WINTER SHRUBS

Fill your garden with some seasonal colour with a selection of winter-flowering shrubs. They can be planted at any time providing the soil isn’t frozen solid or waterlogged. Choose from mahonia, viburnums, sarcococca, witch hazel, winter jasmine and winter-flowering heathers and shrubby honeysuckles. Many have the added bonus of strong perfume – so plant them close to the house. Give them the best possible start by digging in plenty of organic matter – such as compost or composted bark – and add some general granular fertiliser.

Camellias
With their glossy, evergreen foliage and large flowers in spring (though I've seen many in flower already in Devon) camellias are the perfect way of brightening up the garden. Buy yourself some now or give them as presents.
They need a lime-free soil, so if yours isn’t suitable grow them in large pots in Ericaceous compost.

Nursery Retailer of the year 2006/07 WINNER!
The presentation, attention to detail and devotion to plants displayed by St Bridget Nurseries in Exeter were key reasons why the judges selected it to be this year’s Nursery retailer of the year. St Bridget’s combines over 80 years of plant growing history and heritage with modern marketing practices and retail skills. The nursery is separated into six departments—propagation, micro-propagation, container grow nursery stock, herbaceous, greenhouse and open ground nursery stock. Production largely supplies the two garden centres situated on the outskirts of Exeter, though it also fulfils trade, mail and e-mail orders. A great focus has been put on marketing initiative in the past year, with advertising via local radio and print media. The garden centres have recently been approved by The Devon Wildlife Trust, allowing them to promote products that are wildlife friendly by placing the DWT logo on plant bed labels. In a bid to reduce the need for chemicals in production, biological control has been used wherever possible. For the last two years Compost Tea has been used which has both enhanced growth and reduced the need for fungicide applications. The company has also hosted events, with speakers covering topics such as garden design, wildlife gardening and planning for the future.

The award was presented at The Garden Centre and Retail Award Ceremony held in London's Grosvenor Square hotel and collecting the award was Tammy Flinn, Marketing Manager for St Bridget Nurseries and the fourth generation of the family run business.

Says Tammy: “This award is a fantastic achievement and a great recognition of the hard work and enthusiasm of everyone who works here. I’d personally like to dedicate the award to my late grandfather, Norman Langdon, who led the company for 63 years with inspiring promotion of horticulture. He would be really proud of us.”

LOOKING AFTER YOUR CHRISTMAS TREE

One of the few businesses to still grow Christmas trees is St Bridget Nurseries in Exeter.It dedicates about an acre of land at its Clyst St Mary nursery to growing mostly Norway spruces. Although this variety is the most traditional and usually the cheapest choice, it has fallen from favour as it tends to shed needles quite heavily (the secret is to keep them well watered and away from radiators). The nursery also grows a small number of Nordmann fir, which hold their needles more but is far more expensive because it is much slower growing.

All live Christmas trees – whether they’re cut or potted –benefit from being kept out of doors for as long as possible. When you bring them indoors, position them in as cool a place as possible – and certainly away from sources of heat – such as near fires or radiators. If they dry out they will start to look tired and drop their needles. Even Nordmann and other non-needle-drop trees will look better and last longer if they’re kept watered.

Potted trees should be watered regularly so the compost doesn’t dry out. Cut trees can be stood in self-watering stands and the reservoir topped up daily. To help improve water uptake, remove the bottom inch or so of stem from cut trees before bringing them indoors. And you can help even further by spraying all live Christmas trees with an anti-desiccant – such as Spray ‘N’ Save – before moving them indoors.

St Bridget's also sells holly wreaths - made by hand at the St Bridget Floristry Department - and bunches of holly and mistletoe. St Bridget Nurseries is open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 5pm, Sundays 10.30am to 4.30pm (except Christmas Eve 10am to 4pm). Closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Poinsettias

Poinsettias certainly are difficult to beat for the strong splash of colour they provide, and now there’s such a wide range of colours – not just the traditional red. St Bridget Nurseries grow all their Poinsettias in their greenhouses on the nursery in Exeter so they have been given the best treatment possible. It’s definitely better to buy from a garden centre rather than an outdoor stall as cold weather and wind are a killer and since St Bridget's Poinsettias only travel two miles at most to their Clyst St Mary Garden Centre - they are really fresh. Plus to give your plant the best start to their home life with you, they’re wrapped up before you leave the garden centre.

When you get them home give them a position in plenty of good light and an average temperature of 55-60F – but keep them away from radiators and other sources of heat – and out of draughts and fluctuating temperatures.

