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November 2015

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Pruning blackcurrants Blackcurrant bushes are often considered hard to grow, yet this is not the case at all. They can be grown directly in the ground, but those of you who don’t have the space, don’t worry as they also grow well in pots. They are excellent plants and produce fruit in abundance (around the mid-summer) which can be used in pies and jams. Blackcurrants are also a great source of vitamin C. A healthy established…

Pyracantha ‘Golden Charmer’ An outstanding, compact and bushy evergreen shrub that offers year-round interest. This hardy evergreen shrub with sharp spiky branches and small dark glossy green leaves produces clusters of the most beautiful white flowers throughout the summer. These are followed by bright orange berries in late Autumn and Winter. Quick Facts Other name: Firethorn ‘Golden Charmer’Grows in exposed and sheltered areasProduces clusters of white flowers in summer and orange berries in late autumn and…

Mahonia Apollo This generally pest-free evergreen shrub is also known as the ‘Oregon Grape’ shrub. It is an excellent, vigorous, eye-catching shrub ideal for planting as a groundcover plant or in a small shrub border shrub as its forms a dome type shape. Relatively drought tolerant it is as at home in a woodland shaded setting just as much as it is in an open sunny area of the garden in more exposed areas. It will flourish in…

Berberis Pruning Berberis is also commonly known as the Barberry plant and with over 500 different species it is found in nearly every country around the world. It can be seen to be used in many different ways, from forming both formal and informal hedges to border shrubs. This prickly shrub is available as both an evergreen and a deciduous shrub. The two types should be pruned in different ways. Their foliage colours range from the dark…

Buddleia Pruning There is no mistaking the fragrant, spiked flowers of Buddleia davidii shrubs. Often available in an array of colours, from the vibrant royal red flowers of ‘Royal Red’ to the white flowers of Buddleia ‘Marbled White’, they are highly attractive to a variety of beautiful butterflies, our much-loved bees and other beneficial insects that pollinate our plants. Most Buddleia shrubs originate from the rocky mountains of China and as such, they are very adaptable to living in…

Leylandii – Cupressocyparis Without a doubt, the most popular hedging plant available in the UK with over 55 million already planted in hedgerows and a staggering 300,000 trees sold every year. They are known for their fast growing habit and make suitable trees for forming a hedge or screening. They can also be grown as an individual conifer where space allows (they need a lot of space) and the evergreen foliage and conical shape makes them very attractive, large compact…

How to take cuttings, the complete guide Taking cuttings is a method that is used to propagate most types of plants and shrubs. It is usually the easiest and quickest way to make more plants from your current stock and fill in any gaps in the garden. If you have friends that have plants that you like then this is also an easy way to get your own at an affordable cost. They also make…

How to take a rose cutting Rose cuttings are very easy to take but there are a few things you should know first. Most roses you buy from garden centres and nurseries are grown on a rootstock. What this means is that they get the root from a hardy rose variety (the stock) that are specially grown for the rootstock. They then graft 2 or 3 shoots from the rose they want to grow onto the…

Small Evergreen Shrubs that offer ‘Year Round Interest’ Evergreen shrubs, for anyone who is not familiar with the term, is a plant that does not drop their leaves for the winter like ‘deciduous’ plants (plants that drop their leaves for winter) do. This means, that with some careful consideration, you can plant a garden that has all year round interest and evergreen plants, in particular, are good for all year round colour. Evergreen plants that are…

Viburnum carlesii (Koreanspice) deciduous spice This shrub is yet another outstanding variety of Viburnum. The ‘carlesii’ is a medium-sized shrub, reaching sizes of approximately 180cm (6ft) makes it ideal for small and larger gardens alike. Dark-green lobed foliage appears in the spring and this is a coppery-orange colour when young, alongside this, are red buds that open up into highly scented, beautiful, pale pink, snowball-shaped flowers. In autumn you will be delighted with another show of…