March’s plant of the month

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hardwood cuttings

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

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

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 […]