Allow the top of the compost to dry slightly before watering, but then give them a thorough watering ensuring all the compost is moist and feed with a houseplant fertiliser each time. Daily misting of the leaves will help ensure good colour and healthy growth.

Keep your Poinsettia until June 2007 and you can enter St Bridget's competition. Return your Poinsettia to St Bridget Nurseries in Old Rydon Lane Exeter for 12 noon on Saturday 2nd June 2007 and it will be judged for its shape, colour and overall condition. Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd & 3rd with prizes of £25, £10 & £5 of St. Bridget Nurseries’ Gift Tokens for the best plants.

Good luck and remember to pick up your St Bridget Nurseries guide to growing Poinsettias before you leave their garden centre.

Create your own fruit garden – now’s an excellent time to plant fruit trees and bushes, and St Bridget Nurseries have lots to choose from.
To ensure bumper crops, plant with plenty of organic matter and slow-release fertiliser and make sure you train bushes where necessary and use stakes and ties for fruit trees. It's easy to grow your own and think if the environmental benefits...save on food miles and knowledge that what you are eating is fresh and chemical free!
Make gooseberry fool with Gooseberries, Redcurrant jelly or Cranberry sauce for next year's Christmas meal. Blackberry and apple crumble, summer pudding or simply an Apricot! There's lots to choose from so give it a go and grow your own!
We've also been given a special BLOG offer! Spend over £10 on fruit plants and trees in one single transaction between now and December 11th and present a copy of this blog and you will receive a FREE recipe book - Favourite Apple Recipes - which has over 30 fruit recipes in it!

EVERGREENS
Planting evergreens is one of the best ways of bringing colour and texture to the garden at this time of year. It’s hard to beat the value of conifers for the winter garden. There are so many colours and shapes – and because there are types that grow from a few inches to several feet high, there are types for every garden and situation.

If you choose carefully you can also get evergreen plants with some welcome winter flowers. Try planting mahonia, Viburnum tinus and winter-flowering heathers. And don’t forget that some evergreens also produce colourful berries at this time of year – such as pyracantha, skimmia and cotoneaster.

If you have a look around St Bridget's planteria you’ll see there are plenty of ideas for turning your garden into a winter wonderland.

And, as with all plants, get them off to a flying start by planting with compost and a slow-release fertiliser.

Hedging
Now’s a good time to plant a hedge and here’s how to ensure you get the best from your new hedges.
Hedges are the perfect solution for providing a colourful, natural-looking boundary to a garden. And there are lots of plants suitable for providing a hedge, barrier or screen – whether you want evergreen or deciduous, formal or informal.
It’s important that you prepare the soil well. Start by digging out a trench at least 18 inches wide and 12 inches deep. Fork over the base of the trench and incorporate plenty of organic matter – such as well-rotted manure, compost, composted bark or planting compost. Mix the excavated soil with lots more organic matter and some bonemeal or controlled-release fertiliser, and re-fill the trench – firming the soil as you go.
Before planting water the plants well; you should place the roots of bare-root plants in a bucket of water for half an hour. Then plant at the right distance; most types should be planted 18 inches apart, although conifers and more vigorous types can be planted two to three feet apart. After planting water in well, and water during dry spells for the first year. St Bridget Nurseries have lots of suitable hedging plants including cheaper bare-rooted plants – pop in to get that privacy from the neighbour that you’ve always wanted ;-)

NURSERY RETAILER OF THE YEAR FINALIST!
First place to release this information...
St Bridget Nurseries are finalists in the Nursery Retailer of The Year 2006!! The winner will be announced at an awards ceremony held in London on November 22nd - good luck to St Bridget Nurseries and all its staff!

Care of Perennials

If you have clumps of Perennials in your garden that aren't performing as well as they used to then it maybe because the area has been over-congested. Lift the clump and separate it into smaller pieces. Start by cutting down the stems of the plants that have finished flowering - to ground level. Carefully lift the clump with a garden fork. You need to separate the clump into smaller pieces - either using two forks back to back or using an old knife for plants with fleshy roots. You need only keep the healthy, younger outer portions of the clump since the middle will contain the oldest parts and these can be disposed of. You are now ready to replant. If you're planting the same position dig in plenty of composted bark and add a little bonemeal to the soil. Replant so that the pieces are at the same depth as they were before lifting. Water thoroughly and be prepared to water in the following spring and summer during very dry weather. Mulching the soil with composted bark or compost will help retain moisture. St Bridget's sell composted bark in 70Litre bags for £4.99 or you can buy 5 bags for £30.

