News Archive:

RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2012 - Only a few days away!

Posted on : 06/05/2012 19:37:18

This year we are returning with a bigger and even better display, designed in conjunction with professional designer Rosemary Coldstream, MSGD. Our stand in Soane Way South, near the bandstand in Ranelagh Gardens, is going to look stunning so if you’re coming to the show remember to bring your camera!

The highlight of the stand and garden feature is an elegant and lush planting scheme showcasing plants grown by our nursery members, a celebration of British growers! 

The garden area also features our trademark for Jolly Jaunts, a gorgeous cream Morris Minor Traveller classic car, which complements the elegant summerhouse, the home of our new retail range and information area. With a sprinkling of vintage props, including original Coronation memorabilia to commemorate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, plus some vintage frocks. It's all 'Quintessentially British!'

Rosemary says “I am very excited about the Chelsea garden and looking forward to working with British nurseries to create an eye-catching and memorable planting display.” A full list of the planting scheme together with details of the nurseries will be available at the show.

New This Year! 

We love to be creative and find new ways to help gardeners, raise the profile of our nursery member's and have some fun too. Here are some of the new features at this year's show .... 

Biodegradable Seedling Pots
We are very excited to be the first retailers of a new exclusive product to the UK market, which we will be selling for the first time at any UK show. They are fully biodegradable and compostable seedling pots and offer gardeners a new environmentally friendly and sustainable alternative to both plastic and peat based seedling pots. 

The pots are made from waste corn and meet the highest international standards for composting. They appeal to the Grow Your Own gardener and as a seedling pot for children as they're safe and easy to use -  ideal for little hands. You can buy the pots now online through Amazon and at two of our larger nurseries Perrywood Nursery, Essex/Suffolk borders and at Coolings in Kent.

Knitted Cup Cakes - They're Jubilicious!
After much admiration for our knitted cup cakes displayed at last years show, this year not only can you admire them, but you can buy them too! 

Our cook has been busy improving the recipe and we think they're the cutest cup cakes around, and they're all homemade in Wales. We have two ranges to tickle your taste buds, our 'Classic Range' of traditional pink, blues and creams plus a special limited edition 'Jubilee Range'. Whichever you choose we're sure they'll be the talk of any Diamond Jubilee celebrations!

The cakes also make a perfect souvenir from the show or a gift for someone special. You can reserve them before the show so we know they'll get to you as fresh as the day they were knitted!

Meet the Grower
This year we've invited some of our member's to join us at the show so you can 'Meet the Grower'. Each day we have a different nursery on hand to answer your gardening or plant related queries, help you find out about new plants and introduce you to new nurseries. 

Meet The Grower - Here's our line up so far:

Tuesday - Kevin Croucher - Thornhayes Nursery, Devon and Hannah Bourne, Perrywood Nursery, Essex/Suffolk

Wednesday - Leila Jackson, T3 Plants, Herefordshire 

Thursday - Paul Cooling, Coolings, Kent

Friday - Sue Gray, Damhead Nursery, Nr Edinburgh

Nurseries donate plants to Gardening Leave 

Following the show most of the plants from our stand will be donated to the charity Gardening Leave. The nurseries are pleased to be contributing to this worthwhile charity to help them create a beautiful new walled garden in the grounds of Royal Hospital Chelsea, just a short distance from our stand. The charity was set up in 2007 and helps improve the wellbeing of service personnel through Horticulture Therapy.

Anna Baker Cresswell, the charitie's Chief Executive, says " I am delighted that member's of the British Plant Nursery Guide have generously offered to donate plants from their stand at this year's RHS Chelsea Flower Show to Gardening Leave and we are looking forward to giving them a permanent home at our new garden at Royal Hospital Chelsea - just over the wall!"

Our Friends  

We couldn't create our wonderful stands without a little help from our Friends. We would like to say a special thank you to all the companies who are  generously supporting our stand at this year's show. Several of our partners are skilled craftspeople from the restorers at Charles Ware, the sewers at Fabric Mills or the carpenters at Scotts. We're very pleased to be promoting their skills at the show.

Melcourt – Compost & Mulch
Scotts of Thrapston – Newhaven Summerhouse
Charles Ware Morris Minor Centre – Restored Morris Minor Traveller
Fabric Mills – Soft Furnishings
Marshalls - Paving

We're show excited!

We have a wonderful stand we want to share with you so if you're visiting the show do pop by and say hello, and if you can't make it this year in person you can keep up to date by following us on twitter, Facebook or sign up for our e-newsletter. 

Returning to Chelsea Flower Show is a great way for us to celebrate our second Birthday and we'd like to thank all our supporters and followers who  share our passion for supporting British nurseries. With the recent awful weather they really need it.

We have our fingers crossed for warm sunshine to come soon but whatever the weather at Chelsea you will be offered a warm welcome on our stand. We look forward to meeting you at the show! 

Gilly

Becausewecare™ biodegradable and compostable seedling pots

Posted on : 10/04/2012 13:43:12

For the first time in the UK, gardeners and allotmenteer’s have a renewable and sustainable choice of seedling pots to get their seeds off to the best start - without damaging the environment.

Designed and manufactured by environmentally conscious Australian company, ‘becausewecare™, the pots take an important step forward in eliminating the need for plastic plant pots in our gardens.

The new pots are designed to be planted in the soil with a seedling, where they will biodegrade, releasing nutrients as they do so; even the packaging is fully compostable.

The pots do not absorb water themselves, keeping the soil within nice and moist for the plant. The pots will only start to biodegrade fully once planted in the soil and are easy to handle before going into the ground.

The pots are available in both 3 inch and 4 inch sizes, and are therefore ideal for those into ‘Grow Your Own’.

The pots are currently only available in the UK through the British Plant Nursery Guide’s Amazon online store, or they can be purchased at two of our member’s nurseries; Coolings Nursery in Kent and Perrywood Nursery in Essex. The pots come in packs of 25 and retail at £3.99 for 3 inches/ 8cm pots and £4.99 for 4 inches/10cms pots.

To encourage more people to take up gardening and celebrate National Gardening Week, we are offering free post and packing on all orders over £10, placed through Amazon between 16th and 22nd April.

National Gardening Week

Posted on : 10/04/2012 12:58:17

During National Gardening Week, the RHS aims to share its wealth of knowledge with every gardener across the nation and encourage more people to get involved in gardening.

There will be a daily Facebook question time where any problems, from compositing to finding the perfect climbers and shrubs, will be answered by the RHS science and garden teams.The charity will also be organising a career day at all four of its gardens and holding masterclasses, including a workshop on seed raising. The week will coincide with the launch of the nationwide RHS Britain in Bloom campaign, when millions of people get together to improve community spaces.

RHS Director General Sue Biggs, says: “National Gardening Week will open the doors to gardening and inspire everyone to give it a go. Gardening is life enhancing, it’s vital for the environment, creates beautiful spaces and best of all is great fun – I hope the week encourages even more people to benefit from this wonderful pastime.”

Be inspired by visiting one of our member’s nurseries, all of whom are happy to give free expert advice to help you enjoy your gardening.

British Plant Nursery Guide team up with Country Living magazine

Posted on : 12/02/2012 07:44:35

Designer of our stand at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2012 is announced

Posted on : 14/01/2012 14:38:29

We are looking forward to returning to RHS Chelsea Flower Show for our second year. We found our partnership with Claudia De Yong a really rewarding experience, so we have been working with the Society of Garden Designer's to help us find a designer for 2012. We received some great ideas and after some consideration chose Rosemary Coldstream, MSGD, who is an experienced designer, to join us this year.

