Be supportive!

Now is the best time to put plant supports in place for herbaceous perennial plants before they are too tall or laden with heavy blooms.

Adding supports now will look more attractive too. This is because as the plants grow their leaves will help cover up the frames.

Criss-crossing strings from hidden ior decorative posts also works well as stems are allowed to grow upwards.

You can buy some really nice supports these days or alteratively there is always the traditional bamboo cane! For loads of ideas why not visit St Bridget Nurseries Garden Centres in Exeter?

School Visit

St Bridget Nurseries in Exeter has been working closely with the children of Lady Seaward's School in Clyst St George. The school's garden has been unused and neglected for years but thanks to one inspired parent, Cheryl McGauley, that is all set to change. Cheryl has started a garden project involving the children and the local community. In February a garden working party involving many of the parents helped clear the area while the children were tasked with designing the garden. The winning design involves a new pagoda to act as an outdoor classroom, a sensory garden, a wildlife garden, a vegetable patch and a recycling area.

St Bridget Nurseries first helped the project back in March when the first new additions went into the garden. St Bridget Nurseries donated a Yew Hedge. Yew is actually quite poisonous and not a usual choice for a school garden but the children have learnt that it also has some benefits! Not only is the hedge a great evergreen screen for privacy and a shelter for birds but it is also going to be used in medicine. Once a year the yews will be cut by professionals and taken away to be used in cancer research as a cancer fighting medicine.

Today, Friday 25th April 2008, the project continued with year 2 and 3 visiting St Bridget Nurseries in Old Rydon Lane, Exeter. The group of 7-9 year olds were taken through the garden centre and into the production nursery greenhouses and poly-tunnels. Nursery Manager, Jason Moore then showed them all the young bedding plants and taught them what plants need to grow well. They then all had a go themselves and planted some sunflower seeds which they are going to grow at school and see who can grow the tallest. The tour ended in St Bridget Nurseries' Wildlife Garden where the children where fascinated by the 'Bug Hotel' a structure that has been built using waste materials like broken pots, straw, bamboo canes, wood, twigs and bricks to attract and protect wildlife like bees, hedgehogs, butterflies and ladybirds!

If you would like to see the bug hotel for yourself, visit St Bridget Nurseries Garden Centre in Old Rydon Lane, Exeter, EX2 7JY as it is just outside the garden centre shop entrance.

More ideas on long term weed control...

Without doubt the easiest way to enjoy weed free beds is to add a thick layer of mulch or organic material, such as composted bark, bark chippings, gravel or cocoa shell.

Before putting the mulch in place, make sure the soil is free of weeds – as these will grow through the mulch – and that the soil is moist. For best results the mulch needs to be between 2 and 3 inches thick, although cocoa shell, gravel and stone mulches only need to be about an inch thick. Remember that mulches do more than just keep the weeds at bay, they also help keep the soil moist in summer, reducing that need to water, and they insulate the soil in winter. All in all protecting roots by preventing them from getting too cold or too hot and therefore helpsing to encourage good strong plant growth!

St Bridget Nurseries' Garden Centres in Exeter sell J Arthur Bowyers Bark Chips in 100 litre bags. Each bag is just £6.49 or you can buy 5 bags for just £27.50. Think of the amount of time you'll save from less watering and weeding!

Seed Sowing

You can tell when your soil is warm enough for seeds to grow when you start seeing weeds grow! Get rid of the weeds first and while they are young to save time and energy.

Hardy annuals can be sown outside where you want them to flower. Indoors you can sow a selection of annual climbers and sow tender vegetables indoors ready for planting out next month. Cucumber, basil, tomatoes, peppers and chillies can be sown indoors in seed trays or you could sow courgettes, marrows and pumpkins in individual pots.

When you visit your garden centre to buy your seeds don’t forget you may need seed trays, cell trays, small pots, a propagator, compost and labels. St Bridget Nurseries' Garden Centres in Exeter are brimming with all the right equipment you need to grow a bumper crop!

Off with their heads!

Having just read another great Tudor history novel it made me think of deadheading flowers!

Most flowers benefit from having their flowerheads removed as soon as they have stopped flowering. Plants like Osteospermums and Senetti particularly like this as they produce further flowers. Plants like hydrangeas and sedums often benefit from leaving their flower heads on that little bit longer. Hydrangea flower heads kept on over winter protect new softer growth in the spring from frosts. April is a good time to cut them off though - simply shorten thin or old shoots of the mophead and lacecap varieties (e.g. macrophylla) back to their lowest bud. Hydrangea paniculata varieties should be cut back to within two buds of their base.

If like me you get addicted to chopping once you've started, cut back any lavatera you may have. They like to be cut back hard - go right back to the base of the plant on all of last year's shoots, they'll soon grow again this summer!

MIRACLE-GRO LIQUAFEED

Miracle-Gro liquafeed hose end is an all purpose feed for the whole garden. Simply feed while you water. A starter kit including the hose end and one bottle of feed is just £9.99 at St Bridget Nurseries’ Garden Centres, Exeter.

PONDS
If you have a pond divide overgrown pond plants this weekend. Simply replant them in aquatic baskets filled with aquatic compost and top up with gravel. Irises, water lilies, rushes and reeds will all benefit from division.
If you have blanketweed on your pond, get a net and scoop as much as you can as it will prevent oxygen getting in if it stays there. You may also want to scoop out any remaining leaves from the autumn as they will clog the bottom of your pond if they are allowed to rot and this will ultimately affect the nutrient balance of your water.
For any of the above products of further advice call St Bridget Nurseries Aquatic Team today on 01392 876281.

WILDLIFE GARDENING

Birds will have started to pair up so while you are gardening make sure to avoid disturbing nesting birds. Keep birdbaths topped up with fresh water and regularly clean table tops and feeders as germs will spread as more and more birds use them.

Sow or plant a wildflower patch in your garden to attract and feed wildlife. St Bridget Nurseries' garden centres stocks a huge selection of wildflower seeds, plants and grass seed mixes that would be ideal plus as a Devon Wildlife Trust, Silver Level Approved Garden Centre their staff are extremely knowledgeable on wildlife gardening.

ORDER YOUR HANGING BASKETS NOW!
Its time to order your summer hanging baskets. St Bridget Nurseries' Garden Centres have a wide selection of baskets and tubs. Either plant now and keep in a greenhouse or conservatory or let st Bridget Nurseries quote to fill your own baskets (for collection later in the season) and they'll do the planting work for you.

Prices are: 10” basket from £23.00, 12” from £26.25, 14” from £30.00 and 16” from £33.50

If you re-use your baskets from last year prices are: 10” from £20.99, 12” from £24.25, 14” from £27.25 and 16” from £29.50

Call 01392 873672 (Exeter, Devon, UK) to order or e-mail Hanging baskets can ony be delivered in Devon, England. Delivery charge not included in the above prices.