Lavender is one of our most popular plants.  Not only does this remarkable plant create a beautiful sight of small flowers with white, blue and purple hues, but it also offers a heady fragrance and has the amazing power to attract bees and butterflies!

Attract bees and butterflies into your garden with Lavender

You will be mightily rewarded with a bushy, spreading plant if you choose a warm and sunny spot with well drained soil as it will grow voraciously over a period of months.

Once established, your lavender should be able to resist disease and drought conditions but really does not like ‘wet’ conditions which will encourage roots to rot.  An alkaline or chalky soil bed will enhance the fragrance from your lavender – the stronger the scent, the better!

Use your lavender in a variety of ways around the garden: from spreading around bushes and shrubs to softening a border and is equally as effective planted with a group of plants such as roses or herbaceous perennials including Rubeckia, Echinacea and Phlox, or by itself.
  
Brighten up a planted container by including lavender but again, ensure that the growing media is well drained.

The benefits of lavender are well documented as it has a variety of uses from toiletry fragrances to essential oils and sleep aids.  It is even known for its health properties and can help relieve stress and pain, improve circulation and help to alleviate breathing problems – truly a wonder plant!

The Vinca minor variety of beautiful small flowered plant is perfect for ground cover with its compact blooms, much smaller than its related Vinca major varieties including the Periwinkle. Use the Vinca minor in small beds or borders to brighten a dull patch of soil between established plants.  You can also use it to rejuvenate winter baskets and containers too. Bright foliage coupled with delightful blue flowers in the springtime will create colour and interest right through to winter.  And the Vinca  will be equally as happy under trees, shrubs and roses as in dry, shady locations where it will spread to fill dreary areas with its vibrant foliage. Easy to grow and care for, the Vinca loves most types of soil but of course, requires decent drainage to flourish. Try planting spring bulbs such as crocus and snowdrops to complement the vibrant green of the Vinca foliage and the soft blues of the blooms.

Our March Plant of the Month: Vinca

Not only is the Camellia ideal for winter colour, it is easy to grow so the perfect starting point for gardeners just starting out.

The Camellia will complement any flower border with a fantastic range of colours to choose from including striking whites, pale pinks and deep reds.  Pick your varieties carefully and you could enjoy colour from November to April.

February Plant of the Month: Camellia

Lovers of an acidic soil, Camellias prefer a sheltered position, ideally in shade and away from direct sunlight.  If you try to grow your Camellia in an exposed location, you must water frequently.

Make sure you prepare the spot with plenty of compost to strengthen the root system and add mulch in winter with a deep layer of bark.  If you don’t have acid soil in your garden, try growing your Camellia in a container – use ericaceous compost and use water collected from the water butt rather than direct from the tap. Use an acidic fertiliser to make sure your Camellia receives the correct balance of nutrients.

Plant alongside these acid-loving Rhododendrons, Pieris, Enkianthus and both deciduous and evergreen Azaleas for beautiful displays.

Grosvenor has launched its popular, annual Schools’ Growing Competition to inspire school children from 11 schools in the local area to get growing.

Grosvenor’s Schools’ Ambassador and horticulturalist, James Mabon, is visiting each of the 11 participating schools to deliver the plug plants, compost, pots and plenty of hints and tips required to grow a prize winning Petunia Hot Flame. 

With more than 30 children from each school participating, each child will take their plant home to nurture it before taking part in an individual school’s judging ceremony where James will decide the three best plants from each school. 

The final of the Schools’ Growing Competition will then take place on Sunday 12th June at 2pm at the Garden Centre when one winner and two runners-up will be chosen and presented with a trug full of gardening goodies and vouchers for their schools.

Grosvenor’s ongoing work within the community highlights the benefits and ease of nurturing and caring for plants and each school looks forward to taking part in the competition each year.  

“Here at Saighton C E Primary School, the children’s enthusiasm for planting and caring for their own plant is a delight to see and we all greatly look forward to taking part in Grosvenor’s competition each year,” stated Mrs Alex Gelling, teaching assistant.

With the Petunia always a popular choice, Grosvenor opted for the easy-to-grow favourite for children to grow as their competition entry.

“We should see some great blooms and plenty of fresh buds, good leaf health and an exceptional rounded form from the Petunias over the coming weeks and by the time the Grand Final takes place on 12th June, I am sure I will be spoilt for choice and choosing a winner will be a very difficult task indeed!” said James.

“We launched the Schools’ Growing Competition 12 years ago and we are delighted to have inspired children to grow plants for all these years.  The enthusiasm and interest from the children and schools never diminishes and is a delight to see every year,” said Iain Wylie, managing director.

“Our regular Children’s Plant Workshops held here at Grosvenor during school holidays have never been more popular with children as young as five showing a great interest in the magic of gardening and it really is a joy to see,” Iain continued.

For further information on Grosvenor’s Children’s Plant Workshops, click here and to book please call Customer Services on 01244 625200.

Grosvenor will be helping visitors to enjoy a taste of ‘the good life’ this weekend, Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th March, from 11am until 3pm, with expert advice, demonstrations and a mini farmyard too.

As part of its ongoing initiative to inform and advise visitors how easy it is to create or improve their own Edible Garden for a bountiful supply of fresh fruit and vegetables all year round, Grosvenor will be offering beginners and more advanced gardeners the chance to learn from the experts with tips and visual demonstrations in their own Edible Garden.

Grosvenor will also be helping visitors sign up to the One Pot Pledge encouraging children and visitors to the garden centre to get growing.  A national scheme in conjunction with Garden Organic, a charity in support of organic growing, the One Pot Pledge encourages everyone to get growing even with just ‘one pot’.