We are delighted to announce that after the show the plants will be given a permanent home with the charity Gardening Leave. Gilly met up with Anna Baker Cresswell, Chief Executive of the charity ...

“I am delighted that the British Plant Nursery Guide has generously offered to donate the plants from their show garden at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show to Gardening Leave and we are looking forward to giving the plants a permanent home at Gardening Leave Chelsea at the Royal Hospital – just over the wall!!
Gardening Leave is a Registered Charity which improves the mental and physical wellbeing of serving and ex-Service personnel using Horticultural Therapy in walled gardens.”

Anna Baker Cresswell, Chief Executive.

We look forward to meeting you at this year’s show.

First Scottish nursery member

Posted on : 14/01/2012 14:35:38

We are pleased to announce that we have our first Scottish member, Christie Elite, a large tree nursery based between Inverness and Aberdeen, which produces millions of trees a year.

In addition, we are supporting Scotland’s Gardens Scheme (SGS), a registered charity created in 1931 which raises funds for other worthy charities by organising the opening of large and small gardens of horticultural interest throughout Scotland.

‘Scotland's Gardens’, their new redesigned book for 2012 is packed with great gardens to visit.

National Tree Week 26th November – 4th December

Posted on : 20/11/2011 20:52:03

National Tree Week is the UK's largest annual tree celebration which takes place at the start of the winter tree planting season and encourages everyone to get their hands dirty and do something positive for their local environment.

Trees are so important for our environment. Not only are they essential for cleaning our air, as they take in harmful carbon dioxide, but they provide an invaluable habitat for insects, which in turn provide a food source for many species of birds. They also provide the perfect natural nesting place too. 

Many trees fail in their first years, so choosing a good quality tree is vital. Kevin Croucher from Thornhayes Nursery in Devon says  "Most nurseries start lifting field grown, bare root trees from November through until March. So whether you want small transplants and whips to plant a hedge or woodland, or larger specimens for gardens, parks or avenues, get in touch with a reputable grower who can advise you on what to buy and at what size. Avoid the cheap special offers in the media; that often ends in disappointment. Growing and supplying field grown trees is a specialist job. Never was the adage that “you get what you pay for” truer than in this situation. Even without their leaves on, trees are still living organisms that need respectful handling, by skilled staff. A tree that may have taken 5 to 10 years to grow can be killed in a matter of hours by bad handling. So go to a nursery that has a reputation for quality stock and customer service."

Claim your 15% discount on trees at Wykeham Nurseries

Tree and shrub specialist, Wykeham Nurseries, are offering an exclusive 15% discount on all trees purchased during National Tree Week.

With a huge choice of trees on offer on their 100 acre nursery, there’s bound to be something for every garden no matter how big or small. They also offer a delivery and planting service too. Go to Wykeham Nurseries now to place your order, quoting “British Plant Nursery Guide Tree Week Offer”.

Several other nurseries also stock good quality trees, just go to the 'Find a Nursery' page and search for 'trees' under plant classification.

For more information visit The Tree Council website.

Apple Tree Competition - Winner Announced

At the RHS Autumn Harvest Show in October we held a prize draw to win an apple tree to celebrate Apple Day. The lucky winner was Sam Kolupov from South London.

This is what Sam had to say;  "Hi Gilly, Many thanks for your email. How exciting to have won a tree! The only thing I've ever won is pate de foie gras, and I'm a vegetarian!

I would love to have a Discovery as they are my favourite apples - my sister used to live near an orchard in Kent where we would pick up fantastic Discoveries.  Best Wishes, Sam" 

Plant your own mystic tree to ward off evil spirits!

Posted on : 29/10/2011 09:47:54

"Witchbane” is one of many names for a tree most of us know as Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia). It was considered a sacred tree in many ancient traditions in Britain but particularly in Yorkshire where the legacy of the Vikings includes aspects of Norse tradition, in which the Rowan was the tree from which the first woman was made.

For a Rowan to grow near to a dwelling was seen as a gift from the Goddess and it afforded protection from witchcraft and evil spirits. Similarly, the felling of a Rowan could bring misfortune, and in Yorkshire it was the Rowan, not the Yew, that was also associated with graveyards where they were planted to keep the dead in their graves.

From a practical point of view, Rowans are excellent trees for a domestic garden as they are compact, will grow in most soil conditions except waterlogged, cast light shade, and there are varieties available in a range of different sizes and berry colours.

So, if you want to protect and bring good fortune to your home, perhaps planting a Rowan might help, although we can’t guarantee that it will deter little witches seeking sweets!

Thanks to Martin Howe, Wykeham Mature Plants, Dawnay Estate, Yorkshire

It's Harvest Time !

Posted on : 21/10/2011 00:06:05

Gilly has recently been busy promoting our member’s nurseries at the RHS Autumn Harvest Show in The Horticulture Halls, London.

With baskets and crates filled with apples there was enough fruit to allow our visitors a free tasting.  Our stand attracted lots of visitors who wanted to find out about our members nurseries and their Apple Day events. They also enjoyed a nostalgic moment admiring our Jolly Jaunts mascot, a gorgeous cream Morris Traveller, and our range of  vintage camping props - in the days before glamping!

This show was a chance to remind people of the importance and history of harvest and how in the last century before mechanisation, people from towns and industrial areas would provide extra labour and work on farms to help bring in the crops. A good example of this is in Herefordshire where Welsh mining families would spend their summers harvesting hops.

Gilly has a great interest in farming as well as horticulture, as her own large family have farmed in Breconshire for generations. To complete the display she added some of her own family farming photos from 1913. 

The Lindley Hall  was transformed into a natural woodland scene where a canopy of trees was underplanted with  mushroms to help people identify the right ones to forage. With a range of specialist speakers, musicians and poets the show offered something a little different. Amongst the celebrity guests was Alys Fowler, who gave an interesting talk about her new book  The Edible Garden.

Along with the new attractions on offer this year there were the more traditional displays of apples and champion vegetables. Experts such as Gerry Edwards, Chairman of the RHS Fruit Group, were on hand to help identify apples too.

To encourage people to grow their own fruit, we ran a competition to win a heritage apple tree. The lucky winner was Sam Kolupov from London.

To kick off Apple Day events Gilly popped into Thornhayes in Devon for their Apple Tasting day. Guided by tree expert Kevin Croucher, visitors were able to taste a good selection  of more unusual British apples packed with flavour . After a very enjoyable day it seemed the most popular varieties were Lord Derby, Charles Ross and a particular tasty heritage variety Golden Knob.

So if you are looking for ideas of what to do this weekend, why not pop along to a nursery and enjoy one of the free events to celebrate Apple Day taking place across England.

Members of British Plant Nursery Guide across England celebrate Apple Day!

Posted on : 28/09/2011 12:12:15

The tradition of growing apple trees is celebrated in the annual Apple Day events in October and this year members of the British Plant Nursery Guide have joined forces to run a range of talks by experts, tasting sessions and children’s events to encourage more people to grow their own fruit, especially some of the old varieties.

By attending an event at one of our members nurseries people can get expert advice to help even the most novice gardener choose the right trees for their situation and size of plot.  The trend for heritage varieties is on the up but which ones are right for your garden? In fact there are 2300 British cultivars of dessert and cooking apples varieties to choose from! Our experts will be on hand to offer advice on choosing the right tree, right rootstock and help with advice on pollinating so you can enjoy bumper crops for years to come.

