March’s plant of the month
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March’s plant of the month is Helleborus argutifolius or the holly-leaved hellebore. It is an evergreen perennial which grows to 1 metre tall with stout stems with spiny toothed leaves. It has bowl-shaped, nodding, pale green flowers in large open clusters. It likes a sunny or partially shaded spot in a sheltered position in moist […]
What to do in your garden in March
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Hopefully spring is now in the air! The top gardening jobs for March in the ornamental garden include:- – Scrape away a layer of old compost of permanently potted plants and top dress with fresh compost; – Cut back perennials left with top growth over the winter; – Divide overcrowded clumps of herbaceous perennials and […]
February’s plant of the month
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February’s plant of the month is the humble Snowdrop. Snowdrop or Galanthus are dwarf bulbous perennials with linear or strap-shaped leaves, and solitary, often honey-scented, nodding flowers with 3 white outer tepals and 3 smaller inner ones often marked with green. They grow to approximately 20cm in height, with broad, grey-bloomed, dark green pleated leaves and solitary […]
What to do in your garden in February
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It’s February! Here are the jobs you can be doing in your garden this month:- – Trim winter flowering heathers as flowers fade; – Cut back late summer and autumn flowering clematis to the lowest pair of strong buds; – Sow bedding annual seeds (Begonia/Pelargonium); – Prune winter-flowering shrubs that have finished flowering; – Prune hardy […]
What to do in your garden in January
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It’s January and the start of a new gardening year. Despite the wintery weather here are some jobs you can be doing in your own garden this month:- Complete winter pruning of fruit trees; Prune wisteria shortening summer pruned shoots back to two or three buds from old wood; Remember to water planted containers in […]
January’s plant of the month
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January’s plant of the month is Mahonia japonica – an evergreen shrub which flowers in winter (one of the few that does!). It has leathery, spiny leaves so is good to use as a barrier plant. Fragrant yellow flowers, sometimes followed by black or purple berries. It will grow to a height of 1.5m in […]
December’s plant of the month
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December’s plant of the month is Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’. This is a great plant for achieving structure and colour in winter. Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’ is a deciduous, upright-growing shrub with dark green leaves. It bears clusters of small white flowers in spring and early summer, followed by small white berries. It is most commonly grown […]
What to do in your garden in December
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It’s December! Where has the year gone? There are still some jobs you can be doing in the garden in the depths of winter (snow allowing!):- Check your winter protection structures are secure; Check that greenhouse heaters are working ok; Prevent ponds and stand pipes from freezing; Prune open-grown apples and pears (but not those […]
November’s plant of the month
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It’s November and here’s our plant of the month! It’s Hylotelephium ‘Herbstfreude’ also known as Sedum ‘Herbstfreude’ (Autumn Joy). ‘Herbstfreude’ is an herbaceous perennial forming a clump to 60cm in height. It has fleshy, oblong, glaucous green leaves and large flat terminal clusters of starry flowers in early autumn. The flowers open from greenish-pink buds, […]
October’s plant of the month
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October’s plant of the month is the autumn flowering crocus or Crocus speciosus. This is a small deciduous perennial which grows from a corm. Also known as ‘Naked Ladies’ it has linear leaves usually with a silvery central stripe, and goblet-shaped, sometimes fragrant flowers which appear in autumn. Crocus speciosus has silvery lilac-blue flowers in […]