http://www.golden-acres-nursery.co.uk/GardenEssentials.html





 

 

Over the past year we have been putting together a ‘Garden Essentials’ range of staples that most gardeners will use through the year. These products must be well known and trusted brands that we can offer at really low prices meaning that a good garden needn’t cost the earth. The latest addition to this range we have just bought in is Murphy multipurpose compost. Also in the range we have – Tomorite and Miracle-gro feeds, Slug clear slug pellets, Levington gro-bags, large packs of marigolds and petunias, and 10kg packs of BBQ charcoal.

This week I’ve noticed that many of the flowering Cherry trees have finally begun to bloom. I have a bit of a thing for trees and the flowering cherries so loved by the Japanese for their stunning display of blossom in the Spring are one of my favourites too. There are many forms available which makes it easy to find one to suit any garden space but amongst my favourites are...

Prunus ‘Chocolate Ice’ - Lovely coppery leaves young leaves and huge white flowers in April

Prunus ‘Kanzan’ – Coppery young leaves turn to fresh green on an elegant spreading canopy of branches. Blush pink, frilly double flowers absolutely smother the branches in April.

Prunus ‘Royal Burgundy’ - Rich red/purple leaves give a great display in Autumn when they turn scarlet. Deep pink flowers are stunning against the just emerging foliage in Spring.

I’ve managed to find some time to keep up in my garden this week-end. We popped in to John Browns to pick up a few extra plants. My husband made a detour into the BBQ area and picked up a griddle which we christened with some aubergine and mushrooms that evening and he also rather liked the carnivorous ‘Pitcher’ plants that Becky (our houseplant expert) had got hold of that week. They’re perfect for adding a bit of life to his office which is brightly lit and warm, he just needs to keep them damp at all times using rainwater which they’ll thrive on.

I picked up some mixed salad leaves and some bush French beans to fill the gaps in our veg beds and some of my favourite annuals - ‘Cerinthe’ or ‘Honeybush’ - that Gemma our Plant manager managed to track down for me. These amazing plants have glaucous green leaves that contrast beautifully with the dusky blue/purple flowers and were introduced to me when I was just starting out as a gardener by a favourite and very knowledgeable customer. They’re quite large and bushy – around 60cm (24”) - great for filling gaps and bees and butterflies love almost as much as I do!

At Golden Acres we always like to encourage new people into horticulture and love to see our younger customers getting as enthusiastic and interested in plants and gardens as we are. We were delighted to help out when Abbotswood School in Totton approached Cadnam Garden Centre asking for help with some trees and advice for their new woodland area.

 

Here are some of the children receiving a donation of a tree from one of our favourite plant ladies, Julia.