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

It has been a while since I sent the last Newsletter due to pressure of work and the fact that my husband and I have recently moved from the large house we occupied for twenty odd years to a much smaller one. We are delighted with the new abode - mainly because it has a large garden just waiting to be developed! There is plenty to tempt me at the Garden Centre at the moment but like anyone with a new garden I shall have to be patient.

A new line for this Spring which is already proving to be popular is the A.G.L./Halls range of greenhouses. The show model erected with the display of sheds and summerhouses is one of their top of the range models, a Highgrove 8' x 6'. This is an elegantly curved building with a classic green finish which allows you to escape from the traditional, angular greenhouse. However, it is a little more costly with the 8' x 6' model costing £359.95. The traditional shape model in aluminium is only £199.95, or in the green finish £319.95. These are the basic prices but many extras are available, for example toughened glass to make it safer if young children are likely to be playing nearby. Delivery time is about two weeks so if you are thinking of putting one up for Spring now is the time to do it.

Garden furniture is now in stock but as space is limited in the shop whilst we still have so many varieties of bulbs available we do not have the complete range. However, you can always browse in the catalogue to see what else is available and orders placed by Monday will be in on Tuesday so not too long to wait. We have a very colourful Kiddies Garden Set with two chairs, a table with sun shade for £29.95, the adult version but with four very comfortable chairs for £130, but this price can only be held whilst stocks last. For those wanting something to leave out all year we have a classic three seater bench in teak at £280.

We are now taking bookings for evening talks at the Garden Centre and with our Gardeners' Retreat Restaurant being run by an excellent chef who produces simple but delicious home cooked meals, we are now able to offer supper at the end of the evening. If you are interested either contact Susan Reddin or myself, Pauline Brown, for more details.

At the moment the ground is in ideal condition for planting and there are certainly some wonderful plants to choose from. Hebes are looking superb with many varieties available to choose from, but if you do have a cold garden keep to the varieties with small leaves as they are hardier. Another slightly tender plant but well worth finding a sunny spot in your garden for is Caeonothus with its striking blue flowers in spring or summer. Even when not in flower the shinny evergreen leaves are most attractive. For a choice of plants which we recommend for spring, have a look at our beds labelled 'Symphony of Spring.'. There is plenty to give you inspiration there.

If you are thinking ahead to sunny summer days with strawberries and cream, it may be an idea to plant some strawberries up so you can have the added pleasure of picking the sun warmed fruit yourself. We have twelve different varieties to choose from at the moment.

In the compost area, we are phasing out Premier Bark, chipped and composted and replacing them with the equivalent Arthur Bowers branded products. These are very similar, and are made by the same company and the prices have been reduced to £3.99 per 80 litre bag with the usual quantity reductions. We have also replaced Murphy Multi-purpose as our economy compost with Erin Multipurpose. This is a good quality compost and is only £2.99 for a 75 litre bag if you buy 3 bags or more. It is also available in a 100 litre compressed bale (similar to peat bales). This is lighter and easier to handle than the bags and useful if you have a small car or limited storage space.

It will soon be time to start filling outside troughs, pots, hanging baskets etc. with compost. (Don't forget we have a setting service available for hanging baskets and pots if you would rather not do them yourself) Many people prefer a soil based compost such as John Innes or Goundrey General Purpose as these have "body" and good water retaining properties. However, they are fairly heavy, so they come in small bags and are, therefore, more expensive than soilless composts. Some people mix John Innes with a soilless multipurpose compost but this can cause problems as the composts are designed to be used straight from the bag without mixing. We now have the answer - Westland Multi-purpose Compost with added John Innes - £4.99 for a 75 litre bag. This combines the advantages of soil-based and soilless composts and is £4.99 per 75 litre bag - a similar price to Levington, Arthur Bowers etc. Westland is a new brand for us but they are a well-known and reputable company and we have every confidence in this product, and we recommend it for hanging baskets and outside tubs and troughs.

We always welcome innovative new products such as this, but it is sad to say goodbye to old friends. This is especially the case with Liquinure liquid fertiliser, a popular long established product which has been killed off by the manufacturers for no good reason that we can ascertain. The good news is that we have obtained stocks of all sizes, so if you are a regular user of liquinure do check whether you need any more and buy while you can

We have a much wider range of spring planting summer flowering bulbs and corms than last year. For instance we have a very wide range of dahlias including Diana's Memory which is a soft pink with lilac tips and a yellow centre grown on a strong stem making it an ideal variety for patios and borders. We also have a range of classic dahlias with dark foliage. Also available are gladioli and lillies.

There are some interesting additions to our usual wide range of seeds. On the Unwins stand look out for National Trust seeds. These are a selection of traditional flowers widely grown in National Trust gardens, many of them not included in the normal seed company ranges. Unwins have also re-introduced their seed raisers which are mini-propagator plus the seeds plus a growing medium to start them into growth. Inexpensive and very hardy if you want to raise a few plants. This range also includes some Seeds 4 Kids varieties which are fun for young children to grow.

On a more serious note we have a range of organically grown vegetable seeds from Suffolk Herbs (which is a part of Kings Seeds). They are all produced by registered organic growers and Kings are registered with The Soil Association. It is only a limited range at the moment, but it will expand if the public supports it. If the variety that you want is not in the range, it is worth remembering that other Kings and Suffolk Herbs seeds, although not organically grown, have not been treated with chemicals.

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