Problems with peat free compost? It might not be your fault. The UK is making significant progress toward a peat-free future, and while this is a vital step for environmental sustainability, the transition hasn’t been without its challenges—particularly for amateur…
A Beginner’s Guide to Buying and Using Compost What is Compost? When buying compost, many people assume it’s a simple product, but in reality, it varies widely depending on its intended use. In the UK, what we commonly call compost…
How We Can Help You Garden More Naturally In over 40 years of horticulture, I’ve witnessed many changes in pest control and the promises of new technologies, some of which have led to environmental consequences we’re still grappling with today.…
Fungus gnat using Nematode control Identifying your flies is essential, you can then choose the best approach Nematodes These easy to apply beneficial nematodes are mixed in water and applied to the soil around the plants you want to protect.…
To identify the type of fly infestation in your plants, it’s important to distinguish between fungus gnats (sciarid flies) and shore flies, as they need different treatments. Key Differences Between Fungus Gnats and Shore Flies Main Giveaway: Fungus Gnats: Crawl…
If you looked in any old gardening book the idea of using cyclamen for autumn colour would be frowned on. However things have moved on and we now have cyclamen that make perfect autumn bedding. They look like house plant…
No need for your summer patio pots to be empty, you can plant them up now and you can still use them for the summer.The most important thing about planting spring planters is that it is too cold for the…
Seed sowing needs preparation, a bit like bringing up a baby.A baby needs the correct food, clothes and conditions to thrive, but what they need changes as they grow. It is the same with seeds, they need a nursery to…
The most important thing about planting autumn planters is timing, if you wait until October to make up your planters, then you will find its too cold for the plants to grow. The answer is to buy fully grown plants…
Making a summer planter is very easy, you can buy fully grown plants in flower and make an instant planter. Why not try growing your own, its easier than you think. We can help you, allow some time for growing.…
How to start growing pea shoots You can grow pea shoots, this is a very easy method. Buy some peas to sow Firstly don’t use normal garden pea seed, it may have been treated with chemicals and it won’t have…
We grow a wide range of primroses and our primrose supplier often sends us experimental varieties and colours to test. Experimental 2022 Sometimes they perform well and are added to the normal range, sometimes they are tweaked for a few…
Is it time to start filling up your greenhouse? We still have a lot of empty benches, but good news, we have saved a lot of money on heating. But we will need to start potting next week and have…
Ever wondered how to make a Christmas pot wreath, we can help, its easier than you think. A simple arrangement of collected or foraged foliage can give a stunning result. The pot wreaths can be any shape or size but we find…
How to choose a good poinsettia plant Poinsettia plants are grown on professional nurseries, great care is taken to look after them, the feed, water, height and shape is carefully monitored, to produce the best plant possible. So why do…
Spring flowering bulbs are harvested in late spring and summer and packed ready to sell in the autumn usually in September and October, but they can be sold right up to Christmas. When you water or plant the bulb, it…
Potting for health Why would you keep your plant in the same pot for all of its life, surely it won’t like it. Plants can be quite happy even in very small pots, Japanese bonsai trees are an extreme example,…
Potting plants for growth This page is about moving plants from a small pot to a large pot or baby plants into their first pot.If your pot is too large to move or you only want to revitalise your plant…
Potting plantsThere are two kinds of pottingpotting for growth or potting for health find out more Potting for growth This is like moving a baby from a cot to its first bed, you are just giving it room to grow.…
Check your varieties, you don’t need to side shoot some types. Tall types often called cordon will grow over 2 metres, 6 foot plus, they are used by commercial growers, by the end of the season they can be over 6…
Perhaps the easiest way is to choose a colour scheme Are you a frustrated designer, do you have an eye for colour and fashion. Create a colour theme we can help Making a planter or hanging basket, allows you to develop…
Hanging basketsOne of the most popular forms of container gardening, but judging by the amount of half dead hanging baskets you see it also has some problems.Part of the problem is conflicting advice, and a wide choice of baskets some…
Still plenty of time for a frost I think the weather is the number 1 concern for most gardeners old and new. In the spring often as early as April, summer bedding will be on sale, sold in flower to…
How to get the best from your easy fill baskets. Some people love them and others hate them. people who love them people hate them We can helpThe first video shows how to get the best out of them and…
Growing tomato plants how difficult can it be? Nothing is quite as divisive as growing tomatoes from seeds, let us help you make some informed choices. Tomatoes what do they want. How warm should they be. What about light When…
