Each month, we will be sharing what's new in The Growing Nursery, along with tips for gardeners, our team's favourite picks of the month, and even a quiz question or two! Despite a colder March than expected, The Growing Nursery is full to the brim of wonderful perennials that are all starting to wake up for the spring and summer seasons. Keep reading to find out our favourites this month...
Monthly Quiz!
First things first, it's time for a quiz! Do you know the answers to the following questions? Find them at the bottom of this page... but don't cheat!
- Which herbaceous perennial has the varieties 'Sarah Bernhardt', 'Bridal Shower' and 'Court Jester'?
- Which plant is great for insects... but also breaks down to make the best feed to water plants with?
- Which popular flowering perennial is from the onion family?
What's Looking Great This Month?
Potted bulbs are all making an appearance, such as Allium and Camassia; now is a great time to plant these in your garden. If you're thinking of adding Rhubarb to your space, we have plenty and that's looking really great, too. Paeonies are just starting to make an appearance, and they'll be coming into bloom before we know it!
Top Tips for Beginners
At this time of year, it's key to prepare your soil and fertilise it with well rotted manure. Despite the winter, there will no doubt be weeds to pull out, ready for planting. Sweet Peas and vegetable seeds can be sown indoors with heat (a bright windowsill will do the trick!). Finally, if you have roses in your garden, be sure to prune them now and spray them for blackspot.
Top Tips for All Gardeners
If you have a Greenhouse, now is the time to give it a good clean and sterilise (to remove any previous disease or potential issues for plants) ready for planting this year. Wash all pots and have them ready for beautiful new plants!
What We're Up To This Month in The Growing Nursery
We're potting up new stock ready to put out into The Growing Nursery, cutting back last year's plants, weeding the borders and bringing more stock out for sale all the time. There's never a dull moment in The Growing Nursery!
What to Focus On This Month...
We recommend focussing on food for early bees and insects this month; you may notice them start to reappear and with that, you'll also notice there aren't too many flowers around just yet! We recommend the following plants to really help the wildlife get a head start this spring:
- Fritillaria 'Lutea' & 'Rubra'
- Pulmonaria 'Diana Clare' & 'Twinkle Toes'
- Dodecatheon 'Red Wings'
- Crocus 'Purple Striped'
Our Team's Pick of the Month
This month, we're really loving rhubarb as it's so easy to grow, delicious, and makes the best crumble, jam... and even gin! With it being one of the first fruits of the season, it's great to get going with growing your own this year. We currently have 'Red Champagne', 'Red Valentine' and 'Victoria' in stock in The Growing Nursery.
Quiz answers:
- Paeonies
- Comfrey
- Allium