Visitors wishing to learn more about rearing their own animals and the importance of their impact on the countryside can see and stroke goats, guinea pigs, lambs, pigs and rabbits in Grosvenor’s visiting farmyard.  And spinning wheel demonstrations will be taking place showing the journey from fleece to wool, and there will be a fun fruit and veg quiz too with a free packet of seeds for every entrant.

On Sunday 20th March, the ‘100 Day Waste Challenge Roadshow’ will be at Grosvenor, offering hints and tips on reducing household waste through recycling, composting and raising awareness of how even the smallest actions can have a big impact.

“Here at Grosvenor, we are passionate about encouraging everyone to make the most of their gardens and to use even the smallest area to create a ready supply of the most nutritious fresh fruit and vegetables available.  Our Good Life weekend will provide the perfect opportunity for anyone interested in giving it a go to learn all they can and plenty more about enjoying self sufficient lifestyle,” commented Claire Binns, Events Co-ordinator, Grosvenor.

Following the announcement that Grosvenor has achieved the award of Garden Centre of Excellence for an unprecedented 11th consecutive year, Grosvenor’s award success has continued, judged to be one of the most environmentally aware garden centres in the UK.

In conjunction with the Garden Centre Association, to receive the Colour Your Life Green Community Award is a prestigious honour focusing on illustrating how important plants, shrubs and trees are on the environment, both economically and socially, and the impact of environmental awareness within a forward thinking business such as Grosvenor.

“Here at Grosvenor we aim to nurture an interest in gardening whilst at the same time promoting the benefits of plants in our everyday lives,” commented Julie Gregory, Colour Your Life ‘Champion’. 

“The impact plants can have on our wellbeing and the environment is vast but over the last 12 months in particular we have focused on redeveloping and rejuvenating the impact that the Grow Your Own experience has had on our visitors – a practice which is continuing to grow and reap rewards on the green space around us.”

A ‘Green Grosvenor’ team is in place at the Garden Centre with members from every area encouraged to devise initiatives to move the Colour Your Life initiative forward and continue to raise awareness of how Grosvenor works together with the local community to improve their effect on the environment and reduce their carbon footprint.

“Having won the Colour Your Life Green Community Award (previously known as the Green City Town & Country Award) each year since its inception three years ago, we are delighted to have once again retained such a prestigious environmental award to underpin our values and efforts here at Grosvenor,” said Iain Wylie, Managing Director.

“Grosvenor has once again shown that their focus on improving their impact on the environment with inspirational initiatives has been excellent and I was delighted to judge them one of the best in the UK.  I would like to thank them for their continuing support of this award and look forward to witnessing their new ideas over the coming months,” said Mark Long, Colour Your Life Green Community Award.

For further information regarding Grosvenor’s environmental policy, see www.grosvenorgardencentre.co.uk/go_green

Grosvenor Garden Centre has been named Retail Outlet of the Year by the industry leading Garden Retail Awards, held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London last week.

Celebrating the best in the garden retail industry and rewarding its efforts to achieve excellence across the centre, Grosvenor was a finalist in six categories including Community Involvement and Best Environmental Policy and received two further Highly Commended awards in the Best Planteria and Best Catering Facilities categories.

The awards were presented in recognition of the innovations undertaken by Grosvenor to ensure the centre continues to evolve and create an outstanding destination for visitors with excellence in every area – from the highest service levels to the range of products.  Each entry was judged independently alongside more than 100 entrants from around the country. 

“To be judged the winner of the most prestigious award of the evening, Retail Outlet of the Year, is testament to each and every member of the team here at Grosvenor.  Everyone has played a vital role in ensuring the success of the centre and to win this huge accolade is a great accomplishment,” said Iain Wylie, managing director.

“It is a great achievement to win these great awards especially as we were against ‘the best of the best’ from around the UK and to receive two further Highly Commended awards for the Best Planteria and Best Catering Facilities is the icing on the cake,” Iain continued.

These awards are the latest in a line of award wins for Grosvenor this year including the Garden Centre of Excellence accolade for a record 10th consecutive year and awards for the Greatest Living and Style and Outdoor Leisure sectors, together with Highly Commended status in the High Sheriff’s Award for Enterprise.

Members of the team at Grosvenor Garden Centre have marked National Baking Week (18^th – 24^th October) with a ‘bake and share’ sale to raise money for Claire House Children’s Hospice, the garden centre’s adopted charity for 2010.

The sale offered goodies ranging from cupcakes to fruit loaf, roly poly to sausage rolls - all of which were sold for a nominal donation with a total of more than £140 raised through the week.  

The ‘bake and share’ sale is the latest in a series of fundraising activities undertaken by Grosvenor in support of Claire House this year and follows abseils, coastal walks and the approaching Snowdonia Marathon – all embarked on and supported by staff at Grosvenor.

“The enthusiasm for this week’s sale was unbelievable with more than 30 members of staff kindly donating their time and home baked cakes and savouries towards the cause.  I think everyone enjoyed themselves both baking and eating and it is certainly an initiative that we will continue to adopt again in the future for charity,” said Jenny Carr, Customer Services Supervisor and organiser of Grosvenor’s ‘bake and share’ sale.

“Every year we choose a charity to adopt for a 12 month period and I have been delighted to see so many members of the team here at Grosvenor embrace the worthwhile cause of Claire House.  The ‘bake and share’ sale has been particularly well received in the staff room!” said Iain Wylie, Managing Director.

“What a great idea!  We are always extremely grateful for any donation to Claire House but we have been overwhelmed with the response from staff at Grosvenor by their generosity and ideas to raise funds.  The need for the service we provide will unfortunately never go away and it is with much appreciation that their support just keeps growing!” said Laura Irving, Area Fundraiser, Claire House.