Hedging your bets (or betting your hedges)

Over the years, we have often heard a story very similar to this one: a first time fruit tree owner was delighted at the sight of their trees coming into maturity, flowering beautifully and being courted by all manner of bees and butterflies before becoming weighed down with piles of slowly but surely swelling fruit.

Tags: Fruit trees

Photinia Red Robin makes a really photogenic hedge plant, with blazing red young leaves that can be persuaded to reappear all summer with regular trimming and simple but lovely white flowers.

However, just as the most handsome face can be transformed by acne, the prettiest Photinia bush can can be marred by an unpleasant looking dose of Leaf Spot. It really is an ugly thing to happen to such great foliage and if it happens to come your way, you may be quite alarmed.

Tags: Leaf Spot, Photinia Red Robin

I read an article the other day which claimed that lavender is immune to disease, a quality that is linked to its healing properties. I’m the first to hop in a bath infused with lavender when I need a break and I am certain that the relaxation it gives me is good for my mental health if nothing else. I also know that many people benefit from using it in other ways, but I feel moved to set the record straight. In the everyday running of our nursery, we are always on the lookout for signs of disease on our plants. They are packed in pretty tight and one rotten apple, so to speak, could easily cause us to lose a lot of stock.

Tags: lavender

My friend Bean is a passionate if impatient gardener.  Vegetables are really her thing (probably because so many of them are sown and germinate before you get bored).

The same, unfortunately cannot be said of her prowess when it comes to a beech hedge she planted five years ago.  Her mistakes were as follows:

Tags: beech