Father's Day

This Sunday is the big day for Dads. We don’t seem to make as much of a fuss over our Fathers as we do our Mums on Mothers day. At Golden Acres we think our Dads deserve a bit of recognition for all the great stuff they do for us. Dad is always the one we call when something breaks or we bite off a bit more in the DIY stakes than we can chew and mine's pretty good with the tea and sympathy too. The trouble is it can be tricky to find a good gift for your Dad; flowers don’t generally go down well! Having a look round our Garden Centres has opened my eyes to a whole new Dad-gift world. Tools always go down well and if he’s a gardener, plants will always put a smile on his face. Barbeque accessories have got Fathers day, Birthday and Christmas covered for me and Carrie has bought in some lovely mugs, games and books that are great for Dads if you’re stuck for ideas.

We’re determined to enjoy June despite the rain, wind and cold! At John Browns we’re creating our own cheery summery displays. My favourite one the plant team have put together uses succulents around a beach theme. Succulents are a group of plants that come from hot arid climates. They are dependent on their ability to store water, usually in the leaves, which makes them appear fat and fleshy and quite unusual. These plants do really well in containers and as they don’t like getting too wet growing them like this enables you to bring them into a sheltered area over winter when the climate is damper.

With the fantastic weather this weekend I put some serious time into the garden. As with anything it’s all in the preparation so first I tackled the little border I have in the front. The previous owners of our flat obviously liked slate – I removed 13 bags of it! Underneath the soil was compacted but not in bad shape. We’re on sand which is easy to work but doesn’t hold nutrients or water well so whilst I dug it over I incorporated plenty of compost to give it a good start. A quick rake and level finished the prep. I’ll now leave it to settle for a while until I’ve decided what to plant there.

At the back I prepared the narrow strip between the decking and the fence with some more compost, cleared the honeysuckle that was taking the fence over and started painting the shed – I’m using an off-white colour so it’s going to take a few coats. My neighbour commented that it looks a bit like a beach hut, which is the look I was going for so I’m pretty pleased.

The herbs I planted are really putting on some growth now. It’s amazing what regular water and a bit of plant feed does. I’ve also popped some French beans into a grow-bag and am going to grow some basil from seed for economy as we use such a lot of it. Yummy with a simple meal of tomatoes, mozzarella, olive oil and some crusty bread.

Japanese Garden

Going by the weather its time to get gardening in earnest now – There’s so much to catch up with and so much about to inspire us. I love going round gardens to get inspiration for plant combinations and with the Chelsea flower show on every night my notebook is packed! This week-end I was in the Brecon Beacons in Wales and we visited one of their famous gardens. My favourite area there was a Japanese inspired Garden. This could be easy to replicate at home by painting a shady wall or fence in a light colour and planting it with fresh green Shuttle Cock ferns (Matteuccia struthiopteris) Red leaved Japanese Maples (Acer palmatum) for contrast and Witch Hazel (Hamamelis) for the sweet smelling flowers in late winter or maybe a spring flowering Cornus kousa shrub. I would probably add some evergreen Euonymus japonicas shrubs for all year round interest along the back of the bed and some Japanese anemone (Anemone x hybrid) for the beautiful pink or white flowers in the autumn. A large granite bowl and a deer scarer would finish the look.

Summer Time Is On It's Way!

At last we have seen a bit of sunshine. It still feels a bit chilly in the mornings though, much more like April then mid May. Nature seems to be a bit behind as well, in the Forest the Oaks & Beeches have only just leafed up over the past couple of weeks & I’ve noticed blue bells just coming out now a good few weeks behind last year.

We’ve made good use of the weather & begun work in earnest on our garden. The new stretch of fencing is up & decking is being laid this week. I’ve even found the perfect set of Garden furniture to go on the decking at our John Browns centre (pictured) – Unfortunately I think it may be a bit large!

