Jan/Feb
2006
Newsletter
Potato Weekend 18th & 19th Feb.
Seeds
Keeping
Jack Frost at Bay
What's New
Root Wrapped Roses at Great Prices
Trees to Please
Top Hedges for Front Gardens
December Competition Results
10 Jobs for January and February
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Buckingham
Garden Centre
Tingewick Road
Buckingham
MK18 4AE
Telephone:
01280 822133
Fax:
01280 815491
www.hedging.co.uk
|
 Potato
Weekend - 18th & 19th February
After our Apple Day event back in October we spoke to many customers
to see if they would be interested in us arranging a Potato Day
and as the response was very positive we have been working to see
if it would be possible – and it is. We shall be putting together
a display of as many varieties as possible and we will have the
expert Colin Randel from Thompson & Morgan here to answer your
questions all day and also to give two talks, one at 11.00 and another
at 1.00. In between these two talks, we will have our local potato
enthusiast, Bernard Stopps, giving a talk at 12.00 on ‘Growing
for Showing’ which will include growing in containers.
Apart from the talks and displays, there will, of course be seed
potatoes to buy, micro-propagated potatoes to order, plus related
gardening products. The restaurant will have delicious potato recipes,
some no doubt from the really interesting potato and potato recipe
book which will be on sale. There will also be two competitions,
one for local schools challenging ‘spudding artists’
to bring the best dressed potato, and another competition for those
present on either day. All in all, it should be a great week-end.
This is the list of varieties we have available already: First
earlies – Accent, Arran Pilot, Epicure, Home Guard, Jersey
Royal, Maris Bard, Pentland Javelin, Red Duke of York, Riviera,
Rocket, Suttons Foremost, Swiift, Vanessa and Winston. Second Earlies
- Belle de Fontenay, Charlotte, Estima, Kestrel, Marfona, Maris
Peer, Maxine, Nadine, Saxon and Wilja. Main Crop – Cara, Desiree,
King Edward, Majestic, Maris Piper, Pentland Crown, Pentland Squire,
Picasso, Pink Fir Apple, Romano, Shannon and Valor. More information
on each of these varieties and a guide
to growing potatoes can be found on our web
site.
For Potato Weekend we shall also have the three new blight resistant
varieties Sarpo Axona, Sarpo Harlequin and Sarpo Mira. These are
more expensive but if you do have problems with blight it would
be worth choosing these. Also for the real enthusiasts we will have
some really wonderful micro-propagated varieties available to order
for delivery in June.
Seeds
'It's A Seedy time of the year'. Now is the time to plan your planting
programme for the year. Weather permitting, one can get out and
get the ground prepared for sowing, but in the dark winter evenings
it is good to curl up in an armchair and browse through those seed
catalogues, highlighting new varieties to try this year, and tried
and tested ones. If you have a copy of the Franchi, Seeds of Italy
catalogue the four middle pages have mouth watering recipes which
give suggestions of how to turn your vegetables into gastronomic
delights. Mind you, some vegetables like new peas are gastronomic
delights if simply picked, podded and popped straight into the mouth
when out in the garden!
If you cannot get into our shop to choose your seeds, we do have
the Seeds of Italy and Thompson and Morgan range now available from
our Web site, www.hedging.co.uk . However, if you can visit the
shop the range is far wider - there are also Suffolk Herbs organic
seeds, both vegetables and herbs, the Kings range of vegetables
and flowers, and the Unwins range of flowers and vegetables including
'Seeds4Kids'. These packets designed to capture children’s
imaginations as are the Vesutor 'Grow Your Own Kits' with such eye
and mind-catching titles as 'Hooded Executioner Plant', 'Scary Ghost'
and 'Sensitive Plant' are a definite way to help children's enthusiasm
with growing plants. We can, of course, send any of these seeds,
or shallots, onion sets and garlic to you by our mail order service,
but they are not listed on the web site.
Do not forget that, even at this time in the year, you can produce
a continuous supply of fresh salad material in a small spare space
indoors by growing sprouting seeds. This is so easy, and needs no
more equipment than empty jam jars and some clean muslin or other
material, and, of course the fresh, tasty, nutritional results are
free from artificial chemicals. Again, if you have a young family
try getting them involved. The results are speedy, which is always
good for keeping young children's enthusiasm going, and the only
downside may be some water to mop up a couple of times a day! There
are over a dozen different varieties to choose from including Alfalfa,
Adzuki beans, Onions and Sunflower.
Keeping
Jack Frost at Bay
At this time of the year and until the warm weather returns to
us it is essential to protect plants from frost. Frost tender plants
will be killed outright if exposed to frost, but other plants which
will withstand a certain amount of frost will need protection as
well. If you are not sure about the hardiness of any plant you have
in your garden, greenhouse or conservatory do not take a chance,
but either call in or 'phone in to get advice. We are always here
to help, and a simple question could save a favourite plant from
damage or death.
