To Fedge or Not? Whether tis better in willow….

Posted on timeSeptember 25th, 2009 by userjulian in catGardening Tips, Trivia (or are they?)    flagNo Comments


Willow fedges are living structures made from closely planted willows.  Ornate structures can be built up; chairs, houses, pergolas and so on, but in its simplest form a willow fedge is just a living fence.

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Fruit Trees and the Mile High Club

Posted on timeSeptember 23rd, 2009 by userjulian in catFruit Trees    flagNo Comments


You will often hear people say that you can’t grow apple trees at more than 500 feet above sea level.

While there is a germ of truth in this – as in many old wives’ tales – it is only a germ.  I know of an enormously successful commercial orchard that grows at beween 800 and 850 feet above sea level and crops heavily every year.

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Were you a Derby Day loser?

Posted on timeSeptember 22nd, 2009 by userjulian in catDiseases, Gardening Tips, Hedging and Hedges    flag(3) Comments


We are getting a few enquiries about box blight from customers (and non-customers) who are worried that their box hedging might have contracted the dread disease.

When we are sent samples only about a quarter prove to be suffering from box blight which probably means that it is not as serious as people think – more “scare” than “there”. Where it is box blight, almost invariably the gardener concerned followed the old saw about never clipping your box hedge before Derby Day.

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Who will buy my apples?

Posted on timeSeptember 19th, 2009 by userjulian in catFruit Trees, Uncategorized    flagNo Comments


Guide to fruit tree rootstocks
It is about this time of year that the signs go up in nurseries and garden centres around the country, announcing the arrival of the main apple harvest.

And thousands of people boldly go forth to buy their apple trees (if you recognise the parallels with Star Trek here, it will be a source of enormous relief to know that there is an Enterprise apple.  Just don’t ask what it tastes like…)

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