Shady garden

If you have part of your garden that doesn't get any sun and is in shade for much of the day it can look very dull and uninspiring.

Brighten it up using some foliage plants and there are flowering plants as well that will give that dull corner some life.

Aucuba varieties come in various variegated forms, Fatsia will give some structure and shape.

Viburnham Davidii and Skimmia will give you both flowers and berries.

A few perennials that like shade are Acanthus and Bergenia both with totally different types of flowers, Acanthus being upright and tall with large lobed shaped leaves in summer and Bergenia growing quite low with pink, or white flowers in spring.

HOORAY - The Road is finally open!

Regular visitors to our Old Rydon Lane Garden Centre will know that we've been plagued with a road closure for months and months. The good news is, the road is now open the bad news is access to St Bridget Nurseries will remain from the A379 end of Old Rydon Lane (in other words you can get onto the new road when leaving us but you can't get off the new road to get to us)!

If you are local and want to know how to get to St Bridget Nurseries from the Blue Ball / Clyst Road end of Old Rydon Lane please follow these instructions:

Follow Old Rydon Lane until you come to the new road. Turn right. Follow the new road straight ahead until you come to a junction with traffic lights. At this junction get in the left lane (A379).

Stay in the left hand lane as you join the A379 and go around a left bend which merges with Rydon Lane now heading towards Countess Wear roundabout. Start indicating left because as soon as you have merged you will be taking the first left - this is Old Rydon Lane. We do have brown tourist signs up but they are a bit hard to see amongst the many other red road signs. If you get to Countess Wear roundabout you've gone too far. Go around the roundabout and back up Rydon Lane. There is a central reservation area for you to turn right into Old Rydon Lane safely, near the brow of the hill.

HERBACEOUS BORDERS

Turn your borders in to a mass of colour by planting an herbaceous border.

There is something to fill virtually every season and a the full range of colours.

Plan the border before planting to get the height range with the taller growing plants at the back and short varieites in the front.

You can also inter plant your shrub borders with perennials to give interest in the winter when perennials have finished flowering.

St Bridgets grow a large range of perennials from Acanthus - Verbena.



There are varieties which are moisture loving some that like sunnny and dry conditions, Sedums encourage bees and butterflies, so there is something for everyone.

See our website for the full plant list.

http://www.stbridgetnurseries.co.uk/index.cfm/plants

Ladysmith Junior School in Exeter has won first prize in The Salvage Garden’ competition. Organised by Devon Wildlife Trust and sponsored by St. Bridget Nurseries, the competition was open to all schools in Exeter as part of the Exeter Wild City project. The aim was to design and construct a small garden using items the school children had ‘salvaged’ and then create habitats using a variety of plants that would encourage wildlife into the garden.

Katie Richardson, Olivia Didon and Euan Gethin, all aged 10, scoured the school for things that were old, broken or no longer used. These included a teacher’s desk, chair, toilet, broken sports equipment and ancient items found gathering dust at the back of the science cupboard. The children used them to make a water feature, a mouse house, bird feeders and many different kinds of planters that were then filled with nectar-rich flowers and other plants that would attract a variety of wildlife.

Mrs Lynda Ewin, teaching assistant who supervised the project said: ‘The children had great fun sourcing all the items to form the basis of the garden. They were so enthusiastic and creative and the garden has generated so much interest from pupils, staff and parents who have watched a pile of junk being transformed into a vibrant, living structure.’

The school has won a behind-the-scenes tour of St. Bridget Nurseries for one class and each child will bring back a plant to further enhance the school grounds.
Paul Martin, DWT's Education Officer said: 'The imagination and creativity shown by all the children involved in the competition was fantastic. The winners displayed that extra spark and really made great use out of what they had to hand. This mix of recycling and wildlife gardening has clearly inspired the children to think about new ways of creating innovative spaces in their school grounds.'

Rose Tour Rose of the Year

We asked everyone who attended our rose tours last Friday and Saturday to vote for their favourite rose. Nearly everyone said 'It's so hard to choose'. Indeed it was a hard task to pick just one rose from our flourishing field of over a hundred varieties but there was a winner - the HT rose Lovely Lady (as pictured).

In close second place were Ballerina, Lilli Marlene and Eglantyne. There was a further 20 roses that also received votes!

Congratulations to R. Kelland who won the prize draw and their favourite rose Whisky Mac.

Bring bees and butterflies to your garden by planting some Buddleja's in your garden.

They come in a variety of colours pinks, purples blues and whites.

They are easy to grow and will thrive in poor soil so they will grow in virtually any garden soil.

