English Woodlands Burrow Nursery Blog

Now is an ideal time to prune apple trees - if you need to. Newly planted trees have usually been formatively pruned in the nursery and shouldn't need any pruning, however as trees get older pruning may be necessary and it is easier to assess the trees after leaf fall and prior to bud break.

The aim of any pruning will be to reduce the risk of pests and diseases from crowded conditions ; encourage growth of younger productive wood and the production of good quality fruit.

First remove any dead, diseased or damaged branches - particularly those damaged by apple canker.

Prune out any crossing branches that can rub.

Shorten previous year's growth on main branch tips by about a third.

Leave side branches (laterals) unpruned so they can develop fruit buds in the second year.

Remove strong shoots growing into the centre of the tree - aim for an overall 'goblet' shape.

On old trees thin out any fruit bearing spurs that are congested to about 15cm/6" apart.

and don't forget to clean your tools after use!

Wishing all our customers a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!

We are open as usual from 8 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday 

and

8 am to 4 pm Saturday

The whole team at English Woodlands would like to wish you a
Very Merry Christmas and a
Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!

Thank you for your custom during 2018 and we look forward to seeing you in the New Year.

We close at 4pm Saturday 22nd December and
Open again 8am Wednesday January 2nd 2019

Our popular Quality Christmas Trees are now in stock!

Nordmann Fir - the 'non-drop' tree that retains its needles well, beautiful glossy foliage. 3' - 12' trees £25 - £135

Norway spruce - the traditional one with the fragrance of Christmas! 4'-12' trees £26 - £135

Some potted plants are also available including some very neat potted Picea conica - ideal for a small decoration at £19.99

Picea conica

We are open Mondays to Fridays 8am to 5pm
Saturdays 8am to 4.00pm
Sundays 10am to 4.00pm
New this year - late night opening
Fridays 7th and 14th December
5pm - 8 pm

Plants for hedges are supplied bare root from November to March when they are dormant. This is an economical way to plant new deciduous hedges. Our plants are well rooted, strong plants you may see cheaper on the web but would find it hard to get better quality.

Our Hedge Packs of 25 plants are ideal for small quantities (one pack is sufficient for 5 metres planted in a double staggered row) or are ideal for gapping up an existing hedge. Available in a 60-80cm size comprising 12 Hawthorn, 4 Field Maple, 3 Hazel, 3 Spindle and 3 Blackthorn.

Hedge packs are also available in the nursery at the larger size 90-120cm comprising 13 Hawthorn, 4 Field Maple, 4 Hazel and 4 Hornbeam.

For larger quantities our classic Country Hedge mix is available with 50% hawthorn and a combination of other species supplied in bundles of 25 plants.

Single species such as beech and hornbeam make attractive garden hedges . A variety of sizes are available, the largest usually used for hedging is 125-150cm. Evergreen plants are supplied at small sizes such as Yew 30-40cm and Box 20-30cm - well branched sturdy plants.

There are many advantages of hedge planting including benefits to wildlife - creating food, shelter and habitat; hedges provide design features in gardens, division of larger areas, shelter for seating areas and vegetable patches;  plus there is the benefit to the environment of soaking up air pollution in urban areas, and slowing wind and water erosion of soil.

Need advice? Follow the links above and telephone or visit to discuss your requirements.

Foliage colour is one of the highlights of autumn, this year has been one of the best due to the long hot summer and as yet we haven't had the gales to blow the leaves off the trees...

Whatever size garden - or patio - you have there is a tree that has beautiful autumn colour for you - from the smallest ornamental cherry to the largest oaks.

Prunus Kojo-no-mai is a small ornamental cherry showing good colour now, it is suitable for a container on a patio and reaches approximately 2m high. In contrast, the wild cherry Prunus avium can grace a woodland clearing or parkland and reach up to 20m.

In between, for small to medium gardens  - varieties such as Prunus Okame, Prunus Pandora, Prunus Kanzan and Prunus sargentii all have good autumn colour. Prunus Royal Burgundy has deep burgundy foliage in summer which turns bright red in autumn.

Oaks such as the pin oak Quercus palustris, red oak Quercus rubra, and scarlet oak Quercus coccinea are stunning large trees for autumn colour.

