprocapnos Spectablis, Dicentra Spectablis or good old Bleeding Heart. What ever you now call this perennial it is just lovely.

Vinca, Primula elata, pulsatila, pulminaria, geraniums, bergena, bruneria, polemoniumn, (Solmon's Seal) Polygonatum and tiarella are just some of the gorgeous perennials performing at the moment.

Supporting The Bees In Spring

Euphorbia
Here are a few ideas of what we can plant to keep our gardens interesting in early spring and support our beautiful bumble bees.


April Gardener's Calendar



Here is what you could be getting on with in the garden this month

Friday 1 March 2024

Mother's Day

Perfect potted baskets for Mother's Day
Enjoy spring colour in our beautiful terracotta Mother's Day baskets


March Gardener’s Calendar



March is the month the garden really wakes up. The spring primroses are gorgeous, lots of bulbs are coming through there is some early blossom on the tree. Daphne odora will bless us with its fragrance, magnolias will look their best, camellias are out now. Many alpines are out in flower and they look so pretty. It's a great month. Everything is fresh.

Monday 5 February 2024

Choosing an Early flowering Clematis

Clematis armandii

There are lots of early flowering Clematis  that definitely deserves an acknowledgement.
Cirrhosa varieties, cartmanii types, alpina, macropetala, montana and armandii are all widely available. 

Evergreen Climbing Plants

Tracelospermum jasminoides 

Often when you want a shrub to cover a wall or fence you want it to really cover it so you don't see it. An evergreen might be the perfect all year round choice. 

Spring Starts Here


 Take a peak in the shop

Friday 2 February 2024

February Gardener's Calendar


Spring is coming. Snowdrops are just in flower. Daffodils are opening soon and the hellebores look stunning. It is time to get back out in the garden.

Saturday 20 January 2024

Instant Winter colour and Spring is Round the Corner


 It feel like spring is just around the corner. Our seasonal tunnel is bursting with spring bedding and bulbs already. There is so much colour to enjoy.

Thursday 18 January 2024

Witch Hazel caught in the Snow



This is winter at its best. These flowers are just so captivating.

Witch Hazel

Sarcococca Confusa Or Christmas Box

 

Sarcococca Confusa is a small leafed glossy green hardy evergreen with sweet scented small stringy flowers in winter often at Christmas or just after hence the common name Christmas Box.

Mahonia A Tough Winter Shrub


Mahonia is a great thug of a shrub. A massive holly like evergreen. But is it not worth it for these magnificent yellow plumes in January.

Winter Garden Plants

 

I love winter gardens, the unusual flowers, the bark, the berries the winter stems then the bulbs. Its understated but when you looks it's very beautiful and sadly we don't plant enough winter colour.

Wednesday 3 January 2024

Shrubs That Flower In Winter and Early Spring

 


Viburnum Tinus One of the Best Fragrant Winter Flowering Hardy Evergreen

Viburnum Tinus

Simply looking amazing is the viburnum tinus.  I love everything about this large evergreen shrub. Numerous varieties are available  from basic tinus to, Spirit, Gwenllian, Lisa Rose, Purpurea and French White, Spring Bouquet. The differences are very slight and I have yet to tell them all apart. The flowering time vary slighty as does the blossom colour. I have a garden full of the Viburnum tinus and I does really well and I hasten to add it has a lovely fragrance.

Flowers For The Winter- Hellebore and Viburnum tinus

 

Viburnum tinus Spirit (evergreen shrub) with Helleborus 'Ice N' Roses Red'

A Winter Interest Plant List

A Winter Plant List

Creating A Good Winter Garden



Grumbles about winter gardens are not justified. The fault lies firstly with us and our fair weathered nature. We shop when its warm and buy what we see in flower in May and June and miss the winter flowers. I am generalising. Go shopping on a mid winters day and you will then appreciate we have colour all winter.

January Sale

January Gardener's Calendar


As real winter hardy gardeners we know there are some very beneficial outdoor hands on winter jobs from which your garden will truly benefit this month. Many suggested gardening task lists may seem limited to preparatory jobs and whilst these are important, I urge you to get your wellies on grab a spade and show that wheel barrow some action. A gardeners work is never done. 
We have had the shortest day so herald spring is on its way and lets be ready.