It amazes me how much all this white stuff makes everything look so different. The layer of snow and ice on the land really highlights to me how much plants give shape and structure to the landscape around us. I wonder how many of us really appreciate how much the look and feel of our outdoor spaces are influenced by the trees and shrubs we choose to use.

I think of evergreen shrubs as the walls and paint of our gardens, a soft framework to give year round permanence and to establish the feel of the garden.

Deciduous shrubs enhance this structure but can change the look we achieve seasonally. They look different when the leaves grow, when they flower, when the leaves change colour and prepare to fall in autumn and when they finally fall in winter revealing the shapes and 

colour of the stems and bark.

Trees can extend our look upward. Many people choose a tree to gain privacy but they can also be used to frame views and change light levels through the shade they offer.

Hedges can guide us round paths and offer a frame to borders to set off the brighter flowers inside.

Next time you’re in your garden or out and about have a look round and take a moment to appreciate the plants we don’t always notice but really influence how our outdoor spaces look and feel.

 

Well to state the blooming obvious it’s gone a wee bit cold out there. Still, it’s lovely to see a bit of sun, much nicer than that wet stuff we’ve been putting up with for so long now. We’re seeing a lot of you out getting stocked up on bird food which they really need at this time of year but birds (and other creatures) also need access to fresh water so don’t forget to knock the ice off bird baths and ponds so they can get to it.

In the centres this week we’re taking delivery of summer flowering bulbs - Dahlias, Begonias, Gladiolus and all the other bright and blowsy bits that add some cheer to your garden in the summer. I’m going to pop a few Dahlias in my patio pots again this year but I want to go for a full-on bright clash of Yellow, Orange and Pink for maximum effect this year.

We’ve also got a fantastic new range of Marshalls vegetable seeds in at John Browns and Cadnam. These seeds are well known to allotment gardeners as a proper old fashioned seed company that pride themselves on quality and varieties that really perform well. I’m certainly going to try a few in my veg beds as soon as it warms up a bit and I’m really pleased to be able to offer such a respected and trusted brand to our customers.

Happy new year to you all!

I love the promise of a new year in the garden, bulbs are starting to nose through and the promise of what’s to come hangs in the air as the days get longer. This year especially as last year was such a bad one for us gardeners – I have put a request in for lots of sunshine and when it rains for it to do so at night so it doesn’t stop us getting out there... We’ll see!

Our manager at Cadnam was very excited to receive a visit from a Waxwing last week. These birds overwinter on the east coast of Britain migrating from Scandinavia and it’s apparently very unusual to see them this far across the country.

Waxwings love berries and many plants didn’t produce enough flowers in the awful spring we had last year so consequently there are less berries. Reports say this was worse in Scandinavia then here. The birds tend to move further inland as the winter goes on and food sources get scarcer so this may be why we were lucky enough to see one.

 

Well this will be my last blog of the year and what an interesting year it’s been in the gardening world... We started off 2012 with droughts and hosepipe bans which of course tempted fate and we finished up with one of the wettest summers on record and floods! It’s been a really difficult year for those of us that love being out growing things so I’m putting it down to experience and starting to look forward to the New Year.

We’re really looking forward to the spring and seeing all the preparation we put into stock ranges for the centres coming into fruition. This year I also have my new garden to complete planting up which is really exciting so I’ll keep you updated on how it goes and my successes (and disasters!) as the year moves on.

The whole team at Golden Acres would like to wish you a very merry Christmas and all the best for you and your gardens in 2013.

I appear to be worryingly organised this Christmas and have most of my gifts organised. There is always something last minute though or someone awkward to buy for. My mum was having trouble getting something for my husband so as he loves barbequing and the odd bit of gardening I suggested some National Garden gift vouchers. He can then get exactly what he wants and it takes the stress out of it for mum.

