I'll try to keep up-to-date with this blog throughout 2011 then delete and start again! Exciting! it probably won't be:(

Things to do in the garden at the present time, early January, include pruning deciduous trees and shrubs, clearing any leaves and composting them. If you have intention of planting soft fruits such as raspberries, currants, gooseberries etc. now is a perfect time as long as the soil surface is not frozen or too wet. It's better to choose a mild spell now than to wait until March or April. See the varieties available from us on the soft fruit page together with prices.

Something we do each winter is to coppice a piece of chestnut woodland. This enables us to be self-sufficient for logs (after storing in the dry for at least 12 months). Any long straight lengths are saved for bean poles and tree stakes. We do sell these also. A 6ft tree stake sells for £2.00

February has seen us working hard on a new fruit tree area for trained trees. This is looking good and proving it's worth with increased sales. Encouraged by this, the two of us have dismantled a large polythene tunnel house to make room for displaying larger trees and shrubs. We also anticipate using some of this gained extra space for soft fruits where we intend 'growing-on' gooseberries and currants in large pots for instant fruiting plants. We will still have smaller options available.

Spring is just around the corner! Have you noticed the light levels are changing and it is feeling more spring-like? I don't think it's just me. The male catkins on the cobnuts are really growing quite long now and you'll soon be able to spot the female catkin which is bud-like with only the bright red stigmas showing. It's here that the nuts will form.  

Mid March, already!  Busy now sowing seeds, pricking out seedlings and potting young plants. Will also soon have to pot up soft fruit that we have lifted for 'bare root' sales. Although the weather has not seemed very warm roots are now beginning to grow rapidly. In the garden we've been weeding and applying fertiliser and manure as a mulch around the fruit trees and soft fruit bushes. This all helps to ensure a bumper crop later on. 

April. Lighter evenings see us carry on working until it does get dark! Busy potting bare root trees and setting out in the nursery areas. Very busy potting summer plants for hanging baskets and patio containers etc. We grow quite a large range of geraniums, fuchsias, begonias, impatiens, verbenas etc. Then of course all the veg! These are proving very popular with more of us prepared to 'grow our own'. If you haven't already tried them, give Tumbler tomatoes a go in baskets. You'll get a super crop from just two or three plants in a basket and don't have to bend down to pick them! If you are in our area do pop in to have a look. Everything is looking good, even if I do say so myself.

April 16th  Over the last week we have been planting the last of the fruit trees that will be trained over the coming months into Fans, Espaliers & Cordons. We should have some very nice stock available by November. Also, most of the potted trees are now set out on canes and wires. Some of these will be ready mid summer onwards. Of course, pot grown bush and half standard trees are available now. We are well stocked, please phone or email if you have any specific requirements. While all this is going on our glasshouse is at bursting point with summer plants such as Fuchsias, Geramiums, Verbenas, Impatiens, Bacopa, Diasia's, Begonia's, Surfinia & Million Bells Petunia's etc,etc.

May 14th. Bedding & Baskets are now in full swing. If you have visited the nursery during May and June before you will know that Debra's hanging baskets are some of the best around. She rarely leaves her bench at this time of year and could plant them in her sleep! She's got this knack with colours....it's a good job that she has!!

It's June, where did May go?!  Fruit has been selling extremely well together with vegetable plants too. We have some very nice trees coming on for the autumn but also have container grown trees available now. Many with a crop on! If you would like a fan trained peach in September please let us know as soon as you can. The recent rain has been most welcome and surprisingly has not deterred customers. We are still open 6 days a week but by July hope to get the odd day off so please get in touch for opening times in July or August.

June 28th. If you tried to get in touch yesterday (27th) we're sorry, we took a day off, once I'd watered everything that isn't on the automatic irrigation! We went to Sissinghurst Castle. A beautiful day, though almost too hot. How often can you say that? The hottest day of the year so far. The gardens did not disappoint, but I think perhaps the vegetable area had been struggling with the dry spring. Would recommend a visit if you haven't been already. Lovely ice creams from a lady in the grounds.

