English Woodlands Burrow Nursery Blog

Thank you to all our customers who has supported us this year, we are very grateful. Since May when we re-opened after the last lockdown we have realised how even more important gardens, trees and plants have been to everyone and we are happy to continue to advise and supply great quality plants.

Following Government guidelines to allow garden centres to stay open we are trading as normal, with strict social distancing on the nursery. We welcome visitors for cash and carry but request you load your plants on a trolley yourself and load your car. We can deliver larger items as usual. Read our method of operations here.

In the office we ask you wear a face covering and sanitise your hands on entry and exit, chairs and door handles are regularly sanitised. All our sales desks have Perspex around them, so we can still give advice on site in the office or the nursery. Do email in photographs of your garden / the site if you would like specific advise. If you don't wish to visit we can take orders by telephone, email or via the web for delivery or contactless collection.

Stay safe everyone and enjoy your plants!

Rootballed hedge plants are now available, this is an economical way to buy hedge plants of a good size and great quality. They are field grown and pruned, and dug up for sale when dormant October - March. Roots come wrapped in soil and hessian which you leave on when planted. Larger specimens should be staked to help them establish.

We have bushy yew - Taxus baccata - from 60-80cm to 2m and Western Red Cedar - Thuja plicata - from 150cm to 2m. Yew is a classic hedge plant which clips well, forms a beautiful backdrop to herbaceous borders and tolerates shade - but it does require well drained soil. Thuja also clips well and tolerates heavier soils than yew - a good choice for clay soils - it also tolerates harder pruning than Leyland.

• Taxus baccata 60-80cm £23.40 each inc VAT (£18.60 for 10+ plants)
• Taxus baccata 100-125cm £39.60 (£36 for 10+)
• Taxus baccata 125-150cm £72 (£68.40 for 10+)
• Taxus baccata 150-175cm £96 (£90 for 10+)
• Taxus baccata 175-200cm £150 (£138 for 10+)
• Taxus baccata 200-225cm £180 (£168 for 10+)

Prices include VAT.

• Thuja plicata 150-175cm £48.00 each (£45.60 for 10+)
• Thuja plicata 175-200cm £58.80 (£55.20 for 10+)
• Thuja plicata 200-225cm £72 (£66 for 10+)

We welcome visitors to the nursery but if you wish to collect please pre-order if possible, this allows us to confirm availability and collect your plants for you to load. We also offer a delivery service.

Please see our method of operations on our home page.

We are open 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 4pm Saturday, closed Sundays.

It's beginning to look a bit like autumn - foliage colour, fruit, and berries...

After a warm dry summer we have at last had some rain bringing ideal conditions for planting trees and shrubs. We have lots of new stock in the nursery - small and large ornamental trees, fruit trees, shrubs and climbers.

Ornamental trees range from our small standards (150-175cm now) to 3-4m standard trees, both evergreens and deciduous. Birch and cherry trees are always popular. Pyrus calleryana Chanticleer (an ornamental pear) is a great example of a deciduous tree which is good for screening in the summer months. For something special look at our beautiful evergreen Magnolia standards.

New stocks of evergreen shrubs include mature Photinia Red Robin (a popular shrub which has bright red new spring growth) and Elaeagnus ebbingei - a quick growing evergreen that does well in windy conditions - including coastal sites- and it has the benefit of fragrant flowers too. We have a good range or small to large laurels for hedging.

As usual we have a great range of fruit trees, topiary and small shrubs.

For something special we have some stunning new specimens of multi-stem Magnolia Little Gem, Strawberry tree, Camellia sasanqua and Portugal laurel...

Come and visit...we look forward to seeing you.

Overnight rain has refreshed the nursery. There is a plethora of foliage shapes and colours to be seen. This is worth considering when planning and planting a garden. Depth of interest can be achieved by using the shape, colour and texture of foliage as well the overall shape of the plant itself to achieve the effect you want.

Feathery delicate leaves like Japanese Acers contrast well with large matt green leaves; blue needles of pines contrast with purple or dark red deciduous trees such as purple beech; leaves can be heart shaped, star shaped, tiny and crinkly, or large and hairy. New growth can be a different colour to older growth - like Photinia Red Robin, or a leaf can had a different colour underside like Magnolia grandiflora. All these characteristics can make for an interesting planting palette.

We all know flowers are fabulous but don't forget foliage, and fruit can be ornamental too!

Take time before the planting season to enjoy it all.

There are certainly some extremes of weather in the UK at the moment: while storms and flooding are occurring in the north, in the south there is a drought and heatwave. I am sure those of you who have planted trees and shrubs this year have been watering through a warm dry spring and on through the summer. Trees have been doing quite a bit of growing since spring and the conditions mean that they may well be showing some stress and even going into autumn early. Shallow rooted trees like birch particularly, can show 'heat stress' with some leaves turning yellow in late summer.

In the South East of England gardeners are being encouraged not to use hosepipes and we hope that wise use of watering cans and water butts mean that trees and shrubs can still be watered. 'Grey water' saved from baths and washing up can be used in the garden if necessary. Water butts may well be empty now but make sure you have some for future use when it rains!

Remember - watering early morning and evening is the most effective as there is less evaporation at these times. Some leaves 'droop' in the mid-day heat, don't automatically assume they need more water - they often perk up in the evening and morning with cooler conditions - it is possible to over water as well as under water - the symptoms are similar.

Do read our 'Guide to watering newly planted trees and shrubs' - we may well get some rain soon but it has to be steady and prolonged to soak in after a drought so do check the soil moisture as recommended in the guide.

Scented plants can really enhance a summer garden, especially planted around a seating area or near patio doors at the entrance to a house.

Philadelphus shrubs - also called 'mock orange' -have lovely scented flowers in early to mid-summer. Some varieties reach 3m in height others are more compact. Philadelphus 'Belle Etoile' is a compact variety with arching stems and highly fragrant white flowers with a purple centre. They look equally good as single specimens or in mixed borders with roses and herbaceous plants. They suit most well drained soils and a sunny or partially shaded site.

Also scented and in full flower now Trachelospermum jasminoides - also called Star Jasmine - a lovely climber to place near a seating area or entrance. It has the bonus of being evergreen too.

There are many trees and shrubs looking great on the nursery just now, one little star is Cornus 'Milky Way' - as its name suggests it has an abundance of creamy white flowers (bracts) indicative of stars in the Milky Way. It grows from a multi-stem shrub into a vase shape tree approximately 6m in ultimate height. Red fruits follow the flowers and in autumn it has orange red leaves. It tolerates partial shade and most well drained but moist soils.

A lovely climber with white flowers - Trachelospermum jasminoides or Star Jasmine is budding up to flower shortly. It has white, fragrant, jasmine like flowers and glossy green leaves. A great plant for a sunny seating area where you can enjoy the fragrance.

Come and browse for more bright ideas and inspiration this summer.

Great weather and lush spring foliage means the nursery is looking great at the moment ! Here are a few highlights...

Adhering to the governments guidelines on plants centres re-opening, social distancing and health & safety, we have re-opened our nursery!

Thank you for your understanding at this time and we look forward to seeing you soon.