Quackers!

This is a photo of a lady duck who has decided to nest in St Bridget Nurseries' Herbaceous Department. The duck couple have set up home between pots of Irises on the nursery. When they leave the nest the couple very cleverly cover their eggs with leaves. Daily they are seen waddling around the nursery and they don't seem to mind staff working nearby, however there maybe a pause in the supply of Irises while the ducklings hatch!

Climbing Clematis

There is something exotic and magnificent about clematis and this variety 'Fireworks' has a real spark! With large, purple flowers that are out now and last until summer flowers have unusual kinked petals, striped reddish-mauve. This large-flowering clematis looks lovely scrambling over a pergola, in full sun or partial shade. To prolong the flowering period plant alongside a late summer flowering clematis. The variety tends to eventually grow to 4m tall and 2m in spread.

This variety like a fertile, well-drained, neutral soil. It is a hardy plant and does not need regular pruning. Removing the dead stem-tips in late February or early March will keep the plant looking tidy. Apply a slow-release balanced fertiliser and a mulch of well-rotted garden compost around the base of the plant in early spring.

New at St Bridget's

Each day more and more bedding plants are entering the St Bridget Nurseries' Garden Centres from their nursery greenhouses. These dainty little plants are Diascia Little Dancer and Little Drifter.

Diascias are easy to grow, low maintenance plants which flower for an extensive season beginning in spring.
These diascias are particularly prolific and attractive varieties producing bright mid pink and coral coloured flowers which smother a dense, compact mound of foliage.
Diascias are so called because they have two 'spurs' (in Greek - di - ascia,) at the back of their flowers.
These plants are great for fast results in a new gardens or containers and they make a particularly showy display when planted in drifts of 3-5 plants. Can be grown in containers and hanging baskets.

Should be positioned in full sun in a well drained but moist soil.
A light trim after a main flower flush is all that is required to keep a neat habit as well as encouraging further flower production. For best results apply a slow release plant fertiliser.

Rhododendrons and Azaleas

Many people associate Rhododendrons with big woodland bushes but Rhododendrons (and Azaleas who are part of the Rhododendron family) can be dwarf and compact. The one thing they all have in common is beauty - one of the most architecturally pleasing flower heads in every colour imaginable! In Britain flowers appear mostly in spring varying from single bell shaped blooms, to enormous trusses of flowers. Flower colours include white, cream, yellow, orange, pink, red, dark red, mauve, near blue and many shades in between.
Hardy hybrid rhododendrons vary in foliage, flowers and forms but mostly have dark evergreen leaves, present all year. The variety ‘Pink Pearl’ is an old favourite as pictured above. Even if you live in an area where the soil is predominantly alkaline, where it is considered difficult to grow rhododendrons, it is sometimes possible to gain some success by treating the soil around the plants four times a year with an Ericaceous Plant Food.
Dwarf evergreen varieties
These are low-growing shrubs that flower in spring. Numerous flower colours and flower forms are available, the small varieties are very effective when planted in rock gardens and are a good choice for patios, where there is some shade.

Evergreen azaleas

The hybrid evergreen azalea varieties were mostly derived from Japanese plants. Popular as houseplants, and chosen for growing in containers on patios in small gardens, most of these spring-flowering shrubs thrive in semi shade or sun - so long as the soil is never allowed to dry out.
Large evergreen varieties
These rhododendrons grow tall and are suited to woodland settings. The leaves are dark green or they can be brownish in colour. Two varieties that have won the RHS Award of Garden Merit are ‘Purple Splendour’ flowers are purple with black blotches , and R. ‘Susan’ a delicate lilac shade. All these varieties grow to a height of between ten and twelve feet eventually.
Soil Requirements
To grow well, Rhododendrons require acid compost (one that is not alkaline, chalky or limy). It should also be rich in organic matter and not compact. Peaty compost is suitable or sandy loam.
If you live in a chalky area, Rhododendrons and Azaleas look great in pots, just don't stand them in water filled saucers. Plant in Ericaceous compost. Since many rhododendrons are scented it adds to their appeal as pot plants.
Many rhododendrons grow best with some shade during the day. After the flowers have faded, remove unwanted rhododendron seed heads and mulch the ground around the shrubs, this is usually in the summer, to ensure another fabulous display next year.

