Newsletter Archive: Winter 2002-3

For your interest we have an archive newsletter section.
Please note that any special offers and prices mentioned may not now be current.

 What's in this newsletter:
  1. Bare Rooted Plants
  2. Planting in Wet Weather
  3. Winter Plants
  4. Sale!
  5. Wild Bird Food
  6. Staff Vacancies
  7. Seed Potatoes
  8. New Marine Fish
 Newsletter Supplement :
  1. Seasonal Plants
  2. New Pot Ranges & Terracotta Sale
  3. Safe Feeding of Wild Birds
  4. Garden Equipment
  5. Late Frosts

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Bare Rooted Plants

Happy New Year! To those with webbed feet it may well be at the moment but for those wishing to be out in the garden planting new hedges, putting in trees etc. it is not so good. However, if we get a respite from the torrential rain it will be a good time to get bare rooted stock planted. It is so much cheaper to plant bare root stock, and so often the plants get off to a better start in your garden, thus you will effectively have a double bonus.

If anyone wants to have a list of the bare rooted stock we have available at the moment you can look on our web site www.hedging.co.uk, or request a copy of the catalogue. Also do not forget that we have many demonstration hedges here at the Garden Centre as we feel that to actually see a hedge growing does give more idea of its suitability for your site.

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Planting in Wet Weather

All this heaven-sent moisture does often beg a much-asked question in the garden centre – what do you do if you have to plant! Obviously, if you can wait a week or so for the water table to drop then so much the better. If your soil sticks to your wellies then walking over the soil is the worst thing you can do. You simply compact the soil and push out all the air. A much better plan is to work off boards where possible – so equally distributing the weight.

When it comes to planting, do add a generous amount of sharp grit (never sand) to the planting hole. You could even incorporate this with your favourite brand of tree and shrub planting compost to make doubly sure. Do this and your roots will greatly benefit from the aeration the grit gives the soil.

One of the simplest ways of ensuring a drier planting area is to cover the intended area with plastic sheeting. Use a few ground pegs to keep it in place and leave for 7-10 days and, hey presto, you’ll be cultivating the soil as though it were April. Honest!

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Winter Plants

Evergreens, especially those that burst into spectacular winter colour, are the must-have plants of the moment. Riotous mahonias with those yellow explosions of colour or the subtle rich pink buds of Viburnum tinus are all looking especially good at the moment. January, even between the rain and sleet showers, is the best month to observe and appreciate winter colour, and if you’ve a few unproductive spaces, now is the best time to plug those gaps!

If you’ve a love of clematis, then do check out our range of winter-flowering forms that include two real gems. Check out Clematis cirrhosa, famed for its hellebore-like pale green yellow flowers. Alternatively, what about the equally spectacular form ‘Wisley Cream’ with its creamy white bell-like flowers. Now who said all clematis look the same!!

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Sale!

New Year Sales! Many high street stores are in the midst of their New Year Sales trying to entice you into parting with your money. Even we are doing the same – but ours is mainly for those who like to look ahead to next Christmas, or to gifts for birthday presents for the coming year, or even a little self-indulgence. There is a great array of scented candles, candle-holders, Christmas decorations, oil burners, glass chunks, table decorations, cards, artificial flowers and even some sweet little teddy bears.

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Wild Bird Food

We have come to the conclusion that most of our customers must have soft spot for the birds in their garden… and looking at the statistics of sales in November last year I guess the birds have a soft spot for the garden owners. We sold over three and a third tonnes of bird food and over three hundred bird feeders and tables! As bird lovers we are delighted with the figures, and as we are able to negotiate a good price from the wholesalers we are very happy to pass this on to our customers.

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Staff Vacancies

We have a staff vacancy which may be of interest to one of our garden loving readers. Amanda, who has been with us for eleven years has been offered a position in the field of work she originally graduated to do, and with family not needing quite so much attention she is off to full time work, leaving a big hole in our Mail Order Customer Care Team. We are looking for someone who enjoys telephone work, who is computer literate, who enjoys working under intense pressure at times, but would like to have time to spend out in the garden in the summer when there is less work available. If you think you may be interested, or know someone also who may be please contact Helen Fisher on 01280 827918.

We also have a few vacancies for part time plant packers – this is seasonal work which will last until the end of the bare-root season. Again a chance to earn a few pennies to spend on your garden when you are not working in the late spring and summer!

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Seed Potatoes

In the last newsletter we were talking about seeds – now if the turn of seed potatoes. As usual we are selling them by weight so you can have as many or as few as you need, far better we feel than in pre-packs. There are plenty to choose from, 13 varieties of first earlies, 8 second early and 11 main crop. New to us amongst the first earlies is Jersey Royal otherwise known as International Kidney, aptly describing its shape. It is a variety famous for flavour and is excellent boiled or as a salad potato. It is possible to grow it as an early main crop as well. We would recommend coming and choosing your potatoes as soon as possible as they are in excellent condition at the moment and all varieties are available still. A full list of the varieties we are stocking and a guide to planting seed potatoes can be found on our web site.

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New Marine Fish

To end with a snippit from the Aquatics department. In the marine display tank they now have a rare hermit crab which carries coral on its back. Also they have a blue jigsaw trigger fish with iridescent green eyes who will soon be moving to the new marine display tank. Just ask Peter or Tim to point them out to you if you cannot spot them.

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Newsletter Supplement

  1. Seasonal Plants
  2. New Pot Ranges & Terracotta Sale
  3. Safe Feeding of Wild Birds
  4. Garden Equipment
  5. Late Frosts

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