The Ashridge Nurseries Blog

Trees for Autumn and Winter Colour
The foliage on my Acer palmatum ‘Crimson Queen’ is on the turn. Every day, its rich plum-coloured leaves are developing more flashes of scarlet and vermillion. I’ve had this compact acer growing in a container for over a decade now...
A Wander Round Wyken Hall
Last week, we stopped by at RHS Partner Garden Wyken Hall, near Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk. It was a blustery end-of-season kind of day but, keen to eek out the last scraps of enjoyment from our long, rather lazier...
Tomato & Chilli Chutney
This is a fantastic chutney, which accompaniments most cheeses, especially a strong and mature cheddar - yum! Ingredients 1 kilo Fresh Tomatoes 1 tin Chopped Tomatoes 150g Caster Sugar 250ml White Wine Vinegar 2 tsp Nigela Seeds 2 Chillis (remove...
Blueberry & White Chocolate Muffins
It's Blueberry picking time! With an abundance of Blueberries, why not try this lovely Blueberry & White Chocolate Muffin recipe... Ingredients 300g Blueberries 60g white chocolate buttons/chunks 350g Self-raising flour 60g Caster Sugar 60g Muscovado Sugar 3 Eggs 2 tsb...
Daffodils for Spring Splendour
I always think of March as the yellow month. As spring arrives, gardens explode with colour as forsythia, primroses, crocuses, and daffodils come into bloom. By choosing a mix of early and late flowering varieties, you can extend the "yellow...
Damson Gin
Our simple homemade Damson Gin recipe will be great in a few months, ready for autumn! Ingredients 1 Litre Gin 500g Damsons 250g Caster Sugar Method Rinse and remove any leaves and stalks from the Damsons, then pat dry. Tip...
Fig, Apple & Halloumi Salad
Ingredients 10 fresh figs halved 60g honey 100ml olive oil 2 x 250g blocks halloumi, thickly sliced, then halved 2 tbsp sherry vinegar 150g rocket 1 x eating apple, peeled, cored & finely sliced 2 tbsp flaked toasted almonds Method...
Raspberry Compote
The home-grown fruit and veg cropping in abundance bring with them the soothing, homely prospect of making jams, jellies and chutneys. Do have a look below for the Ashridge team’s favourite recipe for raspberry compote . Compote Ingredients Fresh or...
Front Gardens
Fabulous Front Gardens One of the positives to come out of lockdown was the opportunity to slow down and take in our surroundings a little more. Out and about on daily walks, it was great to be able to amble...
Sustainable Garden Design
Clear-conscience garden design A wildflower lawn is wonderful for wildlife and can look fabulous As a city-based garden designer, when I head out to meet a potential client, I’m prepared to chat about a whole host of different questions. Common...
Planting Combinations for June
The long days of summer have finally arrived. But now the last spring bulbs have faded away and with a month or so before later summer stalwarts such as rudbeckia, echinacea and salvias begin to flower, how can we enjoy...
June Jobs
Now there’s more time in the day… It’s incredibly dry in my garden, so I’m thankful for the extra time I have in lockdown to spend watering. I’m conscious that water is a precious resource, so I’ve been saving it...
Drought...
The current spell of hot, dry weather has created a challenge for most gardeners - April was the driest on record and May is looking like the summer of 2018. A drought is a prolonged period of low rainfall, therefore...
Drought-proof Gardening
It’s been the driest April on record in the UK and the weather continues to represent drought conditions, and my London garden is looking pretty parched. The water butt at the far end, which collects rainwater from the shed roof...
National Gardening Week - from my garden
At last there has been some rain - a decent amount today and the forecast is that there will be some for the next few days. It means we don't have to go round the whole garden constantly watering. With...
Veg Growing for Beginners
Raised beds are perfect for growing fruit and veg as you can fill them with great compost rather than having to improve your own garden soil. For the past couple of weeks, social media has been fizzing with requests for...
Why We Love Lavender
The soft scent and hazy purple tints of lavender never fail to conjure up memories of long summer days in the garden. Lavender loves my local chalky soil, even self-seeding along our paths and verges. Originating from the Mediterranean, this...
Extraordinary Times
These are very challenging times for all of us and we wanted to assure you that we are managing orders as best we can at Ashridge Nurseries, under the government guidelines. We know that your garden is your sanctuary and...
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...