March 2013 News from the Nursery

At last we have seen an end to excessive rainfall. The weather lately, although colder, has been very drying and our mud has disappeared rapidly. The farmer next to us has even cultivated some land, quite remarkable how quickly things can change.

The late winter has brought out the earliest flowering plants – Vincas being a good example. The Vinca difformis AGM (RHS Award of Garden Merit) and its varieties have been flowering for weeks and show no sign of stopping. Vinca major oxyloba (syn. Dartington Star) is a lovely dark violet blue and is about to flower, excellent ground cover under trees.

Iris unguicularis AGM is another gem for this time of year. Its big pale blue flowers nestling in leaves looks too fragile to be real.

The early flowering Clematis montanas are starting to leaf and in a sheltered spot in the garden one has quite big flower buds. At the moment we have a range of varieties in 9 cm pots. We will be potting these on into 2 litre pots any time soon, so if you want to purchase these do so now or there will be a gap before the new crop is ready.

We are appreciating our shelter hedges with the chill easterly blowing, especially our lovely Viburnum tinus Lucidum, which is still flowering away with its big heads of fragrant white flowers not being put off by the cold.

On the theme of big white flowers the Russian Vine - Fallopia baldschuanicum has large heads of small individual flowers which are impressive. Most impressive is this plants ability to grow in front line coastal conditions.

Now is the time to prune down grasses like Hakonechloa and Miscanthus that may have been left for winter interest. If they are not pruned now the new growth may get damaged when done later.

In warm (relatively!) areas the Grevilleas are good winter flowering evergreens and although a bit exotic looking are not as tender as they look. They need sun to ripen wood for the rigours of winter, good drainage and shelter from cold winds. Not suitable for chalky soils.

Standing outside here on the nursery is a batch of plants that look very good and about to flower. Ribes speciosum makes a good spiny shrub and would easily deter the “postie” taking a short cut or good when trained on a wall. The bright red tubular flowers hang down from the branches rather like Fuchsia flowers.

Viburnum x burkwoodii AGM has held its flower buds through the winter and they are now expanding and starting to show colour. They are pink in bud and white when open. Gorgeous fragrance.

February 2013 News from the Nursery

Things are starting to move in the garden now even though the weather has been either really cold or really wet. One of the things that is very pleasant when the garden is too wet to work on is being able to enjoy fragrances. Many of our plants are fragrant and add a little extra to their other attractions of leaf shape colour, flowers and form. Holbellia coriacea is a plant that is highly scented and has good evergreen foliage. Grow in sun for maximum flowering. The Jasmines are very fragrant especially in the evening when they attract moths. The fragrant Jasmines are the Jasmine officinale varieties and also the pink flowering Jasmine x stepanese. For the conservatory or milder gardens Jasminium polyanthum. Many of the Clematis montanas have a lovely scent including Mayleen and Elizabeth. The deciduous honeysuckles (Loniceras) are fragrant, varieties like Lonicera x americana and Lonicera periclymenum Graham Thomas. There are always exceptions to rules and one being Lonicera x brownii Dropmore Scarlet – very lovely bright orangey red flowers, but sadly no scent. Perhaps one to plant further away from the house but with its vivid flowers easily seen. A good fragrant Lonicera that is evergreen is Lonicera similis delavayii – long narrow tubular flowers, white to yellow, and it is a late season flowering summer into autumn.

January 2013 News from the Nursery

We would like to wish you a Happy New Year and hopefully an easier year in which to garden.

All quiet here at the Nursery, although we have been sending out plants this week, much to our surprise! We thought no one would be thinking of plants with all the wet weather we have had. What do we know! However it is nice to plan and look forwards and not back. The weather is very mild and some plants are beginning to break out into green buds. I have been tidying up Lonicera’s this morning and the leaf buds have burst.

For sheltered mild coastal gardens the Correa’s are good now with flowers varying from white to green and pinks.

Lonicera winter Beauty is in flower now and for some weeks to come – nice to pick bits for the house.
Chaenomeles speciosa Nivalis is all in bud and will soon be covered in large white flowers – again nice to pick for indoors.
The Jasminum nudiflorum are in flower and make an excellent wall shrub.
Looking forward to spring the Ribes are a useful addition to the garden. We have nice sturdy plants of Ribes speciosum and Ribes odoratum as well as the more unusual Ribes x gordonianum.
The Viburnum's are looking good especially the Viburnum tinus Eve Price they are in bud/flower and would make an empty tub look good for the rest of the winter. The Viburnum tinus Lucidum (also in bud/leaf) is a larger growing variety and makes an excellent wind break.
For spring delight plant a Viburnum sargentii Onodaga the new leaves are a coppery colour with flattened heads of white flowers to follow. Upright grower.
To liven up empty containers plan evergreen grasses like Uncinia rubra or the arching Carex testacea. Trouble free and don’t mind being blown about. Colours look good in the low winter sun.

December 2012 News from The Nursery

December again how time flies! At this time of year we start wondering about the winter weather, as we have now gone cold and frosty. There are numerous scary forecasts out there for December and January. One thing we don't want are any more wet spells - for a few weeks we need the land to drain and the rivers to return to normal levels.

There is not a lot to be done in the garden when the weather is frosty, but one can always admire plants plants that shine at this time of year.
Plants like the winter flowering Viburnums or the Camellia sasanqua which are still flowering with more buds to come.
Chimonanthus praecox is a plant that flowers in January and February on bare branches, the fragrant flowers are pale yellow with a maroon blotch. Best planted near a pathway in a sheltered place in order to enjoy the perfume.

