 For
your interest we have an archive newsletter section.
Please note that any special offers and prices mentioned may not
now be current.
New plants for 2004
This year is the bicentenary of the world famous Royal Horticultural
Society and to tie in with this groundbreaking event, a whole new
batch of plants has be named to celebrate this horticultural milestone.
We’ll be stocking a great many of them – some are
still under wraps and will not be unveiled until the Chelsea Flower
Show in May.
To get the ball rolling, three new trees have been launched. First
is a new apple tree, ‘Sweet Society’. This is an attractive
classic Cox type apple with superb aromatic eating quality. The
flavour is described as sweet and rich, and it is best harvested
late September onwards. It does store well into the New Year.
You can also plant a wonderful all-new mountain ash called Sorbus
aucuparia ‘Wisley Gold’. This self-sown seedling was
found on Battleston Hill at Wisley gardens and produces stunning
yellow fruits that are reliable and persistent. Well worth a look!
Finally, until the next new bicentenary plants are rolled out in
early spring, we have the rather splendid Malus ‘Hyde Hall
Spire’.
This is an ultra compact dwarf crab apple, ideal for smaller gardens
and it produces masses of large white flowers followed by mini green
apples that turn golden yellow when ripe.
Floral
Treats
Rhododendrons grafted on to lime-tolerant rootstocks are going
to be big in 2004. Marketed under the name ‘Inkarho’,
they’ve already been featured on BBC Gardeners’ World
programme earlier this year. This new breed of toughies looks set
to assist gardeners in our area to grow fantastic blooming rhodos
in the local limy soil. We’ll be stocking a wide range of
varieties, including large-flowered and the wonderfully dwarf Yakushimanum
hybrids. They start at £15.99 and go up to £59.99.
Elsewhere, don’t forget to get planting those sweet peas
– remember successional planting is the key to a prolonged
display. Our autumn sown range are grown in 8cm pots and are priced
at 65p each, or the spring sown crops are just ready, these being
five seedlings in a 9cm pot for 99p. The varieties ‘Royal
Mixed’ and ‘Spencer Mixed’ are offered in both
autumn and spring sown, and are joined by ‘Perfume Delight’
and ‘Cupid Mixed’ (that’s the dwarf one that looks
great in hanging baskets) in the spring sown.
Elsewhere in the shrub department, daphnes in all their glorious
guises have been selling well, prompted by varied weather. Look
out for the Amelanchier ‘Obelisk’, which was new last
year and caused a stir when it came into bloom. Larger specimens,
in 3 litre pots, are priced at £10.95. Mail order sized plants
are also available, pot grown at 1-1½ft high at £5.99
each.
Summer
Flower Bulbs
There is still plenty of time for planting summer flowering bulbs
especially Dahlias which will flower from July right up to the first
frosts. We have an extensive range of Dahlias priced from £1.29
each including Cactus, Decorative, Miniature Topmix, Pompom and
Ball types.
If you would like to try something special, why not try our classic
varieties which all have fantastic bronze foliage. You will all
probably know the Bishop of Llandaf with its scarlet flowers and
dark foliage. We also have three other varieties that have equally
stunning foliage to highlight those fantastic flowers. Rosamunde
is rich pink, Poeme is salmon and Swanlake is white with a buttercup
centre.
It’s now the perfect time to start Dahlias into growth under
frost protection. If you don’t have a greenhouse or cold frame,
don’t worry, you will be able to plant them direct outside
or into patio pots when the fear of frost has passed.
Get
Cracking – Under Cover
Starter ‘Plug U Grow’ bedding plants have been selling
exceptionally well, and this is just a reminder that the season
for these plants will shortly be coming to an end. We’ve plenty
of impatiens, petunia, lobelia and geraniums which are all ready
to go. All you need are a few cell-pack trays, some multi-purpose
compost and a warm, light frost-free spot indoors and you’ll
be away.
New
Arrival… Pleach Feature
The removal of a large unwieldy Leylandii hedge dissecting the
garden centre left a huge void just waiting to be filled, so with
thinking caps firmly on, the Buckingham Garden Centre team brainstormed
all the options.
