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It’s that time of year again! The centre is certainly feeling - and smelling - very festive. The first delivery of Christmas trees has arrived, filling the air with their lovely pine scent. This time of year also heralds our birthday … so please come and join us for a cup of mulled wine and a mince pie on Saturday 10^th December.

Catherine (the florist who’s joining us for December) will open the area in front of the Vintage Shed on Saturday 3^rd December making it vibrant with berried twigs and cut flowers (including stunning blood red Amaryllis). She’ll be making door wreaths and is taking orders now for her bespoke Christmas tree decorating service. Don’t miss out if you want to use her, as she can only do a limited number.

More lovely aromas fill the shop from our True Grace scented candles, which will add warmth and spice to your home. We’ve extended the range of wooden and tin tree decorations, and sourced some heavenly glass (both clear and coloured) baubles – come and see them on display.

So, all in all, there’s a very festive feel here.

Most of you know the sort of fantastic gift items we stock, but just in case you need a little reminder ….

We have a new supplier called nkuku, who specialise in stylish, handmade, eco friendly, fair-trade gifts. We are very impressed with the quality of workmanship on the range we have bought from them, including contemporary cool bone photo frames, large glass candle holders, beautiful glass and gilt tea light holders, and stunning glass and bone door and drawer knobs.

We love supporting local talent, so - once again - we’re stocking the delicious range of jams and jellies  made by local mum and entrepreneur, Sarah Palmer-Manser. Sarah uses locally sourced fruit, either from gardens or foraged from open space.. Priced at £3.95, and beautifully packaged, these jewel-like jars make a fabulous stocking filler or small gift.

As for the Vintage Shed, well – it’s filled with one-off items including pretty floral and fruity postcards, lovely French wire and enamel kitchenware, china tea and dinner services, mouth-blown bottles and vases, painted French mirrors, rustic English wooden stools, a wonderful farmhouse table with a solid oak top, and a French armoire with curved bevelled glass panels. With prices ranging from £1.50 to £950 there’s something for every budget, and each item makes a truly unique gift. Oh, and there are a couple of wooden sledges for when the snow arrives!

Our Heyland and Whittle range of sumptuous soaps and lotions is ever popular, and their subtly scented room diffusers include the seasonal Winter Spice.

In our Kid’s Corner you’ll find brightly coloured chunky wooden jigsaws for the smallest of hands, puzzles and games for under £5, as well as paper making kits, discovery packs, finger knitting kits and little wooden book marks in the shape of leaves and birds.

For wildlife lovers, how about a feeding or nesting box for birds, handmade in the UK and painted in muted tones to blend into the landscape? Or a funky “bug box” for ladybirds, lacewings or bees to set up home in?

All of these are in addition to the items you’d expect from your local garden centre … good quality tools, gloves, and garden sundries. As you can see, we have a wealth of items here to make Christmas shopping a stress-free and pleasurable experience. Come to us, and you’ll see why we suggest you shop locally.

On a more practical note, we have a range of products to quickly melt snow and ice called Winter Wizard. Make sure you don’t get caught out this winter – stock up now!

Finally, a heads up …. in January 2012 we are only going to be open from Friday to Sunday (10am to 4pm each day). The garden centre will be shut from Monday to Thursday. We will be open 7 days a week again from 1^st February.

Warmest wishes

Karen, Robby and the rest of the team

PS    December opening hours are 9am – 6pm Monday to Saturday, 10am – 4pm Sundays.

The garden centre will close at lunchtime on Christmas eve, and reopen at 10am on Friday 6^th January.

PS   

Tel:020 8670 7788 www.alleynpark.co.uk

Garden jobs in December

Where has the year gone? The garden will soon appear dormant, but there are still a few things to think about outside, and care to be taken of houseplants inside, as the days get shorter.

Bulbs coming up early

A lot of people are concerned about spring bulbs sprouting earlier than normal, due to the warm weather we’ve been having. First of all, don’t worry. We can’t control nature and it has a way of sorting itself out. If new leaves get frosted, they will die back and the bulb will return to its dormant state, ready to grow again at the ‘right’ time.

If bulbs begin to produce flower buds, you could intervene by covering them with a mulch of dry leaves or straw, but this advice varies. Certainly, if frost and snow gets to flower buds, the buds may be damaged for the current season. Depending on the type, they may throw up more flower buds at the normal time, or you may lose the flowers this year. However, the long term performance of the bulb will not be affected.

Other reasons for bulbs sprouting early are the planting depth and planting time. As a general rule, bulbs should be planted at 3 times their height. Bulbs planted too shallowly can grow prematurely. Secondly, the time of planting is important. Traditionally in the UK, Narcissi and other early flowering bubs should be planted early, with Tulips and Alliums later, in November. People who have left it late to plant Narcissi this year will probably be better off than those who planted at the normal time, because the temperatures have stayed warm for so long. It’s worth using the thermometer as well as the calendar when deciding when to plant spring bulbs, as temperatures don’t drop at the same time every year.

Plant care and planting

• Protect tender plants from frost and snow with bark mulches and fleece.
• When apple and pear trees have lost their leaves and are dormant, between December and March, they can be pruned, to let in more light and air.
• Prune deciduous hedges, including beech and hornbeam during the winter months.
• Plant colourful stemmed Cornus – dogwood - to brighten up your winter garden. Heuchera, Hellebore, Viburnum and evergreen ferns are other hard workers in the winter.

Houseplants

• Christmas houseplants such as Azalea and Cyclamen and forced bulbs such as Hyacinth and Narcissi should be kept in cool temperatures (13 - 18ºC).
• Orchids and poinsettias need generally warmer temperatures with minimum night-time temperatures of 16-19 ºC.
• In centrally heated rooms, increase humidity around plants by misting, or standing pots on pebble trays or saucers.
• Rehydrate the roots of Hippeastrum – Amaryllis – before planting with the top two thirds of the bulb above the soil surface.

General garden maintenance

• Continue removing fallen leaves from beds, rockeries, paths and lawns.
• Protect outside taps and standpipes to avoid freezing.
• Keep paths and walkways clear of moss and slippery algae.
• Clear away the last of the summer annuals and replace with cyclamen and winter pansies, or clean the pots and store them away until you need them in the spring.

Wildlife

• Put bird feeders out now if you haven’t done already, and fill them regularly.
• Encouraging birds into the garden will help get rid of over-wintering pests.
• Maintain a water supply for birds – it’s almost as important as feeding.

Finally…

Hang a welcoming wreath on the front door...and enjoy the festive season!

I’ll look forward to writing more missives in 2012.

Sally

December opening hours are 9am – 6pm Monday to Saturday, 10am – 4pm Sundays.

The garden centre will close at lunchtime on Christmas eve, and reopen at 10am on Friday 6^th January.

Tel:020 8670 7788 www.alleynpark.co.uk