The perception that fruit trees are only grown in the South of England is a myth. Martin Howe from Wyekham says “In this country, people often associate Apple orchards with the South of England, but some of our finest, yet less well known apple varieties can be found regionally. Locally sourced and regionally suitable varieties will not only be more interesting to grow than the usual varieties available to buy in supermarkets, but will also be far more suited to the local climate and conditions.

Although in recent years most supermarkets are now stocking a range of British apples, the sales are still out numbered by imported apples. So our member’s nurseries are helping the campaign to ‘Plant and Protect’ which urges more people to grow British apple trees to preserve them for the next generation, following a decline in British apple orchards. The campaign is collaboration between British Plant Nursery Guide member, Thompson & Morgan, David Bellamy, the National Trust and Coppella Fruit Juices.

The benefits of growing your own apples are many; the satisfaction of growing your own food, more choice of varieties to suit your tastes and needs, save money on grocery bills, reduce your carbon foot print, and health benefits. The old phrase ‘An apple a day keeps the Doctor away’ has proven to be right as scientists have found that eating apples helps to reduce blood cholesterol, improve bowel function, reduce risk of stroke, prostate cancer, Type II diabetes and asthma due to the fibre and phytonutrients present in the apples.

The History of Apple Day
Apple Day was founded by Common Ground back in 1990 to be both a celebration and a demonstration of the variety we are in danger of losing – not simply in apples, but richness and diversity of landscape, place, ecology and culture too. 21st October, Apple Day, has become a national event which celebrates our rare traditional orchards and our rich apple heritage.

Members of British Plant Nursery Guide are proud to be supporting Apple Day. For more information, see our Shows & Events page.

Summer Fruit Tree Pruning Video now available

Posted on : 26/08/2011 14:16:07

Gilly joined Kevin Croucher's 'Summer Fruit Pruning Course' to find out from one of  Britain's top tree experts how to maintain a good shape and encourage more healthy fruit on plums, damsons and apple trees.

If you're nervous about pruning espalier and cordons, then relax. If you thought the 'Pyramid' was only a stage at Glastonbury, then you will be enlightened to find it's a great way to grow plum and damson trees. If you want to keep fruit trees at a height without the need for a cherry picker at harvest time, this course is at the right level.

Kevin of Thornhayes Nursery has over 30 years experience growing trees and holds regular courses at his 33 acre nursery in Devon. Kevin's next courses are Apple Day on 13th October and Autumn Glow on 20th October. Booking essential, see our Courses page for more details.

Put the kettle on, treat yourself to a slice of homemade cake, and enjoy our video taster - look out for the star of the show, little Polly!

Apple Day Celebrations - If you are interested in finding out more, join one of our events to celebrate Apple Day, which are taking place in six members nurseries across England during October. Details will be on the website soon. You can request a copy of our Apple Day Press Release or send us a message via our 'Get in Touch' page.

Our Jolly Jaunt to Suffolk    

Posted on : 20/08/2011 09:14:43

We started off on a glorious summer day at the end of July for the annual open days at the Thompson and Morgan Trials Grounds, just outside Ipswich.

This was my first visit so I really didn’t know what to expect. With the feel of a well organised village show, there’s a large marquee with several floral displays such as the Begonia Society and an attractive vegetable display. There’s also a large refreshments area serving hot and cold dishes as well as the traditional teas and cakes. There’s also question and answers sessions where you can get advice from an expert – so there’s more than just a chance to see the trial grounds.

Not only are the trial grounds full of colour but there are hundreds of tubs and hanging baskets plus some bedding displays too. It’s as if the T & m catalogue has come to life. You really can’t beat seeing the plants up close to experience first hand their size, colour and form. I found that I was drawn to plants that I wouldn’t normally been attracted to, such as the lilies and particularly liked Lily Double Jewels which has pink and white blooms on the same plant - gorgeous.

If you’re a gardener, landscaper or garden designer then you it is useful to know about new plant introductions for next season so remember to take a note book and your camera so you can record all the plants that catch your eye. I did find some of the flowers rather dazzling together but if you imagine the plants within a garden situation they take on a different perspective.

The days are not just for window shopping, you can buy seeds and if you visit on the Sunday you can take advantage of the plant auction and pick up some great bargains. T & M Managing Director, Paul Hansord did a great job as auctioneer and as the sell off proceeds a crowd follows him intent on grabbing the next bargain.

The Thompson and Morgan staff are out in full to lend a hand and offer advice. The atmosphere was relaxed and friendly and I went home with several bargains and lots of new seeds to try out. With just enough time to tuck into a cream tea, we had a lovely afternoon and would recommend it to anyone if you’re in the area.

To complete our Jolly Jaunt of Suffolk we combined our visit with a trip to Jimmy’s Farm which is just a few miles away and an evening visit to Flatford Mill, and at that time of day you miss the crowds.

RHS Flower Show Tatton Park

Posted on : 27/07/2011 21:02:44

If you’ve never been to RHS Flower Show Tatton Park then here are two recommendations for a great day out for all the family.

One review is by Marisha from Staffordshire, our Twitter competition winner of two tickets to this year’s RHS Flower Show Tatton Park and the second review by Gilly who visited RHS Tatton Park for the first time.

Marisha’s Story

“Had a brilliant day at Tatton Park. Plenty to do for us and the children, Charlotte 15 and James 10.
 
The floral marquee was as beautiful as ever and Charlotte was drawn to the Bonsai and cacti stalls whilst James admired the air plants and tropical plants asking if it would be possible to redecorate his room into a rainforest! The roses caught our eyes with the wonderful displays and varieties new to us. The nursery stalls showed some superb matching and ideas with plants that we would never think of. Many photos were taken in the hope we may create these ourselves somewhere in our garden. We collected email addresses of the nurseries that were displaying the plants we were interested in, to contact and place orders later.
 
The show gardens were more spectacular then we had expected. We had watched Gardener's world on Friday for an insight, but we were absolutely taken back by the garden ' I dream of the promised land'. The designer had explained what had inspired him to build the garden prior to us entering. All four of us left the garden in silence, amazement and wonder.
 
The show gardens became a competition for us to guess the award, they all won gold and if they hadn't the judges had made a mistake!!
 
James had a great time making candles from bees wax and planting squash and kale. The staff even got our stroppy teenager making candles; she loved it although she would never say! This gave us chance to take a well earned rest on a nearby bench.
 
James found the RHS plants and science stand interesting - a member of staff discussed the life cycle and pollination of plants, which he had recently been exploring at school, he preferred the RHS version and they gave him a huge sticker!
 
We envied the beauty and size of the veg and fruit in the competition pavilion and show gardens. It made us think about how we could mix the flower and veg planting to give a pretty but productive garden.
 
We had a thoroughly enjoyable day and it was lovely to meet you. Thank you very much, Marisha and Robin”

Gilly’s Story

It was my first visit to the show and we also had a great day. Tatton Park is easy to get to as it’s only a short distance from the M6, and located in the grounds of the parkland, there’s plenty of space for parking or having a picnic. The show had a nice friendly feel and the sun helped to make it good day out. With the move of the BBC’s Children’s TV department to Salford, younger visitors enjoyed the CBBC stand.

