January/February Newsletter 2017

It’s late January as I write this; despite the bitter cold, and hard frost on the ground, the sun is streaming through the windows, and I’m looking out on a surprising amount of life and colour. The Hellebores are fantastic this year, the Daphne Odora is covered in gloriously scented flowers, and the spring bulbs are starting to push their way through the soil with the promise of warmer times to come. It’s certainly worth getting out into your garden and just having a look to see what’s going on.

I have lots of good things to tell you about in this newsletter, but must start with a bit of very sad news. Alex, who has been with us for some years, and has been such a wonderful member of our team, is leaving at the end of February. He is taking the plunge and setting up his own retail business, which we have absolutely no doubt will be a roaring success. He will be desperately missed by us all, and I’m sure you’ll want to take the opportunity to wish him all the best in his new venture.

The next thing to tell you is that we have been working away on our Reward Card system for the last few months so that from now on you won’t have to remember to bring your paper reward vouchers with you to redeem them. The amount you have earned will show up when we swipe your card, and we will be able to deduct it from your purchase without any paper changing hands. This system will make life easier for you, as you won’t have to remember to bring your voucher in, and you won’t have that sinking feeling when you finally find a misplaced voucher, only to discover it’s out of date! Of course, the onus is on you to remember to bring your reward card with you each time you visit. If you don’t like carrying it in your wallet, why not keep it in your car? Unless you generally walk or cycle to us, of course. The ‘vouchers’ will still be issued every three months, and you’ll be notified of the value of your reward by email. As soon as you get that email, your reward will be ready to redeem. The first new style voucher will be issued in March. Of course, if you’d prefer to still get your vouchers by post, we can do so.

Now, onto what we have in stock ….

FIREWOOD AND KINDLING . Gosh, we’ve needed all the help we can get to keep warm of late, and you’ll be pleased to know we still have a plentiful supply of slow burning Olive wood, Kiln Dried Hardwood, Seasoned Hardwood, kindling and firelighters.

BULBS . If you forgot, or didn’t have time to plant bulbs for early spring colour, you need not fear … we’ve got pots of crocus, narcissi, iris reticulata, snowdrops, scilla, lily of the valley and tulips, so you can ‘cheat’ and plant them now. There will be plenty more coming in over the following few weeks.

PLANTS, SHRUBS AND TREES . Current highlights include Mimosa, Camellia, Magnolia, and Cornus, as well as some astounding Hellebores! Towards the end of February we’ll be getting in much more plant stock, including fruit trees, herbaceous perennials, herbs and shrubs. It’s still a little early for the first delivery of David Austin roses, but it won’t be too long now.

COMPOST & MULCH . At the back-end of last year we trialled a new compost supplier, Bathgate. We are really impressed with their range, and so are buying almost exclusively from them now. This should avoid the issues we’ve occasionally had with supply in the past, and ensure we are able to get what we need, when we need it. We’ve got the full range in to kick the season off, including seed compost, John Innes 1, 2 and 3, farmyard manure, and various sizes of multi-purpose and peat free composts, as well as potting grit, soil improver and decorative bark. Digging in soil improver or manure, along with grit, is the best way to condition our London clay soil, so stock up and get digging as soon as you can.

PEST CONTROL . There may not be any evidence of pests yet, but you know that the moment the weather warms up we’ll be at war with them again. Be armed and ready this year! Tradition has it that Valentine’s Day is the right time to scatter slug killer for the first time in the year. Do so sparingly, and the emerging slugs and snails will be killed and therefore not reproduce, dramatically reducing the overall population in your garden. We recommend using an organic product, which contains a naturally occurring active ingredient, that won’t contaminate the soil or harm other wildlife.

WILDLIFE . Of course, the most natural form of pest control, birds, can be encouraged into your garden in a variety of ways, and it really does pay dividends to do so. Not only will your slug, snail and caterpillar problem be reduced, but you’ll have the pleasure of watching our feathered friends too. I was thrilled to see the large gathering of Gold Finches I get on the Niger seed feeder each day joined by a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. Keep your feeders topped up, ensure there is water available, and you’ll be rewarded. Now is the time the birds are starting to look for somewhere to nest, so if you put a nesting box up you might have the added delight this spring of watching youngsters being fed and then later on taking their first flight.