St Bridget Nurseries, have a wide range of Rhododendrons and Azaleas in their garden centres including the varieties listed above.

Morello Cherry Trees

Look at these beautiful Morello Cherries, so dainty and great for attracting bees and other wildlife. What's more these trees are an early fruiting variety of cherry producing lovely, dark red cherries, ideal for stewing, in August. A popular, self-fertile cherry that is suitable for north facing situations and can tolerate heavy soil. These cherries are currently growing in the fields at St Bridget Nurseries but you can buy containerised plants from their garden centres or order a bare-rooted specimen directly dug from the field next November.

It's Bedding Plant Time!

Finally Spring has sprung, flowers are blooming and that means one thing - it's warming up for colourful summer hanging baskets and containers. One plant to profile is this gorgeous Verbena. Spreading and trailing types look great in hanging baskets. St Bridget's have got two varities on sale this year there is Novalis mixed - an early flowering variety that comes in a variety of bright colours or Romance Mixed which is another early flowering one in a mixture of white, scarlet, blue and rose colours.

A strip of 10 plants is just £1.39.

Awarded beauty...

Look at these fantastic Choisyas. The green leaf one is Choisya Ternata and the yellow leaf one is Sundance. Sundance is fantastic for all year round interest as it's golden yellow leaves really lift a border and both varieties are great for attracting wildlife. The Royal Horticultural Society has given both of these plants its prestigious Award of Garden Merit (AGM).

The AGM is intended to be of practical value to the home gardener. It is awarded therefore only to a plant that meets the following criteria:
- It must be of outstanding excellence for ordinary garden decoration or use
- It must be available
- It must be of good constitution
- It must not require highly specialist growing conditions or care
- It must not be particularly susceptible to any pest or disease
- It must not be subject to an unreasonable degree of reversion in its vegetative or floral characteristics

Look for the AGM trophy cup logo on plant labels.

It's amazing how suddenly nature wakes up. I was strolling around my garden last night and was attracted by the sound and vision of numerous bees on a Pieris and this beautiful Deutzia. The Deutzia (variety gracilis) really stands out in a border with it's beautiful white pom pom flowers. Like all of my plants it came from St Bridget Nurseries in Exeter, you can get the same variety from there for just £6.59.

Unique opportunity

Behind the scenes tours of St Bridget’s award winning horticultural nursery in Exeter will be ‘raking’ in the money for Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW).

The tours are taking place on April 30th, May 1st and 2nd with two tours each day (10.30am and 2.30pm). Visitors will get exclusive access to the working nursery which was named Nursery Retailer of the Year 2006. You will meet the experts from the propagation, greenhouse, herbaceous, container and field grown tree departments. Horticultural techniques and methods will be demonstrated such as micro-propagation, using compost tea as well as making compost and potting a range of crops. At the end of the tour each visitor will get a free goody bag including a voucher to use at both St Bridget Nurseries’ garden centres in Exeter.

A minimum donation of £2.50 is requested for tickets with all the funds going to CHSW. Tammy Flinn, from St Bridget Nurseries, said: “When we have run tours in the past they are always extremely popular. Visitors always comment how huge the nursery is and how they never realised so much is involved in producing the plants they buy from our garden centres. We’ve been growing plants on the nursery in Old Rydon Lane for over 80 years and so this is a great chance to see just how we do it!"

“We hope people will be as generous as possible to support Children’s Hospice South West.”

Tickets are available from St Bridget Nurseries garden centres (Old Rydon Lane and Sidmouth Road, Clyst St Mary, Exeter) or to reserve your place please contact St Bridget Nurseries on 01392 873672

Short of space? Welcome to Vertical Gardening!

