April Newsletter 2018

Unusually, this is Sally writing. I’ve handed the holiday baton to Karen who is off for a couple of weeks up to Easter, and she has given me the newsletter baton in return! She valiantly delivered my gardening section for a few months while I was enjoying summer weather in the southern hemisphere.

I truly hope that April delivers some spring weather; it’s been grim throughout March hasn’t it and everything seems behind where it was this time last year. Hopefully you have found days where you’ve been able to get outside to clear away and see what’s coming through.

One thing worth checking as you go around is whether plant supports are in place before the plants start growing and get too tall. We have a full range of our rusty supports in a new home in the far corner on our lower site. These are attractive additions to the border before they disappear amongst new growth.

Have you noticed any gaps around the garden? We are filling the centre with lots of new stock, some from new suppliers which we are very excited about. Here are some highlights:

• Trees - we have trees suitable for all garden sizes – from Magnolias to Catalpas, Liquidambars to Silver birches, and soon to arrive, a lovely range of Acers and Cornus in the next week or so.
• Magnolias – these are from a small family run British nursery based in Crewe, who specialise in propagating and growing more unusual varieties as well as well-known ones. We have a selection of trees and shrubs, all developing lots of lovely buds. These grow very well in London soil.
• Flowering cherry trees – from the same family nursery, a range of ornamental cherries, colours from white to deep pink, some with stunning bark and most with gorgeous autumn colour.
• David Austin roses – The range of roses is as good as ever, with smaller and larger shrub roses, climbers and ramblers to bring colour and scent to your garden. Look out for the labels saying ‘suitable for shade’ if you can’t provide a really sunny position. Plant roses with mycorrhizal fungi around their roots (this goes for all other trees and shrubs too) and mulch with well-rotted manure or organic matter to ensure they get off to a good start.
• Herbaceous perennials - There’s a great range of perennials in stock, with more arriving every week. Of note are our 3 for £10 range of lupins, hollyhocks, poppies and foxgloves – get them in the ground soon to enjoy later in the year.
• Bulbs – We still have a range of potted bulbs - use Alliums to bring height and drama, tulips to bring colour and elegance, Narcissi and Muscari for a hint of spring! Snake’s Head fritillaries are in plentiful stock at present but as with all of the bulbs, stocks will begin to reduce as the month goes by.
• Climbers - The range of colourful evergreen and non- evergreen clematis in stock is excellent and we also have jasmines, honeysuckles, climbing hydrangeas, Solanum, Actinidia (come and see, they’re fun) and more. There will be a climber to suit a bright sunny spot or shady corner – it’s worth planting the right plant in the right place.
• Bedding – Pansies, Violas, Aubretia and Bellis are in now and we will begin to see summer bedding very soon.
• Herbs – The range is increasing every week. We have young plants in 9cm pots, priced at only £1.95, perfect for the kitchen windowsill or starting in a mixed container, a range in 1ltr pots too, along with a few items in much larger sizes.
• Six packs and alpines - Just in are handy carry packs of alpines, saxifrages, sedums and sempervivums – well priced at £11.95. This is a remarkably easy way to plant up a rockery, border, herb bed, or even green roof.
• Fruit trees and soft fruit – We’ve stocked a range of fruit to suit any garden, from cherry, plum, pear and apple trees to raspberries, blackberries and tayberries (a cross between a blackberry and a red raspberry). If you only have space for fruit in pots, check for the patio size plants. Why not try some blueberries? We have a trio of varieties in a pack to prolong the fruiting season. There’s good range of espaliers and fans: apples, pears, cherries and plums. These are so useful in a smaller garden, along the fence or wall, to give privacy around a terrace or as a divider half way down the garden.

There’s lots more I could tell you about such as Gardenias, Eucalyptus, Camellias (looking stunning), Prunus ‘Kojo-no-mai’ (small, low maintenance, beautiful flowering shrub that ‘keeps on giving’ according to a customer) but hopefully you will come and have a walk around soon.

Martyna is keeping the houseplant area well stocked with everything from tiny cacti to large cheese plants alongside a full range of pots, feeds and composts. You will also find essential items to make a terrarium – you can pick up a handy leaflet on how to make a terrarium too.

In the main shop we have a lovely new range of contemporary wildlife products for our native birds and bees, designed and made in England. These are alongside our full range of bird food and some natty bird hydration stations to keep our feathered friends fed and watered.

