Well, winter is most definitely here and we can’t hide from it any longer.  The nights have drawn in and Christmas really is on its way.

Make the most of any sunshine and get out into the garden with your flower beds, bulbs, lawns and patios all needing attention.

Leaf collecting is a must now to make sure your grass does not die off.  The compost heap will benefit from small pieces of leaf which should rot down fairly swiftly over the next few months.  Add it to kitchen waste for a rich mulch.

If, however, you have a large amount of leaves, you should consider making leaf mould. This is the same principle as the compost and will take longer to rot but when mixed with a compost maker and amalgamated with leaves, the mulch that will result over the next year or two will be the delight of any gardener. Not only will your garden benefit from a fantastic compost, rich in nutrients and ready to be used as a mulch or soil conditioner, leaf mould is easy to prepare.  Simply fill a large plastic compost bag with leaves and compost maker, tie with string and place it in a shady spot before returning to it in a year or two when it will be ready to use.

Ensure your lawn remains in tip top condition over the winter as this is your last chance to use an autumn treatment to harden growth and kill moss.   You can continue to mow the lawn fortnightly while it is still actively growing - you may find this continues until the beginning of next year when the icy weather really takes hold and stops growth.

Divide perennials (these plants should grow again every year) such as argyranthemum, echinacea and rudbeckia now to encourage further growth and a flourish of flowering heads next year.

Cut back tall rose bushes now before they get too wind-blown.  The wind can have a disastrous effect on roses as it can loosen roots and have a negative impact on the energy of your plant thereby stifling growth. 

You can finish planting spring flowering plants now such as wallflowers, winter pansies and violas.  And tulip bulbs should ideally be planted now.  This will give them a boost as the soil will not have cooled down yet so the root system should have chance to establish well.  Which colour tulip is your favourite?  The trend is for black tulips – especially Paul Scherer which is probably the darkest tulip available.  But there are so many varieties to choose from that you can create a display that lasts from March to as late as June! 

Did you know that bulbs are planted with the flowers already formed inside the shell of the bulb?  Plants, however, need to be fed to form decent flowers year on year.  By feeding the roots with a slow release plant food, you can ensure that nutrients will be released when needed – particularly in the spring as the soil begins to warm up and leaves start to show.

At this time of year, it is vital to protect your plants.  Last year, due to the extreme winter, many borderline hardy plants such as agapanthus and cordyline were lost.  So you can be better prepared this year by making sure you place an extra 5cm of compost over the roots of these plants for added insulation against the elements.  Cordyline leaves should also be tied up so that rainwater does not gather where the leaves join the stems.  

Hyacinths are such a popular indoor plant at this time of year so buy your prepared bulbs, add to 1cm water in a special glass vase and wait for the bulbs to develop.  You will soon see green leaves and flower buds appear from the top of the bulb.

Water and continue to regularly feed any plants such as cyclamen and Christmas cactus as these should soon start to flower.  Find a spot that your cactus is happy in and leave it there – it will not enjoy moving too often and will drop its buds.

For interest on your patio over the coming winter months, mix pots of spring bulbs and winter bedding.  Add layers of bulbs at different depths in the pot so as to encourage different flowering periods and prolong your colourful displays.  For example, add around 8cm of compost to the bottom of your chosen pot and place daffodils around 3cm apart.  Add more compost and then place early Tulips such as Red Riding Hood in this layer.  Add another layer of compost before positioning crocus and top off the pot with winter pansies and violas.

With the onset of the colder weather comes the first harvest of your delicious winter vegetables.  Early Brussels sprouts, leeks and parsnips should be just about ready.  Parsnips should be left on the soil surface once dug so that the frosts can help to change carbohydrates into sugars and naturally sweeten the vegetable. 

Protect brassicas from pigeons who are wily when it comes to feeding themselves at this time of year.  Use netting held down by stones to keep the pigeons away. 

Any spare soiled areas can be dug over now ready for next year’s crops.  Use compost to prepare the area thoroughly and use soil conditioner too. 

You can plant apples, blackcurrants, raspberries and redcurrants and of course, the delicious pear this month.  Again, improve the soil before you plant these cane and tree fruits so that new roots can spread into the new soil. 

Pick the last of the apples and pears ready now and begin to winter prune.  Cut away any unproductive branches and dead wood and then cut back hard the vertical stems by at least half to ensure the shape of the tree is maintained.  New side shoots should also be pruned to three leaf joints so that new fruit spurs will form over the next few years.

If you have any queries on any of these tips or the terms used, please do not hesitate to contact us – we’re here to help!