I was very impressed not only with the floral displays but also with the number of high quality show gardens. There were some excellent design ideas and clever planting schemes. July is a great time to see the best of the summer flowers but at this time of year you can also enjoy later flowering plants such as hydrangeas and grasses, which are beginning to come into their own. The new layout of the show made it easy to explore and the positioning of the show gardens, including the back to backs, football gardens and flower beds made it easy to get up close and in some areas you could chat to the designers to find out more about their designs.

My favourite gardens were:

• Grasses with Grace – Sue Beesley – Gold – Clever use of grasses and very relaxing.

• When the Water Rises – Oxfam – Gold – Lots of detail, and well researched to show the role of women in subsistence farming across the world and the challenges of global warming.

• Save a Life, Drop the Knife – HMP Everthorpe - Gold and Best in Show – Absolutely stunning. Loved the colour palette and exceptional quality of the design and finish, hidden beneath was a very powerful message about Knife Crime.

• Inside Out – John Everiss – Gold – Outdoor eating at it’s best extending your living space outside is a great way to relax. I just wanted to sit down enjoy a glass of wine and a delicious supper.

• A Stitch in Time Saves Nine – Daniela Coray Winner of the Young Designer of the Year. Attractive planting of meadow flowers under a canopy of crab apple trees and crisscrossed with paths and gullies. The garden will soon move to Manchester for everyone to enjoy. 

Well I think you will agree that we all had a great day out and so if you haven’t been to RHS Tatton Park before, put it in your diary for 2012, you won’t be disappointed.

RHS Chelsea Flower Show Winners Announced

Posted on : 27/07/2011 12:53:59

We caught up with Mark Moir of Newent Plant Centre who drew the winners of our RHS Chelsea Flower Show free prize draw.

The four lucky winners are:

Dawn Burke – Somerset
“Thank you very much for your email, I had forgotten about this draw as I do many others as I have to say I am never lucky, so this is a lovely surprise.“ Dawn Burke

Gareth Rossiter – Birmingham
“Thank you for the unexpected e-mail.” Best wishes, Gareth Rossiter

Anne McClure – Newcastle Upon Tyne
“Further to our telephone call this morning re my prize win draw at Chelsea, of course I remember the Morris Traveller and your stand - I liked it very much. “ Anne McClure

Niki Harrison – Hertfordshire
“Thanks very much for your email - what a lovely surprise. I very much remember your lovely stand with the fab car, so congrats on your award.” Niki Harrison

Many thanks to our sponsors for their wonderful prizes:

 Burleigh Potteries - a beautiful Royal Wedding   commemorative set made by one of Britain’s oldest potteries.

 Three Ways House Hotel - a night’s stay for two, and tickets   to the nearby Batsford Arboretum.

 Herbs for Healing - a one day course run by Davina Wynne –  Jones, in her nursery adjacent to Barnsley House in The Cotswolds.

 Duchy of Cornwall Nursery - £50’s of plants and lunch for   two at their recently opened new Eco Visitor Centre.

It’s always nice to contact people with good news!

Made it to Chelsea - Read our very own 'Soane' Ranger Diary

Posted on : 27/06/2011 11:04:05

Our first time at RHS Chelsea Flower Show has been a fantastic experience and a great way to promote our members, quality British nurseries.

Its been a very busy time since we received the letter inviting us to this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show. With limited number of spaces this year, it meant even more to us as such a new enterprise. Just arriving on site after months of planning was an exciting moment. Watching the progress of the show gardens being constructed was fascinating and the friendly atmosphere made us new comers feel very welcome.

Having a chance to display at RHS Chelsea is out of the reach for many of nurseries so by being a member we can promote several nurseries on one stand.  The show provides us with an opportunity to meet the public and the media face to face to raise the profile of our members and sponsors, and for visitors to find some of Britain’s best nurseries.

We are grateful for all the support we received from our family and friends, our designer Claudia De Yong, all our sponsors for the stand and the prize draw, and a big thank you to everyone who visited us.  This is a flavour of our time at RHS Chelsea Flower Show. 

Our 'Soane' Ranger Diary

Day one (Thursday) - We arrived on our stand at Soane Way South in Ranelagh Gardens, at the Royal Hospital, in the morning before the show opened. We met up with our designer Claudia De Yong and her landscaper Mick, soon followed by Chris Nutley of Sussex Timber Framers who designed and built the oak framed beach hut. The afternoon saw the arrival of the beautifully restored Morris Minor Traveller. All the structural features were in place - the stand was beginning to take shape.

Day two (Friday) – A busy day with delivery of the plants and eventually all the building materials.

This is what Claudia had to say about the plants:

‘’As a garden designer, I try to source British plants wherever possible. I was extremely pleased to have some wonderful British grown plants from several nurseries who are members of the British Plant Nursery Guide.

For the trade stand at Chelsea I used varieties of Centranthus and Almerias from Coolings in Kent and Herbs for Healing in the Cotswolds. From Caves Folly in Worcestershire , Knautias and Helianthenums , Erigerons from Newent Plant Centre in Gloucestershire and Cistus from Duchy of Cornwall  with grasses and Rhodochiton from Burncoose in Cornwall. A new introduction, the first Blue Verbascum  was supplied by Thompson and Morgan.

All the plants were very healthy, robust and good quality and arrived in  perfect condition which proves that buying British should be first and foremost for gardeners everywhere.’’

Day three (Saturday) - Another long day constructing and planting up of the stand in the day and in the evening setting up the beach hut and sorting out all the props, signs etc.

Day four (Sunday) - The last chance for finishing touches. It was also the afternoon when many of the Chelsea Pensioners take a visit before it gets crowded. Gilly struck up a friendship with Marjorie, one of only three lady Chelsea Pensioners. We also had a visit by Alys Fowler, writer and former presenter of Gardener’s World. It was a great start, the stand looked fantastic and we looked forward to an exciting week ahead.

Day five (Monday) – It was an early start to be ready for Press Day. Naturally the focus is on the show gardens but we were busy all day with enquiries from journalists and photographers. The afternoon is reserved for the Royal visitors and we were surprised and delighted to catch the eye of Prince Andrew, an ambassador for British business’s, who made a detour to visit our stand and find out more about us.

The Gala Evening was a great time for celebrity spotting and a chance to soak up the atmosphere with a well deserved glass of champagne after lots of long days.

Day six (Tuesday) – Awards Day! You may have seen coverage of awards day which involves lots of judges running around handing out certificates, and we were delighted to be on the list. We were awarded a Commendation for the quality of our presentation.

Joining us today, was our friend Clare who was a tremendous help on the first of the RHS member’s only days. In the evening, as a surprise, Dave arranged for us to go to a recording of ‘Later with Jools Holland’ – the trouble was we had to stand – talk about aching feet!!

Day seven (Wednesday) – Our mascot for Jolly Jaunts is a Morris Minor Traveller and we were delighted that the show coincided with the 35th Anniversary of the Charles Ware Morris Minor Centre in Bristol , who supply us with our cars. We were joined by Charles’s son Zac Ware, and Mike and Jennie, who brought a fantastic hamper including a bottle of bubbly. 

Zac, who is the guitarist in the Proclaimers,  entertained us with the gentle tones of Greensleeves, although perhaps the Proclaimers classic ‘I could walk  500 miles’ might have been more appropriate, as it certainly felt like it on some days!  

Day eight (Thursday) – We offered our nurseries the chance to have a pass for the show and on Thursday Davina Wynne-Jones joined us for the day. It got off to a great start with lots of visitors who could chat to Davina about the courses she runs at her nursery, Herbs for Healing, in The Cotswolds.

