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

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