After some thought it was decided to decrease the planting bed width
(which was far too wide and perhaps accounted for the extra vigour
of the hedge!) and turn this over to additional selling space, and
establish a new pleach hedge line as well. This was carried out
a couple of weeks ago, setting up timber posts and training wires
and, best of all, you’ll be able to observe the entire training
process over the next few years. Oh, we’ve used blocks of
red twigged lime, hornbeam, green beech and small-leaved lime trees
in the pleach line, so the effect should look stunning.
Not sure what pleaching is? Here is the RHS definition, “the
art of weaving together of branches of a row of trees”. Still
not sure? Come and have a look! We will be posting pictures of the
feature on our web site as it grows.
Veg
u Like
We’ve started rolling out our vegetable plant range for the
season… here are a few culinary delights on offer so far.
Broad beans – two varieties for this season – ‘Bunyards
Exhibition’, a large podded bean and ‘Stereo’,
a much dwarfer variety. £1.50 per pack or take advantage of
our multi-buy offer, of £1 a tray for five or more trays.
If you’ve some heated glass, we’ve a batch of F1 hybrid
‘Shirley’ tomato available, sold in 8cm pots at 99p
each.
Finally, we’ve got Calabrese ‘Marathon’ (new
variety for this season), Cabbage ‘Golden Acre’, Cabbage
Hispi and Brussels sprout Peer Gynt and Cauliflower All Year Round’
ready for planting.
**** STOP PRESS **** Look out for our exciting
range of 14 tomato varieties for 2004, more details next month.
Water
Features
If you are standing in our seasonal plants canopy and you can hear
the sound of running water, it is not that we have sprung a leak,
it’s our newly introduced water feature section. We have two
fabulous ranges of water features all displayed running so that
you can choose the one that will work best in your garden.
New
Pots
There is lots going on in our outdoor sundries area. We are currently
in the process of extending our fencing and landscaping section
and the work will continue for the next few weeks, and when completed
will include a bigger and even better selection of landscaping products.
We have already completed one phase which has seen the introduction
of a brand new range of pots and planters by Apta sourced from all
over the world. We have pots in sizes, shapes and colours that you
would not believe possible.
Clothing/Giftware
Don’t miss our new look gift area!
We have re-fitted the space between the coffee shop and houseplants
to create a new look gift area – we have already introduced
many new ranges including:
- Clothing by Tayberry with body warmers, fleeces, various jackets
and hats.
- Claremont & May Home Fragrances - a whole range of products
from candles, pot-pouri, room sprays, incense & oil burners
and many more items each designed to bring a themed fragrance
to your home. Each product is available in four fabulous fragrances
- Honey & Vanilla, Lilac & Lavender, Orange Grove and
Champagne & Roses.
- History & Heraldry gift centre - this range makes it easy
for you to pick and mix from a selection of themed cards, mugs,
mini books, picture frames, fridge magnets and gift bags.
- Woodstock wind chimes - we have completely re-vamped and extended
our range – try them out, were sure that there is one on
the stand for you.
- Fountasia ornaments - we have introduced two new ranges of
ornaments, Quarry Critters and Marsha McCarthy cats.
- Global Journey tapes and cd’s - a whole variety of relaxing
themes – try them on the machine and find one that suits
your taste.
Watch this space because we are planning to add more to our giftware
ranges so that you will be able to find a gift for all occasions
or simply something special for yourself.
Garden
Furniture & Barbecues
For 2004 we have introduced our best ever range of garden furniture
and a new range of gas and charcoal barbecues.
For furniture, we have three ranges of wood: keruing, teak &
balau. We have also introduced a new range of quality metal furniture
by Kettler which is suitable for use either in your conservatory
or on your patio. Furthermore, we have put in place a special 10%
mix & match set discount when you purchase any table with 4
chairs, cushions, parasol and base.
The ranges are coming in as we speak and will be fully merchandised
for you to try in the next couple of weeks.