In the shop : You already know that I buy British whenever possible, and with the escalating cost of buying from Europe, I’ve been keeping a sharp eye out for new UK suppliers. At a trade fair I attended recently, I bought from 3 such suppliers, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the new lines are received by you.

CANDLES . One of the new suppliers is Rebecca Pitcher, who is an Artisan maker of home fragrance. Rebecca’s beautifully scented candles are hand poured in her North Yorkshire workshop, using a blend of natural soy and rapeseed waxes. The candles have been carefully developed to ensure they burn cleanly and evenly, and because the wax is completely natural the candle does not produce black smoke or soot. I was so impressed by the quality of her ingredients, and the clarity of her scents, that I just had to buy a capsule collection to try out. There will be 5 scents to choose from: Fig & Sultana, Frankincense & Bergamot, Peony & Orange Blossom, Rhubarb & Sicilian Lemon, and Lavender. The glass votive will retail at £19.95, and the small tin at £9.95. (As an aside, the lovely ‘True Grace’ range of candles has gone up enormously in price, due to the fact that they buy both their glass and essential oils from France.)

HOMEWARE .Also coming in soon is a fabulous new range of monochrome mugs, cups and saucers, and nibbles bowls.  I will certainly be buying some for myself, as they are just lovely!

SOCKS AND MITTENS . The fabulously funky range of carefully mismatched Solmates Socks has been a huge hit, and I’ll continue to keep them in stock until the weather warms up. If you love the socks, have you tried the mittens? The pair I bought for myself in November have barely been taken off, and even though they’ve been washed several times they still look as good as new.

Sally’s ‘Garden Tasks’ follows, along with a piece from Alex on house plants.

Keep warm, and I hope to see you at the garden centre very soon.

Warm regards

Karen

Indoor Gardening

As an indoor gardener (houseplant addict!) I have recently been searching for ways to make the interactions with my collection more exciting; not just watering and feeding my plants.

One idea I have been focusing on is taking some of the aesthetics of Bonsai and applying them to plants that are not traditionally used in this art. Traditional Bonsai connoisseurs would call this heresy but modern Bonsai practice has expanded to include all sorts of different plant material.

By using the basic ideas of Bonsai - displaying a miniature plant with a pot - I have started some ‘project’ trees. I am shaping, pruning and removing leaves from these plants simply to give the right look, without having to worry about the more exacting needs traditional Bonsai stock sometimes require. These include some scented pelargoniums, I am developing a nice woody trunk on one specimen with a small tree like canopy!

So I thought now would be a great time to encourage some of you to start your own project trees as the miniature tree effect can be applied to all manner of houseplants. We have a nice selection of Crassula (money trees) in at the moment which are a perfect starter tree. For some more inspiration search for ‘Nigel Saunders’ on YouTube. He has some fantastic trees that he is working on and has recently started work on a Euphorbia Milii, which we also have currently available.

Garden jobs

Winter isn't a time when we’re tempted outside too much, especially with freezing temperatures and the dark foggy weather we’ve had in January. Hopefully there will be some bright days in the coming weeks to enjoy.

My top 2 jobs for now

1. Indoors - spend time looking through photographs, magazines and books for new ideas for your garden or balcony.

2. Outside - check protective fleeces and wrappings around plants and pots, ensure stakes, fences and gutters are secure, and that the garden is tidy, with nothing lying around which could be picked up by strong winds and cause damage.

General garden maintenance

• Stop annual weeds before they get started, knocking them out as soon as you spot them. It’s much easier to get rid of them before they have a chance to establish. Perennial weeds should be dug out with as much of their roots as possible, or treated with a systemic weed killer as soon new leaves appear.
• Cut back the old foliage from ornamental grasses before growth begins, clipping them to within a few centimetres of the ground.
• Remove old leaves from hellebores to make the new blooms more visible as they emerge.
• Spread organic matter, well rotted manure or organic compost, as a surface layer over beds. If you lay it on top as a mulch, the rain and worms will gradually pull the nutrients down into the soil.
• Clear out the shed or storage cupboard, checking over tools and equipment to make sure they are all clean and in working order.
• Get rid of any chemicals and fertilisers which have been lying around for a long time. These materials should be taken to your local authority waste site for safe disposal.
• Deadhead winter bedding plants such as cyclamen and pansies, remove any diseased leaves and remember to water them: lack of watering can cause mildew.