We are listing a range of products we have at the moment which could
help you to protect your plants, and as it is such a vital time
of the year for this we have put many of the items on 'special offer'
so you are, hopefully, not unable to buy because the price is too
high.
For your greenhouse or conservatory - Botanico greenhouse heater
2Kw £19.99. This useful little heater is thermostatically
controlled with a 5°C frost guard, two heat settings, cool-air
option for the summer and a 1 year guarantee, so it is useful not
only now, but also later in the summer when the problem is too much
heat.
For outside protection for Plants in the ground - Easy tunnels £17.99
each or buy 2 get 1 free. These tunnels are easy to erect and to
take off to store, and are 30cm high, 45cm wide and 3m in length
and have a choice of coverings: polythene, fleece or netting. They
will, therefore, provide protection against a range of weather conditions
as well and birds, animals and insects.
.
For outside protection for Plants in hanging baskets & containers
- Easy fleece Jackets £5.99 each or buy 2 get 1 free. These
jackets come in three sizes, small with four to a pack, medium with
three to a pack and large with two in a pack. They provide protection
against frost and harsh weather, and allow light and moisture to
filter through to maintain healthy growth. The integral drawstrings
make them simple and easy to use. They are ideal for hanging baskets,
containers and can also be used for protecting large plants in the
ground.
For more Permanent Weather Protection there are the following options
Hardwood cold frame £44.99 This frame is 40cm high, 100cm
wide and 60cm deep so will give you space for over-wintering, hardening
off, propagating and protecting plants. It will protect plants from
frost and harsh weather, animals and pests. It is manufactured from
long lasting hardwood timber, with twin walled polycarbonate glazing
with galvanised steel latches and corners. (This item is due in
any day).
Hardwood plant protector £79.99 This 'mini-greenhouse' is
110cm high, 76cm wide and 47cm deep so will give you plenty of room
for over wintering, hardening off, propagating and protecting plants.
It has three adjustable shelves, easy access and watering through
twin doors and an adjustable lid. It is manufactured from long lasting
hardwood timber and has twin-walled polycarbonate glazing with galvanised
steel latches and corners.
4 tier mini-green house £19.99 This mini-greenhouse is a very
economical unit ideal for patios and balconies with a multi-purpose
growing and display system. It is 1.48m high, 69cm wide and 49cm
deep with removable shelves so gives you plenty of space for your
money. It comes in a flat pack box and is simple to put together,
strong yet light and easily portable. The clear polythene cover
is removable and is replaceable. A very popular item.
Grow bag green house £9.99 This unit, which is 1m high, 1m
wide and 50cm deep, is designed to fit all standard grow bags. It
is ideal for early protection of plants and bedding. It has a removable
cover and is simple to put together, strong yet light and easily
portable.
Apart from these plant protectors we have an excellent range of
People Protection in the form of coats, hats, scarves, boots etc.
so there is no excuse for not getting all that preparation work
done to enable you to get a head start when the weather starts to
warm up again.
What's
New
The young seedling season is upon us again and we’re delighted
to be stocking a full range from both Plug-U-Grow and Baby Plants,
both specialist young plant suppliers to the garden trade. This
season’s new seedling introductions include two additional
varieties of geraniums, ‘Orange Ice’ and ‘Red
Ice’ (both exclusive). There’s also a new mixed petunia
– ‘Grand Rapids Mixed’ (described as a cool designer
blend in varying shades of blue with a touch of white) together
with a new Tomato ‘Sun Baby’ (a cherry-type tomato bred
for flavour and for both outdoor and cold greenhouse production).
Potted bulbs are now in stock and offer great value for money
at £1.65 each for 9cm pots, or £2.99 each for the larger
1 litre pots. Take your pick from narcissi, tulips and other choice
bulbous gems that are guaranteed to brighten your pots, baskets
and borders.
Root
Wrapped Roses at Great Prices
As you know we sell a wide range of hedging roses at the garden
centre and through our mail-order department. This season we have
managed to secure a further range of bush, climber, floribunda and
shrub roses to extend the choice on the garden centre.
The range is limited, but includes such beauties as ‘Blue
Moon’, ‘Scarlet Queen Elizabeth’, ‘Peace’,
‘Penny Lane’ and ‘Southampton’. Prices start
at £2.99 each, and climbers and shrub roses at £3.99
each.
When planting bare-root roses it is important that the bud graft
is positioned just below the soil surface in well-prepared soil
and we would recommend incorporating some Rootgrow®. Rootgrow®
is the friendly mycorrhizal fungi which should be applied to the
base of the planting hole. Bare-rooted roses should ideally be planted
before the end of March and lightly pruned once in situ.
