In the middle of winter, bark is one of the few things that still bring colour and vibrancy to our gardens. From frosty white to shiny-orange, shrubs such as Cornus or trees such as the Tibetan cherry (Prunus serrula), Paperbark maple (Acer griseum) and Birch (Betula) are at their best. This is when they are the stars of the garden, with the intense glowing bark on their stems, trunks and branches, especially on a sunny, crisp winter’s day. This year, we have more varieties of Birch in stock than ever before, most of them new to us. If you like white bark, Betula utilis jacquemontii ‘Snow Quee ..read more

We are open until 5.30pm on Saturday 23rd December 2023 when we close for the Christmas holiday period, so please note that we are closed on Christmas Eve (Sunday 24th December). We re-open on Tuesday 2nd January 2024. Our January opening hours are 9am to 5pm on Monday to Saturdays and 10am-4pm on Sundays. Our usual opening hours of 9am to 5.30pm run from February until December. We still have many different plants that can be a Christmas gifts including a large selection of trees that will be a gift that lasts a lifetime. We also have: Winter-flowering pansies and violas: These flowers can ad ..read more

Autumn colour is here! Summer 2022 was a challenging time in the garden. The lack of rain throughout the spring has continued into the summer and created very dry conditions with many plants and lawns suffering as a result. We have been lucky that Wessex Water is one of the few water companies in the south not to have issued a hosepipe ban. It is important to keep on watering newly planted trees, shrubs and perennials well into the autumn until the soils wet-up again. Catching any rainwater we do get in waterbutts or recycling any water from showers or washing up, where possible, is a good ide ..read more

Exciting news! We have recently expanded the tree section in our garden centre again, and, with over 1000 ornamental and fruit trees in stock, we now have an even greater range and choice. Now is the best time of year to plant them in your garden! Amelanchier in flower We have the new Amelanchier ‘Obelisk’ that grows upright and less outwards, making it perfect for tight or smaller spaces. This small tree has masses of creamy-white, star-shaped flowers and creates a stunning display in spring. In the autumn, the leaves turn different shades of red and yellow to provide autumn colour. The Tul ..read more

Over the last few years, we have made several improvements to reduce our environmental impact. We have always used a lot of water on the nursery, but we reduced this by approximately a third by changing most of our irrigation system from sprinklers to drip irrigation. The drippers deliver the water directly into each pot. This has a high capital cost but is paid back over many years with reduced water use.  We have also installed a professional meteorological station to monitor the rate water is used by the plants depending on the weather. This has reduced our water usage as we have been ..read more

Summer is almost here and our gardens are looking lush from all the spring growth. It has been a dry spring but recently we have had much needed heavy downpours. We have been busy keeping the garden centre stocked up with lots of colourful plants including summer bedding and basket plants as well as many herbaceous perennials, climbers, trees and shrubs. The focus for Chlesea Flower Show gardens was for native trees and shrubs – which we stock – but we also have a wider range of garden plants that are also good for bees, butterflies and other wildlife. Our second nursery for growing is now wel ..read more

To achieve flower all summer long, you can use a range of plants that flower at different times during the summer to ensure continuous flowering. There are a few plants, however, that can be relied on to flower all summer to provide colour and food to pollinators such as bees and butterflies. Here is our selection: Bedding & Basket Plants The obvious choice for colour all summer are bedding and basket plants such as Pelargoniums, Petunias, Busy Lizzies (Impatiens) and Begonias – to name but a few. If you deadhead these, they will continue to bloom until the first frosts. Geranium Rozanne ..read more

Demand for Wisteria have grown dramatically since its appearance on the TV show Bridgerton, and it’s not hard to see why. Climbing up and adorning buildings they just look magical when they are in flower, and they have been popular climbing plants for a long time. Luckily, we now have a new selection of Wisteria at our garden centre comprising three varieties: Wisteria floribunda ‘Shiro Noda’, ‘Honbeni’ and Wisteria sinensis ‘Prolific’. If you want the classic light purple flowers then ‘Prolific’ will be the best variety. ‘Honbeni’ produces extravagant pink blooms while Shiro Noda will provide ..read more

Conifers provide an invaluable evergreen presence that is much needed in any winter garden when many other plants have lost their leaves. They are an extremely diverse group of plants, and they shine out brighter now than in any other season. Being such a varied group of plants there is a beautiful conifer for every situation. There are dwarf pines such as Pinus mugo ‘Carsten’ & ‘Northern Lights’ that grow no taller than 60cm (2ft) tall that are good for borders or there are conifers that grow, in time, to large, majestic trees such as the Blue Atlantic Cedar (Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca ..read more

Every spring, rhododendrons and azaleas produce one of the most spectacular displays possible in the garden. They bloom in May and June, in colours ranging from vibrant reds, oranges and pinks to cool violets, purples, and cream-yellows and whites. This spring we have a large selection of rhododendrons and azaleas, including some evergreen dwarf hybrids that grow no taller than about 60cm, making them ideal for containers. ‘Pintail’ produces masses of pink flowers. If you prefer yellow, then go for ‘Princess Anne’ or ‘Wren’. Or if you want violet/blue then ‘Lavender’ or ‘Moerheim’ (featured pi ..read more