Following the success of Grosvenor’s fundraising bake sale last year, the team on Wrexham Road in Belgrave has once again marked National Baking Week (17th – 23rd October) by donning their aprons and raising their rolling pins for Claire House Children’s Hospice, the Garden Centre’s adopted charity for 2011.

With goodies ranging from muffins to cheese and ham pinwheels to rocky roads, cookies to doughnuts – each item was sold in the staff room for a nominal donation, raising a grand total of £65 raised during National Baking Week.

And Grosvenor’s Cafe joined in too by creating a special Claire House cupcake with all proceeds from each sale donated to the children’s hospice in Bebington.

The team bake sale and the special creation in the Cafe are the latest in a series of fundraising activities undertaken by Grosvenor in support of Claire House this year - all embarked on and supported by staff at Grosvenor.

“The enthusiasm for the week’s sale was fantastic with members of the team kindly donating their time and home baked cakes and savouries towards the cause.  And our grateful thanks also go to everyone who supported the initiative in the Cafe - the Claire House cupcake was a particular favourite during National Baking Week,” said Jenny Carr, customer services supervisor and organiser of Grosvenor’s bake sale.
 
“We would like to thank the Garden Centre and all the staff for their continued support and dedication to our wonderful children’s Hospice.

At Claire House, we all really appreciate the way in which everyone at Grosvenor are so positive and motivated to help us towards raising the £2.5million we need each year to provide the specialist quality and care to our children and their families, both at the Hospice and within their own homes.

The public are generally not aware that nearly 20% of our children come from the Cheshire area so it is especially important to us to have been chosen as the Grosvenor Garden Centre’s Charity,” commented Abi Smith, area fundraising manager, Claire House Children’s Hospice.

Grosvenor’s Apple Weekend last Saturday and Sunday was hailed a great success as visitors embraced the British apple and joined Grosvenor, Eaton Estate and local villages and schools to enjoy the apple-icious event.

There was a fantastic response to the apple juicing appeals on behalf of the villages of Aldford, Eccleston and Saighton who will each create juice from the collections to raise funds over the coming months.

The village of Aldford received 11,000 visitors to its village hall last year and the funds raised from the apple juice over the past two years have helped towards a comprehensive improvement scheme to encourage sustainability.

Tony Grass, one of Grosvenor’s team of horticulturalists proved a popular draw to the Garden Centre as he offered advice on growing apple trees and was able to identify unknown varieties of apples already growing in local gardens.

Visitors saw apple pressing demonstrations using a traditional press and took part in a longest apple peel competition with the winning peel measuring 268cm! The winner, Mia Tan from Pulford, was thrilled to win a £50 garden centre voucher.

And there were prizes for the younger visitor too with a ‘Find Annie Apple’ competition and any child who visited the garden centre in apple fancy dress received a bag of Grosvenor goodies.

With face painting, balloon modelling and magic tricks taking place throughout the weekend together with traditional weaving demonstrations and music from the Clwyd Clippers, visitors were entertained as they sampled juicy apples and enjoyed pork steaks and burgers from the barbecue and a choice of apple desserts in the Cafe throughout the weekend.

“Our annual celebration of the British apple continues to attract many visitors and we again received a fantastic response to our Apple Weekend, especially from the local community as the villages of Aldford, Eccleston and Saighton received an overwhelming number of apples towards their village juice appeal,” commented Iain Wylie, managing director.

“With so many different varieties of apple to be found in our region, we are proud to provide a source of information and advice for anyone wishing to grow their own apple trees. We also hope to inspire visitors to produce delicious savoury and sweet dishes with their own homegrown apples too,” Iain concluded.

We had a great response to our efforts to raise funds and awareness of Jeans for Genes Day (Friday 7th October) with members of the team here at Grosvenor swapping their usual trousers for jeans for the day.  Each made a donation to the charity – and we were thrilled to raise the sum of £54! 

Our £54 will help fund care and support for children with genetic disorders and research development of treatments and cures.

Next year, Jeans for Genes Day will take place on Friday 5^th October, so please encourage your friends and workmates to take part too.  All you need to do is swap your usual trousers for jeans and donate to this worthy cause.  It really could not be easier.

See http://www.jeansforgenesday.com/aboutjeansforgenesday for further information.

And put the date in your 2012 diary to support us again next year!

Start the month with a salute to the great British conifer as we celebrate National Conifer Week from 1st – 9th October.

There really is a conifer to suit every position in your garden and, available in all shapes and sizes, we can help you choose the perfect conifer for you, especially as we can save you money this week with our great 3 for 2 offer on picea glauca albertiana conica; cupressus mac.wilma and cham. Lawsoniana ellwoods gold varieties.

