I’ve got this week off and it’s time to start clearing in the garden, my sweet peas have really started to look leggy and mildewy so they will be put onto the compost heap.  I’ll be keeping some off the seeds for next year’s crop.

 One of the cucumber plants that I planted from seed seems to be a rogue and we’ve called it ‘Audrey’ after the Little Shop of Horrors, She’s already grown 10ft and has produced one huge gourd! Can’t wait to see just how large she gets!!

I’m really pleased with an ‘orange’ bed I developed this year, it’s done really well throughout the summer with Day Lilies, Campanula & Dahlia’s and it just coming into it’s Autumn bloom now with Crocosmia, Osteospermum, Tagettes and a beautiful variegated orange Geranium. Now’s the time to keep dead-heading and hopefully get a new flush of flowers until the first frosts.

Lin

Our keen amateur gardener!

Exciting news, I’ve just been asked by Radio Solent to take part in a feature about a brand new variety of Apple called Little Pax, that we will be stocking in all our Garden Centres this Autumn.

It’s a wonderful story about a rare original tree that was gifted to the Nuns at St Cecilia’s, a Benedictine Abbey in the Isle of Wight. It had grown and flourished for many years there and Frank Matthews, one of our favourite British Tree growers have now propagated enough to enable us to offer them for sale.

The Little Pax is a perfect late season delicious sweet dessert apple with hints of melon and champagne!! It produces an abundance of orchid – like pink and vivid white flowers in Spring, making it perfect for attracting bees and wildlife into your garden. During the Summer it develops rich reddish pink apples with rose red flecks and gradually turns in Autumn with shades of soft yellow. For every plant sold a charitable donation will be made to help with the upkeep of St Cecilia’s Abbey.

The feature will be going out on Sunday the 24^th August in the morning, so have a listen!

Emma

The last week we’ve noticed a nip in the air at night which is prompting thoughts of Autumn... The summer bedding has nearly sold out and we’re starting to see some of our favourite Autumn bedding plants become available. It does seem early but I have found if you get them planted by the end of September they have plenty of time to grow into stronger, larger plants whilst it’s still warm and as a result flower much better throughout the winter. I was really impressed (even if I do say so myself!) with our Belgian Chrysanthemums this year, they are really chunky plants and look almost like box topiary balls their habit is so neat.

We will also be taking delivery of the first spring flowering bulbs in the next few weeks. These packed bulbs are the most economical way of getting a beautiful display in the spring. I love planting them in Autumn, forgetting about them then enjoying the surprises as they flower from January through to May. My favourites are the miniature daffodils, my husband loves the dwarf irises.

Emma

I’m loving reaping the rewards of my veggie patch at the moment, I’ve been busy collecting french and borlotti beans, beetroots, salad leaves, tomatoes and courgettes for the last few weeks now and scouring my cookbooks for different ideas!!

Over the last few months I’ve been hunting in the local charity shops and car-boot sales for colanders and have made them into my herb hanging baskets.

Looking through a gardening magazine it’s given me a wonderful idea of how to carry on the baskets through the winter by planting up with swiss & ruby chards, leeks,  Cavolo Nero spinach and beetroots for striking colour and still keeping me fed through the winter months by picking the baby leaves. I’ve already planted the seeds and will wait until September to plant them into the baskets when my summer herbs have died off.

Lin

Our keen amateur gardener!