It is very easy to sow your tomatoes too soon, sometimes it is just excitement, sometimes bad advice, we all learn by experience.Often new gardeners, in a hurry follow the wrong advice, seed packets for instance. There are some simple…
Primroses our most popular spring flower, stunning colours and sweet scent. Now you can buy Hardy primroses in a wide range of sizes and qualities. Hardy primroses to enjoy. Breeders have reintroduced stems to give height. New hardy primroses, plant…
Managing your on-line expectations During my research of on-line sellers I found a lot of angry reviews posted on line, some of these are very valid complaints, about quality and non delivery, but some are caused by misunderstanding the actual…
Special Online offersWe have checked the small print for you Special price Giant Fuchsias from Thompson & Morgan Find out more What you need to know Reasons to buy With large blooms up to 10cm (4in) across, these delightful trailing…
Protect your seedlings When I started gardening many years ago, seed was always sown into seed trays and followed by pricking out. Pricking out stations manned by nimble fingered ladies where found on all nurseries, their speed and skill could…
A simple way to sow seeds singly or in clumps using only a damp stick. Sowing the seeds. Do I need a special compost?If possible buy seed sowing compost this will be finer in texture with no large lumps and…
Can I use my unheated greenhouse now? I think it depends on where you live, with experience you will find the right time, but what if you are a new gardener how will you know? The best option is to…
Time to turn the heating up and start potting. Our first delivery of summer plants have arrived. If you remember we warmed up the compost for a few days ready for the delivery.We are lucky our plants are delivered on…
Lovely primroses in a wide range of colours.
On the nursery in January The start of the new year, after Christmas it always feels a bit quiet, so we try to take some time off to recharge the batteries.January is also a good time to carry out some…
Remember when Strawberries were Sweet, juicy and full of aroma. To have perfectly ripe strawberries you need to grow your own or visit a pick your own strawberry farm.The good news is its really easy to grow your own fresh…
Remember when Strawberries were Sweet, juicy and full of aroma. They are not quite the same nowadays, the supermarket grower has to pick them slightly under ripe to minimise wastage, they are delivered using chilled transport this also reduces the…
How to see the wood from the trees How to buy and compare different led lightsThere are 3 main ways of comparing them: Perhaps the 4th comparison should be brand or longevity.Brand or Budget. You usually get what you pay…
How low can I go? All plants have an Optimum Temperature As the temperature of a plant decreases, there is a point when it stops growing and developing. This temperature is called the base temperature, and varies widely among plants.…
When to start sowing seeds, I think we are all desperate to start gardening in the spring. As a nurseryman, I believe most gardeners start too soon. Using the data from our nursery climate computer, I calculated the total sunlight…
Time to be careful? Grey Mould or Botrytis to give it its Sunday name is always lurking about, just waiting for the perfect conditions to grow.It survives from season to season in plant debris, pots, structures in fact almost anywhere.…
How warm is it? The only way to find out is to measure it, the human body is useless for monitoring temperature. During cold weather, have you every come into the house and thought it was lovely and warm. Then…
During the covid crisis, lots of new gardeners turned to the online sellers, however judging by the number of complaints it was not always successful. I would start by saying, we don’t sell online but have done in the past…
Probably the most popular spring flower.Stunning colours often sweetly scented they brighten up any garden but also make great patio pots or house plants.The first flowers of spring, primula came from the Latin word Primus, meaning first. The true primrose…
They are prized by gardeners for their ability to flower during the winter and early spring. The plants are surprisingly frost-resistant and many are evergreen, they even grow in shade.Once very popular in the 19th century, gardeners have been drawn…
What could be more beautiful in the middle of winter than the unusually shaped flowers, clusters of lemon stars are dotted along the bare stems. But creep closer and the rich sweet perfume will lift the spirits on the coldest…
Sarcococca is one of the best for winter fragrance. Glossy evergreen foliage similar to box, provides year-round colour and structure, while the spidery winter flowers fill the garden with perfume. They are generally neat and compact making great winter patio…
A group of shrubs sometimes small trees, that recreate the ugly ducking story every year, fairly unattractive with hairy plain green leaves in the summer. In the autumn the leaves change to orange and yellow before revealing the unmistakable slightly…
Add some winter colour to your garden with bright berries, they can also be a valuable source of food for wildlife. These unassuming plants hide their light under a bushel most of the year, then suddenly they break out colourful…
What could be more beautiful in the middle of winter than apple-blossom pink flowers to light up the darkness, but creep closer and the rich perfume will lift the spirits on the coldest days. A bit boring in the summer…