July 11th. Had another day off! so sorry if we missed you. We went to RHS Wisley. 19 years since our last visit....it's changed quite a bit! One tree that I remember from then was a Betula utilis var. jacquemontii 'Silver Shadow'. It is still there, across the main lawn. A lovely tree then and still is. Pure white bark. Have returned home with lots of ideas and inspiration so will have to work hard in the coming months.

Sunday 14th August.

Sissinghurst Smallholders Fair. We went! Had a Sunday off!!, well after I'd done the watering etc. Arranged for our oldest daughter and her boyfriend to mind the 'shop' for us. They managed very well. Had a lovely day at the fair. Warm & sunny but not too hot. Heard the talks by Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall and the head gardener from River Cottage, and Sarah Raven. Lots to see from a good range of stall holders and you get the opportunity to ask questions too. If you get the chance to go next year I can recommend it.

Meanwhile, back here, things are looking good. Lots of fruit, apples and pears, ripening. We've already picked most of the plums & gages. Oullins Golden gages cropping really well and tasting delicious. We will have a good selection of trees available this winter both 'bare root' and pot grown.

Late August. Feeling quite autumnal now. Pears are ripening. We've finished picking 'Beth', now moved onto Williams'. Apples too are ripening now. It's a good time to visit the Nursery if you wish to see, and taste, the fruit. Have just picked a nice big basketful of damsons this evening. Hopefully, Debra will make my favourite jam with these!

Photo shows 'Beth' Pear.

We do like our fruit. (We did'nt grow the bananas or the grapes).

We've had a HOLIDAY! Rare for us. Thoroughly enjoyed North Uist in the Outer Hebrides. Not many trees there. If you have tried phoning over the last ten or so days and couldn't get an answer then please accept our apologies. Kate, our daughter, looked after the Nursery for us and took calls whenever she could, but she knows that she will have missed some. If you do phone rather than email, please give a long ring to allow us time to run to the phone.

Sept. 22nd  Come along now if you would like to taste the fruit! Apples in particular. This years trained fruit is now ready for sale and it's selling! Prices of Fan & Espaliers from £55.00 each. Lots of trained cordons from £32.50 & half standards from £35.00 These are pot grown trees, well formed heads and have carried at least a few fruits this year so even better potential for 2012.

October 15th  What an autumn. So warm & dry. Although we are not watering quite as much as we were, it would be nice to have a wet day, or night! We have planted several container grown trees and shrubs recently and the ground has been very dry so watering carefully at the root ball is very important. Fruit is continuing to sell well, particularly trained trees. Most has now been picked with just a few Comice pears & Braeburn, Red Fallstaff & Spartan apples to come.

Many ornamental deciduous trees are looking good, showing good autumn colour. We have several in larger sizes at very attractive prices and even with delivery are cheaper than many wholesale growers. If you are able, do come and see for yourself. We also offer a planting service which will include all materials used to plant & stake the trees too.

October 25th. Debra has been busy making Quince jelly. She found the recipe on the web, 'ordinary cook' site. A Mrs Beeton's recipe.It is delicious.

November 13th. Debra has now made Medlar Jelly! You wouldn't think that such an odd looking fruit would taste this good. The jelly that is, not the fruit raw fruit.

There are medlars in the pot. Honest.

While digging into my compost heap today I found this. And around 40 more! Know what it is?

I quickly re-buried them.

Answer....

They are Grass snake eggs.

November 24th. It's THAT time of year again. Where has this year gone?!

Christmas Trees now available with many more arriving shortly. Debra is head of quality control for Christmas trees. She won't just accept any old tree for retail sale. They ALL have to be a lovely shape and well furnished with evenly spaced branches. If she likes it, then I am sure you will too. We stock mainly Abies nordmanniana, the blue'ish variety that hold their needles well. Prices: 5-6ft = £35.00   6-7ft =£40.00    7-8ft = £45.00

A product that you may find of interest are 'Mini' sheep hurdles. That's mini hurdles, not sheep!

 

These retail @ £12.00 each or 5 for £50.00 ideal for holding back border plants from flopping-over onto the lawn. They are made for us by Michael, who also produces our tree stakes, from local chestnut coppice woodland. I'll add some photo's of the hurdles in operation shortly.

A curiosity! What does this remind you of? Noticed whilst cutting logs.