On a visit to our centre in Landford I picked up this little treasure.

Clerodendrum Prospero.

Our manager David had spotted it on one of the houseplant listings we have through each week. As none of our plant experts had heard of this variety before we decided to order a few out of curiosity and in came these absolutely gorgeous plants. Clerodendrum Prospero was discovered in India by the Danish botanist Nathaniel Wallich. A vigorous flowering plant with exotic but dainty white clusters of hanging flowers that are set off beautifully by the glossy green leaves. It should flower for a good amount of time if kept in a light spot, gets watered regularly but sparingly and has a feed every now and again.

Our receptionist Lin is a very keen Grow Your Own-er and has been nagging me for weeks about when our seed potatoes to grow for Christmas will be in. Well Lin (and all you other Good Life types) they are now in and selling fast! If you plant them now you can have freshly harvested potatoes to go with the Turkey and trimmings on Christmas day.



As the summer continues to be a wash out it's really slowed things up in my garden. We now have the garden itself cleared, rotavated and levelled and have added a good layer of Eco-mix soil improver to add some nutrient and improve the soil structure before we start planting and laying turf. I decided to go with my fern plan in the small gap we have between the decking and the fence and with all the rain we’ve had they’re settling in beautifully. I have always had a love for ferns; it’s amazing how many different variations in leaf shape and colour these graceful foliage plants offer. Most varieties thrive in those awkward shady areas we all have. Some prefer damp situations and some do well in dry places but all are beautiful and will add another dimension to any garden.

Carrie and I are now entering the busy part of our year. We are finalising plans for autumn and Christmas and starting to look at products for next spring and summer. Carries off to look at a garden furniture show next week and a few weeks after that it will be one of the biggest garden industry shows of the year where we hope to find many exciting new products for the centres. We’ve been looking at trends and this year there has been great interest in bird care and in plants and products that encourage beneficial insects into the garden. Our top selling pack of seeds this year was the honey bee wild flower that is especially attractive to bees and bird food has been flying out all year. What a caring lot our customers are!