Out in the centres this week we have a dazzling array of plants to choose from. My favourite Viburnum shrubs are starting to flower, pictured is Viburnum plicatum Lanarth. Found originally as a seedling in a garden in Cornwall this is a very tough variety that will grow quite large if not given the odd prune. The lacey white flower-heads make it worthy of a place in any garden if you have the space. It also gives a pretty good show in Autumn when the leaves turn a lovely red colour before falling.

Happy Plants!

Looking round the Garden Centres this week I am rather taken with the Rhododendrons. These evergreen shrubs pass most of the year unnoticed but give a good green backdrop to show off more colourful plants. In the late spring however they reveal a beauty all of their own as their flowers begin a show that is truly unforgettable. Originating from hostile environments such as the Himalayas they were highly prized by the intrepid Victorian plant hunters who risked life and limb to bring plants back to show off in their gardens. Seeing them at their blowsy best at this time of year you can see why these horticulturalists went to great lengths to secure sometimes just a handful of plants.

Despite the weather being so awful to us the plants are having a lovely time. There’s plenty of fresh rainwater available to them, longer daylight hours and its even a few degrees warmer. This week I have noticed plants everywhere really putting on a spurt of growth and as usual we are spoilt for choice. Polemonium (Jacobs ladder) is just starting to flower. This is such a pretty little perennial with Forget-me-not flowers above ladder like foliage. My favourite variety is ‘Stairway to Heaven’ which has the added benefit of variegated foliage with a delicate rosy pink tinge around the edges of the leaves. Planted with the contrasting leaves of Heucheras (the deep purple or rusty oranges work best) you’ll get a fantastic display worthy of a place in any garden.

Display Techniques

Well I think this week we’ll all agree that this is possibly the wettest drought in history! I’m not going to mention the weather again this week as I think we’ve all heard enough about it.

Last week I spent some time out and about looking round other garden centres and nurseries for inspiration. One thing I brought back with me – as well as a few new plant varieties – was the use of colour. In retail we are taught to merchandise using blocks of colour to attract the eye and the best displays I came across were indeed big blocks of contrasting colours. This display technique should be standard practice in a garden centre but you can also use this principle in your garden to create impact. Next time you plant if you have space try planting in blocks of the same thing rather than lots of different things and see what a difference it makes to your outside ‘look’. A good way to experiment with this is to use packs of bedding plants which are great value for money and colour. Then if this season’s colour choice doesn’t work for you you can change it next season with the plants.

I visit our garden centres at least once a week to see what’s happening out there. It was especially nice to see our Landford centre whose recent outdoor refit is now complete. Landford has always been a favourite but the new fixtures and fittings have taken a pretty plant area and made it stunning...

Bonsai Trees

The plants in our Garden centres are enjoying the rain and sunny spells between showers. They’re putting on lots of growth and looking really good. Unfortunately the weeds like it too so our plant staff are having to work extra hard to keep the plant centres looking tidy and weed free. The trick is to keep on top of it by weeding little and often – In the garden you could use a hoe to skim the tops off newly emerging weeds to weaken them, a hoe also takes the back-ache out it. You can also put down soil improving compost or bark as a good thick mulch which will suppress weed growth, feed your plants and help conserve moisture.

Amongst the fresh plant deliveries we have every week we’ve found some very nice Bonsai trees that are suitable for growing outside in the British climate. The team at John Browns Garden Centre have made a Japanese themed display using them which looks stunning. These mini gems add a real point of interest to any outdoor space and are surprisingly easy to take care of provided they aren’t allowed to dry out and get a feed every now and again. Keeping them trimmed and tree-like can become a very satisfying hobby and add a whole new dimension to your garden and gardening skills.

Four seasons in one day

A saying usually associated with a song about Melbourne in Australia but equally applicable to this month so far! Sunny moments are encouraging us to get out when we can but the cold wet interruptions are typical of a British spring and we can use this weather pattern to our advantage. It’s ideal planting weather for hardy shrubs, climbers, perennials and trees. I like to nip out during the sunny spells to plant then get back in the dry when the heavens open for a well earned cuppa whilst the rain takes care of watering them in for me.

