It does not seem possible that the season for planting autumn bulbs is on us again, and the shop is starting to fill up with bulbs with colourful pictures illustrating them. Only a small number are here already but it is an indication of the time of the year.

For some of the bulbs it is important to get them in as soon as possible. For instance Autumn Crocus which will give a wonderful splash of colour in the early autumn. The varieties we have available are

• Colchicum Water Lily with its 5inch/13cm double pinky-purple water lily like flowers, Kotschyanus with its 5 inch/ 13cm delicate pale purple flowers with pale yellow centres,
• Lilac Wonder with its 5inch/13cm upright flowers with narrow rich purple petals,
• Sativa otherwise known as the Saffron Crocus, with its striped purple petals and prominent yellow stamens,
• and Sternbergia lutea with its 8inch/20cm high bright yellow flowers.

Crocus generally prefer a rather heavy but well drained soil with a good supply of humus, which is good news for many living in this area. If your soil is sandy it is a good idea to add plenty of leaf mould or well rotted compost. They are best planted in sun or partial shade, and certainly some varieties are better in partial shade as this prolongs the flowering period.

The foliage for these varieties will not appear until the spring, so it is a good idea to mark their position in some way so they do not get accidentally lifted in the winter clean up of the garden. When the foliage does appear they should be fed to ensure good flowering the following autumn. Autumn crocus are good for naturalising and spread rapidly in favourable conditions. They can be lifted and divided about every five years, so a modest outlay now should reap its rewards in the future.

There is not such urgency for planting other bulbs, but as soon as space is available in your garden it is a good idea to get them planted as one never knows what the condition of the soil will be later. For those wanting large quantities for naturalising the 25kg bags are the best buy. You can either have a named variety or mixed daffodils and narcissus at £19.50 for 25kg.

There will be many more varieties available soon but those in the shop at present include daffodils, tulips, Iris, crocus, fritillaria, chionodoxa, nectaroscordum, muscari plumosum, ornithogalum and scilla. There are also some very attractive windowsill bulb gardens.

Full Range Bird Tables Back in Stock!

There are just two other points I should like to mention in this supplement. We have had many people asking for the most attractive range of bird tables we had in the spring and which have been missing for some time. They are due in very shortly. The reason they have been missing is that they are manufactured by the same company who make the very popular arbour swing seats. They had to cease production of the bird tables in order to catch up with the backlog of orders for the swing seats. It is good to hear of the company doing so well, but it is a shame they do not have a larger workshop so they could produce more.

Complete Rot Composting

Also 'Complete Rot' the Alan Titmarsh product which quickly and easily turn grass clippings and other garden waste into a rich natural soil conditioner. Said to be a real organic treat for your soil. It makes sense to turn your garden and kitchen waste, including grass cuttings into rich organic compost for use top dressing your lawn, mulching flower beds, shrubberies and hedges, enriching sandy soils or lightening heavy soils. A ten litre bag of Complete Rot costs only £1.99 - hardly a large investment for all the rich compost you will be able to produce from waste materials.

Furniture and Aquatics Sales

As we need to make room for all the bulbs very soon we have some good bargins on offer now on furniture. For those who have admired the Bridgeman Iroko round folding table and folding chairs set which sells at £845, now is your opportunity to buy at only £749. You may not get much use this year, (although they do say we should have a wonderful September and autumn!) but as this set will last for years to come, does that really matter? Another good buy is the Broadfield Iroko Table, normally priced at £1,230 with six armchairs is now marked at £999. This table does have a few water marks from where our roof leaked in the recent downpour, but once outside these will disappear. Again this set will last a lifetime. We still have left a few of our budget hardwood Meranti sets which have been very popular this year. These consist of a round table, four folding chairs and a parasol all for £199. To clear the last few we are offering these at only £179.

A season soon to end will be that for pond plants and pond fish, so for anyone wanting to stock up their pond these products will be on offer.

[Top of Page]

Do you wish to receive future newsletters by e-mail?
If so, please click here.
Please click on here to return to the current newsletter.