We have a fantastic range of standard pots and containers as well as some more unusual containers, including a new range of hanging troughs for those of you gardening on balconies. There are lots of options for indoor plants too.

This is a busy time in the gardening calendar (as you’ll see from the Garden jobs following). In the shop, tool area and brick sheds, you’ll find everything you need from spades and forks to pots, fertilisers, pest controls and watering cans.

It’s seed sowing time, and whether it’s vegetables or flowers you’re growing, we have propagators, seed trays and seed compost to start them off and pots, dibbers and labels for potting on. Look out for fibre pots, wooden labels and dibbers as well as extra small trowels and forks to help when working with tiny seedlings. The range of vegetable seeds from Franchi allows you to try something different, Sarah Raven flower seeds are always colourful and Jekka’s herbs are a tasty range to try.

We look forward to seeing you here at the garden centre soon.

Warm regards from all the team

Sally, Karen, Robby, Val, David, Tamsin and Martyna

P.S. We are open as normal every day this Easter weekend

Garden jobs

March hasn’t been kind, so let’s start the gardening year again this month! We're all desperate to get outside so here are some ideas to get you started, with a couple of initial thoughts...

Celebrate the lengthening days as we move into April and watch the garden springing to life at last.

Beware of late frosts which could damage young plants - have some horticultural fleece ready to cover up.

General garden maintenance

• Tidy up beds and borders. As a minimum, get rid of weeds which take moisture and nutrients needed by your plants. Dig out perennial weeds, and hoe away young annual weeds before they have a chance to get going.
• Tie in climbing and rambling roses and other climbers with string, ties or wire that won’t damage the growing stems. With climbing roses, tie the long stems as horizontally as possible which will encourage the plant to produce more flowers.
• Feed roses and other shrubs with proprietary or general fertiliser. Start treating against blackspot and mildew with an appropriate spray such as Roseclear.
• If you haven’t already, apply a good layer of organic mulch such as well-rotted manure or organic compost. This will help to retain moisture around plants, and the nutrients will gradually be pulled down to the roots by worms and other bugs. You can also use a straw or bark chipping mulch which will help to deter slugs and snails. Remove weeds and make sure the soil isn’t dry before applying mulch.
• Place plant supports over and around tall perennials before they need them.
• Deadhead daffodils and other spring bulbs when the flowers have gone over, but leave the leaves to die down naturally. This will replenish the bulb’s energy to form next year’s flower. To help further, give the leaves a dousing of liquid fertiliser.
• Dividing plants - spring is a good time to split and divide various herbaceous perennials such as Hosta before they come into leaf - dig up and divide large clumps, replanting sections with a spike of new growth showing and a good section of roots.

Container gardening

• Top dress - Scrape the top layer of compost off containers and replace with fresh compost. If necessary, repot container plants, pruning roots and introducing fresh compost.
• Keep containers watered - wind and sun can dry composts very quickly.
• Be imaginative. We always say that you can grow anything in a container but it pays to be realistic. You will need to provide all the water and nutrients that the plants need and be prepared to re-pot them every few years, but it's well worth the effort. A pair of standard bay trees in matching pots, a relaxed mixed container of tall Verbena bonariensis, a daisy like Erigeron and silvery leaf Artemesia Nana, some spring violas, pansies and pretty ivy or a simple box ball or two - containers can provide structure, they can lead the way through a garden or provide a focal point.

Pruning

• Prune early flowering Forsythia and Chaenomeles once they have finished flowering.
• Prune late flowering deciduous shrubs such as Hydrangeas and Buddleia if you haven’t done so already - prune hard back to a leaf shoot or stem.
• Clip evergreen shrubs and hedges of Photinia, Prunus lusitanica, Hebes, Fatsia, Choisya and Mahonia, always to a point of well-placed lower growth.
• Cut perennials such as Penstemons, Verbena bonariensis, Gaura and other summer flowerers to new shoots on last year's growth.
• Trim lavender, especially if you didn’t in the autumn, cutting out old flower shoots, and shorten new shoots by 2cm.

Planting

• ’Right plant, right place’ is a well know garden mantra, with books and magazine articles advising on what will grow where. In general, this refers to light levels, soil type and moisture levels. There are a few plants which will perform in permanent shade and some which tolerate dry soil and sun all day, but many more are happy in sun or part-shade. Always read the label on a plant to check whether it will be happy in the space you plan to plant it.
• Plant a tree - there’s something suitable for every garden, balcony, and terrace.
• Mediterranean type plants such as Hebe, Ceanothus, Cistus, olive and lavender can be planted as the soil begins to warm up.
• Plant out autumn sown sweet pea plants, or direct sow seeds outside.
• Plant your new plants well - have a look at our Planting guide.

