News from the nursery:

The plant most people would think of when thinking about the month of May is Crataegus or more commonly known as hawthorn (or simply just may tree). It is part of the rose family and blooms throughout this month with clusters of small white, red or pink blooms. When it starts flowering it is a sign that spring is turning into summer. Hawthorn can be used to create thick hedges or there are particularly pretty varieties such as Paul’s scarlet which make great feature trees. They are hugely beneficial to wildlife as dormice eat their flowers, migrating birds eat their haws (berries) & bees love their pollen.

If you have been driving around the countryside this week you have probably noticed the hedgerows have suddenly burst into life with the bright new leaves of beech or hornbeam and the flowers of the hawthorn & the hedgehog roses. Last week was National Hedgerow Week a chance to celebrate the unsung hero of the countryside. Hedgerows form the UK’s largest wildlife habitat with miles & miles shaping our landscape. They provide wildlife with a network of ‘safe’ routes to travel, capture carbon & bring beauty along roadsides. If you have a favourite hedge you can share on social media and add the hashtag #MyFaveHedge.

At the nursery this week everyone has been busy potting up plants that need a bit more room to grow to make it easier to keep them healthy & to help with watering. You’ll often find one of the team on the potting bench hard at work. We have also stocked up on slug deterrent products as the slugs have been out in force this year with the wet weather. They are natural products, such as ‘slug gone’ which creates a mat of wool to stop those pesky slugs & snails in their tracks. We’ve popped some on our hostas to test it out!

This week’s highlights: Alpines, houseplants, cercis, salvias, Japanese acers, foxgloves, hostas, bedding plants & more!

Some jobs for the garden:
* Plant tomatoes, cucumbers or chillies in pots to enjoy a harvest of your own veg
* Plant up some herbs in pots so you can enjoy them in your summer cooking
* Keep deadheading bedding plants so they produce more flowers
* Add plant supports to perennials in preparation for rapid growth (peonies, delphinium, lupins etc).

Wishing you all the best
Andrew, Liz, Lucy & Simon
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P.S. Did anyone see the aurora borealis last week?!