Halloween

Join the witches this Halloween with a Besom Witches broom only £3.99 from St Bridget Nurseries' Garden Centres, Exeter. The brooms are also useful for sweeping up leaves. Better hurry before they fly away!

LAST WILD DAY TODAY!

Since Monday, Devon Wildlife Trust has been working with St Bridget Nurseries' staff to create a permanent BBC Breathing Place. The event was organised to celebrate St Bridget Nurseries becoming a Silver Level, Devon Wildlife Trust Approved Garden Centre. Devon Wildlife Trust designed a wildlife garden with butterfly border and Invertebrate Hibernation Castle!

Today the garden is due for completion so it is well worth a visit to St Bridget Nurseries Garden Centre in Old Rydon Lane Exeter. You will be able to ask the experts questions and find out why each plant and product has been chosen. Many of the items used have been recycled from materials used on the nursery. For example the hibernation castle is built from wooden pallets, terracotta pots, bamboo canes, straw, rocks, wood and air vent bricks. In addition the obelisk which has climbing plants growing up it was an old shop display stand!

Children visitors are invited to take part in a treasure hunt quiz. Simply pick up an entry form, find the 10 posters hidden around the garden centre and write down what simple step each poster tells you about. The 10 steps are simple ways you can help the environment and wildlife at home. Each completed entry receives a small prize and all entries will be put into a draw to win a ladybird box and £5 St Bridget Nurseries Gift Token.

Call 01392 873672 for further details.

What a specimen!

The team at St Bridget Nurseries' garden centre had an unusual challenge yesterday when they had to move a

15ft tall, approx 1.5tonne very spikey palm tree! The plant was originally planted when the Old Rydon Lane garden centre shop was first built back in the eighties. Surrounded by brick walls the palm has greeted visitors to the garden centre for all those years. However, the area surrounding the palm is due to be transformed into a wildlife garden next week in a joint event with Devon Wildlife Trust. Not known for its major wildlife attraction, it was felt the palm should be moved. It took 4 men half a day to dig, wire undercut and eventually lift with the use of the nursery tractor. Many customers then watched as the huge specimen plant was driven across the car park and temporarily planted in a wooden pallet crate. The staff are still considering what to do with the palm and so if you are looking for a huge specimen then do get in touch on 01392 873672.

Plants for the future

Pick up any newspaper today and you're sure to find at least one article relating to climate change. Our climate is definitely changing and now is the time that we should be trying to minimise the impacts. Just a small change in the average annual temperature will have a large net impact on growing seasons.

In Great Britain many plant varieties will struggle to survive, whilst it will open up the possibility to new varieties to thrive. Plants will be living in a warmer world but will have to cope with winter waterlogging and summer droughts. If we have fewer cold snaps pests will not be killed off leading to more diseases and more weeds!

Climate change could also bring about rapid changes in the character and style of the British Garden.

For the domestic gardener key challenges are likely to include how to manage and maintain soil fertility, how to cope with more pest problems. The smooth green lawn will be even more of a challenge and with extension of the growing seasons comes an extension in maintenance needs. However, it is not just doom and gloom, we have opportunities influding an increased range of plants suitable for growing in the open garden (Cordylines, aloes, sedums, olea (olives), Proteas and Carpobrotus), plus warmer and drier summers and autumns will allow us to enjoy our gardens more and be in them.

Don't ignore climate change, it is happening and you can do things to minimise its impact on you and on others. Start planning your garden of the future too, for further information e-mail marketing@stbridgetnurseries for a short leaflet they have created with scientists on climate change and your garden.

LAWN DAY

Just a reminder that this Sunday Dennis Lane, Grounds Inspector of the Institute of Groundsmanship, will be on hand to give expert help and advice on all aspects of lawns and turf management at St Bridget Nurseries, Sidmouth Road, Clyst St Mary, Exeter. He will be happy to identify weed problems in your lawn or why you have bare patches so please bring in samples of the weeds or diseases on your grass. Mr Lane will be there from 10.30am to 4.30pm. Call 01392 876281 for further details.

Deer resistant

They are creatures that many of us do not have in our gardens, and one that many of us think we would love but for those who do get deer visiting their garden it can be quite problematic.

In Devon there are lots of deer and many gardeners find their plants eaten over night. If you are one of these gardeners then you may want to take a look at a very helpful guide written by Andrew Halstead for the RHS http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0105/deer_resistant.asp Andrew has listed many plants that deer appear to not favour as much as others! Included in the list are plants like Jasmine, Honeysuckle, Mahonia, Buxus and Daphnes all of which you will find at St Bridget Nurseries Garden Centres.

SMALL PLANTS, BIG BARGAIN!

