The Ashridge Nurseries Blog

A life aquatic
It is a challenging time for all of us, nevertheless we will continue to communicate with you, our loyal customers, by keeping calm and carrying on gardening. We will stay open for business for as long as possible and will...
"May you live in interesting times"
... is an English expression which is supposed to be a translation of a Chinese curse (how ironic), although there is no direct evidence that the saying's provenance was from China. In reality we would rather live in uninteresting times...
The Best Plants for a Wildlife Hedge
A good hedge is an invaluable addition to any garden. From the outside it delineates and disguises boundaries, creating structure in a space. Up close (and there’s no better way to get a close-up view than by learning the ancient...
Easter 2020 Ashridge Nurseries Competition
Dahlia Competition Terms & Conditions Entrants must be aged 18 years or over at the time of entry and be a resident of the mainland Britain. The competition is free to enter, no purchase is necessary. Employees, families, friends or...
Hedgelaying
Ashridge Nurseries was proud to sponsor the Blackmore Vale Hedge-laying Competition the weekend before last. Amazingly the weather improved and was generally sunny, but the ground was incredibly wet. And you know what - the soil will remain at the...
Dahlias – Dazzling Divas
The sizzling colours, the enormous range of colours, differing heights and sizes of flowers (from dinner plates to dainty delicate blooms), varieties of form; spikey flowers, pom-poms, balls, ones that look like orchids or waterlilies, all in a complex layer...
Sweet peas, how do I love thee?
Let me count the ways… Noel Sutton and Anniversary sweet peas with lady’s mantle, lavender, philadelphus and a pink hardy geranium Well, for a start the scent is hands-down THE BEST. There’s no competition - as far as I’m...
Mother's Day Competition
You need to sign up in order to enter the competitions here: Competition Terms & Conditions Entrants must be aged 18 years or over at the time of entry, and be a resident of the mainland Britain. The competition...
Win a Small Orchard
By entering our prize draw you could win a two pear trees, an apple tree and one plum tree. Competition Terms & Conditions Entrants must be aged 18 years or over at the time of entry, and be a resident...
Hedges and trees
Hedges and trees are a huge part of the British countryside. Hedges and trees are an essential part of the UK ecosystem. Hedging is a conduit for wildlife, providing shelter and food, used for stock proofing and shelter for livestock...
New dahlias
There are many varieties and wonderful colours of the modern dahlia. The names are descriptive of the different varieties and there are so many of them - they bloom from July to November. To quote a famous politician "If you...
A wander around my January garden
Although it's not the most colourful time of the year, it's a time for reflection, planning and the promise of things to come. Having said that, I love the russet colours of my beech hedge at this time of year...
Gardening Quiz
How knowledgeable are you about gardening? Do you know your Acers from your Zephirine drouhin? Try our quiz and see how you get on and then share the results with your friends. It's just a bit of fun, here's the quiz...
Wisley Winter Walk
Perhaps the best present I was given for Christmas was a year’s membership to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). So when the fat welcome pack arrived, shiny and full of promise, the front a gorgeous full-bleed photo of a gateway...
Competition prize to win a £50 voucher
By entering our prize draw you could win a £50 voucher to be spent at Ashridge Nurseries. All you need to do is enter the draw when a pop-up appears on this page and we will notify the winner before...
How to Create Your Own Winter Garden
As I filled up the bird feeders yesterday, I noticed the intense green of the dogwood stems contrasted against the fence, the first winter clematis flowers emerging and a trace of witch hazel scent on the breeze. Such tiny marvels...
I’m Dreaming of a Sustainable Christmas
Christmas is a time of celebration, family and good cheer, but it can also be consumerist, wasteful and exhausting. With shops, the internet and the media advocating the purchase of more and more presents, mounds of plastic and wrapping paper...
Rose update
Last year’s pre-Christmas plans to install a gorgeous climbing Bathsheba rose in a large pot against the back wall of our house didn’t go according to schedule. But no matter - bare-rooted roses are happy to be planted any time from late...
A Few Winter Projects
The weather’s been pretty unkind these last few weeks – often freezing cold, frequently blustery and without exception WET. I’ve put off a load of little jobs out in the garden, and there are planting plans for perennials I’ve had...
National Tree Week: Trees for Small Gardens
To coincide with National Tree Week and the Woodland Trust's plans to plant a 100,000 trees, here's our guide on trees for small gardens. If you saw Channel 5's 'Plant a Tree to Save the World', last night, then you...