When Should You Cut Back Your Spent Bulbs?

Is there anything more restorative than the first flowers of spring? Apart from spring flowers plus kittens wearing watermelon helmets, obviously? March is the time to enjoy the full array of spring bulbs – a rich reward for the aching back and sore knees from our efforts in Autumn. After such a wet winter, it… Continue reading When Should You Cut Back Your Spent Bulbs?

Honey fungus: The tree killer

Honey fungi, Armillaria, are a group of parasitic fungi. They attack trees, shrubs and woody perennials, and are one of the most destructive fungal diseases in the UK. They are also among some of the biggest living organisms in the world, their underground networks often covering many miles and living for up to a thousand… Continue reading Honey fungus: The tree killer

Living sculpture: Topiary plants a little less ordinary

Shrubs trained as topiary are at home in any garden. From a cottage setting where intriguing forms nestle casually between flowers and vegetables, to a much grander scheme where repetitive shapes are rigid and regimented, topiary can be both charming and formal. And let’s not forget that when you trim your humble garden hedge, you’re… Continue reading Living sculpture: Topiary plants a little less ordinary

Choosing and planting potted hedging

Container-grown hedging plants are perfect for planting all year round. Generally speaking, hedging is put in the ground over winter, using young bareroot plants when they are dormant. However, some circumstances call for a more instant, mature hedge – which is where container-grown (or potted) hedging plants play their part. Why choose potted hedging? Among… Continue reading Choosing and planting potted hedging

Freezing weather & bareroot plants

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

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

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?

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