St Bridget Nurseries Garden Centre has just put our an offer on their home-grown range of small container plants. Each plant was grown on their nursery in Exeter and normally costs either £1.99 or £2.00. They are now offering you the chance to pick and mix 3 plants from this range for just £5! There are cyclamen, small conifers and small shrubs included in the offer. What's more at that price you can afford to splash out on a really nice glazed pot and create a stunning autumn colourful planter. Visit St Bridget Garden Centres today for some great gardening deals.

DON'T MISS OUT JUST BECAUSE OF THE POSTAL STRIKE!

If you would like a copy of any of St Bridget Nurseries' plant lists and don't want to wait until Christmas because of the snail mail, then simply e-mail the lovely St Bridget's team and they will send you a pdf copy.

What's more if you are interested in any of the top fruit varieties listed on pages 19 and 20 of the main price list, you can get 10% off when you order between Thursday 18th October and Thursday 25th October in celebration of St Bridget's Apple Week. BARGAIN!

E-mail marketing@stbridgetnurseries.co.uk for your price list today.

WHAT'S ON?

This weekend at St Bridget Nurseries' Exeter Garden Centres there will be two visitors.

On Saturday 6th October at the Sidmouth Road, Clyst St Mary Garden Centre a representative from the Devon Wildlife Trust will be on hand to answer wildlife questions and tell you more about how to encourage wildlife into your garden as well as tell you about the great work that the Trust does. As a Devon Wildlife Approved Garden Centre, there are lots of wildlife friendly products at St Bridget's garden centre and the staff are trained and enthusiastic about wildlife gardening. The garden centre is open from 8am to 5pm on Saturday.

On Sunday 7th October at the Old Rydon Lane, Exeter garden centre Dennis Lane, Grounds Inspector of the Institute of Groundsmanship, will be on hand to give expert help and advice on all aspects of lawns and turf management. He will be happy to identify weed problems in your lawn or why you have bare patches so please bring in samples of the weeds or diseases on your grass. Mr Lane will be there from 10.30am to 4.30pm.

Gone Potty?!

St Bridget Nurseries' Old Rydon Lane Plant Area Team have gone potty! The staff have planted up a delightful selection of containers for sale. Just some examples are a herb collection, an alpine collection, autumn flowering collection plus many other stunning plants in containers. Both garden centres will plant up any container for you so if you don't see what you are after just ask!

Get into Home Grown...

The bounty of autumn is also upon us, with fruit trees laden down with apples pears and plums. Top fruit and fruit trees are an excellent place to start your home grown collection. Ornamental or edible, Malus (apple) is hard to beat. Malus offer fruit, autumn colour as well as beautiful blossom in spring. There’s a wide choice of trees that are compact in size and resistant to mildew and scab. There are favourite varieties like Cox’s and Bramleys, as well as the more modern varieties such as Fiesta or Sunset. On the ornamental side, Malus ‘Evereste’ has outstanding characteristics as a garden tree including fabulous blossom (light-purple to pink-white) lovely form and attractive orange-red fruits.

St Bridget Nurseries in Exeter grow their top fruit in an open ground field in Exeter. As well as apples you can get cherries, peaches and nectarines, pears, plums, damsons, quince, sweet chestnut and walnuts. Many of the fruits are grown on what is called dwarf root stocks meaning that they won't grow too big and therefore are ideal for small spaces.

The fruit trees will be dug from the field later this autumn so now is the best time to arrange an appointment to make your selection and pre-order straight from the field. Call 01392 873672 and ask to speak to the nursery manager.

September Pond Checklist

If you have a pond now is the best time to cover up your pond with netting before leaves start falling from trees. Before you cover everything up though, remove dead leaves from waterlilies as they die back and thin out submerged oxygenating plants. Also get a net and remove blanketweed and duckweed.

Also move over to a winter wheatgerm feed for your pond fish.

If you would like to find out more about pond care then speak to St Bridget's aquatic team at the Sidmouth Road, Clyst St Mary, Exeter Garden Centre.

PLANT FOCUS: Schizostylis coccinea Sunrise

There are relatively few flowers that begin blooming in Autumn and put on a good show despite shortening days but schizostylis coccinea does!

Commonly known as Kaffir Lily, the plants have linear leaves and upright flower-spikes, each topped by several flowers that open wide like a crocus.

This single species is vigorous and clump-forming. The flowers are scarlet/pink (coccinea means scarlet) and the plant is a native of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland.

To grow well, plant in a fertile moist soil (plants do well beside a pond for example) and shelter from cold winds. You can buy this variety as a herbaceous perennial plant from garden centres like St Bridget Nurseries in Exeter.