Birds of a feather...

At the weekend, the RSPB visited St Bridget Nurseries. As well as answering lots of questions the RSPB team gave tips on how to plant a garden for birds. Birds require food, cover and nesting sites to survive. Careful choice of plants and provision of other features such as ponds, will help you create a haven for wildlife in your garden. Native trees and shrubs are preferable, since most of them provide insects in the breeding season as well as seeds in winter. Birch (Betula pendula), for example, supports good quantities of caterpillars, which attract birds plus the seeds attract redpolls. Crab apples (Malus sylvestris) are all good sources of food while European Larch (Larix decidua) is a deciduous conifer with seasonally abundant insects that attract finches. In autumn and winter the cones can also attract siskins and crossbills. The RSPB have a large selection of comprehensive leaflets about wildlife gardening and St Bridget's have also written a leaflet in conjunction with Devon Wildlife Trust. In addition, St Bridget Nurseries have just released their Autumn 2006 Open Ground list of Native Trees - trees ideal for a wildlife garden.

Get ready for Halloween...

It's only three weeks until everything gets a little spooky and witches come out to play. Despite modern technology we all know that a witch's preferred method of transport is her broom. These can be hard to find sometimes especially with so many vacuum cleaners. Luckily, for all budding witches out there you can find Besom Brooms for sale at St Bridget Nurseries. They aren't guaranteed to fly but they can be used to sweep up leaves in your garden. At only £3.99 each they are the perfect accessory!

Going bare?

Don't worry we're not naked - we're talking bare-rooted plants! This doesn't mean the plant is rootless but simply supplied to you without a pot or soil around its roots. Why? Well, trees and shrubs that you buy in a container are likely to have grown up in a field somewhere. Around November when the trees are dormant (not growing or producing fruit but effectively hibernating) they are dug up for selling - this is when you can buy them bare-rooted before they are potted. The benefits of buying plants at the bare-root stage is 1) they are cheaper as the grower doesn't have to supply soil or a pot and 2) they are lighter for you to carry for the same reason (no soil or pot)

If you are interested in bare-rooted Ornamental Trees, Native Trees, Fruit Trees or large Conifers then call St Bridget Nurseries for a plant list and order soon so you can have your plants fresh from the field! Call 01392873672 or e-mail marketing@stbridgetnurseries.eclipse.co.uk you can also view the trees in the field in Exeter by making an appointment in advance.

BIRD CARE

A bird-friendly garden at this time of year should be full of seeds, nuts and berries. Nectar and pollen tend to be in short supply in the autumn, but they are still essential foods for many insects that over-winter as adults and then become food for birds in early spring. To encourage native birds and wildlife it is important to offer them traditional native food. Plants such as Crab apples, Holly, Elder, Birch or Hawthorn are just some of the great food supplies for birds through the winter. Container-grown plants are always available but you can save money at this time of year by opting for bare-rooted hedging, or root-balled trees and shrubs. We are lucky in Devon as local growers St Bridget Nurseries dig all their bare-rooted tree fresh to order from their fields in Exeter PLUS you can find out more about Wildlife Gardening from RSPB experts visiting their Garden Centres. On Saturday 21st October the RSPB will be offering a drop in clinic at St Bridget Nurseries Old Rydon Lane, Exeter Garden Centre and they will be at the Sidmouth Road, Clyst St. Mary Garden Centre on Sunday 22nd October. Drop in clinic all day plus question and answer session at 2pm each day.

Plus the garden centres have great offers on a range of bird feeders, nesting boxes and food as well as some great wildlife boxes like a Hedgehog House!

Pest Watch!
Although most pests in the garden are less active in the autumn, it pays to keep an eye out for any problems and deal with them as soon as possible.
Many pests will lay eggs on plants for overwintering and these will attack early next year. Deciduous trees and shrubs that have dropped their leaves can be treated with Growing Success Winter Tree Wash.
Slugs and snails will be very active during damp weather, so protect vulnerable plants with your favourite control method - remember there are wildlife friendly options such as copper tape.

Diseased leaves that are left on the ground will provide a source of infection for next year, so they should be carefully raked up and disposed of.

Pot up cuttings!

Cuttings of fuchsias, geraniums and other half-hardy perennials taken in August and September should be ready for potting on individually. Use fresh compost and 9cm pots. You can get all your pots, compost, labels and fleece to protect the cuttings from the cold at St Bridget Nurseries' Garden Centres in Exeter.