Trees
to Please
One of our major success stories over the last couple of years
has been in the growth (pardon the pun) of specimen sized semi-mature
trees. The famous Notcutts nurseries introduced a revolutionary
method of growing them called the ‘Air Pot’ system and
this patented technique is now an industry standard. Sensationally
Notcutts announced last year that they were pulling out of this
market, so in recent months we’ve started to deal with another
nursery that utilises this pot technology. Well, so far so good
and already we have been impressed with the quality of these trees.
So, if you need a large tree – either to replace an existing
one or, if you have a tree planting project, do come and see us.
We are holding good stocks of the popular range of trees in 65-litre
pots, including multi-stemmed amelanchier. We are able to supply
a wide range of species and varieties, so do please ask if you are
looking for something in particular.
Top
Hedges for Front Gardens
Good gardening information is always useful, especially if you
are about to embark on a new planting project. We were impressed
with a new booklet, published by the Royal Horticultural Society,
which recently has been published and is available to view on their
website.
The booklet looks at everyone’s potential dilemma, what
to do with a front garden. It highlights the fact that many of us
are changing the use of the front garden to a place to park the
car and shows how the overall planting is effected with such a major
change. The booklet highlights the fact that in London alone, over
the past 5 years, over 120,000 applications have been made to lower
the kerb to give vehicular access to a front garden.
Hedges obviously play a major role in this type of project and
the top hedges recommended make interesting reading. In no particular
order they are Berbers thunbergii, common box (Buxus sempervirens),
dwarf box (Buxus sempervirens Suffruticosa), hornbeam (Carpinus
betulus), evergreen honeysuckle (Lonicera nitida), red western cedar
(Thuja plicata) and yew (Taxus baccata).
All in all, very useful information from the RHS and I’m sure
invaluable when it comes to thinking about that front garden plot
and what you may want to do with it!
December
Competition Results
Thank you to everyone who took part in our December newsletter
competition – over 40 entries received. Only one winner alas
so our congratulations go to Mr & Mrs James from Middleton Cheney
who win the £20 Buckingham Garden Centre Gift Voucher.
The answers were (1) Pogonophobia is the fear of beards. (2) The
winter berry ‘cherry plant’ is correctly known as Solanum.
(3) Ilex ‘J. C. Van Tol’ is the holly that doesn’t
require a pollinator and produces a crop of berries on its own.
Thank you to everyone who took part and we’ll have another
competition for you next month!
10
Jobs for January and Februrary
PURCHASE seed potatoes and place them in a light, cool, frost-free
position in seed trays or large egg boxes. Stand them ‘rose
end’ upwards, that is the end with most eyes and from where
they will sprout and develop.
MOVE pot-grown peaches and nectarines under cover for winter.
An unheated greenhouse is ideal. Keeping rain off these fruit trees
prevents the spread of spores of peach leaf curl disease. It also
protects their early flowers from frost.
MAKE early sowings of fine seeded bedding plants like petunia,
lobelia, and fibrous rooted begonias in a heated propagator. Don’t
forget pelargoniums (geraniums) benefit from being sown early in
the year.
FINISH raking up fallen leaves, especially those collected under
hedges and shrubs. These offer protection to slugs and snails over
the winter months, so all leaves should be cleared away. Also clear
house and glasshouse gutters which can get clogged up and put all
the leaves in a leaf bin to rot down.
PLANT new soft fruit bushes and canes. Shorten back the past season’s
growth of gooseberries and redcurrants by one-third. Cut raspberries
back to within 22cm (9ins) of ground level and blackcurrants back
to within 5cm (1in) of ground level.
THIS is a good time to move shrubs that are growing in the wrong
place or those that have outgrown their position. Aim to lift established
plants with as large a root-ball as possible. Prepare the soil in
the new planting hole well, digging compost deeply into it. Firm
the soil around the transplanted shrub, and provide a stake for
support if required. Water in well and mulch with composted bark
chips or well-rotted garden compost. It may be necessary to prune
out a few shoots from very large transplanted shrubs, as the damaged
root system may not be able to support them.
CUT off old leaves from hellebores that produce flowers from ground
level (including Helleborus x hybridus and H. niger) to expose the
flowers and remove possible foliar diseases such as hellebore leaf
spot.
AFTER a sharp frost check all recently planted shrubs, perennials
and spring bedding plants for frost ‘heave’. This is
the lifting of the soil around the plants. When this happens await
the thaw and firm the plants back.
RESOLUTIONS are often made and, alas, quickly forgotten, but if
you can make just one this New Year then can we suggest you make
an inventory of food and habitat for wildlife in your plot. Plant
some trees, shrubs or perennials that fill gaps in providing nectar
for butterflies or, seeds and berries for song-birds. In many neighborhoods
that are dominated by grass, planting some thickets of hollies and
viburnums will provide useful nesting sites for birds.
ESTABLISHED crowns of rhubarb can now be forced into early, productive
growth. Place a large bucket or forcing jar over the crown to encourage
fresh, pink shoots.
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