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: Trees
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
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?
Black Walnut Tree Attacks!
“Could my black walnut trees have killed other plants nearby?” This is a question we often get from people who bought trees and shrubs from us that died when planted near Juglans nigra. When you sell as many plants as we do, this happens sometimes, and we replace them under guarantee, so all is not… Continue reading Black Walnut Tree Attacks!
What to do with sucking plants?
Some hedging plants and native trees produce suckers (new plants that grow up from the parent plant’s root system). Sometimes this is good – because you want a bushier plant. Rugosa roses make a bushier hedge, for example, because they sucker. Sometimes this is bad – because the sucker is the same as the rootstock, but… Continue reading What to do with sucking plants?
Elderflower Cordial Recipe
Homemade Elderflower Cordial Recipe Late May – June is Elderflower time! Elderflower cordial in the shops is expensive and can be a bit sickly sweet. This homemade recipe makes great cordial and, with the use of Camden tablets your cordial will stay fresh for a long time. We also have a recipe for Elderflower Champagne (we… Continue reading Elderflower Cordial Recipe