CONIFERS ARE IN!

It's National Conifer Week (1st-8th October)!

National Conifer Week is organised by the Association of British Conifer Growers and funded by the Horticultural Trades Association and Horticultural Development Council (More information on the event and conifers can be found at www.conifers.org.uk)

Conifers are great plant to give immediate impact in your garden at this time of year - plus they are incredibly easy to care for. Conifers need very little in the way of regular attention except for a good watering in after planting and the seasonal rain should take care of them after that! St Bridget Nurseries grow over 123 different varieties of conifers on their nursery in Exeter and open ground larger specimens are available to order directly from the fields. The company uses biodegradable sacks to keep the root ball together and aid planting, all you have to do is put the plant in the ground complete with sack and cover with soil.

In fashion like never before, conifers have shaken off their 1970’s image to be a cool, low maintenance choice for any garden. And the experts are also convinced ─ conifer gardens at the Chelsea RHS Flower Show and the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show both received medals this year. Conifers come in a rainbow of colours greens, yellows, whites, oranges, blues and purples. Some have beautiful variegated foliage, with patterns of stripes, spots and patches. Many change colour with the seasons. As a plant of the month special offer St Bridget's are selling young conifer plants at reduced prices. Plants in 9cm pots are just £1.35 and those in 1 litre pots are just £2.50 each! These plants would look great in pots with bulbs and Violas.

Don't have a car?

Sometimes getting around Devon can be a problem. Plus when you buy plants there's always the worry they will fall over and spill soil in your car. Life is hectic enough without these extra stresses. Luckily for Devon, St Bridget Nurseries offers a delievry service! Depending on where you live there are different delivery days and costs but if you are considering buying plants or a new pond or heavy pots then this is a great service to take advantage of. Have your purchases delivered straight to your garden ready for you to plant. Further details of the delivery service offered can be found at www.stbridgetnurseries.co.uk or e-mail marketing@stbridgetnurseries.eclipse.co.uk for a copy of the plant price lists and delivery charges so you can do everything from the comfort of your home!

AWARD WINNING STAFF!
Staff at St Bridget Nurseries Clyst St Mary garden centre are celebrating an award of merit!

Each year all garden centres who are members of The Garden Centre Association are inspected. Repeatedly St Bridget's staff are recognised for their high standards in customer service and they are pleased to accept this prestigious award which reflects ones of the highest marks in the country.

SEDUMS - PLANT OF THE MONTH!
The Sedum family, also known as stonecrops or ice plants, are fleshy succulent plants. Sedum spectabile ‘Brilliant’, available from St Bridget Nurseries in Exeter, is a clump-forming perennial variety that is a wonderful choice for any garden. The large, flat flower heads grow in profusion and are covered in star-shaped rose pink flowers that bloom in late summer and last well into the autumn. Sedums are also one of the many plants to be included in the St Bridget Nurseries Wildlife Garden Range as approved by the Devon Wildlife Trust. Sedums are worth including in any wildlife garden, as they are an important late summer food plant for bees and butterflies, who feed on the flower nectar and once the flowers fade, birds feast on the seeds. Sedum spectabile ‘Brilliant’ is available with a wide range of other Sedums from St Bridget Nurseries for just £5.75 a plant.

ROSE SALE!!

Wow - beautiful roses are now 1/3rd off at St Bridget Nurseries in Exeter. They are still in flower and looking great and at such good prices it would be cruel to my garden to miss out! I'd better hurry though as this offer is only on stock already in their garden centres and only while stocks last!

Reach for the heights - with no risk!
Wolf Autumn tree pruning range is great for reaching really high branches using their telescopic handles. Have you got some pruning to do this Autumn? St Bridget Nurseries are selling them at greatly reduced prices. How about an Adjustable Anvil Tree Lopper with up to 4 metre-long handle for just £64.99 - a saving of £20 off the RRP!

WEDDING SEASON

It's that time of the year when thousands of couples the the knot. For those of you who are still planning your wedding in Exeter and looking for the perfect florist, look no further than St. Bridget Nurseries. We understand that floral arrangements are one of the most beautiful elements of your wedding day (apart from the bride). You'll have one-to-one contact with the florist who will be making your bouquets from day one and the St Bridget's florist will help you achieve the look you want within the budget you have. With books and photos of previous work for ideas, why not call 01392 873672 and make your wedding beautiful!