Many of us these days live in flats, we may not have more than a small balcony or patio and consider ourselves not to have a garden - wrong! What about the balcony sides and the wall by your door?

This is a great area for growing plants vertically. Starting with the very simple, plants can be trained by inserting masonry nails into the cement of the brick work at separate vertical points and fishing line run between them, this is perfect for growing annual climbers, which won’t become to woody or heavy. If you're looking to grow more perennial plants, use vine eyes (screws with a circular head) and run galzinised wire in between. Then we have the more traditional method of vertical gardening, the use of trellis. Instead of using the usual rectangle trellis, why not be a bit more adventurous, for example, use three circles of trellis (you can cut square wooden trellis pieces into circles with a jig), and pitch them at different heights and spacing.

Again, if space is at a premium, how about some tapestry planting. This is the idea of taking a number of plants and letting them grow intertwined. In the case of vertical gardening, its climbers we are concerned with, so how about the idea of seasonal tapestry planting. We could have winter Jasmine, followed in spring by a Clematis, summer time can be taken up by a plant with a long flowering period, an old Rose would be perfect. Finally, in autumn, lets go for some foliage colour.

This is a great time of year to add instant imact vertically with bedding or patio plants. You can buy flower pouches which are a bit like vertical grow bags. Simply plant with impatiens, pansies, and trailling bedding plants for a wow statement on your vertical wall space.

Wow - I just had to take a photo of this amazing plant. It's hard to find blue flowers but this Abutilon is a beautiful purplely blue and looks fantastic! It's available now in St Bridget Nurseries Garden Centres Exeter.

Houseplants as Easter Gifts

An alternative to chocolate gifts this Easter is a beautiful living gift that will grow and brighten up someone's home or garden. A houseplant in a decorative pot or basket is one great Easter Gift Idea that will last far longer than a chocolate egg or bouquet of flowers. There are so many different and unusual plants to choose from and they come in all shapes and sizes. There are pretty flowering African Violets, Orchids and Azaleas or attractive foliage plants like Marantas, ferns and ficus. For the more unusual why not try cacti or fly trap plants? St Bridget Nurseries have got a wonderful selection at both their garden centres and a fabulous new range of decorative pots that will match every interior decoration, plus St Bridget's offer a gift wrap service. Visit this weekend!

PONDS!

April is a great time to thin out crowded water lillies especially is they haven't been flowering. Lift the plant out of the water and wash off soil and debris then cut off the young rhizomes (horizontal stem of a plant that often sends out roots and shoots from its nodes) from the edge of the plant. Repot these in aquatic compost in an aquatic net pot. Cover the surface with pea gravel and then place in shallow water until new growth appears when it can then be moved to correct depth.

Also don't forget to remove your blanket weed!

For all equipment and further advice visit your local aquatic centre like St Bridget Nurseries, Sidmouth Road, Clyst St Mary, Exeter 01392 876281.

'Big blooms for small spaces' - Dwarf Rhododendron
Dwarf Rhododendrons have stunning colour and big blooms and will put a real swing into your spring garden.
These plants are huge on impact. For Easter why not choose yellow or white dwarfs in a tasteful pot, dress the display up with ribbons as an ideal Easter Gift - or at St Bridget Nurseries they'll gift wrap it for you. Of course you don’t need to stop at dwarf varieties – there are any number of species and varieties of rhododendrons. Easy to grow, reliable and a stunning floral show each year that is deeply satisfying.

Visit St Bridget Nurseries' Garden Centres today to see what beautiful home-grown varieties of rhododendrons and azaleas awaits you.

WEDDING FLOWERS!

Planning a wedding in or around Exeter? Looking for stunning wedding flowers at non 'wedding' prices? Look no further as St bridget Nurseries have been producing wedding floristry for years. It's not something that is well known about St Bridget's but they have a dedicated florist who makes bouquets, arrangements, bottonholes, corsages, head-dresses - the lot! Everything from an individual consultation to the final floral construction is included in the price and every colour scheme is catered for.

Call the St Bridget's Florist now on 01392 873672.