Weekly catch up with garden & propagation

Propagation Team

with Rob

What a glorious week! The sun has bestowed upon me what some might describe as a 'cerise glow', and there's currently the perpetual smell of factor 50 emanating from the sink area. Still, work continues, so here's what's been going on down in the Growing Department!

SEVENTEEN cistus varieties are currently available, both on the website and the nursery, and they're looking truly splendid. Last year, Debs worked absolute magic with the cistus cuttings, which Kathy then leant her expert hand to potting up. Mel and myself have been keeping a keen eye on them as they filled out those 2 litre pots, and with great excitement, we released them from their growing journey! A brilliant team effort and achievement!

Read more about cistus HERE.

Em has been propagating Sagina subulata var. glabrata 'Aurea', whose shredded golden leaves make vivid moss-like mats studded with tiny, white stars. This little plant works superbly between paving slabs or in a rock garden.

Tina has been filling up our nursery with lots of new plants, lending her incredible experience in ensuring the quality of each one. Whilst Mel and I celebrated our varieties of anemones who are currently gracing us with such charming flowers. Whereas Kirsten has been beavering away in the poly tunnel, helping our growing stock along, providing the TLC and health checks we carryout continually.

Kathy, PJ and Priya have been heroes at the potting benches, with PJ bringing a host of Mitella ovalis onto the next step in their growing journey. It's a super miniature plant for a shady corner. A clump-forming perennial with hairy, lobed green leaves and slender spikes of tiny yellowish green flowers in late spring and summer.

We've had a flood of orders, which we are all so grateful for! Jack and Felix have been picking the very best plants for Pete, Callum and Angela to pack with care. Thank you as always, for bringing a piece of Beth's Garden into yours.

Until next time.

Garden Team

with Scott

It’s been so nice spending time in the garden over the Easter weekend, with lots of families enjoying the warm weather and Easter Egg trail. Seeing people come out, possibly for the first time this year to enjoy the plants and wildlife is great, knowing the hard work we put in over winter to prepare the garden for spring.

We started the week on the slope entering the Water Garden, a space that had become dominated by Arum italicum. As a first view across the garden we wanted to remove them and replant. After clearing the space we planted Anemone nemorosa 'Cedric's Pink' with delicate star shaped flowers, Tellima grandiflora with it's tall spires of yellow flowers from May to July and added a few more hellebores to the existing scheme.

Next we moved to the side of the pond and pollarded the Salix alba 'Britzensis'. We do this regularly each year to encourage strong new yellow orange stems for a fantastic winter display. We cut back each stem to one or two buds and soon it'll begin to put on new growth.

From here we moved on to the Scree, where Mattie pruned the Vitex agnus-castus back to a framework. Native to the Mediterranean, it will soon have cones of purple flowers held above silvery green foliage.

The pruning continued as we cut all the hydrangea throughout the garden. We deadhead macrophylla (mophead and lacecaps) back to a pair of strong buds ready to burst into life. We also prune Hydrangea paniculata with their tall upright cones back to framework for the new wood to produce this years flowers.

Enjoy your weekend!