Alkaline Soils

My friend recently tested her garden soil using a simple soil tester which she bought from St Bridget Nurseries. The results told her that she had Alkaline soil and so she's ask me what to do about it. My advice with any soil type is unless you want to spend money and time in order to grow something you desperately want it is much easier to accept your soil type and plant plants that will thrive in the conditions.

If you still want a certain plant then try growing it in a pot!

Some soils are unrelentingly alkaline and you can fight it with treatments such as sulphur, watering with vinegar and using acidic mulches but you'll more than likely find it goes back to being alkaline. Therefore plant plants like

Berberis thunbergii, Buddleja davidii, Lavender, Lonicera (Honeysuckle), Mahonia

or herbaceous plants like:

Aquilegia, Cosmos, Geum, Helianthus, Iris, Phlox, Scabiosa

Trees suitable for alkaline conditions include Fagus sylvatica (beech) and Gleditsia triacanthos.

If you're not sure what type of soil you have then buy a simple testing kit to test the pH level of your soil (an alkaline or 'limey' soil will have a pH between 7 and 14)It's easy and fun to do and then you can start planning your garden to work with nature and not against it. For further advice on what plants may be suitable for your garden and to check availability of the above plants call St Bridget Nurseries on 01392 873672.

Spuds!

You should try and harvest all your potatoes by the end of September to avoid them being eaten by slugs! Lift potatoes carefully with a garden fork and try to remove all of them otherwise you'll get some growing next year in a place you may not want them to. Store potatoes in a dark, coo, frost-free place. Natural fibre potato sacks are ideal and are now available at St Bridget Nurseries' Garden Centres.

September Sunshine!

With the Devonshire forecast looking good for the weekend why not enjoy your garden and invest in a lovely set of garden furniture? St Bridget Nurseries' Old Rydon Lane Garden Centre has a massive garden furniture showroom stocked with wood, metal and resin furniture. You will find everything from a simple garden bench to hammocks, tables, seats, recliners and parasols. Many sets have massive reductions so why not go and have a look this weekend? Don't forget to pick up a Chimenea while you're there to keep you warm outside once the sunsets.

Plant profile: Rudbeckia

The variety pictured is Rudbeckia fulgida sullivantii Goldsturm and is a delightful herbaceous perennial that will add 'Sunflower' like warmth to your garden at this time of year. The variety has a particularly long flowering period from mid-summer to mid-autumn and the first frosts. Flower stems grow to about 60cm high and attract and lovely range of wildlife such as bees and butterflies into your garden.

Plant Rudbeckia in a flower border, as it tolerates light shade, to extend the flowering season late into the year. The Royal Horticultural Society has given this variety its prestigious Award of Garden Merit (AGM).

Rudbeckia Goldsturm is available from St Bridget Nurseries for £5.25 a plant.

Don't forget...

As temperatures drop, pond fish will have a reduced level of metabolism. Now is a great time to buy Wheatgerm food which is better for autumn feeding and colder weather. Wheatgerm food and a full range of pond equipment is available from St Bridget Nurseries' Clyst St Mary Garden Centre, Sidmouth Road nearly opposite Westpoint Exhibition Centre.

Chim-chimminy-chim-chim!

Having had at least 5 nice weather days on the trot, we've certainly seen more people enjoying their gardens in the evenings. But, as September approaches the temperature at night is dipping. Whilst patio heaters recently received some bad press, chimineas, fire baskets and fire bowls are a good alternative that look stunning too.

Chimineas originated over a thousand years ago in Mexico, where they were used as ovens for heating and cooking.
The nomadic tribes that inhabited the mountains in Mexico shaped clay into simple chiminea shapes and then fired them in wood fuelled kilns. The word "chiminea" comes from the Spanish word for chimney.

Chimineas can still be used as an oven to cook food outdoors but many simple use them as an outdoor heater.

Chimineas in all shapes and sizes plus fire bowls, baskets and burning logs can be purchased at both St Bridget Nurseries' Garden Centres in Exeter.

What's in a name? - Flaming Katy!

Commonly known as Flaming Katy, Kalanchoes (pronounced KA-luhn-KO-e) are an easy to grow houseplant. They just need warm temperatures (between 12 and 30C) and minimum care. In a moderate climate they can even be grown outdoors (but only in pots and not in the ground). Plants are sensitive to the cold though so really in Britain it's best to keep them as houseplants as they are unlikely to survive a frost.

Kalanchoe plants look great in small pots. You may find that if you plant in a large pot, the leaves grow in size but the amount of flowers or height will grow as normal and rather slowly. If you want to re-pot your Kalanchoe it is best to do so in spring.

Like most houseplants try not to allow direct sunlight on the plant but do place plants in a well lit spot.

This picture shows a beautiful double flower head of a Kalanchoe from St Bridget Nurseries in Exeter. Both garden centres have a wide selection of houseplants and stunning pot covers to complement your home.