Then in the afternoon the heavens opened. Thank goodness we had some shelter in the beach hut although having seven of us in there proved a bit cosy! The curtains from Fabric Mills came in useful to keep the worst of the weather out. Even after torrential rain, hail stones and thunder and lightning Davina said she really enjoyed herself. Well we certainly had some fun!

This is what Davina had to say:

“Thanks very much for the day at Chelsea which I really enjoyed.  I didn’t even mind the rain. It was good to get right away and I managed to get a good look round the show.  I would definitely like to come again and would recommend it to other nurseries. I had quite a lot of interest in my courses.
I was very impressed by your energy promoting everyone and the interest you were generating. The stand was great and I will definitely try and find some good plants for you for any future events as I can see it is a very good opportunity for nurseries. “

Day nine (Friday) – Another busy day and one where we had lots of helpers. The Green family (Richard, Patty and Alex) were great fun and we were joined by our daughter Harriet who managed to have a day off revising for her Uni exams. We’re a friendly family and we all enjoyed meeting so many visitors from all over the country and abroad. Many shared with us their Morris Minor memories.  

Day ten (Saturday) – We were joined by friend Sue Bowers, who we met via our links with Perennial.  Saturday is a busy day as it’s also the day of the plant sell off. We had a lot interest in the worlds first blue verbascum, ‘Blue Lagoon’ which, as there were not yet on sale, had to be returned to Thompson and Morgan.

Day eleven (Sunday) – It was rather sad seeing the show gardens, floral marquee and trade stands taken down marking the end of our first RHS Chelsea Flower Show.  The sun shone as we packed the last few things away and the calm of a peaceful London park returned. 

Time to think about next year…

Our memories of our first time at RHS Chelsea will live on for along time. We’re so pleased that we had the opportunity to promote our members, quality British nurseries, at the world’s most prestigious flower show.  All our hard work paid off and the positive feedback we’ve received both at the show and after the show has been great. 

This is what visitors said….

Throughout the week we received a lot of positive feedback. Several visitors commented on the attention to detail. Visitors loved the whole look; the plants, the Morris Minor Traveller, the subtle Will and Kate theme and the quirky props, including the most photographed cup cakes, still fresh as the day they were knitted!

“Your stand is fantastic”– Colette  “Your stand is so original” – Ingrid

“This is the best display in Chelsea and it is for such an excellent cause, to support British nurseries which are preserving so many specialist plants.“  - Diana

Since we met Alys Fowler at the show she has kindly sent us this wonderful endorsement.

“I am so glad that the British Plant Nursery Guide exists. We have long needed a website that can help you find quality grown, locally sourced plants. Supporting British grown plants is hugely important. We have a wonderful horticultural heritage and long history of great nurseries, but they only continue if you buy their plants. Buying a locally grown plant you will find that you have a product that adapts to your conditions, is hardy for our wet winters and has significantly reduced miles to it footprint. 

There are some wonderful hidden gems out there, brilliant, creative nurseries full of plants that will make your garden sing, so go on, take a Jolly Jaunt and make a day of it !'

Thanks Alys

We would love to be back next year so watch this space. Thanks to everyone who has helped make this a very special year.

Thompson and Morgan join us at RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Posted on : 23/05/2011 19:27:31

We are delighted to announce that Thompson and Morgan has become a member of the British Plant Nursery Guide. This is a great message to send to the nursery industry and we look forward to welcoming more new members of this calibre, as well as smaller independent British nurseries.

Through our new member, Thompson and Morgan, we are delighted to be exhibiting two world exclusive plant introductions on our stand at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The new plants form part of our display garden so this is a great opportunity for visitors to RHS Chelsea to see these plants close up. The plants have been entered into Chelsea Plant of the Year Competition.

The world exclusive plants are:

Verbascum x hybridum ‘Blue Lagoon’ a world exclusive raised through tissue culture. It is the first blue variety of Verbascum in the world.

Lily Oriental Trumpet Hybrid ‘Big Brother’ –  Is a world exclusive as it’s the first yellow/ gold giant bloom breed from a cross of the Oriental lily for fragrance and Aurelian lily for its colour. The flower blooms are 12 inches in diameter and the plants grow to around 5 feet tall.  They will be available for sale in 2012.

The stand also features our 'Jolly Jaunt' Morris Traveller car, a wooden beach hut and a display of costal loving plants, creating a classic Cornish beach scene. With a few subtle Royal wedding touches and our trademark vintage theme, it's looking superb!

On Tuesday, the garden designer Claudia De Yong, who helped design the display, will be with us at the show. On Wednesday Zac Ware from the Charles Ware Morris Minor Centre will be celebrating their 35th Anniversary on the stand. Davina Wynne-Jones from Herbs for Healing will be available to give advice when she visits us on Thursday. Throughout the week we are also running a free prize draw, so if you are at the show come and visit us, we are located on Soane Way South 1, near the bandstand in Ranelagh Gardens.

More information is now available on the RHS iPhone App.

Malvern Spring Gardening Show 12th – 15th May 2011

Posted on : 08/05/2011 10:03:08

Our stand at this years Malvern Spring Gardening Show is in the Eco Home and Garden area organised by a member of the British Plant Nursery Guide, Caves Folly Nursery, one of the few registered organic nurseries in the country.

Not only will we have information about the website on our stand, but also advice on how to create your own meadow and attract wildlife to your garden. There will be resources available to help you identify and find out more about wild flowers, bees and birds. Since we discovered an ancient meadow in our own garden Gilly has become very passionate about meadows and has written an article about it for the Cottage Garden Society  Journal.

Many of our member’s nurseries grow meadow plants so you too can create your own meadow area and attract a range of wildlife to your garden. Habitat Aid has also introduced a new meadow seed range.

Look for meadow plants on our nursery search page.

We will be along side our friends Clare and Jeremy who make shepherds huts. This will be the centre piece of the Shepherds Garden, along with some real Jacob sheep. As a part time shepherdess and a complete sheepaholic, (she has more photos of sheep in her phone than anything else!) Gilly will be dressed in a vintage Welsh wool cape, quite a collector’s item these days.Our stand will be complemented by some fabulous handmade sheep stools from The Wool Room, who are exhibiting at the show in the Country Living Marquee.

Where to see meadows
Monmouthshire Meadow Group hold their annual open day on 12th June.
www.monmouthshiremeadows.co.uk
Gwent Wildlife Trust are opening their meadows at Pentwyn Farm and Wyeswood Common under the National Garden Scheme this year for the first time on 18th June.

For more information about Sheep
The Nation Sheep Association is based at the Malvern Show Ground www.nationalsheep.org.uk
For a great website about all things wool, visit The Wool Room www.thewoolroom.com
Also sign up to the Campaign for Wool www.campaignforwool.org/

Tomato Weekends

Posted on : 14/04/2011 10:08:16

Newent Plant Centre in Gloucestershire is holding a series of ‘Tomato Weekends’, with a display of 19 different varieties of tomato plant. On hand will be advice on plant selection and hints and tips on growing and caring for your tomatoes.

Gilly visited Mark to find out more.

British Plant Nursery Guide's RHS Chelsea Flower Show debut!

Posted on : 07/04/2011 07:49:20

This week we can reveal the details of our stand. Many of you may know us for our eye-catching Morris Minor Traveller classic car, but at this year's RHS Chelsea Flower Show we are  raising the stakes and creating a mini – show garden!

