Advice Hub

The variety of plants available to gardeners is almost limitless, and can seem daunting when you are learning their names and how to care for them. Here we provide a basic guide to climbing plants and their attributes.
 
Climbers - As their name suggests, these plants climb up a structure or surface, there category refers to the fact they climb as opposed to their habit. Consequently they can be annual, perennial or shrubby.

Annual climbers include Sweetpeas, Morning Glory and Thunbergia.

Perennial climbers include some but not all of the Clematis, the perennial Sweetpea and Hops...

​The variety of plants available to gardeners is almost limitless, and can seem daunting when you are learning their names and how to care for them. Here we look at two of our favourite textural foliage plants - Ferns and Grasses. 

​​Ferns - A favourite of ours, Ferns offer wonderful textural foliage in a range of shapes and sizes. Generally suited to shady spots, several will cope with a sunnier aspect in the soil remains moist. Most ferns are clump forming, and a few which we use will creep gently too. 
Ferns are easy to maintain - just requiring old fronds to be removed, generally in the spring prior to the new fronds emerging.
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Grasses - Another favourite of ours, ornamental grasses offer a wonderful array of textures, colours and forms. They can be diminutive tussocks at the front of a border or giant feathery plumes at the back. They offer long term interest for very little input...

The variety of plants available to gardeners is almost limitless, and can seem daunting when you are learning their names and how to care for them. Here we examine the difference between Shrubs, Sub-Shrubs, Wall Shrubs & Trees.

Shrubs - Often used as anchor plants within a border, they provide the structure which perennials lack. Shrubs grow a woody framework which they retain year on year. This framework is generally pruned to shape rather than being cut back to ground level like perennials. The woody framework bears the foliage and flowers on it’s stems. Roses are a classic example of a shrub (although often you see them classified into their own category)...

The variety of plants available to gardeners is almost limitless, and can seem daunting when you are learning their names and how to care for them. So what are Perennials and how do they differ from Annuals and Biennials? 

​In the 20 years i’ve been involved in the horticultural trade i must have grown several million plants destined for gardens across the East Midlands. Being a professional grower and plantswoman i know what to look for in terms of plant quality and health when selecting plants for a clients garden or my own. If you are visiting a garden centre or nursery, here are my tips for buy the best plants you can...

​With the grey skies and chilly winds we are experiencing at the moment, it can be tempting to shut off from the outside world and hunker down beside a roaring fire, but the garden doesn’t shut itself down completely in winter and it is possible to plant a few things which brighten up the drab days and even add some fragrance to the air to draw you outside.
Despite the fact that most of our pollinating insects don’t venture out on cold days, there are a few who brave the weather, and from that we can benefit. There are shrubs and bulbs which flower during the winter and in order to attract those brave insects they have to go all out the give off the signal that they are worthy of a visit. Scent is a great way of plants to advertise that they are in their prime and have something on offer to those insects.
Winter fragrance can range from heady and intoxicating which you notice from several meters away to delicate perfume which you need to stoop down to experience.  As an added bonus winter flowering plants often flower for longer than summer bloomers. 

Witch Hazel (A.K.A. Hamamelis) - A showy shrub which is adorned with colourful clusters of filament flowers in the winter months. This shrub can light up an area or border with it’s blooms and also with the fiery coloured foliage in the autumn.  Fairly slow growing these plants are good as a solitary plant or within a mixed shrub border. Forming a V shape, they need some space to spread out.

Bare-root plants are pretty easy to plant. Choose a day which is frost free and when the soil is not waterlogged.  Keep the roots of the new plants cool &moist (not wet) until you are ready to plant.
How to plant a bare-root tree:

1. Turn the ground adding plenty of compost & fertiliser
2. Dig a whole large enough to accommodate the spread of the roots
3. Place the tree in the whole ensuring the roots will be covered and the base of the tree is at the right level. Fan out the roots.
4. Place a tree stake alongside the stem & between the roots. Tap in to give the tree support & add a tree tie.
5. Back fill the hole, firming the soil and water the area thoroughly...

When the trees start to lose thier leaves at this time of year it's a sure sign that the dormant season is upon us. It’s the perfect time to transplant bare-root plants – those which have been raised in a field and then lifted & the soil removed. The added bonus of bare-root plants is that they are much cheaper than container grown plants.
 Autumn is a good time to plant them as there’s time for them to settle and establish before the warmth of the spring comes.  Trees & shrubs are available bare-root and from November onwards they’ll be offered in garden centres, nurseries and online.  As the plants are dormant there’s not much to look at but when selecting plants look for undamaged branches & bark to ensure the plants are fit and healthy...