Plant hedges now

Hedges are the perfect solution for providing a colourful, natural-looking boundary to a garden. There are lots of plants suitable for providing a hedge, barrier or screen – whether you want evergreen or deciduous, formal or informal.  Now’s also a great time to plant an inexpensive hedge as there’s a wide range available of bare-rooted hedging plants – such as privet, beech, hawthorn and hornbeam.

When it comes to planting a new hedge it’s important that the soil is prepared well. Start by digging out a trench, fork over the base and incorporate plenty of organic matter. Mix the excavated soil with lots more organic matter and some bonemeal or controlled-release fertiliser, then re-fill – firming the soil as you go.

Before planting, water the plants well; always 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 about 18 inches apart (48cm), although conifers and more vigorous types can be planted two to three feet apart (60cm). Then after planting water them in well, and water during dry spells for the first year.

Our garden centres have a wide range of hedging available just call 01392 873672 or pop in to discuss your requirements.

Plant of the month: Cyclamen

Our homegrown cyclamen are looking fantastic and are exceptionally good value.

Whilst we grow larger cyclamen to have as Christmas houseplants, the type of cyclamen I am referring to here are hardy cyclamen for outdoors.

A delightful tuberous perennial (plant once but it will reward you with colour year after year) that provides colour when little else is flowering. Cyclamen flower mostly in autumn and winter but can extend into early spring. Hardy cyclamen are ideal for naturalising under trees, on banks or in a shady border and planted in association with other early-flowering woodland plants such as snowdrops and primroses.

As a winter plant they don't mind the cold and personally we love them for brightening up containers and providing low level colour at the base of trees and fronts of borders.

 

At £1.99 each or 3 for £5 they are a bargain!

                   

Free tools for Farms for City Children

Here's a photo of local farm manager Lee from the charity Farms for City Children. We were delighted to hand over several bundles of recycled tools to the charity from our scheme with the organisation Tools Shed.

 

Our customers very kindly donate their old, rusty unwanted gardening hand tools. We then pass these on to Tools Shed who take them to Dartmoor Prison where the prisoners recondition them and make them as good as new. We then get the tools back to pass on to local community groups and charities.

 

As you can see Lee is over the moon! If you are a local community group that could benefit from this scheme then do contact us by e-mail and to find out more about the brilliant Farms for Children then please visit http://www.farmsforcitychildren.org  

Halloween

Have a goulish Halloween this year – we’ve got everything you need to ensure you have a devilishly good time on October the 31^st. How about a besom broom to complete your witch’s costume and why not pick up some pumpkin seeds so you have home-grown pumpkins next year?

 

In addition, our Clyst St Mary garden centre has Pumpkin Mollys as their fish of the month, a great price of £5 for 5 fish plus buy in half term week to receive a free packet of Haribo Halloween sweets!

Indoor Azaleas & Cyclamen

 

Indoor azaleas and cyclamen are hard to beat for providing colour and a warm, cheery sight on a miserable autumn or winter’s day – but they do need to be cared for if you want the best flowers and a long flowering period.

 

They need a cool position in the house – and certainly well away from radiators and other sources of heat. They also need good light, but not in direct sunlight. Another important success factor is to keep the compost moist at all times – don’t let it become dry or waterlogged. Watering little and often is usually the best way to get good results. When watering cyclamen it’s important that the tuber doesn’t become too wet so we always water from below by standing the pot in a saucer and topping up the water until the top of the compost becomes moist and remember to use lime-free water (rainwater) for azaleas.

 

Just ask a member of staff in our houseplant area for helpful advice.

Half hardy bedding plants

Lots of customers have asked how to look after their half-hardy bedding plants over the winter.

 

Half-hardy bedding plants include fuchsias, surfinia petunias, geraniums, osteospermums and the other summer bedding plants we rely on. They’re not cold and frost hardy so they need to be kept frost-free during the autumn and winter.

 

The best place for them is a heated greenhouse or warm conservatory, but a cool spare bedroom or even a garage or shed will do  – providing it has a window and doesn’t get too cold.

 

You should start by cutting back excessive leafy growth, remove dead, dying and diseased leaves and any flowers, trim the roots and then pot them up into a pot just big enough for the roots using fresh compost. Don’t forget to check them over for pests too before you bring them indoors.

Autumn and Winter Colour

Because this time of year can be a bit dull in the garden we’ve been asked how to create masses of colour for autumn and early winter.

 

We think that one of the easiest ways to give colour and structure is to plant evergreen shrubs. If you choose carefully you can also have some welcome winter flowers. So, try mahonia, sarcococca, Viburnum tinus (see below) and winter-flowering heathers.

 

Once you have a backbone of shrubs you can plant herbaceous and bedding plants in the gaps. Asters will often flower well into late autumn – as will Japanese anemones. Further colour comes from planting hardy cyclamen, hardy chrysanths and winter-flowering pansies. Don’t forget the value of berries and autumn foliage colours. Just have a look around one of our planterias and you’ll see there’s a wealth of ideas to turn your garden into an autumn and winter wonderland.

Nursery Manager's Special - Patio chrysanthemums

Our bronze coloured patio chrysanthemums are looking fantatic and very autumnal.

They are fresh from the nursery and a bargain at £3.99 but you can buy two for just £6.50!

Please note other colours (such as yellow) are available but not on the special offer.

 

National Conifer Week

It's National Conifer Week - a time to big up the often overlooked conifer.

Conifers have many advantages for today’s modern garden;  good aesthetic qualities, they are low
maintenance, they provide interesting shapes and colours all year round, and can provide an instant colour or design effect. There are many different types of shapes and colours for any garden situation.

From a small balcony with room for a container, to acres of grounds with space, conifers can add something truly special to any garden. Conifers are also a wonderful way to bring gorgeous colour, structure and drama to a garden all year round, whether as a backdrop, a standalone feature, or in a border with other plants.

A potted conifer can be used to brighten up a doorstep or

balcony, whilst planted conifers can create height and add fantastic accent pieces to any garden.

We grow 69 varieties on our nursery in Exeter so we're bound to have a conifer just right for your garden!