The stand will be a coastal theme with a hint of Royal Wedding. Imagine Will and Kate are on their honeymoon, a Jolly Jaunt to Cornwall to visit some great nurseries. They stop for a picnic to enjoy the Cornish scenery and take a stroll along the beach. As well as the stunning Morris Minor Traveller car, the stand will feature a fabulous display of plants, all of which which have been supplied by our member’s nurseries. This idyllic scene has been designed by award winning garden designer Claudia De Yong. 

Claudia de Yong is a 6 times RHS Medal winner, having won Gold and Tudor Rose for Best Show Garden at Hampton Court Flower Show. Known for her water gardens, she also loves the more romantic style of planting and uses British crafts and nurseries wherever possible in her schemes. The vintage coastal scheme is an exciting challenge. Gilly and Claudia are busy putting ideas together and sourcing for the display at RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

The Morris Minor Traveller car is a 1971 model which has undergone a 5 star rebuild by Charles Ware Morris Minor Centre, who will be celebrating their 35th anniversary at RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Each week we will be revealing a bit more about our stand so you can follow us on our Jolly Jaunt to RHS Chelsea Flower Show!

Don't forget to book your tickets now  for RHS Chelsea Flower Show so you can come and meet us and see the finished display.

Get involved with our ‘Simple Surveys’

Posted on : 12/03/2011 10:34:09

The surveys just ask one simple question and followers tweet their responses.

Recent surveys have included ‘What’s your favourite spring flower?’and ‘Who’s your favourite Gardener’s World Presenter?’, which provided some heated responses, with joint winners Monty Don/Alan Titchmarsh and Carol Klein/Geoff Hamilton in joint second.

Last week’s survey took place around World Book Day so we asked tweeters 'What's your favourite gardening book?'. As there wasn’t enough space to tweet the results we thought we'd share them with tweeters and non tweeters on the website.

Thanks to everyone who took part. I think you will agree that we have some excellent recommendations.

Results for our Simple Survey for Simple Folk! 'What’s your favourite gardening book?'

‘The Secret Garden’ by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Inspired me from a young age to what pleasure a garden can give.

Rachel Carson's ‘Silent Spring’

‘The Well Tempered Garden’ by Christopher Lloyd – several votes.

Percy Thrower's ‘Gardening Encyclopaedia’ is my bible, just ignore use of DDT!

Sarah Raven's 'Bold and Brilliant Garden' Nearly perfect....

'The Explorers Garden Trees & Shrubs' by Dan Hinkley.

Joy Larkcom's 'Creative Vegetable Gardening, Accenting Your Vegetables With Flowers'. 15 years old and more relevant than ever.

C.Louden's ‘Encyclopædia of Gardening’ from the mid 1800s...

‘The Natural Gardener’ by Val Bourne – several votes.

Will Giles's ‘Tropical Gardening’ book. Full of inspiration.

Christopher Lloyd's 'Succession Planting for Adventurous Gardeners' – several votes.

‘Allotment Month by Month’ by Alan Buckingham.

'Dig - modern seasonal gardening' by Meredith Kirton. A great gardening guide with lovely images.

Take part in this week’s Simple Survey for Simple Folk ‘What’s Your Favourite Nursery?’

Discovering the meadow in your garden

Posted on : 06/03/2011 10:13:11

Many of us long to have a wildflower meadow in our own garden to attract wildlife and to provide a softer, natural patch to more formal gardens. If this is something that appeals to you, before you rush outside to scarify the lawn and start sowing a meadow mix, perhaps you just need to find out what you already have growing in your lawn.

Read Gilly's article, 'Discovering The Meadow In Your Garden' which demonstrates that by being in tune and caring for your own environment  you may be rewarded, as she has, with her very own ancient meadow!  

The article is published in the Spring edition of The Cottage Gardener magazine. You can also contact her for advice to help you create your own meadow.

Instant Hedging Plant Offer!

Posted on : 09/02/2011 18:04:13

Pyracantha hedging for instant security.

British Plant Nursery Guide customers can claim 10% discount on Wykeham Mature Plants “instant” Pyracantha plants, which are 200-250cm tall and growing in 35ltr containers.

To claim your discount, simply quote “British Plant Nursery Guide Pyracantha offer”

Pyracantha makes a tough, thorny, evergreen hedge, ideal for security. It also encourages wildlife with its attractive flowers and colourful berries.

Create your own living memory with a 'Special Plant'

Posted on : 06/02/2011 08:48:34

Sometimes we talk about 'special plants' but what makes a plant 'special' isn't always because it's rare, or has unique features. A special plant can be one that reminds you of person, a place, or a particular time in your life.

Plants can recreate memories from your child hood, your wedding day, or a wonderful holiday. By tapping into your senses through scent, colour and texture, you can be transported back to another time or place.

Plants on my list incude the heady smell of gorse, which reminds me of my grandfather's garden, roses from the homes of my childhood and more recently snowdrops, which were in flower when my father passed away.

Maybe you have some special celebrations in 2011 that you want to mark with a beautiful plant. Something effocative, something memorable and one that may become a family favourite for future generations, or you want to have a living memory to someone who you have lost.

To find your 'special plants' and create a living memorial to someone or something special in your life, look at the nurseries pages, where you will find hundreds of plants to choose from.

Seeing your special plant in bloom will give you lasting and happy memories!

Gardens of Scotland

Posted on : 03/02/2011 21:43:08

This year's edition of the 'Gardens of Scotland' book is now available. Scotland's Gardens Scheme is similar to the National Garden Scheme of England and Wales, who publish the 'Yellow Book' .

Both books have become an invaluable resource for all keen gardeners, who can visit a wide range of gardens from large estates to small residential plots.

The gardens that open for SGS include Scotland's finest, most of which are privately owned and are normally inaccessible to the public at other times.

The British Plant Nursery Guide is delighted to support the scheme, see our advertisment in this year's edition.

Snowdrop season hearld's spring time!

Posted on : 22/01/2011 10:26:00

The appearance of the crisp white heads of snowdrops, or galanthus as they are known to the more serious gardeners, herald’s that spring is on its way.

As we approach the snowdrop season, which starts in February, you may want to consider expanding your own collection, but how can you be sure that your bulbs are sourced from ethical suppliers?

Sustainably sourced snowdrops
The majority of wild snowdrops are native to Turkey and other neighbouring countries such as Georgia. In the past, snowdrops were dug up from the wild to be sold on to gardeners all over Europe. Now there are sustainable projects where bulbs are propagated locally so that the local environment is not decimated and ensures that wild snowdrops will continue to thrive in their native habitat.

A decade of conservation projects has created thriving snowdrop farms in the mountains of Turkey, which are helping to replace the illegal wild bulb trade. Conservationists started a groundbreaking project to help people cultivate bulbs - starting with snowdrops - on their own land, reducing the need to collect them from the wild. Not only is this good news for the wild snowdrop, but the project benefits the whole village and brings income and increased self-esteem to some of the poorer communities.

Have they been stolen?
The other area to be cautious, is bulbs which may have been stolen from private collections. As the interest in snowdrops grows, so too have the number of thefts. With some bulbs being sold for hundred’s of pounds, you can see that this is a very easy way to make money. Although the rarer bulbs are less likely to be sold on as it will be easy to trace them, many more well known varieties may be sold to unsuspecting gardeners via the internet and other sales. The problem is becoming so wide spread that some gardens no longer open to the public, which is a great shame.

