Last week our lovely Plant manager from Landford, Toni, & I went to see some bedding plant trials near Banbury. It was great to see the plants at full maturity & get a chance to vote on our favourite plants that had been bred this year!

As you can see by the photos it was a riot of colour & we were reminded how well some of our old favourites do. The humble marigold was looking the healthiest out of all the bedding plants. I forget what a good doer they are coping well with all the hot weather we’ve had this summer.

We loved the display gardens, they show so well what you can do with just bedding plants. Ideal if you have limited space or live in rented accommodation & don’t want to spend a fortune on plants but enjoy a pretty display.

Emma B

Look at the visitor I had to my fishpond this week, what a beauty, it’s a Southern Hawker dragonfly, with it’s recognisable colourings and marks and one of the largest of the dragonfly family, they only live as adults for about two months so I’m very lucky to see it!

I’m thoroughly enjoying sitting back and watching all the pollinating insects buzzing around the garden and pleased to see the amount of bees busily coming and going. I’m popping into Cadnam Garden Centre on Saturday 2^nd August as a local bee keeper is visiting with a contained bee hive and demonstating the working life of a bee and how honey is made, should be really interesting!!

Lin

our keen amateur gardener!

After watching the highlights from the Hampton Court Flower Show last week I was given the idea to revamp an old sink I’ve had in the garden for years and have collected various stone, slate and flint and put them diagonally, bedded in sand. I’ve planted assorted coloured Sempervivums (Houseleeks) and some succulents and used some moss to cover the cracks! I’m really looking forward to seeing this develop and the plants creep over the stones, and the added bonus I will not need to water it regularly!! 

Lin

Our keen amateur gardener!

Thank goodness for the bit of rain we’ve had over the past week, even though we had a torrential downpour I still have to go out most evenings to water and keep an eye on all my containers and pots and top them up.

Nicotiana

Jasmine

Night Scented Stocks

Last year I planted a white jasmine which I am training over a rose arch, it will take a few years to cover but this week it has finally flowered and the scent is intoxicating as the sun goes down. I’ve also planted an Evening Primrose, Nicotiana and some Night Scented Stocks around our seating area to get full perfume in the evenings whilst sitting out and enjoying a glass of wine!!

Lin

Our keen amateur gardener!

Having a conversation with Judi our Marketing Manager, she was telling me that she went round to a friends at the weekend and they had Artichokes which were simply boiled in water and served with butter and black pepper, yummy!! I’ve been growing Artichokes for a few years now and never actually eaten them, always left them too long and just enjoyed the huge purple flowers and seeing all the bees and insects buzzing over them.

They are an amazing vegetable, one of the highest sources of antioxidants which are excellent for reducing cholesterol, aiding indigestion, kidney and gall bladder function and I.B.S!! They are even made into herbal teas and a liqueur! 

Guess what I’ll be cooking at the weekend!! 

Lin  

Our keen amateur gardener!

As you know we are always looking for exciting new products to offer our customers at Golden Acres. This week I attended my favourite plant trade show of the year. I came away with some great new ideas - a lovely new range of roses, some miniature fruit trees & some new ranges of houseplants in lovely pots & planters amongst other things. Watch this space for the stock coming in soon!

Emma B

What a busy time I’m having in the garden, with this wonderful weather we’ve been having I’ve had lots of time to enjoy it all! I’ve planted up some terracotta pots with Mediterranean herbs and put them next to the barbeque so the next time we eat ‘al fresco’ they will be on hand to sprinkle over meats and salads!

 

I’ve also dedicated a border to sensory plants and have Fennel, Lemon Verbena, Sages, Thymes and my Geraniums that I had overwintered in the greenhouse which have just started flowering in abundance and the fragrance every time I brush past is amazing!

Lin

Our keen amateur gardener!

I’ve been back from maternity leave for a few weeks now & have been very busy visiting nurseries & seeing suppliers to ensure we have the yummiest plants around in stock. What a choice we have this year. Our growers are as enthusiastic as we are about plants & it’s been so nice to catch up with them & all the lovely new varieties of plants they have been busy propagating.

I think my favourites the last couple of weeks have been the English garden classics, herbaceous Geraniums & the more exotic Salvias.

My little girl appears to be taking after me, she loves being outside & is fascinated by plants & flowers so I’m looking forward to teaching her all about plants & how to grow them.

Emma B

Back in March I put up a ‘living wall’ by using 5 drain pipes and fixings, I then planted it with strawberries and mixed lettuce leaves, here’s the before and after shots, I’m really pleased with it as it's been slug free and have been picking the leaves for the past few weeks, the strawberries are just about ripe for the picking!!!

Emma’s now back from her maternity leave and can’t wait to let you all know some of her news, so next week will be Emma’s blog again, between us we’ll be keeping you up to date with all our gardening experiences!!

Lin 

Our keen amateur gardener!

Hope you’ve all had a lovely Easter break and been out in your gardens, we made use of our Chimenea and sat out until late evening wrapped up in blankets drinking hot chocolate and star gazing!

In my veggie patch I’ve decided to use one of my raised beds purely for Oriental Vegetables. I’ve sown Pak Choi, Mooli (a large radish ideal for stir-frying) Chinese cabbage, Kohl Rabi, Mizuna, Mustard leaves, Baby Sweetcorn, Okra and Red spring onions. I’ve also found a Vietnamese Coriander to plant in my herb patch and have planted Chilli's in the greenhouse. Can’t wait to be able to just pick leaves and enjoy my own Asian cuisine!

Lin 

Our keen amateur gardener!