Just prune back hard in early spring and you will get masses of flowers in July/ August.

Bees and butterflies love them so come along to one of St Bridget Nurseries garden centres and pick from the large range of varieties on sale priced at £7.15 each.

Judging is now complete...

I've just got back to the office from a morning visiting all the four finalists of this year's Salvage Garden Competition.

The brainchild of Paul Martin from Devon's Wildlife Trust, the project invited local schools to design and create a wildlife friendly garden using salvaged materials.

The children have been so creative and the ones we spoke to today were delightfully passionate and have clearly learnt an incredible amount from the work they have done.

For me the winner took the challenge to a whole new level but every finalist had something unique and exciting to offer.

I can't say who the finalists were or the winner until the official press release but I can say that I'm very excited to meet the winners again when they come to visit the nursery as their prize.

Further information on the project can be found here

Roses

June and July roses are generally looking at their best, St Bridget Nurseries grow a large selection including Floribunda's, HT's, Climbers, and Shrub roses .

On July 15th and 16th the rose fields will be open so customers will be able to view the roses in the field and pick the roses they would like when we start lifting from the field in November.

The roses are at our nursery at our Old Rydon Lane garden centre and the tours will be at 10.30am, 1.30pm and 3.00pm on both days.

Come and have a look Roses grown in Exeter.

For more details call 01392 873672.

Lavenders,

Bring some bees, scent and colour to your garden this June, Lavenders make ideal plants for front of borders or as edging for paths etc.

They attract bees to the garden and can be cut and dried for uses in the house.

They are easy to look after and only care they really need is pruning after they have finished flowering to prevent them getting old and woody at the base.

St bridget's grow a good selection of varieties including Hidcote,Grappenhall,Munstead and Stoechas to name a few.

ROSES

St Bridget's containerised roses are now beginning to look their best with a good selection in bud and flower, there is something to suit every ones taste, pastel shades , vivid colours scented English roses and climbers and ramblers.



Come along and pick one of Britain's favourite flowers, there is varieties that are suitable for all sizes of garden from patio roses for pots and small areas up to climbers etc for that bare wall or fence.

If you weren't able to see St Bridget's award winning display in the Garden & Flower Show at this year's Devon County Show then take a look at it featuring on ITV Westcountry's evening news and weather. This interview shows St Bridget's marketing manager, Tammy Falloon, whose great grandparents founded the company back in 1925. Click here to watch

Congratulations to St Bridget's Philip Smith on receiving his Long Service Award from the Devon County Agricultural Association. Phil, seen left holding the framed certificate, has worked at St. Bridget's since 1980 and is now the Nursery Manager. He has been masterminding the company's show exhibits for the last twenty years and congratulations also go to him and Robert Sutton for the lovely display they staged at the Devon County Show this year. They are pictured on the display stand holding the “Mildmay-White” Perpetual Challenge Trophy awarded for the best exhibit overall in the Flower and Garden Show Trade Section. Another St Bridget success!

St Bridget Nurseries at the Devon County Show 2011

Something for everyone.

Azaleas, Rhododendrons, Shrubs, Perennials Trees and Roses,

St Bridgets are exhibiting at the 2011 Devon County Show,come and visit us in the Flower and garden Marquee.


We have won a Large Gold Medal and Platinum medal for the stand which includes Rhododendrons, Azaleas and a range of other trees, shrubs, perennials and roses.




The exhibit includes a small waterfall and stream and this year again has been made accessible to the public with a walk through path, so the public can view from all angles.

Grow Your Own iPhone app

If you have an iPhone you may want to check out this free RHS Grow Your Own app! Designed to help you choose and grow fruit & vegetable plants however much space or time you have. The app includes calendar, frost warnings, watering reminders plus other functions. The standard application is free and covers 20 popular varieties. For more information click here

Rosa Banksiae Lutea

If you have a large south/west facing wall or fence or an old tree in your garden , one of the best early flowering roses to grow is Rosa Banksiae Lutea.

It give masses of small canary yellow flowers from mid April through to mid/late May and gives a spectacular show before any other roses come into flower.

It also has the added bonus that it thornless so no worries about children scratching themselves if grown on a wall near the house.

Cheer someone up this Easter with one of St Bridget Nurseries planted basket and animals, we have Small baskets, rabbits, chickens, geese and swans and hanging chickens all at prices to suit everyones pocket.

They are filled with alpines , primroses or pansies/violas.

We also have troughs planted with herbs or strawberries for the small garden or window sill.

Patio plants for troughs and hanging baskets are now on sale along with geraniums and some bedding including Antirrinhums are now ready.