Last year I visited Evenley Wood Garden in Northamptonshire, a beauitful 60 acre woodland, with a gentle stream flowing through it. The previous night thieves had dug up clumps of several species of snowdrops including Anglesey Abbey, Bill Bishop, Cedric’s Prolific, Colossus, John Gray, Mighty Atom, Ruth, Sibbertoft Manor, Spindlestone Surprise, Trym, Tubby Merlin and Wendy’s Gold. It was a very sad day for the owner Tim Whitely, who has spent many years building his wonderful collection. If you do see these for sale in 2011 please contact Tim, details below.

What can I do?
So what can you do to make sure that you are buying bulbs from reliable sustainable resources? By thinking before you buy and demanding better information from suppliers, you will be taking the first step to ensure that you are buying from ethical suppliers. If you have any doubts don’t buy them and if you think there is anything suspicious then you should report them to the police.

Just visiting...
If you want to just enjoy the splendid site of snowdrops, there are plenty of places to visit across Britain to see  them. My personal favourities are Painswick Rococo Garden in Gloucestershire, high on a ridge on the edge of the Cotswolds, Cambo Estate in Fife, with it's 'Snowdrops by Starlight' experience and of course Evenley Wood Garden, Northhamptonshire.

Gilly

Gilly's Blog

Posted on : 03/01/2011 21:12:37

Being a bit new to shows, we bravely decided to go for three in our first year. However we needn’t have worried as they all provided a great opportunity to meet thousands of people to promote our members nurseries and the website.

The RHS Cardiff Show started off well with three days of warm spring sunshine, we even had to wear sun cream! My friend Terry Walton and local Welsh man, popped in for a chat and some moral support. Our next event was the Malvern Spring Garden Show where the weather had taken a turn for the worse and stepped back into winter. Despite the bitterly cold days, we still had a busy time in the Eco Home and Garden area organised by Bridget and Wil of Cave’s Folly Nursery.

The highlight of the year was RHS Hampton Court, partly due to the glorious summer weather. This time we were joined by one of our members, Coolings Nursery of Kent. Our trademark Morris Traveller was partnered with a restored Morris Pick-up Van from Coolings, which was planted up with a beautiful summer display of white cosmos and pink pelargoniums. The Gala evening was a great success, with many visitors flocking to our stand in the lovely summer evening, the first dry one for many years I’m told. Our friends Mike and Jenny provided a wonderful hamper to share. Jenny made up canapés on the back of the pick up and Mike was topping up our glasses with champagne. The canapés were also enjoyed by our visitors – no wonder we were busy until the fireworks started! At this show we dressed in vintage clothes which complemented our vintage themed stand and drew quite a lot of attention from visitors from around the world and the press. To top it all, we had a full press photo shoot on the stand and a special visit from the wife of the owner of one of our member’s nurseries.

At the shows, our free prize draws proved a great way to meet hundreds of gardeners from all over the country; several have even become new friends! We received great feedback from our visitors who thought that the British Plant Nursery Guide was a great idea. They particularly liked the fact that we meet the nursery owners, as they thought this gave some reassurance about nurseries they could trust to provide quality plants and professional advice.

A big thank you to everyone who has made this year so successful, including all our friends and family who have helped at shows, to Mike and Graham for providing fabulous and much admired vintage cars, to our nurseries who have provided great quality plants and to our sponsors who have provided prizes for our competitions and to everyone who has met us, emailed us and who now follow us on Twitter – a great BIG THANK YOU!

What’s new for 2011?

We have been busy working with our web developers on the next stage of the website, Jolly Jaunts. This is a day out which includes a visit to a nursery and other places of interest along the way. The Jolly Jaunts will also include places to eat and stay as well. The first tours are in Cornwall but we will have them in other parts of the country soon. There has been a lot of interest in this area, in particular from gardening groups. You will be able to print off details of the tour to take with you, so all the hard work has been done.

We will also be starting a newsletter to promote our members nurseries from mid February. We will be building up our presence on the internet through advertising, articles and social networking. In addition we are advertising once again in the NGS Yellow Book and have also advertised in Gardens of Scotland book for the first time this year. We will be inviting recommended nurseries to join us, so that the public will have more choice of quality British nurseries to choose from. We will continue to work with Perennial through our membership donation scheme and to support events.

We look forward to meeting you at Shows in 2011, details will be on the website soon.

Best wishes for 2011

Gilly

The Winter Garden

Posted on : 08/11/2010 10:26:59

The winter is the best time of year to make plans for the year ahead. The leaves have fallen and only the bear structure of the plants remain, allowing you to identify areas where you need to add new focal plants or even design a new planting scheme. Creating all year round interest is the best way to get maximum pleasure from your plot, no matter how big or small it is. In winter create some interest by planting winter flowering and scented plants close to the house, use pots as well as the borders. Our member's nurseries offer a range of winter flowering plants to choose from.

Duchy of Cornwall Nursery has a very good choice of Camellias, including several new introductions, with the offer of free delivery if you buy three camellias at £9.99. Camellia sasanqua 'Souvenir de Claude Brivet', is a brand new addition this year. It produces unusually larger, slightly fragrant white or pink flowers, also sometimes giving mixed colour flowers and often all at the same time on the same plant!

Burncoose Nurseries offer a wide variety of winter flowering shrubs, such as rare and unusual Magnolias and Camellias including the x williamsii species.

When you have brightened up your garden, you may want to find something to enjoy in your house or conservatory. Burnham Nurseries near Torquay, offer a wonderful choice of orchids. They also make great Christmas presents.

There are many other winter flowering plants, shrubs and trees available from all our member's nurseries, so have a look to find something for you.

Nursery Search.

The Cottage Gardener

Posted on : 06/09/2010 10:17:02

Readers of September's 'The Cottage Gardener' will be able to read an article about the British Plant Nursery Guide. The article is complemented by an illustration of our Jolly Jaunts Morris Minor Traveller on our show stand, drawn by Tom Boulton.

The Cottage Gardener is the quarterly magazine of the Cottage Garden Society. The Society was formed in 1982 with the aim to encourage a traditional style of gardening, and to ensure that older varieties and species of garden plant were not lost. There are now over five thousand members across the UK, with 35 regional groups, plus some members as far away as America.

For more information and the benefits of becoming a member, visit The Cottage Garden Society.

Cotswolds Prize Draw

Posted on : 09/08/2010 22:32:15

Suzy Blackley from Surrey was chosen from over a thousand entries, as the winner of our free prize draw from the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. The draw was made by Mark and Kate from Newent Plant Centre, Gloucestershire.

The prize is an overnight stay in the Three Ways House Hotel, Mickelton, in the Cotswolds and a days driving in a classic green 1957 Morris Traveller.

Theres plenty for Suzy to see and do in the area, including a visit to Kiftsgate Court and the famous Hidcote Gardens.

RHS Hampton Court - A perfect summer show!

Posted on : 14/07/2010 00:01:03

The RHS Hampton Court Show has been the highlight of our summer. With around 170,000 visitors and the best of the summer weather we had a magnifcant week.

We got off to a great start with visitors throughout the Gala Preview Evening on Monday. The champagne was flowing and the evening closed with a fabulous firework display over Hampton Court Palace. Our week just got better and better.

The highlight of the show was a press photo shoot on our stand, with the Duchess of Cornwall and David Domoney, garden designer and TV personality. 