Greenhouse
Offers
We are currently offering a 10% discount off all Halls painted
(coloured) greenhouses and staging, shelving and ventilation (offer
ends April 2004).
Aquatics
Pond plants are coming in soon, as are pond fish. Don’t buy
cold water fish until the water has warmed up to at least 10°C
and don’t buy pond plants until all the frosts have gone.
Carry on using the rest of your wheatgerm food and as the weather
warms up mix it with a higher protein food to help your fish put
on lots of weight over coming summer.
Fertilisers
There are some interesting additions to our fertiliser range this
year. These include:
- Ken Muir Strawberry Fertiliser.
- Fito Organic Fertiliser which deters moles and voles as well
as feeding your lawn and other plants.
- Growing Success Organic Plant Food Tablets. Two types –
one for tubs and baskets, and one for ericaceous (lime hating)
plants. The tablets are simply pushed into the soil or compost
and one application lasts all season.
- Chempak Palm Fertiliser. If you don’t have a palm tree,
join the club. However, this fertiliser is ideal not only for
palms (including parlour palms) but also for ferns, bamboos and
ornamental grasses.
Once again we are stocking the Doff liquid fertilisers: Liquid
Growmore, Tomato Feed and Container and Basket Feed. The 1.25 litre
size is £2.25 and there is a 2.5 litre size of Tomato and
Container & Basket for £3.99. These are excellent fertilisers
at very reasonable prices and they have been very popular in recent
years.
Phostrogen was one of the first general purpose plant foods to
come onto the market and it is still an excellent choice. Being
high in potash it encourages fruiting and flowering as well as being
a good general fertiliser. It is the usual sad story: Phostrogen
was an independent company which was taken over and then changed
hands several times.
The brand was hit hard by the introduction of Miracle-Gro and
slightly lost its way. It is now back with a bang as part of the
Bayer group who are promoting it hard, and more important we are
able to offer some very keen promotional prices. Last year 1 Kg
was £3.49 and a 4 Kg tub was £11.49. This year 1.5 Kg
is £2.99 and 4 Kg is £7.95. We have good stocks but
at these prices it is likely to fly out, and the prices will have
to go up again once the promotional stock is exhausted – so
buy early to avoid disappointment!
We also have the Phostrogen soluble plant food tablets at the
very special price of 99p for 8 tablets. Each tablet makes 1 gallon
of liquid feed for garden use or 2 gallons of liquid feed for houseplants.
(The tablets can be broken into 2 or more pieces of you need a smaller
quantity).
To some extent the choice of fertiliser is a matter of personal
preference, and Mircale-Gro is a good product and very popular.
A l kg carton is still only £2.99. If you buy a 2 kg carton
for £5.49 you can buy the extremely useful Miracle-Gro hose
and feeder for £3.99 instead of our usual price of £5.99.
Once again this is a limited offer which must end when the promotional
stock is sold.
Also, do not forget Growmore, still only £2.25 for 5 kg
or £5.95 for 25 kg. In addition to the products mentioned,
we have our usual wide range of general and specialist fertilisers,
both organic and non-organic, so there is no excuse for letting
your plants go hungry this year!
If you are plagued with greenfly and reluctant to use chemical
sprays it is well worth encouraging ladybirds. These, and especially
their young, are voracious eaters of greenfly. We are agents for
Just Green who sell ladybirds – but these are not available
until April.
It is also useful to encourage the natural population of ladybirds
by placing Agralan Ladybird Feeders in early spring near to where
the ladybirds hibernate (full details on the pack). This keeps them
going until their natural food become readily available. It is also
beneficial to provide a ‘Ladybird
House’, a specially designed nest area which provides
perfect conditions for the ladybirds to nest in. The one we stock
has been designed by the Oxford Bee Company who specialise in designing
habitats for various insects.
Adopt
an Artist
 From
Friday 2nd April until Friday 7th May we shall be holding a exhibition
of works by the local artist Lucinda Brown. This has been organised
in conjunction with Aylesbury Vale District Council.
