November 2014 Newsletter

Gosh! The tail end of the hurricane we’ve just had has certainly reminded me that even though we’ve been enjoying amazingly mild weather, and glorious autumn colours, the rigours of winter are snapping at our heels, and before we know it will be upon us.

Here at the garden centre, when thoughts turn to winter, they also inevitably turn to Christmas and Christmas trees. Mind you, it seems that you, too, have had similar thoughts … in the last week I’ve had 3 customers asking when they can order their tree! Well, the wait is over. We are getting ready for all the fun that the festive season brings and to kick it off we want to tell you about the second ‘Love West Dulwich’ event that is happening on

Saturday 29^th November, from 10 until 5pm

Just as there was at the launch event in September, there will be lots to keep the whole family entertained all day around West Dulwich. There will be a street-food market, a Santa’s Grotto, a craft market, Tin Pan Annie will be performing, as will various choirs, there’ll be more competitions (including another ‘treasure hunt’ for children), mulled wine and minced pies, and more besides. Please put the date in your diary, and look out for the leaflets that will be available in the next week or so. You can always follow us on twitter @lovewestdulwich, or on facebook.com/lovewestdulwich. At the garden centre we will have created a real winter wonderland for you to enjoy, and hope you’ll come and warm your hands on an open fire while we serve you mulled wine and mince pies. A day not to be missed!   Click here to see more!

Christmas Trees

Our stock of Nordman (non dropping) trees will start arriving at the end of the month from our usual source. The trees are cut from sustainable stock in Denmark, and shipped to us by a small family run business. As those of you who have been buying our trees over the years know, you just cannot beat our trees for quality.

This year we are again offering our unique Christmas tree service, which includes 10% off the price of all pre-ordered trees …

Pre-order and pay for your Christmas tree between 1^st and 30^th November, either over the phone or in person (stipulating exactly what you want in terms of height and shape), and we’ll reserve your tree as soon as the delivery arrives, knock 10% off the price, and deliver it in our local area, free of charge. Add to this the fact that the base of the tree will be whittled to fit into a stand, and we’re sure you’ll agree that our customer service is second to none.

You can, of course, come by and check that you’re happy with the tree we’ve picked out for you prior to delivery (and change it if necessary, while stocks last). Alternatively, we can reserve your tree ready for you to collect at your convenience, if you’d prefer.

We believe this personalised service will not only save you time and hassle but will ensure that you receive the size and shape tree that you want.

The price of the trees remains the same as the last four years:

3’ (90cm) £28

4’ (1.2m) £38

5’ (1.5m) £48

6’ (1.8m) £58

7’ (2.1m) £78

Unfortunately we are not offering the taller trees this year, UNLESS YOU PRE-ORDER ONE IN NOVEMBER. So, if you know you want a tree over 7’, please call us for details of price and to put your order in.

Don’t delay – book yours today!

We will also be selling 2 sizes of sturdy metal stands – 4” @ £19.95 and 5” @ £24.95 which you can also order in advance to be delivered or collected with your tree.

Please be aware that, due to escalating costs, there will be a delivery charge of £10 if you buy your tree in December.

So, what else is happening at the garden centre this month?

Autumn plants

There are many plants and shrubs that look good through winter … Cornus (Dogwood) with their vibrant stems; Pyracantha and Ilex (Holly) laden with berries; cheery little Cyclamen, and Skimmia Kew Green, Vibernum tinus and Camellia already promising colour and form in the months to come.

Spring flowering bulbs

It’s now the ideal time to plant tulips and alliums, and as it’s been such a mild autumn, you can still get away with planting narcissi, and fritillaries.

50% sale of plants

At this time of year we put some plants on sale. Canny gardeners will know that buying herbaceous perennials now (even though they have gone past their best) rather than in the spring, means they’ll be stronger and larger next year. They may not look like much at the moment, but you’ll be smugly smiling next year if you plant them now.

Gifts and home

We have been stocking up on more items in preparation for Christmas. Along with what have become the almost ubiquitous votive True Grace candles in scents such as Fig, Cinnamon & Clove, Parlour and the new ‘Christmas’, we now have their range of candles in a tin …. same wonderful scents, but more economical.

Many of you have already tried the range of Somerset hand creams we’ve had for the past year (we use the testers ourselves on a daily basis!) which help to ward off the dreaded winter cracked finger tips. Because they’ve proved so popular, we’ve extended the range to include some gift packs which are just perfect for Christmas.

You continue to love the range of ceramics we have in the shop, both from the South African sourced Dassi range, from French ceramicist, Sue Ure, and from UK based Sarah Page. We’ve extended the range of hand-made pieces, including mugs and expresso cups, bowls and vases across all 3 ranges. Each, though very different from each other, are in their own way truly exquisite and any piece would make a unique and delightful gift.

Brand new in this year are the glorious hand-made felt items newly sourced from another small independent company called Felt So Good (great name!). These items are enchanting, and with prices starting at just £2.95 there’s something for every budget. A little girl came in recently and spent her pocket money on one of the colourful felt purses to send to her best friend who’d just moved to Australia ….