Featuring two classic Morris Minors, vintage props and some beautiful flowers from Coolings Nurseries, Burncoose Nursery and Cath's Garden Plants, our stand was a very popular attraction. With the sun shining the classic cars looked magnificant and drew crowds every day. Visitors were very interested in the website and want to support quality British Nurseries. There was also a great deal of interest in our prize draw competition, a days hire of a Morris Traveller, sponsored by Great Escapes Classic Car Hire, and a night at the Three Ways House Hotel, home of the Pudding Club.

Thank you to everyone who visited us. We met some really interesting people from all corners of the UK and several visitors from Japan, Thailand, U.S.A. and Iceland.

Particular thanks to Coolings Nurseries of Kent for creating a beautiful display of summer flowers in the Morris Pick Up and to Charles Ware's Morris Minor Centre, of Bristol, for supplying a superb restored Morris Traveller.

Malvern Spring Gardening Show Competition Results

Posted on : 28/06/2010 21:50:11

Dorothy Tucker from near Newport was chosen by Charles Ellis, our nursery member in Stanton, as the winner of our prize draw from the Malvern Spring Gardening Show.

It's a fantastic prize, with an overnight stay in the Three Ways House Hotel, Mickelton, in the Cotswolds and a days driving in a rare 1957 Morris Traveller.

Dorothy used to own a Morris Traveller, so she's looking forward to getting behind the wheel again to explore the beautiful Cotswold countryside.

Many thanks to our sponsors for this great prize, The Three Ways House Hotel and Great Escapes Classic Car Hire.

Monmouthshire Meadows Group

Posted on : 10/06/2010 14:33:06

The Monmouthshire Meadows Group's annual open day was on Sunday 13th June. There were six  meadows to visit in the Monmouth area, offering a wide range of habitats.

One of the sites was our own garden, which has a small grass bank that has been left uncut, to encourage wild flowers and insects. Its a natural ancient meadow with a very rich range of grasses and meadow flowers, such as the common spotted orchid and helleborines.

Contact the Monmouthshire Meadows Group, to find out how you can help conserve and restore wild flower meadows in your area.

RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2010

Posted on : 02/06/2010 22:16:10

Burncoose Nurseries, of Cornwall, a member of the British Plant Nursery Guide, was awarded a Gold Medal for its display at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The Voyages of Discovery Garden was inspired by the Fox family who, partly through their connections in the shipping trade, helped to popularise new and interesting plants and also helped to create the concept of Cornwall as a sub-tropical garden.

This year, Prince’s Trust Celebrity Ambassador, TV presenter and self confessed adventurer, Ben Fogle, who visited the stand, said: “I am delighted to be representing The Prince’s Trust at Chelsea. Burncoose’s Voyage of Discovery Garden is a fascinating insight into the adventurous spirit of people in the 18th 19th and 20th century."

RHS Show Cardiff Prize Draw

Posted on : 29/05/2010 14:12:37

Sara Rittershausen, of the famous orchid growers Burnham Nurseries in Devon, drew the winner of the RHS Show Cardiff competition.

The winners were Mr and Mrs Summers of Cardiff, who won £50 of plants from members of the British Plant Nursery Guide. 

Keen gardener Ken said he would use the website to make his choice of plants for his garden, “It was a nice surprise to be chosen as the winner.”

The Malvern Spring Gardening Show

Posted on : 26/04/2010 11:39:21

The Malvern Spring Gardening Show celebrated its 25th Anniversary this year.

Despite unusally cold Spring weather, there were 85,000 visitors to the show over the four day period.

HRH The Princess Royal attended the show on Friday, as part of the 25th Anniversary celebrations. She popped into the Eco Home and Garden Village, where our stand featured our mascot, the green Morris Minor Traveller car. 

Gardeners from all over the country came to find out about the website and discover new quality nurseries. With interest from the media growing, look out for us!

A special thanks to Bridget and Wil from Caves Folly Nurseries, and Graham from Great Escape Classic Car Hire for all their help.

RHS Show Cardiff 2010

Posted on : 06/04/2010 11:00:41

The British Plant Nursery Guide attended the RHS Show Cardiff.

What a great start to the show season!

With a record number of visitors, warm spring temperatures and cloudless skies, we've had three wonderful days at the RHS Cardiff Show.

We have welcomed hundreds of visitors to our stands, many of whom were attracted by the stunning Morris Minor Traveller, and the plants look fantastic as well!

Gilly was interviewed by BBC Radio Wales's popular presenter Roy Noble and by a national horticulture magazine. Listen again on iplayer (46minutes in).

Terry Walton, Britain's favourite allotment guru from Radio 2's Jeremy Vine Show, popped in to say hello.

Helped by family and friends, the stand has attracted lots of interest from the public. Our Free Prize Draw provided us with chance to meet lots of interesting and friendly gardeners.

Our next show is the Malvern Spring Garden Show from 6th-9th May, tickets are on sale now.

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 30-31 January 2010

Posted on : 24/01/2010 15:05:37

As a keen gardener there's a good chance that you may also enjoy the birds in your garden as well as your flowers.

By taking part in the Big Garden Birdwatch you will be providing invaluable data to help pick up trends about the distribution of the bird population and to detect where some species may be under threat or possibly thriveing.

We are fortunate to live in the countryside next to an ancient deciduous wooodland, so we attractive a variety of birds to our garden. Regular visitors include woodpeckers, nuthatches, thrushes, collar doves, jays, long tailed tit, blue finch, great tit, yellow and green finches, chaffinches, dunnocks, wagtails and of course our favourite the robin. Even the freerange chickens from the neighbouring farm pop in for a quick snack and clear up the scraps from under our bird feeders. Seeing so many birds provides a lot of pleasure, particularly in the winter when the garden looks very dull.

By growing a range of plants in your garden, keeping seed heads on until spring, leaving some fruit and berries, and adding some feeders will certainly encourage birds to visit your garden on a frequent basis.

If you haven't taken part before or want to find out more log on to www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch. 

Free Seed Offer

Posted on : 08/01/2010 21:39:45

As someone who doesn't like to throw anything away, Gilly has been busy saving the seeds from her garden. She has collected so many that she would like to share them with other gardeners.

All you need to do is send your name, address and  email address with your first, second, third and fourth choice and we will do our best to match your request. This seed offer is subject to availability and one application per household.

The seeds are great for attracting wildlife such as butterflies and bees. Bees are important for pollination and have suffered from drastic decline in their popluation in the last 70 years. To find out how you can help support the British bee population visit www.bumblebeeconservation.org.uk

The seeds are popular cottage garden plants and easy to grow.

1.Aquilegia - Common name Columbine or Granny's Bonnet - An old time favourite and a main stay of cottage gardens. They enjoy a moist humous based soil and are very easy to grow. They will easily self seed around your garden.

2. Astrantia Major - Common name Masterwort - These hardy clump forming herbaceous plants are particular favourites in our garden and with bees too. They provide delicate white flowers with a hint of pink at the tips of the petals.

3. Digitalis - Common name Foxglove - Bees cannot resist the stunning bell shaped flowers which are full of nectar. Foxgloves are hardy biennial which means they will flower the year after sowing. They enjoy a shady spot at the back of the border or the edge of a woodland. They are toxic so keep out of the reach of children. They make good cut flowers but please leave some for the bees.

4. Primula veris - Common name Cowslip - An ancient meadow flower it provides a food source to butterflies and moths. If planting Cowslips in a meadow, don't cut the grass until after the plant has set its seed in late July. A hardy perennial they grow to a height of 12 ins (30 cm), and enjoy a well-drained and sunny aspect.

Contact us now with your choice to avoid disappointment.