Whether you are looking to add interest, structure or texture, our great British conifers are easy to care for, will grow quickly and as they are all evergreen, will provide all-round colour in your garden too.

October is a busy month in the garden and with Halloween at the end of the month, you should see a great harvest of pumpkins from your Edible Garden too!

So read on for our tips for getting the most from your garden this month.

The leaves are falling and there will soon be a distinct chill to the air, even though this week has seen soaring temperatures!  But be prepared for high winds and the start of the autumn rainy season over the coming weeks as the October weather begins to take hold.

The soil has not cooled down too much just yet so that you can encourage the growth of roots for newly planted shrubs and hardy plants.  And this is the perfect time to plant a hedge of conifers too.

Cut back the stems of flowering perennial plants (‘perennial’ means these plants reappear every year) including Penstemon and Rudbeckia.  Their flowering season is over and they should be tidied up – remember to add the remnants to the compost heap.  Some perennials will flower for a while yet and should be left alone. These include Asters, Chrysanthemum, Japanese Anemone and Sedum.  Other perennials such as ornamental grasses and Echinops (globe thistle) should also be left for as long as possible as they contain seed heads which will provide food for wild birds, together with colour and interest in your borders this winter.
If you are unsure of the needs of your perennials, please just ask us!

Continue to plant spring flowering bulbs now as crocus and daffodils in particular need to be in the ground early this month.  Feed the soil to ensure maximum nourishment for your bulbs during the growth period of spring. 

Your winter flower bed will look great using specially selected bedding plants including viola and pansies, wallflowers and primulas. 

Kill off any weeds including brambles, docks and nettles to kill weed stems, foliage and roots.  And clear any gravel paths and driveways too. 

Your spring pots should be planted now to give the roots the best chance to develop before the weather becomes harsher. 

We would suggest you choose snowdrops for February, crocus for March, daffodils for April and tulips for May as this will give you good colour before the summer flower heads appear.

Finish sowing seed for new lawns as the soil will still be warm enough to encourage germination.  You should have already nourished your soil with a good fertiliser for stronger roots.

Rake your lawn to remove any thatch.  This is called ‘scarifying’.  If your lawn has not been fed since summer, an autumn feed will provide plenty of nutrients to harden growth and give your lawn the best start for the winter.

All outdoor tomatoes should be harvested now as they will continue to ripen indoors. 

Marrows and winter squash will also be ready for harvest and stored once their skins have hardened for delicious warming winter recipes.

Pick your ripened pears and apples and enjoy straight away or store in a cool place. 

Don’t forget to come and celebrate the apple on Saturday 22nd and 23rd October from 11am until 3pm as we once again hold our popular Apple Weekend!

Grosvenor has continued its record-breaking number of award wins this year having received 17 Awards of Merit and Highly Commended status from the Garden Centre Association.

Every member of the UK’s Garden Centre Association undergoes an annual audit and the results are collated to recognise the ‘best of the best’.

Grosvenor celebrates 19 awards from the Garden Centre Association

Grosvenor received Highly Commended status for the Garden Centre together with awards in 17 categories ranging from ‘the best’ Service and Facilities; Bedding, Patio and Hardy Plants; Catering; Staff; Food Hall to its Website.

“It is a great honour to be recognised so highly by our much respected industry association.  These awards are only given out where standards are exceptionally high and it is great to see Grosvenor’s high standards and consistency recognised across so many categories,” commented Iain Wylie, managing director.

“And to receive so many awards from the Garden Centre Association once again demonstrates that our ongoing objective to enhance the Garden Centre as a destination is receiving recognition, not only from our customers, but also from the industry itself,” Iain continued.
These awards have added to Grosvenor’s already outstanding achievement of being named Garden Centre of Excellence for an unprecedented 11 consecutive years, together with the announcement that it has The Greatest Wildbird Care Team.  Grosvenor was a finalist with both The Greatest Indoor Living and Style Team and The Greatest Garden Centre Green Team and received the Colour Your Life Green Community Award for their ongoing development of environmental initiatives at the Garden Centre and through its support within the local community.

This month we enjoy our last Bank Holiday before Christmas, so let’s make the most of the great outdoors before autumn arrives!

With another month to go before the children go back to school, why not introduce them to a great new hobby and get them away from the television and into the garden? Inspire them with their own vegetable patch or border to get them started and our Children’s Plant Workshops are here every Tuesday until 31st August too, so click here for more information.

If you are spending your holidays at home this year, you really want your garden to be at its beautiful best so you can relax and enjoy it. 