Rose care
If you have roses, by now many will have finished their first flush of flowers. Remember to fertilise your roses to encourage a second flush and remove dead and faded flowers. The rose field at Clyst St. Mary is still open and if you visit during the week you'll see the nurserymen budding next years stock.

St Bridget's Race For Life!
Four staff from St. Bridget Nurseries Exeter joined 4800 women in the Cancer Research Uk's Race For Life in Exeter.
The race was 5km in length and two of the team ran while the other two walked. The team are currently counting their sponsorship money and whatever they raise the company will match!
Tammy was first across the finish line followed quickly by Sue and later Wendy and Janet.
Well done to the team and all the women who took part in this event.

FLOWERS EVERYWHERE!
Most garden centres have flowers (attached to plants) but not all garden centres offer a full floristry service. St. Bridget Nurseries in Old Rydon Lane Exeter have had a full time florist for over 20 years.

The company was actually founded growing a field of anemones for cut flowers!

From simple buttonholes, to bouquets, arrangements, pedestals and cake decorations to floral tributes, basket arrangements and hair pieces - speak to the florist now on 01392 873672. Flowers delivered in Exeter area only except for full wedding flower orders that can be delivered further afield.

More for charity!
St. Bridget Nurseries have raised £362.50 for the charity Perennial - The Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Society.
The amount was made up from £135.50 nursery tour ticket sales and a £227 donation from the company.

Customers at St. Bridget Nurseries have raised £139.52 for Hospiscare.
During Go Orange week (June 10th-17th) St Bridget's ran two competitions - at Clyst they had guess how many oranges are in the pot, Mrs B. Taylor won £25 of St Bridget's gift tokens for guessing correctly and at the Plantsmans Cafe in Old Rydon Lane they had guess how many sugar packets in the jar! Mr Hobbs won this competition and received a meal for two at the cafe.
The money raised at St. Bridget's will help Hospiscare provide care and support to local people with life threatening illnesses.

THREE LUCKY WINNERS!

Over 900 people entered the St. Bridget Nurseries Show Competition and three lucky winners have each won £50 of plant vouchers to spend in St. Bridget's garden centres. The competition was launched at Devon County Show in May and continued through the Bath & West Show and The Royal Cornwall Show in June. The winners were Dr Filer-Cooper from Black Torrington, Devon; Mrs Jones from Wadebridge, Cornwall and Mrs Edmonds from Kingsbridge, Devon. CONGRATULATIONS!

THE ROSE...Plant of the month for July at St. Bridget Nurseries.

From Saturday 1st July 2006 until September, the St. Bridget Nurseries' rose field at Clyst St. Mary, Exeter will be open to the public. You can wander through thousands of roses growing in the field and choose from over 200 varieties for autumn dispatch. The field is open Monday - Saturday 9am to 5pm and Sundays 10.30am to 4pm. Access is from St. Bridget Nurseries Garden Centre, Sidmouth Road, Clyst St. Mary, Exeter, EX5 1AE.

In Scotland a bunch of white heather is lucky, in Wales heather is lucky in a Bridal Bouquet, in England...well it just looks pretty doesn't it? Lucky for those in Devon, heathers of all colours are now on special offer - just £9.50 for ten heathers in 9cm pots. Only at St. Bridget Nurseries Exeter (Heathers usually £1.40 each)!

Want to brighten your garden up on a (let's face it) not so summer like day? Well there's still time to plant some beautiful bedding plants. How about a nice window box or hanging basket?

St Bridget Nurseries have some beautiful geraniums on special offer - just £18.50 for 10 quality home-grown plants (normally £2.65 per plant).
If you don't want to do the planting yourself there's also some fantastic hanging baskets already planted!

Visit St. Bridget Nurseries Exeter today and brighten up your garden.

St Bridget Nurseries opened the gates to their nursery today in an exclusive charity event. 53 lucky individuals had purchased tickets to go on the special nursery tours where all money went to the charity Perennial (The Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Society). Two tours took place, one at 10.30am and one at 2pm and each lasted 2.5 hours.
The tours were conducted by the family owners (Mrs Janet Flinn Managing Director and Miss Tammy Flinn Marketing Manager) along with the Nursery Manager, Murray Richards.
First stop was the propagating unit were Gary, the propagation supervisor, showed the misting houses, young liner plants and grafting. The groups then visited the micro-propagation laboratory where thousands of micro sized plants are grown in sterilised conditions. Next stop was the herbaceous department where Phil the supervisor explained growing perennials from seeds, cuttings and dividing techniques, plus what compost mixes are used on the nursery.
A return stop to the greenhouses explained bedding plant production and David demonstrated how to plant a hanging basket. Preparation has also started for growing Christmas Poinsettias so this growing process was also explained.
Moving up the nursery into the container department, each tour group saw how St. Bridget Nurseries' compost is mixed aswell as the impressive potting operation. Many commented on the scale of the nursery which in total covers 100 acres or so but not all land is used for growing (some is set aside as grassland etc). Finally the tours continued to see the trees in the field before everyone headed off to the Plantsmans Cafe for a cup of tea!
To add to the enjoyment, each visitor also received a free goodie bag and the chance to buy some end of season cheap plants directly from the nursery.
Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the tours - the main question being will they be held again?!
This event raised £135.50 for Perennial.