After graduating from the University she has exhibited at ‘New
designers’ at the Design Centre in Islington, at Top drawer
at Olympia, the NEC Spring Fair and the BCTF in Harrogate, so we
will be delighted to exhibit her work here. She is passionate about
nature, especially the myriad of creatures that live or have lived
in the ocean. This is clear when looking at her works – wall
vases, birdbaths and wall plaques made from clay all decorated with
marine fossils.
Each piece is unique and it will be well worth coming to look
at the work, even if you are not interested in purchasing. You will
find the works exhibited in our new water features area.
Cell
Grown Hedging Plants
 Launched
on our Web Site last week, and available for collection from the
Garden Centre, we are delighted to be able to offer a range of cell
grown plants for the first time. Cell grown plants are a little
more expensive than bare root field grown stock but they have the
great advantage of having been raised in small containers (or cells),
filled with a growing medium. The cells have been designed specially
to prevent the root spiralling and to promote fibrous root growth.
This method of production has been developed by a specialist nursery
in Britain and most of the seed used is from native plants and we
are pleased to be able to offer their excellent stock to you.
The bare root stock we have offered over the last fifty years
is of excellent quality but, by its nature, transplanting involves
a shock to the growth of plants which take time to recover. With
the cell grown stock the root system remains intact, and the fine
fibrous feeding roots are sent out with the plant enabling rapid
establishment once planted out. If the plants are cared for properly
after planting the success rate is very high, thus eliminating replacing
lost plants.
Although the plants we are offering in cells are generally slightly
smaller than those offered bare root, because of their method of
growth in the cell they establish faster and will often catch up
or even overtake the size of bare root stock. They also have the
great advantage that they can be planted out when not dormant thus
allowing all year round planting. This means that you can choose
the time to plant when the weather is pleasant or when it is convenient
to you. Watering of any newly planted stock is very important whether
it is bare root stock or cell grown.
The root plug contains both naturally occurring mycorrhizae (symbiotic
fungus which enhances the absorption of nutrients by the feeding
root hairs) and added fertiliser. The uniform compact size of the
cell grown plants makes planting considerably easier than the planting
of bare-root stock which often have long straggly roots and need
a large hole.
The varieties of trees, conifers and hedging plants we have available
immediately for collection from the Garden Centre are as follows.
These will also be available for our mail order customers by approximately
at the end of March.
- Alder, Common (Alnus
glutinosa)
- Beech, Green (Fagus
sylvatica)
- Berberis darwinii
- Berberis Green (Berberis
thunbergii)
- Berberis julianae
- Berberis Purple
- Birch, Silver (Betula
pendula)
- Blackthorn (Prunus
spinosa)
- Cherry, Bird (Prunus
padus)
- Cherry, Wild (Prunus
avium)
- Cotoneaster franchetii
- Cotoneaster lacteus
- Cotoneaster simonsii
- Gorse (Ulex europeus)
- Hawthorn (Crataegus
monogyna)
- Hazel (Corylus avellana)
- Hornbeam (Carpinus
betulus)
- Larch (Larix leptolepis)
- Maple, Field (Acer
campestre)
- Mountain Ash (Sorbus
aucuparia)
- Oak, English or Common
(Quercus robur)
- Pine, Austrian (Pinus
nigra nigra)
- Pine, Scots (Pinus
sylvestris)
- Plum, Myrobalan (Prunus
cerasifera)
- Privet, Golden (Ligustrum
ovalifolium aurea)
- Quickthorn (Crataegus
monogyna)
- Spruce, Norway
(Picea abies)
Cell
Grown Wild Flowers
Wild flowers are wonderful in the garden as they not only look
really attractive, but they attract pollinating insects which will
be beneficial for the rest of the plants in the garden. We have
a limited number of varieties available immediately, and more will
be ready later in the year. They are all grown in cell packs like
the cell grown hedging and will have a good strong root structure
so can be planted either into a bed or directly into grass to develop
a wild flower meadow. The following are now available:
Full descriptions and pictures can be found on our website.
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