Most of the damage caused to bareroot plants in cold, freezing conditions is to the delicate roots themselves. The roots are fine, fibrous structures with a high water content: moving them, or even the slightest touch whilst frozen, can cause damage. Almost all of a shrub or a tree’s energy reserves are stored in the… Continue reading Freezing weather & bareroot plants
Category: Gardening Tips
Friendly fungi facts
Rootgrow mycorrhizae are fungi that coexist in the soil with plant root systems. They have a symbiotic relationship in which the fungi provide the host with additional water and nutrient in exchange for the plant’s waste products (mainly starches) that the fungi require to grow. Mycorrhizae grow vastly more rapidly than roots and so they can… Continue reading Friendly fungi facts
Ash Tree Dieback Disease
Ash saplings infected by the Chalara fraxinea fungus were found at Buckingham Nurseries at the beginning of 2012 Say hello to the Ash dieback fungus formerly known as Chalara fraxinea or Hymenoscyphus pseudoalbidus: Hymenoscyphus fraxineus. The general picture twelve years on is that this rollicking, single-minded plague creeps inexorably through air, soil, and aboard insects,… Continue reading Ash Tree Dieback Disease
Trim Lavender Around Late February
This post is a bit late for getting in a February trim, but since the weather hasn’t been great this year we think your Lavender deserves a bit of a rest first (phew, I got away with that one!). Our school of thought on Lavender clipping is to do it twice a year: A light… Continue reading Trim Lavender Around Late February
A Yew Supplier’s Thoughts for Yew
We say 3 things about Yew – quick growing when young, likes clay on the dry side & is very durable.
When to prune trees? Winter-Summer
Pruning a tree is not like trimming a hedge, although a seriously overgrown hedge is basically a row of scrubby trees that could need pruning to restore it to a proper hedge again. Young ornamental trees may be shaped using secateurs to prune side shoots, but removing branches on an adult tree will need a… Continue reading When to prune trees? Winter-Summer
When to clip, trim & prune hedges?
Winter and Summer Winter is generally the best time to prune woody subjects and it certainly is the best time to trim the hedge plants you have just planted. Hedges must be clipped and sometimes pruned. Fruit trees need some pruning to maintain the best crops. Older ornamental trees can need pruning if they are damaged or… Continue reading When to clip, trim & prune hedges?
Get the Ground Ready for Lavender
If you are planning on buying lavender plants this year here are a few tips which might help you grow them just that little bit better. 1. Don’t buy your lavender until towards the end of May. Lavender is a funny old thing – the angustifolia varieties such as Hidcote and Munstead are as tough… Continue reading Get the Ground Ready for Lavender
Hedging – Plants with Feet of Clay
It is all hedging at this time of year…. These yew hedge planting pointers apply equally to almost all other hedging plants as well, certainly anything that needs a well drained soil. You can dig a trench to plant your hedging if the ground is well drained. You can improve the soil as much as… Continue reading Hedging – Plants with Feet of Clay
To Fedge or Not to Fedge?
That is the question: Whether ’tis nobler in the willow to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fedgeune, or to take arms against a sea of fedges, and by opposing end them. Willow fedges are living structures made from closely planted willows. Ornate structures can be built up; chairs, houses, pergolas and so on,… Continue reading To Fedge or Not to Fedge?