This may be a good time to plant a fast growing tree like Pinus radiata in coastal areas if there are concerns that existing ash trees might succumb to Ash Die Back (Chalara fraxinea). We have plants available in 9cm and 2 litre pots.
A very good plant for growing in containers is Ligustrum japonicum Rotundifolium It is slow growing with rounded leathery dark green leaves close together on the stem - giving a ''full'' look. It is just as smart as Box and easier than Bay or Olive.

The Mahonia japonica are all in bud now and would make an excellent Christmas gift - they make a rounded bush, with very fragrant yellow flowers.

What ever the weather we would like to wish all our customers lovely Christmas and New Year. Thank you for for your custom and all the nice comments we get. Quite a few people seem to like our bubble wrap!

Our Gift Tokens are available for gardening friends and family - and we will be happy to help recipients with choices and information if required.

NOVEMBER 2012 NEWS FROM THE NURSERY

The autumn colour has been rather splendid this year and our Arboretums (is that the plural or should it be Arboreti) have been doing a brisk trade in leaf peepers. What with it being half term and the need for a day out looming. Plenty of fresh air, mud and no doubt tea and cake, what more could you possibly require.
Many of our National Trust properties and privately owned gardens open to the public also have good autumn colour. For example Stourhead - Wiltshire (N.T), Forde Abbey - Dorset (privately owned).
I have been moving some of our plants under cover – not because they’re tender but they are in danger of water logging which causes root rot. The environment agency is warning of potential flooding in the South West, Wales and North West. Here at seasideplants we are on a south facing slope and not likely to flood, but it does give an indication that the rain is going to continue. With our plants in mostly 2 or 3 litre pots outside and feet on polypropylene ground cover material they are staying too wet. This can also be the case with planted containers in the garden where the bottom of the pot is flush with paving for example. Try to raise them up on little feet bought from the garden centre or invent something like stones or bricks, which will allow the excess water to drain out. Plants that really don’t like prolonged wet such as Agapanthus can be taken into a cold greenhouse and kept dry or just placed in the rain shadow of a wall. Being dry insulates the vulnerable roots from damage as the soil has air spaces and is not filled up with water that may freeze.
Although the days at this time of year can be dreary and wet, it’s nice to look out into the garden where something is doing its thing. We have a large and very splendid Mahonia x media Charity that is in full colour and very popular with bumble bees that come out on milder days. Birds also eat the berries later. The evergreen winter flowering Viburnums are starting to look good, Viburnum tinus Lucidum is also fragrant. The deciduous Viburnum x bodnantense Dawn are good for winter as they just flower forever – coming in bursts throughout winter and into spring.
The evergreen Elaeagnus (excellent wind break/hedges for coastal especially Elaeagnus x ebbingei) have been flowering – small flowers big fragrance.
Talking of hedges, they are being planted in preferences to fencing (often replacing fences) in our windy coastal area as they thrive when fences unfortunately get blown down. Euonymus japonicus is another very wind and coastal hedge plant and can be kept quite tidy by clipping it a more formal look if required. Less fess formal but very tolerant of coastal conditions are Tamarix tetranda and Atriplex halimus.

December 2011 News from the Nursery

So now we have all tidied our gardens. Wrapped up or taken indoors tender plants. Mulched plants, which are in need of protection if left in the ground, Dahlias for example. Have fleece at the ready for that cold weather that will unfortunately come some time soon.

We have had a very mild start to winter so far and many plants are bursting leaf buds or even coming into flower, like my Drimys winteri. There is nothing we can do about this, but hope not too much damage is done to the plants when the temperature drops.

Here in South Devon we are having some much needed rainfall. We are not as dry as the Midlands but I think many areas are short of the average.

Gardens are beginning to look a bit empty now with summer colour at last coming to the end of a very long season. Evergreen plants now come into their own and give some structure and focal points – as well as shelter for wildlife, to the garden. Talking of wildlife we have noticed that ladybirds are everywhere and in large numbers. Perhaps the colder winters of the last two years have suited their life cycle.

Don’t forget we have gift tokens and cards we can put your Christmas greetings.

NOVEMBER 2011 NEWS FROM THE NURSERY

We have now had enough rainfall to moisten the soil. This has been encouraging our landscape customers to get planting. Previously the ground was so dry it was difficult to get the plants established.

Grasses have been one of our best sellers recently and their popularity is well deserved. At this time of year they add so much to the autumn and winter garden. They associate well with Asters (Michaelmas Daisies), Kniphofias, Phlomis russelliana and Salvias.
Try combinations and see what works, or visit gardens with borders where you can see the effects of an established planting scheme.
Cornus alba Varieties are looking especially good at the moment with their bright red stems, as are many of the grass stems like Molinia caerulea arundinacea Moorhexe.

Fleece is excellent for covering plants to give them protection from frost and wind chill.
The early cold spells that were predicted have not arrived, but unfortunately they will at some time. So instead of panicking at the last minute, make sure you have a space cleared in a sheltered spot for putting your tubs of plants that don't like too much winter wet. This could be by a house wall for example - in the lee of the prevailing wind and rain.
Bubble wrap to put around the outside of pots - Agapanthus do not like frozen roots. Bubble wrap can also be used to line greenhouses to keep the temperature up and stop the loss of expensive heating if used.
Make sure there is still the option for ventilation on warmer days to combat mildews and moulds, which would quickly appear on any foliage damaged by cold weather.

Try to get any summer bedding filled containers replanted before it gets cold, so that new plants get established. Plant evergreens, perhaps with bulbs to come up in the spring.
Empty pots can look a bit depressing in the winter, so tidy away any not required in a frost free place to save them from being cracked if the weather is really cold.