Now is an ideal time to plant Hardy Shrubs

Many of you are asking us for plants that you can put in now that ‘won’t die’. It’s always sad to lose a plant you’ve lovingly nurtured and we’re all a bit more cautious after the recent hard winters so here’s my top five bomb proof plants:

Viburnum tinus - Evergreen this underrated toughie flowers in late winter and early spring. A large shrub that can be made to behave with a good hard prune every couple of years.

Geraniums – Choose the perennial ones for a plant that will come back year after year and flower its socks off in blue, pink, white and every shade between. If it gets straggly after flowering cut back and you should get another flowering it prefers a sunny spot but will grow in most situations.

Yew – Great as a hedge or for training into weird and wonderful shapes as topiary. Shiny evergreen leaves and red berries in the autumn (these are toxic) Yew will grow – albeit slowly – in the darkest corner where nothing else will. Will take abuse.

Catmint – Lovely aromatic and soft grey green leaves with blue, blue flowers in summer cut back as with Geraniums, the drier and sunnier the spot the better – Excellent on sandy, poor soils.

Fuchsia – Pick a hardy one and it’ll be with you for years reliably flowering its heart out every summer. Various sizes and colours available there’s one for every garden as long as it’s not under water.

All of the above will last years as long as they are treated well in their first season until established (Plant with some decent organic matter and water them well during dry periods) and aren’t made to sit in water for long periods of time. Chuck a bit of plant food at them now and again and they’ll do even better.

Grill Academy Training Day for Golden Acres Staff

This week 10 of the staff from Golden Acres 5 garden centres all attended the weber BBQ grill academy training day in Oxford, giving all the staff a good understanding of how to use look after and cook on the full range of weber quality BBQ's this training day was not only a great day out but was a fantastic opportunity for staff at all centres to offer the best advise to our customers.

"It thrills me as garden centre manager to be able to offer this level of knowledge and service to our customers, if you thought BBQ's were all about black sausages and burgers then think again the grill academy taught us how to cook joints of meat, pizzas, puddings and more as well as teaching about smoking different flavours and getting the most from the food you cook as well as  which BBQ is right for you. Come and see us at any of our centres for some great advice and hopefully some great cooking tips and lets look forward to some hot sunny weekends so we can get out in the garden and cook Al Fresco" - James White Centre Manager Badger Garden Centre

Our Centres offer a great range of weber charcoal & gas BBQ's as well as a fantastic range of cooking accessories and charcoal and don't forget to search weber grill academy online for a special day out for yourself or the one you love.

Weber Airstream at John Browns Three Garden Centre Legged Cross

A Barbeque at the end of a hard days gardening always tastes amazing – This Saturday we have the Weber BBQ roadshow visiting our John Browns Centre in Three Legged Cross - pop in for BBQing tips, demos and some fantastic Easter special offers.

WeberAirstream at John Browns

With the current typical spring weather life in the garden is far from typical! Alongside having to dress for all weathers I’m noticing just how fast things are growing now with the longer and (generally!) warmer days. Every week we have more and more lovely plants becoming available and even the full range of summer bedding plants are now ready to go.

This year as always we are conscious of conserving water and keeping the garden low maintenance. There’s still time to plan your patch with this in mind. A good mulch of manure, soil improver or bark chips around your flower beds will keep weeds down and moisture in. Before you buy do a bit of research into plants that will hold their own come rain or shine and that will suit the soil and position or pop in and ask our experts for some suggestions. A good start in life is key, so invest in a general feed and some soil improving compost to plant them with now and reap the rewards later on in the year. Lawns will also cope better when under stress if they’ve been top dressed and fed at the start of the season.

For a glorious display use water retaining granules in your pots and baskets. This will help retain moisture and reduce the daily chore of watering – modern brands include a feed which will keep your bedding looking fresh and healthy. Another tip is to use bigger containers that will hold more moisture (and plants!) with a decent quality compost (a lot of research goes into compost and its water holding properties!) Again our experts can fill you in on the best choices for you and your garden.