Read about insects spotted at the Beth Chatto Meanwhile Garden by Dr Chris Gibson.
Weekly catch up with garden & propagation
POSTED 29th January 2026
Propagation Team
Propagation jobs this week have been as varied as the weather! The heavy rain from storm Chandra couldn't dampen the teams spirits as we continue to prepare for the sunnier growing seasons ahead.
Sean has been busy propagating hostas - digging from the stock beds, cleaning and planting into 2 litre pots. He has also lent his skills with the hedge trimmer to the winter clean, cutting back Cortaderia 'Sunningdale Silver' to encourage the fresh new growth of this beautiful pampas grass.
Miya and Emily have been propagating many assorted varieties of sempervivum. It's wonderful to see these intriguing alpine plants begin their journey in neat little rows of plugs.
Kathy, Angela, Rob, Mel and Kirsten are tantalisingly close to completing the winter clean. This week they've donned their warmest coats, wooly hats, and waterproof trousers to ensure the 2 litre pots are in the best shape for this year's growth.
Emily and Annie have been busy bees preparing the nursery for reopening on 3rd February, tirelessly moving benches and building new displays. The new nursery layout will make choosing the perfect plants an even more enjoyable experience!
As well as helping Annie and Emily move some of the heavier nursery benches, I have been in the pack house ensuring customer orders are safely sent on their way. This week I have had the privilege of working with some stunning varieties of galanthus. All sent 'in the green' and dug from Beth's garden by the garden team. Extra care is taken to ensure they reach the customer in perfect condition. Kathy was on hand to share her snowdrop expertise as we packaged them up for delivery.
Garden Team
This week started off with storm Chandra, adding 40mm to January's rainfall. This is our third +30mm single day rainfall event this January. The total so far (with just two days of January left to record) is 165mm. January 2025 was 94mm. Looking at the rainfall board that covers 2021 - 2025, this January is the most rainfall recorded by far - since November 2023 (152mm).
On that rainy day, we took cover indoors and focused on planning our work for the year ahead, but the rest of the week has been spent outside carrying on the big winter cutback. We cut back perennials on the Mediterranean slope and gave Beth’s patio a good tidy. The vine and Itea ilicifolia on the house wall got a prune, making the lovely camellia that’s flowering now the star of the show. While the ladder was out, Scott gave the jasmine on the shop wall a hard prune as well, it sends out long shoots clinging on to whatever it can get hold of, so this will keep it in check for the summer.
Lastly, we have been digging up snowdrops to be sent off to their new homes in your gardens. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
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