Cold temperatures

• Try not to walk on lawns when they are frosted or wet because it will damage the grass. If you need to access beds and borders to work, lay planks to walk on.
• If snow is forecast, tie up Cordylines, conifers and other plants which may be damaged by the weight of snow.
• Protect tender plants whether by bringing them into the greenhouse or conservatory when a cold snap is forecast, or by wrapping them in horticultural fleece.
• Wrap non frost-proof pots in bubble wrap or hessian to help prevent cracking. Group pots together in a sheltered south facing spot.
• Frosts will improve the structure of previously dug soil, but take care not to walk on or work the soil when it is waterlogged. You will do more damage than good.

Container gardening

• Wash empty pots by scrubbing them with hot water and a mild detergent. Rinse them well afterwards.
• Plant up a few pots with spring bulbs and spring bedding to brighten the view from indoors.
• Remember to water containerised plants, it’s easy to forget in cold weather.

Pruning

• Finish pruning deciduous trees if needed to keep them in shape. Be prepared to seal the wood with an appropriate sealant.
• Give Wisteria it’s winter prune by cutting back the current seasons growth to within two or three buds of the older wood.
• Finish pruning apple and pear trees, gooseberries, red and blackcurrants.
• Prune autumn fruiting raspberries, cutting each cane right down to the ground.
• Cut back Group 3 Clematis – the late flowering ones which flower on the current year’s growth e.g. Etoile Violette, Jackmanii, Gravetye Beauty – to the lowest pair of strong buds, at about knee height, 30cm above the ground.
• Prune summer flowering deciduous shrubs such as Buddleja, Caryopteris, hardy fuchsias, Santolina and others. These can generally be pruned very hard, almost to the ground leaving a few buds or shoots on each stem. If you want to increase the size of the shrubs, leave a few stems on and prune these lightly.
• Prune roses to encourage healthy new flowering stems. Cut back to just above a bud and remove any dead or crossing branches.
• When you have finished pruning, give plants a feed with an organic fertiliser and mulch with good organic compost or manure.

Planting

• If your garden looks a bit bare and uninteresting, plant a winter flowering shrub such as Hamamelis, Daphne, Sarcococca, Camellia.
• Continue planting deciduous trees and shrubs, provided the ground isn't frozen or waterlogged.
• Position pots of spring bulbs in any gaps in the border for some instant colour.
• Introduce evergreen shrubs if your winter garden is lacking structure, and bright coloured winter stems, such as Cornus and Salix.

Seed sowing

• Sweet Pea seeds can be sown indoors in a propagator on a sunny windowsill, and planted out later on. Those sown in Autumn can be potted on, and kept on a windowsill, in a cold frame or greenhouse.
• If the weather improves and the soil gets warm, you can start to sow broad beans, peas, cabbage, beetroot and spinach under cloches. You can warm the soil before sowing seeds or young plants by covering it with black plastic or horticultural fleece, which may help germination and establishment.

House plants

• Check house plants such as orchids for scale insect, aphids, whitefly and mealy bug, which produce the horrible sticky honeydew encouraging sooty moulds.
• Keep indoor plants watered and fertilised, according to their requirements.

Pests and diseases

• Keep an eye out for the first signs of herbaceous growth and protect the new leaves from slug attack. As Karen has said, an early application of slug pellets will reduce the population later in the year.

Wildlife

• As Karen has advised, it’s really important to keep bird feeders topped up with a variety of food to support our feathered friends in cold weather. Always keep a supply of fresh water for them too.

Plant Focus - Hosta

Hostas are very popular perennials that perform well in beds, pots, do not like full sun and retreat in the late autumn before emerging again about Easter time. There are over 7,000 varieties.

They come in different sizes, from tiny Desert Mouse to large leaved Big Daddy, and in a range of colours from blue-green tones through greens to yellow. Flower spikes generally emerge in summer.

However Hostas are like nectar to slugs and snails and action is needed to minimise damage. This timetable is recommended by Hosta collector and Alleyn Park customer Simon: ‘Mid February - scatter very few pellets around base. Repeat in mid April and early June. This should greatly help. With a larger collection we use copper pipes and Messrs Slug and Snail take a very dim view of this. Their undercarriages react with the copper. They stay away!’

Finally

If it's too cold to go out, spend time planning that new border, or do some research on your favourite plants. There’s always something new to learn.

See you in March.

Sally