Growing from seed

• April is normally the month to begin seed sowing outside, but only once the temperatures have begun to rise. Carrots, beetroot, peas, broad beans, lettuce and spinach can all be sown directly into prepared drills. Always read the instructions on the seed packet.
• With tender vegetables, the smaller the seed, the earlier it needs to be sown, so start off aubergines, chilli peppers and tomatoes as soon as you can - in seed trays in a greenhouse or on a windowsill.
• Towards the end of the month and into May, larger seeds such as sweet corn, courgettes, squash, pumpkins and runner beans can be sown directly outside.
• All tender vegetable seedlings should be hardened off before planting out and not put outside until the risk of frost has passed. A cold frame is invaluable for hardening off, if you have space.
• Direct sow sunflowers, poppies, pot marigolds and other annual flowers.
• Seeds will germinate more easily in a warm soil so it may be worth warming the soil before sowing or planting, with cloches, sheets of plastic or old carpet.

Fruit & Vegetables

• Sow quick maturing leaf crops at two week intervals to have a steady supply of cut and come again salad. Try lettuce, chard, beetroot, spinach, and any other favourites. Rows of seeds can be a centimetre apart, in a seed bed or in a grow bag or container.
• When tomato seedlings have their first pair of true leaves, pot on into individual pots.
• Thin carrot seedlings in the evening when there are fewer carrot flies around.
• Feed soft fruit bushes and strawberries with a general fertilizer to encourage bumper crops.
• Fruit bushes and trees can be planted, but pinch out flowers and small developing fruit in the first year so that the plant’s energy goes into building a strong root system.
• Protect young brassicas and carrots from pests by covering crops with horticultural fleece.

Herbs

• If mint has been in the same container for more than a couple of years, empty it out, cut it into quarters and replant two quarters back-to-back in fresh soil/compost.
• Cut back dead or damaged perennial herbs to rejuvenate them; prune Salvias (sage) by a third to half.
• Sow and plant new herbs to have a continued supply through the year ahead. Rocket, basil, coriander and dill and others can be sown at 2/3 week intervals.

Lawns

• Work on the lawn now, to get it ready for the summer months. Spike compacted areas with an aerator, or a garden fork, and apply a fertiliser or top dressing.
• Mow the lawn, if needed, on dry days with the blades set high for the first few cuts.
• Repair bumps and hollows in lawns by peeling back turf and adding or removing soil.
• Spring lawn feed products contain moss killer, weed killer and fertiliser - follow the pack instructions for rate of application. It can be useful to divide the lawn and the fertiliser into two or four to make sure you don’t use too much in the first section.
• After applying moss killer, rake out blackened moss and thatch 2 weeks later. Don’t worry – it will look worse before it gets better!
• Sow lawn seed on bare patches, and water during dry spells.

Houseplants

• Start feeding house plants as they start putting on new growth.

Pests and diseases

• Check emerging growth in the garden and guard against slugs which will happily feast on young and tender leaves and shoots.
• Watch out for early insect attacks. Small infestations of aphids can be squashed by hand if you aren’t too squeamish. Watch out too for Lily beetle, vine weevils and other infestations; remove and dispose of any you see, and treat with an appropriate insecticide.
• If using an insecticide, use it wisely to avoid killing beneficial insects. Don’t use sprays if there is even a whisper of a breeze, because the insecticide will be carried. Ideally spray early morning or late evening when fewer flying insects are around.
• Look out for blackspot on rose leaves and pick off affected leaves – early removal and control may eliminate the need for fungicide treatment.
• Slugs dislike strong smelling plants, so try planting a selection of mint, chives, garlic, geraniums, foxgloves, lavender and fennel around the edge of your garden.

Wildlife

• Sow or plant a wildflower area to encourage beneficial insects to the garden.
• Keep bird feeders topped up. Position feeders where you can see them from the house, and ideally out of reach of neighbourhood cats.
• Water is important for birds and other wildlife in the garden, so provide a saucer or bird bath which you top up daily, or think about a small pond.
• Ensure birds are not nesting before pruning evergreen shrubs and hedges.

Finally, enjoy what I hope will be an enjoyable month in your outside space.

Sally