Come along this weekend and pick up a present for someone this Easter.

Broad Bean plants, lettuce and Brassica plants available now from St Bridget nurseries garden centres,

Grow your own is on the rise in popularity we also have Blueberries, strawberry plants, fruit trees and if you have a small garden we have a large range of pots and tubs and troughs for you to grow some fresh edible crops from your patio.

Ring our garden centres us or email us for more details sales@stbridgetnurseries.co.uk 01392873672 or 01392876281.

This Sunday is Mother's Day. A celebration of mothers, grannies, mums-to-be and "like a mums" everywhere!
St Bridget Nurseries is a haven for gifts for Mothers. A beautiful gift wrapped plant is a gift that keeps growing (literally) and will bring a smile to your Mum's face much longer than a bunch of cut flowers. There's also a selection of gardening hampers (as shown) or food gift hampers as well as some lovely toiletries. With greeting cards and gift wrap at both garden centres your one stop shop for this Mothering Sunday is St Bridget Nurseries, Exeter. Call 01392 873672 or visit www.stbridgetnurseries.co.uk for full directions.

Bedding Plants and Veg plants coming soon from St Bridget's own nursery in Exeter. Plants for every situation,garden, tubs,hanging baskets and pots there will be something for everyone. Vegetable and salad plants can also be grown in containers if space is limited.

Fill your garden with plants that will give you colour all year round, evergreens with colourful foliage can brighten up any dull part of the garden even at times of the year when there isn't any flowers.

Photinia, Choisya, Euonymus will all tolerate some shade, so the corner of your garden that you think always looks dull and boring can be transformed.

Come and have a look around our garden centres to see what is available, helpful advice is available if you aren't sure what plants to buy.

Most of St Bridgets plants have been grown on our own nursery in Exeter, so haven't travelled across the country to reach you.

We grow all our own fruit trees, ornamental trees, shrubs,heathers,perennials,climbers and bedding plants.

Come and see the range of locally grown plants at St Bridget Nurseries two Exeter garden centres.

St Bridget plants are Green in two ways

1. Green or colourful foliage with flowers /fruit to give your garden colour througout the year.
2. They haven't travelled for miles across the country before reaching your garden.

Acacia Baileyana

Acacia Dealbata

These tall growing shrubs / trees give a fantastic show of bright yellow Flowers during Feb / March,

They can grow into large trees if left alone but can also be susceptible to cold winters, so plant in very sheltered spot in the garden and they will give a lovely show during the sometimes dull months of Feb and March.

Initially they will need staking but will grow away very quickly when established.

St Bridgets have a good selection for sale at both our garden centres.

Prunus Nigra, Prunus Kursar

The early flowering Ornamental cherries are out now, 3 of the earliest are Prunus Nigra and Prunus Nigra Woods Variety also Prunus Kursar. Both these flower from early March, and are medium sized trees suitable for medium to large sized gardens , Prunus Nigra is a purple leaved plum and is one the earliest to flower and come into leaf, with lovely pink- white flowers with a show of small purple leave throughout the spring ,summer and autumn.It is one of the last trees to lose its leaves in the late autumn.

Time is running to plant your bare root trees With spring fast approaching time is running out to plant open ground trees,depending on the weather you may have only about 3 weeks left in which to plant bare root ornamental and fruit trees.
Call into our garden centres and ask to see the list of trees in our fields or ring to make an appointment to view the trees yourself and pick the one that suits you.
We can deliver to most parts of Devon or you can collect from either of our 2 garden centres.
contact
sales@stbridgetnurseries.co.uk
or ring 01392873672

PRUNE YOUR ROSES .

Roses give a great display of colour during the summer, the end of February /March is the best time to prune roses.

Prune back to an outward facing bud and feed with bone meal or blood fish and bone and then mulch with bark or garden compost,to give your roses a good start this spring and you will have a good display of colour through June / July and August.

All St Bridget's roses are grown on our own nursery in Exeter.

Contact our garden centres for details of varieties and prices on 01392873672 or email sales@stbridgetnurseries.co.uk.

CAMELLIAS from St Bridget Nurseries, Exeter

St Bridgets Nurseries have a large range of Camellias in bud fresh from our own nursery,they come in a vast range of colours and flower shapes, doubles , singles and semi doubles.

Reds, pinks whites and even creamy yellow so a colour to suit everyone.

Plant in a semi shady position out of the early morning sun and then the flowers wont be damaged by early morning frosts,apart from that and requiring an acid soil they will be perfectly happy in most gardens.