The pinnacle of a lovely garden is a lush lawn and what better way to spend August than by stretching out with the grass between your toes and enjoying delicious picnics?  To ensure your lawn is inviting, simply continue to trim it weekly and remember to collect the cuttings for the compost heap.  Strim or use shears on the edges for an instant, neater look and make sure the borders and lawn are weed-free.  Water and feed your lawn now too – weekly will be perfect. 

Your borders should still be abundant with colour as the weather, although warm, is also fairly wet so perfect for growth.  Combat this growth spurt by keeping on top of deadheading fading blooms and feeding bedding plants to encourage new flowers. 

Take cuttings of tender perennials too now such as Osteospermum and Argyranthemum and Felicia.  Cut off any stems and cut to about 8cm in length, making a long cut below a leaf joint.  Place the cuttings around the edge of a compost filled pot and cover with clear polythene. 

As soon as winter-flowering pansy seedlings and plants are big enough to move, prepare an area of soil and spray any annual weeds the day before you plant them out.

Colchicum byzantinum innocence

You can now plant crocus bulbs and meadow saffron (Colchicum autumnale) for flowering in the autumn and Camellias and Rhododendrons should be fed for the last time during August while the buds are still forming ready for a beautiful display next year.  Always ensure these plants receive plenty of water so that the new buds do not drop prematurely.  And stop feeding at the end of the month so that the buds do keep until next spring.

You will find that your weeds are still fast-growing and flowering too so should be easy to kill by using a glyphosate weedkiller.  Make sure you protect your plants so they are not damaged by the weedkiller and choose a day when the weather is settled and dry.

Treat your roses now so that they stay clear of pests such as black and greenfly and are protected from mildew, blackspot and rust.

Feed roses this month for a second flush of blooms

Pots and planted containers on patios always look good – and are a great way of adding instant colour to an otherwise dull area.  Remember that regular watering and feeding of container plants and hanging baskets is essential.  A dousing is best – in the evening so that the heat of the day does not scorch the leaves when wet.

Protect from aphids and plan to grow on your plants now ready for colourful pots and baskets during the autumn and winter months.  Early planting will ensure that your containers are well established before they are displayed in your garden.  By mixing flowering and foliage plants, you will create interest for longer – use ornamental cabbage or variegated ivy for contrast.

Sunday lunch will taste much better if you have grown your own vegetables and this month your plate should be bursting with a variety ready for harvesting just now.  You should have potatoes, broad beans, climbing French and runner beans, courgettes to choose from - and plenty of salad ingredients too.  And who can resist that sense of achievement when you present such a wholesome feast to your family and friends?  And the taste?  Delicious!  

Harvest your vegetables carefully and choose from plants that constantly produce flowers such as courgettes and runner beans to encourage more vegetables.  Make sure you pick over the plants every two to three days for a maximum crop.   Dry shallots by leaving them on a windowsill or in a shed so that they ripen before you store them.  Why not pickle them ready for winter?

Sow salad leaves every couple of weeks now so that you have plenty of tasty leaves for enjoying throughout the autumn.  And hang your herbs in bunches in a cool, airy location or chop up and freeze in water in ice cube trays – delicious in a refreshing Pimms, or add to your potatoes during the winter months!

Prune your trained apples and pears to restrict new growth.  Pick your soft fruits as soon as they are ripe and make sure the birds don’t steal your produce!  Use netting to maintain your full crop.  Be aware that wasps are attracted to ripening soft fruits so make sure you are careful when picking fruit.

Finally, enjoy the last of the summer as it won’t be long before we are offering you gardening tips for the winter!

We always look forward to RHS Flower Show Tatton Park here at Grosvenor.  With so many keen gardeners in one spot it really is the chance to showcase the best of the North West, and the rest of the UK, with a great day out in beautiful surroundings at Tatton Park.

And good weather is a bonus!

Inspirational displays can be found everywhere at RHS Flower Show Tatton Park.  From the pinnacle of the show gardens to the back to back gardens, the visionary gardens and the flower bed competitions to the floral marquees and the truly brilliant fresh fruit and vegetable displays! 

Know your Onions!

As we set up our marquee on Tuesday alongside Cheshire’s Gardens of Distinction we happened to walk into the floral marquee where a family group of exhibitors was creating the most delightful sculptures from their fruit and veg!  Not only talented at growing the most impressive produce, also extremely gifted at displaying their wares too! 

Creative fruit and veg

So, to the best of the best.  Which award wins did we agree with?

