Feeding the #Garden in April

Fritillaria meleagris 

• Plant hanging baskets under cover to get established for the end of May.
• Prick out seeds and continue to pot on plugs and rooted cuttings.
• Prune the shrubs that flowered late last year and your hedges.
• Sew main crop vegetables such as carrots ,parsnips etc.
• Plant the main crop potatoes.
• Container grown plants can be planted all year round. So plant now and enjoy this year. More on Spring Plants >>  Early Spring Colour >>
• Lime before its too late. It will not be leached out of the soil before the plants start growing. Liming with help heavy cloddy clay soils to form a more crumbly structure
• If you didn’t dig your garden and top with manure ,soil conditioners or some form of organic mater in the Autumn its not too late to get on with it now, it will just be more manual. If you dug it over and exposed the clods to break down over the winter well done.

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.

What To Plant Now

The perfect time to plant is now. Moist soil and warmer condions help plants root. Get your plants established so you can enjoy many of them this year, particularly the perennials.

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.

A Gorgeous Fragrant Spring Flowering Evergreen Shrub Viburnum Burkwoodii

Another gorgeous viburnum with evergreen foliage, fragrant spring blossom and great autumn colour. This is Burkwoodii

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.

Spring Favourites Spirea x arguta

One of the big spring favourites Spirea x arguta out in early spring. A feathery tall shrub with a cascade of bridal like white flowers. It's a tough shrub. I seam to be able to grow it everywhere. I think you could make a hedge of it as I like the soft foliage but it is deciduous.

April Gardener's Calendar

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

Late Winter Almost Spring Gardens

Spring Is On Its Way Despite the cold we have felt the it's first breath and a lot of us are back in the Garden preparing for the forthcoming year. 

Spring Flowers For Mother's Day

 I T 'S  N E A R L EY  M O T H E R 'S   D A Y

Spring is Blooming, the Bees are Buzzing

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.

Cloud Dancer is Pantone’s Colour of the Year for 2026

 

Our Preston Bissett Design Team have been looking at trends for 2026.

Described as a billowy, airy, and serene off-white, this shade represents a "soft reset" and a desire for calm, minimalism, and mental clarity in an overstimulated, noisy world.

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.

Seed Chili Peppers in January and February

If you are itching to get growing from seed, you could try Chilli peppers as they need a surprisingly early start. The good news is that they are easy to grow and we have an interesting and wide range of varieties.

Catkins in Winter and Early Spring

There are so many beautiful catkins that carry us through the winter and last well into spring.

On Now

HOME & GARDEN SALE

Choice Ornamental Trees Included In Our Sale This January

 Add year-round interest to your garden with ornamental trees. We have some very interesting trees featured in our sale.

OPENING HOURS 2026

 

The Nurseries

Open 7 days a week 9am-5pm

The Garden Tipi

January & February – Closed Mondays

Tuesday to Friday – Open 10am – 3pm

Saturdays & Sundays Normal hours 9am – 4pm

We are open on Bank Holidays except at Christmas

The Garden Tipi is a wedding & events venue on occasion we may operate a pop up café on the nursery. 

All About Us

Preston Bissett Nurseries has been open 42 years. Founded by Peter Richardson ,who we lost both suddenly and tragically in 2023 to cancer. Now his legacy continues to be run by his family and an amazing team.

OUR GARDEN DESIGN TEAM

 

Garden Design & Planting Consultations At Preston Bissett Nurseries & Country Shop.

Winter Flowers, Christmas Rose and Christmas Box, Hellebores and Sarcococca

Perfect Flowers For Christmas

Christmas Rose and Christmas Box respectively flower at Christmas or more realistically just after. Helleborus niger and sarcococca are two worthy plants for your winter garden.

Mahonia A Tough Winter Shrub

T H E  T O U G H I S T   O F  W I N T E R  S H R U B S

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.

Creating A Good Winter Garden

W I N T E R   G A R D E N S   A R E  B E A U T I F U L

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.

Top Winter Bloomers

 T O P  W I N T E R   P E R F O R M E R S

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 wheelbarrow 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.