The Ashridge Nurseries Blog

Christmas presents can be an emotive subject for gardeners. There are always so many things a gardener wants to find under the tree on Christmas morning. But, please, not another fork and trowel set (with obligatory floral design). And no more gardeners’ soaps or hand creams. I have a pile...

I’ve recently planted a beech hedge, which my wife has had in her mind for a while, just 10 days ago. We had an area of mown grass that was not really doing anything surrounded on three sides by borders, with a variety of flowers and shrubs. However, one end...

I love roses. They’re colourful, sophisticated, often gorgeously perfumed and happy as Larry in clay soil. Being a London gardener with little time to garden, this is crucial. A winter project My little pre-Christmas project this year is to plant the climber ‘Bathsheba’ in a pot against the east-facing wall...

For me, November is a month of mixed emotions. I struggle with the shorter hours of daylight, and the prospect of those seemingly interminable months of bleakness to come. Don’t talk to me of hygge or cosying up by the fire. I want to be out there, inspired by the...

Personally I love daffodils and narcissi, and as William Wordsworth waxed lyrical on the beauty of them, whilst in a pensive moment and enjoying the tranquility of them dancing in the breeze, here is his poem: I wandered lonely as a cloud, That floats on high o'er vales and hills, When all...

I’m sure that you, like all good gardeners, have been constantly looking at the weather forecast for your local area, and this week it seems as though it’s getting colder. The trees are losing their leaves which have turned into beautiful hues of yellow, orange, rust and red. This is...

  We get many people enquiring about specific things at certain times of the year, and here are some of the most frequent ones and some helpful answers:   Question 1:   When will my order be delivered? Answer: Current deliveries for bare root plants should arrive by mid-November depending on what...

 

The origins of Halloween are thought to be rooted in the Celtic celebration of Samhain, a festival to mark the season of bringing in the harvests in preparation for winter.

It was thought that on this day, the 31 October, the boundaries between the worlds became blurred.

The dead returned to haunt the living, causing terrible catastrophe and illness.

Many myths and legends surround this day, with various rituals being performed in order to protect people from wandering evil spirits, as well as to predict fortunes and destinies.
Continue reading →

Note to self; order hedging. Seasoned Ashridge customers already know the plus points of buying bareroot trees, hedges and plants. You can carry them around without calling your osteopath. They're (very much) cheaper than container grown plants Bareroot plants also establish better (no disappointment and no waste) They are better...

Here are our suggestions for five brilliant (and easy) things to do with your herbs in the kitchen. Lemon balm pesto - yes really, and probably not for the kids! This has been lifted straight and unashamedly from the wonderful Sybil Kapoor's book, Modern British Food. Put  55 g of...