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

Magnolia Grandiflora - Evergreen Magnolia

is one of the loveliest flowering trees in summer.

Glossy green leaves with felty brown undersides show off pale cream flowers with a fresh fragrance - cool as cucumber. Flowering from July onwards into a mild autumn.

They are fairly slow growing and love a sheltered sunny site with well-drained soil. Traditionally planted against a sunny wall they make wonderful stand alone specimens too.

The variety of Magnolia grandiflora 'Goliath' flowers when younger than the species.

Available as standards (12-14cm girth), small (125cm tall) or large bush trees (3-3.5m).

Magnolia grandiflora Goliath

Some areas have had some rain recently but in many cases it just hasn't been enough for newly planted trees and shrubs! So do continue to check soil moisture and water where necessary.

Trees require watering for the first two years after planting from spring to autumn (from bud break to leaf drop). The frequency and quantity of water depends on the species of tree and how free draining the soil but follow these guidelines -

It is better to water well and then let the water soak away than water only a little but frequently. So for a 3-3.5m tall tree this could be 2 x 10 litre watering cans 2-3 times per week.

Control weeds around the base of plants which take up water at the expense of the newly planted tree or shrub.

Avoid watering in the hottest part of the day, evening watering will allow water to soak in with the least loss due to evaporation, early morning is the next best time.

In drought conditions you may have to water well 2 or 3 times a week for plants in the ground, and every day for plants in containers.

Consider seep hose, or leaky pipe for large areas of planting.

If you are in any doubt about quantity and frequency of watering please do contact us to discuss your particular trees and site.

In hot weather we welcome the benefits of trees for shade.

Tilia - Limes for shade

In many cities parks are popular for all the right reasons - playtime, exercise or just sitting and watching the world go by - and trees enhance the park landscape.

We reap the benefits of inspired tree planters of years ago. London's Plane trees in Hyde Park and Manchester's Poplars in St. John's Garden have survived polluted conditions to offer cooling effects in summer, improve the air quality and help reduce traffic noise. Street trees improve the look of the built environment making cities a more pleasant place to live and work.

Large trees such as limes (Tilia species), Norway Maples (Acer platanoides species), Oaks (Quercus) and Planes (Platanus x hispanica) are some of the  obvious examples of trees that offer shade - trees that grow to 15m and more and have dense canopies.

Medium sized trees include Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus), Sweet Gum (Liquidambar), Alder (Alnus), and Field Maple (Acer campestre).

Smaller trees that have dense canopies such as hawthorns (Crataegus) are useful for shade aswell as June berry (Amelanchiers) and Cotoneaster. Trees that can be pruned to restrict their size in small gardens include Indian bean tree (Catalpa) and the silver willow leaved weaping pear Pyrus salicifolia Pendula.

Gardens small and large benefit from some shade in the summer, and if the garden is too small for a tree there are other options to get 'green infrastructure'. Vines can be trained over pergolas for example and Wisteria can be grown on a stem with a pruned 'crown'.

It is not the best time for planting in the heat of the summer, but it is a great time to enjoy the benefits of trees!

We hope you are enjoying the summer and don't forget to continue to water newly planted trees, shrubs and climbers in the hot weather!

June brings sunny days and lush foliage.

While it is not ideal tree planting weather just now it is a great time to take a good look around at foliage shape and colour and plan for the autumn. Planting in containers can be done at any time of year and a great candidate for growing in a pot is Nandina domestica - it is evergreen, slow growing and has colourful foliage as well as flowers followed by red berries - it loves a sunny site and looks great in terracotta.

While herbaceous plants are obvious summer stars there are also many shrubs in flower that add structure and height to a mixed border. Philadelphus is a stunning deciduous shrub with white scented flowers, there are several varieties  - Belle Etoile is compact and highly scented.

Also coming into flower now are Hydrangeas that will bloom away happily during the summer.

On hot sunny days ornamental vines flourish, they can be trained over pergolas and other structures and can provide shade for seating areas. They can also be grown as short or long stem 'trees' cutting the foliage back to create a 'crown'. Mature vines grown this way can look very effective in containers on paved areas.

Happy Summer !

Come and visit for some more ideas...

Star of the show today !

Cornus Venus is an elegant shrub or small tree reaching 5m high ultimately and 4m wide.  It has showy flowers which are actually white petal like bracts surrounding small green yellow flowers.

Flowering in May - June they make a stunning specimen. It is a cross between Cornus kousa var. Chinensis and Cornus nuttallii and makes a hardy tree.

Cornus Venus

On mature specimens red fruits follow flowers and it has spectacular autumn leaf colour too.

It suits most soil types and thrives in sun or partial shade.

Something special for any size garden

We hope you have a wonderful Bank Holiday weekend - don't forget to water your newly planted trees and shrubs in the hot weather.

It's a great time to visit and see trees in blossom and with new spring foliage...

Prunus Shirofugen - One of the best

ornamental cherries in flower end of April through to May. Looking great in the nursery today.

A real show stopper! Double white flowers start pink in bud and fade to shell pink. The young foliage is copper coloured, then turns green and has good autumn colour too.

Ultimate height and spread is approximately 8m.
It prefers a sunny site and can cope with clay and chalk.

50% OFF USUAL PRICE THIS WEEK !

Available until the end of April while stocks last:

quality hedge plants that have been field grown, pruned and supplied with soil round the roots protected by  hessian.

Evergreen Yew - Taxus baccata is available from 60-80cm tall up to 150-175cm tall (and sizes in between) from £15 (10+ rate for smallest size). A classic for traditional hedges and topiary, a beautiful backdrop to herbaceous borders and ideal on well-drained soil.

Evergreen Western Red Cedar - Thuja plicata - more tolerant of heavy clay soils than Yew, clips just as well and tolerates some shade. Available in sizes from 150cm tall to 225cm from £34.80 (10+ rate for smallest) depending on quantity.

Rootballed hedge plants