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.