An early flowering shrub to brighten up that dull spot in your garden

National Nest Box Week 14th-21st February

National Nest Box Week (NNBW) is organised each year by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), Britain’s leading bird research charity, whose work primarily involves studying the populations of our common and garden birds. Come and visit one of St Bridget's garden centres for some great deals on bird nest boxes and feed. There is currently 30% off selected Tom Chambers Nest Boxes until the end of February. For more information on Nest Box week please see http://www.bto.org/nnbw/index.htm Go on, give a brood a home!

Here is a feature from our Clyst St Mary Garden Centre's Salvage Garden.

It's a water feature made from a bin lid and bike mud guard!

Rainwater collects in the bin lid and when it reaches a certain level it overflows down the mud guard into a lower pond (large bucket). Have a go yourself when you visit - we've left a watering can out so you can pour water.

See our earlier post to find out more about the project.

Get wild, get recycling, get gardening...

The Exeter Wild City project, a five year initiative to encourage wildlife in the city, is launching a brand new competition for 2011. The aim is to challenge local schools to turn unwanted waste items into wildlife-friendly garden habitats. The Salvage Garden competition is sponsored by St Bridget Nurseries and Sutton Seeds and runs until June 2011 when the winning school will be announced.

The school with the best garden will receive a behind the scenes to St Bridget Nurseries for one class of pupils. The winners will also receive a plant per student to take away with them. All entries will be photographed and displayed at Plantsmans Café at St Bridget Nurseries, Old Rydon Lane in the autumn.

Paul Martin from Devon Wildlife Trust is organising the competition. Paul said: “Schools are already very active at recycling and we wanted to combine that enthusiasm with a creative challenge that would benefit wildlife, even in schools where green space is limited. Elsewhere we’ve seen people use baths, toilets, wheel barrows and all manner of things. I can’t wait to see what the students in Exeter come up with!” Schools in Exeter will be receiving further information and a packet of seeds to help get them started, courtesy of Sutton Seeds and for inspiration and advice can visit St Bridget Nurseries, who have been challenged to create their own Salvage Garden. Tammy Falloon, Marketing Manager for St Bridget’s said: “This is such a brilliant initiative. It brings together gardening, wildlife, education and environmental practices - plus it’s fun! We can’t wait to see what the children come up with and hope their families get involved at home too”. For more information about the competition or how your school could be involved in the Exeter Wild City project contact Paul Martin on 01392 279244.

The two St Bridget Garden Centres will also be getting into the spirit of the competition and are having a personal competition between the two sites! The photo here shows the garden at Clyst St Mary (which you can go and see EX5 1AE). We'll be highlighting some key parts to the display over the coming days so you can take part at home.

Hamamelis (Witch Hazel) Fragrant Flowers

Hamamelis is a winter-flowering shrub, commonly known as witch hazel. Its fragrance and spidery flowers in yellow, orange and reds make it a must for the winter garden.

They give a spectacular show on their bare stems through out January and February.They prefer Acid to neutral soil, plant in an open sunny position to avoid the plant becoming straggly in shady positions.

St Bridget Nurseries have a lovely selection of Polyanthus and Primroses in bud and flower now, why not select a few and make a cheery display in you greenhouse or conservatory .

Colours vary yellow, blues,pink, reds and white make a lovely display to brighten your windowsill in these dark January days.

St Bridgets now have pots of Snowdrops (Galanthus) for sale .Cheer up your winter garden and plant a few pots around the garden and they will naturalise and come up and flower in years to come.

With all the rain that we have had recently, the soil is to wet to do much to it but there are plants that love the wet ground.They will thrive in soil that others just won't grow in.

Examples of these are Astilbes, Some varieties of Iris, Ligularia and Primulas.

Most will die down to virtually nothing during the winter months, so need very little attention, just a tidy up and cut down the dead foliage to keep things tidy and in spring they will spring back into life and give you colour in that wet part of the garden that you thought nothing will ever grow successfully.

Astilbes give lovely colourful spikes of flower in June, July in various shades of pink , red and whites.

In the press...
St Bridget's very own marketing manager was in the local press this weekend. Check out the article for some great January gardening tips...

A shrub for winter interest
Garrya Elliptica

An evergreen shrub with dark green, leathery leaves, in the depth of winter, long grey-green catkins that can festoon the whole shrub make an interesting talking point in the garden. Useful in shade against walls, but suitable for the larger garden. The beautiful catkins are borne in late winter through early spring and if knocked will dispatch masses of pollen into the air.
This shrub will tolerate hard pruning if it gets to large so a useful shrub for the larger garden.
Available from St Bridget Nurseries garden centres