Today is the start of St. Bridget Nurseries' Perennial week. 50 years ago Perennial - The Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Society- launched Gardeners' Sunday a special event where gardens across the country opened up to the public to raise awareness of the charity. St Bridget Nurseries took part and fifty years on we are still supporting the charity.
This week if you buy any Herbaceous Perennial from either the Old Rydon Lane or Clyst St. Mary garden centre, St. Bridget Nurseries will donate 10% of the value to Perennial. In addition tomorrow, the nursery in Old Rydon Lane will be opened to those who have purchased a nursery tour ticket for an exclusive chance to see behind the scenes of one of the UK's longest running plant nurseries.

Brighten up your garden with New Zealand Tea Tree (Leptospermum).
These beautiful plants come in various shades of pink. The bushy shrubs like acidic soil so plant in Ericaceous compost and they like to be placed in full sun or partial shade. Some varieties can grown quite tall (upto 6ft) but there are dwarf varieties that grow to 2ft.
To get best results, Leptospermums should be grown in a sheltered position and protected from frost.
There are some beautiful specimens in the St. Bridget Nurseries' garden centres at the moment and if you buy one (£6.99) you get one free!

We have a winner!
The weekend was very busy at our Clyst St. Mary garden centre. We held a special event - a Water Garden Weekend. The event kicked off on Saturday 17th June with special guest Amanda Patton. Amanda offered customers invaluable advice on garden design and we were quite in awe of her many talents! Amanda is not only a garden designer who has won an RHS Silver-gilt medal at Chelsea but she regularly presents on BBC Somerset Sound, contributes to Pond and Gardening magazine, illustrates in many of Alan Titchmarsh's and Ground Force's books PLUS she was RHS garden photographer of 2003!
Amanda was joined by Steve Wilson from Chy and Goi plants. Steve supplies our pond plants and offered expert advice to everyone.
On Sunday we welcomed Kate Sandel from Devon Wildlife Trust and Dr. Pete Falloon from the Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research. Kate offered everyone great advice on attracting wildlife into gardens and she planted a beautiful water barrel with wildlife attracting water plants - we even had a guest appearance from our resident frog shown above. The water barrel was a prize in our competition and the winner is Mrs Carpenter from Exeter who will be collecting her prize tomorrow.
St. Bridget Nurseries is pleased to be a Devon Wildlife Trust approved garden centre. Our staff understand how to create wildlife gardens and all our approved plants and products proudly display the Devon Wildlife Trust logo.
FINALLY, our great weekend finished with an excellent talk by Dr. Pete Falloon. Pete talked about how climate change is likely to impact our gardens here in the South West and it raised some very interesting questions. Fundamentally, plants are going to have to be robust enough to cope with hotter summers and warmer wetter winters. Pete finished his talk with showing some of the plant varieties that we can expect to see more and less of.
If you are interested in any of these topics then please get in touch.

Hello!

Well what a day to start a blog - it's dull, windy and chilly outside in Devon today luckily life at St. Bridget Nurseries is never dull!

Join me as I fill you in on news and day to day events here in Exeter.

At the moment we are busy preparing for the Charity Nursery Tours that are taking place on Tuesday 27th June. Lucky ticket holders will be taken on a tour of our nursery - one of the oldest in the UK - and see behind the scenes, from micro-propagation, to rose budding and container potting. The event is in aid of Perennial - The Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Society and so a minimum donation of £2 per ticket is requested.

Tickets are still available for the 10.30am tour and 2.00pm tour so if you are interested send a cheque donation (made payable to Perennial) along with your name and address to: Charity Nursery Tours, St. Bridget Nurseries, Old Rydon Lane, Exeter, Devon, EX2 7JY. We'll then send your tickets to you.

Hope to see you there,

Bye for now!