We were thrilled to see Grosvenor Estate win a Silver-Gilt award for their back to back garden, ‘Painting with Plants’.  Using bold and vibrant colours, the garden has been designed to reflect the work of French artist, Henri Matisse, and perfect planting recreates an artist’s palette.  We are loving the water feature too – selected from our range here at Grosvenor!

Grosvenor Estate

Personal favourites from the show gardens were the ‘Blathanna Fiaine an Inbhir’ (Wild Flowers of Inver) garden with peace and tranquillity at its roots.  Designed by Stephen Dennis and Brett Landscaping around the natural landscape of Inver, Co Mayo, the rolling flow of the gardens surrounds an expanse of water with a beautiful bronze harp at its centre to represent the national symbol of Ireland.  The calmness and serenity that this show garden presented was very appealing – a sense of peace in an otherwise busy world.  Well done on a Silver Flora award!

Blathanna Fiaine an Inbhir

Agree on the award for the Best Show Garden – ‘Save a Life, Drop the Knife’ designed by HMP Everthorpe was distinctive and really grabbed attention with clever planting to depict the horrors of knife crime and how much more harmonious life could be if we make the right decisions and turn from crime.  An ingenious design with a great message – deservedly the Best Show Garden.

Save a Life, Drop the Knife

There is plenty more to see at RHS Flower Show Tatton Park right up to and including this Sunday, 24th July, and this simple blog cannot convey the excitement and inspiring developments that are showcased so well at Tatton – a great advertisement for our region.

So don’t forget to say hello to our horticulturalists too – see them on Avenue C in the Cheshire Gardens of Distinction marquee!  And don’t forget our friends at Cheshire Wildlife Trust and Cheshire Life too – you could win one of our hampers bursting with goodies!

www.rhs.org.uk/tattonpark

Welcome to the first day of July!

July has to be one of the best months of the year for entertaining in your garden.  It’s midsummer, the days are long and (hopefully!) balmy and friends and family are in the holiday spirit!

And your lawn should be looking its best too.  You may find that we have a few days of very dry weather now so you need to combat this with a really good soaking of your lawn once a week rather than simply wetting it daily.  The deeper the water the more it will help the root system.

Always remember to keep on top of deadheading your flowering plants – both in baskets, pots or containers and in your borders too.  This will encourage the plant to produce even more blooms as it attempts to set seed.

Watering is vital now as we enjoy warmer weather and feed the leaves and around the roots fortnightly.  Always water in the evening and when the sun is not shining directly onto the plant to avoid leaf damage.  Why not try a hose end feeder which will automatically dilute liquid plant food so it can easily be sprayed over plants.  Call in to find out more.

Be aware of pesky ants, aphids and other pests this month.  We do have a comprehensive range of insecticides for the majority of pests that gardeners are likely to come across on a day to day basis.  Again, please do ask for our experts’ recommendations – the whole team is very knowledgeable and will be delighted to help.

Wow – didn’t our roses bloom early this year?  We saw many roses bloom as early as May and you can now encourage another display towards the end of the summer by making sure your roses have sufficient nutrients.  We have various feeds specifically for roses including slow release food and granules to produce the best blooms, perfume and colour from your roses.

Add slow release plant food to baskets, pots and containers

Even though July is generally one of the balmiest of the year, be aware of high winds and ensure your tall perennials and plants are supported well with stakes to avoid damage and keep them upright.

This is a great month to take semi-ripe cuttings of geraniums as they will root more efficiently now than in the cooler days later in the year.  Snip cleanly just below a leaf joint and remove some of the lower leaves.  Add four or five cuttings around the perimeter of a 15cm diameter pot filled with a good compost such as a Multi-Purpose with added John Innes.  Put your pot in a warm, shaded position until the roots start to form over the next few weeks.

You can sow seeds now of winter pansies, wallflowers and forget-me-nots too so that you will have good seedlings to plant out at the end of the summer or beginning of autumn.

You can also add to your Edible Garden now by sowing vegetable seeds in containers or plant seedlings.  And you can continue to sow seeds of cut-and-come-again lettuce and salad leaves in containers or herb planters.  These will be delicious in salads later in the summer.

Homegrown carrots are a tasty treat

Begin to harvest courgettes, French beans and runner beans now.  You may find the runner beans need a little longer and if so, try misting with water to encourage them to set.

New varieties of potato such as Maris Bard or Swift should be ready for harvesting soon too. 

You should see bumper crops of fruits now too thanks to the fantastic weather we experienced in the spring.  Watch for branches that may need a bit of extra support under the weight of a heavy crop.

Remember that all fruits and vegetables need regular, extra feeding – not only your tomatoes! 
 
Finally, we would encourage you to make the most of July and really sit back and enjoy your garden.