We also have some lovely and unusual giftware at West Parley for those of you that want to give something special but don’t know what. Carrie prides herself on going that extra mile in finding products with that point of difference. This week I noticed she has found some old spoons! Actually she has bought in some really rather nice antique looking cutlery which has been stamped with little phrases such as ‘me and you the perfect brew’ (a teaspoon) and ‘spread the love’ (a butter knife) each piece is hand stamped by a company in the Cotswolds and unique. The perfect gift for someone who doesn’t know what they want. If you’re having a last minute gift headache pop in and see what else we have to offer.

Last week we had our annual Golden Acres head office Christmas outing – they actually let us loose for an evening - We are all very lucky in that we have great fun together and I don’t think we scrub up too badly either!
Top: Judi and Carrie. Bottom: Me!

Houseplants are a really nice and inexpensive gift at this time of year.

Orchids look exotic but require less care then many think so ideal for giving and last much longer than a bunch of flowers, my mum managed to keep one flowering for the best part of a year once!

Cyclamen are a seasonal classic along with Poinsettias, both require little water and will last well into the New year if kept in a room with a steady temperature away from central heating.

Gardenia, Jasmine and Stephanotis are deliciously scented, elegant looking plants all with cream coloured flowers that will add a touch of class to any room.

Azaleas come in a range of pretty colours and are smothered in flower at this time, keep moist at all times and if you can water with rain water as they prefer a slightly acidic base around the roots.

We also stock many other houseplants and some special planted arrangements so pop into to any of the centres for gift ideas and more advice if you need it.

After the past two weeks of terrible weather it looks like we may finally see some sun. The temperatures are set to fall making it feel much more seasonal out there. We’re busy cheering ourselves up with our Christmas open evenings and unwrapping our first deliveries of Christmas trees – We all smell piney fresh or of mulled wine at the moment!

There’s plenty going on despite the weather in the centres. Its offer change week and I’ve found some great offers for plant lovers. Camellias and Magnolias will make great gifts and ours are sourced locally from our favourite nursery in Wimborne - British grown all the way!

We’re gearing up the houseplant areas to make sure we’ve got some lovely indoor gifts too, our Poinsettias are also British grown and we have the classic Red ones on offer, one for you and one for a friend – See our main website for more details.

It’s quite scary how the last couple of weeks have flown past! Next week we are expecting our first deliveries of Christmas trees in time for our ever popular Christmas open evenings. We all really look forward to the open evenings as it’s a chance to get into the yuletide spirit with all of our customers both old and new. Everyone is welcomed with a complementary mince pie and cup of mulled wine or juice, the atmosphere is completed with local carol singers, bell-ringers or both if we’re really lucky and the coffee shops put together a special meal offer. Staff in each centre really go to town to make everything look festive and sparkly. We always have terrific fun and we reckon our customers must too as so many of you join us every year!

BBQ Time!

This week-end much to my surprise my husband decided to cook our Sunday roast on the BBQ! Despite the cold and rain he wanted to try out his new Weber poultry roaster and off he trooped down the garden, well wrapped up, head torch on, into the dark to get the BBQ lit and ready to roast. Ever the sceptic I was interested to see if we would have to order pizza for dinner but he persevered and 2 hours later we had one of the best roast dinners I’ve ever had. The poultry roaster has a dish into which you can put beer, wine or any other liquid and seasonings. You then pop the chicken on top and it kind of bastes it on the inside whilst it cooks, infusing the chicken and adding to the delicious smoky BBQ flavour. It really was delicious and now my poor husband may have to spend a few more winter days outside cooking!

Whilst writing my last blog about wild birds, one of the girls suggested I do a bit about hedgehogs... Hedgehogs are famously beneficial to gardeners for eating slugs and snails – Yum! But as with birds their ideal habitats are rapidly disappearing, in part our tidy gardens and security requirements are to blame as they can end up with no comfy piles of leaves to hibernate in or access in our out of gardens in which to forage. So how can we help? Leave an area of the garden untouched with somewhere comfy and protected where they can hibernate (usually between November and March) ensure that fences or walls have sections that a hedgehog could easily squeeze under and if you really want to encourage them leave out some special hedgehog food, now almost as commonly available as bird-food - I was surprised to find that its apparently very popular in our centres – fresh water but not milk or bread which can leave them with upset hedgehog tummies.