Christmas ‘Bling’

I’m delighted that you seem to like the home and tree decorations that we continue to hunt high and low for. We have some truly exceptional items to grace your tree and home with this Christmas. We have again sourced glass baubles in a range of colours and sizes from the fabulous Nkuku, and have also found a new supplier of tree decorations, which have a rustic handmade look, but at a sensible price. I’ve got a bit of a thing for reindeer at the moment (please indulge me!) so you’ll find them in every shape and size all over the place – there’s wicker woven ones that you could sit a small child on, rusted iron ones to place on a mantelpiece and tiny ones to hang on your tree. Along with wooden stars, twinkling tea light holders, candle sticks and much more besides, we can certainly help bring some Christmas sparkle to your home. There are even packs for you to make your own decorations…. with or without your children. Oh – I almost forgot to say that I also managed to get hold of some of the handmade tin stars made by the Amish community out of recycled barn roofs!

Wildlife

I’m not talking about Basil or Mittens (who’ve already started to put on their winter coats and ‘padding’!) but about the birds. Please don’t forget to keep them fed. Adding fat balls and suet blocks to your feeding regime now will help them, as they need the extra calories as the weather turns colder. We’ve just got in a delivery of wooden bird feeders and nesting boxes, made by hand in the UK, and painted in soft muted tones to blend into your garden beautifully.

With warm wishes

Karen

PS

Please remember in November our opening hours are 10:00 am to 4:00 pm everyday.

Garden jobs for November

I can’t believe that the clocks have changed, we’ve had some warm temperatures recently which have felt quite spring-like at times. But autumn leaves, warm fires and fading colours in the gardens leave me in no doubt! We are heading into the winter months, but this is still an important time in the garden, tidying up and planning.

My top 2 jobs for the month

1. The autumn tidy up! Clean and store away all tools, pots, bags of compost, hoses and irrigation equipment which you won't be using during the winter months.

2. Keep on top of the leaf clearing, especially from lawns and pathways.

I gave you a long list of jobs last month in our October newsletter which can be carried out in November if you haven't caught up!

Planting

• Continue planting bulbs in beds and containers, November being the ideal month for tulip planting. Some bulbs cope particularly well in shadier areas - bluebells, grape hyacinths, snowdrops, daffodils - and remember that bulbs can be planted under deciduous trees and shrubs where they will flower before the canopy develops next year.
• Plant some containers with a couple of tulip varieties, for a big impact next spring.
• With the good October temperatures we’ve had, the ground is still great for planting. The benefits of autumn planting are the warm soil, and cool nights which leads to good root growth and fewer losses. This applies to herbaceous perennials, shrubs and trees - why not plant a deciduous tree with beautiful autumn colour and look forward to the display next year? It's also a good time to move plants around if you've made mistakes.
• Get rid of summer bedding in containers if you haven’t done so already. Pansies, violas and cyclamen will provide fresh colour and can be combined with small evergreen shrubs such as box, Euonymus, Choisya or a beautifully scented Sarcococca. Small conifers make a good addition to containers too, or try an evergreen fern, Hellebore or one of the beautifully coloured Heuchera.
• For a specimen container shrub, you can’t do much better than a glossy leaved camellia, full of bud now, ready to burst into flower in early spring.
• Pot up indoor narcissi and hyacinths, amaryllis too, ready for Christmas.
• Sow sweet peas ready for next year. Many people report much better results from autumn sown plants, kept in a cold frame over winter.

Plant and garden maintenance

• Leave ornamental grasses in place over the winter to support overwintering beneficial insects.
• The recent strong winds will have tested your tree stakes. Make sure they are secure before more high winds hit us.
• Tie in climbers, and if this isn't possible, cut whippy growth back.
• Mulch beds and borders, with a thick layer of compost, bark or other mulching material to insulate plants and roots from cold temperatures. This is especially important for borderline-hardy plants,
• Raise pots and containers onto pot feet or bricks to aid drainage and prevent them becoming waterlogged.
• Be ready for frost with fleece to protect vulnerable plants.
• Remember that the roots of plants in containers are more susceptible to frost than plants in the ground, and therefore need protection. Move them to a more sheltered spot, or wrap bubble wrap or hessian around the pot.
• Acers, birches, walnuts and laburnum are better pruned now, after leaf fall, than after mid-winter, when the sap is rising and they may ‘bleed’.

Vegetables and fruit

• Start winter pruning apples and pears at the end of the month
• Lift parsnips, but leave them in the ground to get frosted as they taste much better.

Pests and disease

• This month is your last chance to spray perennial weeds with systemic weed killers before growth slows down.
• Keep the battle up against squirrels - make their lives as difficult as possible in order to protect your newly planted bulbs. You can cover pots with chicken wire, sprinkle chilli powder around… there’s no simple answer, but it’s worth a try.
• Slugs and snails are still around, so continue to deter them from overwintering in your garden. Clear away rubbish - a tidy garden is a slug-free garden (or so they say).

Wildlife

• Clean out bird boxes as soon as possible: old nesting material can harbour parasites. Birds look for warm winter roost spots, and indeed, for somewhere to raise a family next year. If they are familiar with a box by spring, they are more likely to move in.
• Keep bird feeders full and a water supply too. Install a birdbath if you can - it's lovely to watch a blackbird having a splash around.
• When tidying and cleaning in the garden, don’t be too meticulous, make sure you leave somewhere for wildlife such as hedgehogs and toads to hibernate. If you're planning a bonfire, check your pile for any wildlife before you light it.

I hope you manage to spend some time outside. One final piece of advice - clear those leaves from paths before we get any rain - they become so slippery, as I found out to my cost recently, walking in Derbyshire. My wrist is in plaster!

See you next month

Sally