Many Sorbus (Rowan) trees show great autumn foliage including the yellow berried variety of Sorbus aucuparia - Joseph Rock, upright when young this is a hardy tree for a small garden.

One of the best trees for autumn colour is Liquidambar styraciflua and its cultivars, including Liquidambar Worplesdon which shows consistently good colour. Liquidambar has a maple shape leaf and the tree is also prunable so we also supply it as a stunning espalier 2m high and 1m wide.

Less well known is Nyssa sylvatica the Tupelo tree, a large specimen used to great effect in public gardens such as Sheffield Park here in Sussex. Parrotia persica, the Persian Ironwood is another unusual stunning large tree the leaves show an almost rainbow foliage effect in autumn.

And of course there are many Japanese Maples - Acer palmatum varieties to choose from with a range of red, orange and yellow autumn colour.

Enjoy the autumn colour this year and do come and visit if you are inspired to plant!

Great quality rootballed plants for Hedging are now available !

Yew, Taxus baccata and Western Red Cedar - Thuja plicata both make great hedges. They clip well and create thick hedges for divisions or can be used as a backdrop to other planting.

Field grown and pruned to create bushy plants we have a range of sizes from 60-80cm tall to 2.2m. Taxus baccata prefers well drained soil, Thuja plicata tolerates heavier wetter sites. Both tolerate shade.

We have a variety of sizes in stock from now through to March next year. Come and visit or see the website for sizes and prices.

Also just arrived rootballed Holly - Ilex aquifolium 100-125cm tall!

Big flavour for small spaces

There's nothing like picking fruit from your own tree - even in the smallest of spaces available - patio, balcony or small garden.

We now have a selection of fruit trees in stock grown on 'dwarf' or 'patio' rootstock which controls their ultimate size.

Apple varieties are grafted or budded on to M27 rootstock to achieve around only 6' or 1.8m high and still produce a good basketful of apples. Cherries are grafted on to Gisela 5 rootstocks and Pears onto Quince Eline.  Come and visit the nursery to see the selection, trees on other rootstocks are available as usual.

Apples in stock include Charles Ross, Fiesta, Red Devil, Scrumptious and Winter Gem. We have dwarf cherries Celeste, Morello, Stardust and Stella; Pear Beth and Concorde; Peach Garden Lady and Terrace Amber. They are all £39.99 available in containers now.

Crab Apples make lovely ornamental trees...

There are many varieties of crab apples trees, they have beautiful spring blossom and attractive autumn fruit. Some have scented flowers too. Fruit often hangs on the tree well into winter and is attractive to birds to supplement their food!

The fruit can be used to make crab apple jelly which is a tasty alternative to pickle or jam, try M. Jelly King or M. John Downie and autumn is the time to make it!

Varieties with pink blossom include Malus toringo Scarlet and Malus Rudolph, those with white blossom include Malus Evereste, M.Gorgeous, M. Red Sentinel, M. Jelly King and M.John Downie. The flowers are great for the bees.

Some varieties have burgundy foliage such as Malus Toringo Scarlet which turns yellow/orange in autumn and Malus Rudolph with burgundy/green leaves and small burgundy colour fruit.

Weeping shape varieties include Malus Sun Rival which has scented white flowers and red cherry like fruits.

Most make small trees 4-8m ultimately, they are tolerant of clay soils, prefer a sunny site and can be pruned to shape. Crab apples are often used as pollinators in apple tree orchards.

Ligustrum excelsa superbum - Variegated Chinese Privet

A versatile  small tree suitable for urban and rural sites alike.  It is evergreen in a sheltered location and mild winter, but sheds leaves in winter in more exposed sites or during hard winters. It tolerates most soil types and thrives in full sun.

Garden screening

Small white flowers are born in late summer, the variegated foliage is cream and green. Ultimate height is approximately 6 metres. It can be grown as an individual tree or as a screen above a fence line and trimmed to form a 'hedge on legs'.

We supply variegated Chinese privet trees with a clear stem of 2m below the crown (approximately 3m total height now). Trees in stock currently are 12-14cm girth @ £150 inc.

Ligustrum excelsa superbum