Author Archives: Tammy Falloon

Prune early flowering deciduous shrubs now

For plants that flower in spring or early summer AND lose their leaves in winter (deciduous plants), now is the time to prune unless you only planted them this year.

Pruning immediately after flowering allows the maximum time for development of young growth to provide next year’s flowers before the end of this summer.

Pruning requirements depend on the type of shrub, but all early-flowering shrubs need routine removal of damaged, diseased or dead wood. To do this you simply…

- Cut out any damaged or dead branches back to their point of origin or to ground level.
- Where the plant is really bushy and has many stems, remove a few to ground level anyway to open it up and avoid congestion.
- Remove any weak, spindly or twiggy shoots right to the point of origin or to ground level so the plant focuses its energy on strong new shoots.

You should then follow the general guidelines for your specific plant.

Deciduous shrubs with flowers on strong young growth such as Forsythia or Weigela
Cut back flowered growth to strong young shoots lower down. Each year cut out up to 20 percent of older stems near the base.
Deciduous shrubs producing new flowering growth from or near ground level like Kerria
Remove flowered shoots back to a vigorous sideshoot. Cut back one in three stems to ground level each year.
Deciduous shrubs that respond to hard pruning after flowering like Prunis triloba Cut back all the stems to near the base.

After pruning give your plants a feed.

St Bridget Nurseries wins National Homes & Gardens Family Business of the Year!

On Thursday 6^thJune London’s Mayfair Hotel hosted the annual Family Business of the Year awards and you’ll never guess who won?!

That’s right, we did…. and to top it off, we were also joint runners-up in the South and South West Regional Category. Amazing!

During the course of the evening, celebrations took place in honour of the vital contributions that family businesses of all sizes have given to enrich the UK’s economy, demonstrating a diverse range of strength, innovation, investment, passion and pride; a truly special moment in which family run businesses from across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales were exemplified and recognized.

St Bridget Nurseries were nominated for an award at the start of the year and then joined a list of fourteen shortlisted companies for the South & South West regions. Each shortlisted company was then invited to submit a detailed entry to be judged individually. These entries covered the way in which each family business is governed, key milestones, company values, involvement of the company in the larger community and how well the company is doing fiscally.

In April, news reached us that we were one of six finalists for the region and one of three in the national sector for Homes & Gardens.

Representing St Bridget Nurseries, Tammy Falloon (Managing Director and the fourth generation of the family business) was presented the award by Anthony Gallagher from the award sponsor Easigrass.

Tammy said “I am truly honoured and delighted to win this Family Business of the Year Award. This award not only goes to our wonderful team of staff but the teams before them who helped my ancestors build their vision and dream so I can take it forward into its next century.”

St Bridget Nurseries has been a family business since it was founded in 1925. Now in its fourth generation the business still grows over 85% of the plants it sells in the company’s two Exeter based garden centres. When asked what makes the business so special; Tammy answered: “Everything, you will have to visit to see! It’s the people. We’ve been in business for over 90 years. We’ve survived two generations of ‘only children’ so luckily succession planning went well and now we are a rare but strong Mother & Daughter team. We wouldn’t have gotten where we are today without the support and loyalty of our wonderful team of staff. Many of which have been with us for 30 plus years!”

Anthony Gallagher, Managing Director of Easigrass who sponsored this award adds “This is a fabulous family firm that is well on the way to becoming a family business centenarian, combining strong family values with those of the business to create a winning formula. The family are passionate about what they do, take pride in their heritage and offer great customer service. Now run by the fourth generation where everything they do is with a smile on their faces and strong ties to the local community”.

Paul Andrews, Founder and Managing Director of Family Business United explained: “St Bridget Nurseries are worthy winners and as a family firm after four generations they remain strong in innovation and ambition and continued investment in their business.”

Later Paul concluded, “It’s a privilege to organise these awards and to find out more about the fantastic people behind the family firms that are the backbone of the UK economy. St Bridget Nurseries is one such firm – a great family business, a great family business ambassador having grown from just an acre of land in 1925 to over 40 acres today and worthy recipients of the Homes & Gardens Family Business of the Year Award 2019.”

We are absolutely delighted to have taken part in this entire process from nominee to hailed winners and we thank you our loyal and wonderful customers for all for your support without which we couldn’t have done it!

Green ‘pea soup’ water in ponds

Lots of customers are having problems with their ponds because the water is turning green. Green ‘pea soup’ water in your pond is awful but alas, it can be treated.

Caused by algae growth more often than not, this problem is usually due to a lack of aquatic plants – or the wrong balance of plants. However there are other contributing factors to consider.

What to do about it

Start by making sure the pond is stocked with plenty of oxygenating plants – usually one bunch for every 2 square metres of water surface.

Other plants are also essential for healthy, clear water; for instance you could add plenty of marginal plants. These are best planted around the edges and will cover at least one-third of the water surface such as waterlilies.

Taking these steps will help keep the water cool and shaded from sunlight – preventing rapid algae growth.

Other points to consider are a build-up of rotting vegetation and other material in the water such as fish food from overfeeding. Both are key reasons that lead to unwanted algal growth.

To keep this at bay, remember to always remove leaves and other plant debris floating in the pond and don’t overfeed your fish.

Another way to improve the situation is by adding organic barley-straw or an algaecide to the water (always read the label first and check suitability if you have fish in the pond).

If all else fails, the best way of keeping the water clear is to install a pond pump and filter.

If you’re not sure what will work best for your pond then ask our expert staff for advice – we’re here to help. Our Aquatics Department is at our Sidmouth Road, Clyst St Mary, Exeter Garden Centre (01392 876281).

Pond Plant of the Month for May – Harlequin plant “Chameleon”

Pond Plant of the Month: May

Harlequin plant “Chameleon”

Was £5.20 Each Now £4.00 Each

With its striking coloured foliage of red, yellow and green this variety of harlequin plant makes a colourful addition to a garden pond or boggy area. The harlequin plant is undemanding so will grow in a full sun to partial shade position and will eventually grow to a height of 50cm.

A guide to taking successful cuttings

Cutting is the most popular propagation technique for a huge number of plants and is reliable and relatively simple once you have got the hang of it following our simple guide. Cuttings can be taken throughout the year of different types of plants, this month is the right time to be taking softwood cuttings from late-flowering shrubs, namely Hibiscus and Hydrangeas.

Types of cuttings

The terminology surrounding cuttings can be very confusing, to simplify it ther are generally three types of cutting;

Softwood cuttings;these are taken in spring. They are the soft growth of new stems, sideshoots or shoot tips. The ideal size for a softwood cutting is up to 4 or five leaves and a length of about 10cm.
Semi-ripe cuttings; these are taken between midsummer and late autumn; within this time new stems will have got longer and stronger, they are thus firmer and more mature than softwood cuttings. The ideal size for these cuttings is slightly longer than before, between `0 and 15cm, this length must also have at least an inch of firm wood at the base.
Hardwood cuttings; these are taken in late autumn and the beginning of winter. They are one-year old stems that will be woody by this time. The ideal length here is much longer; usually around 25cm but for some trees it can be up to almost a metre.

Taking the cutting general tips

Take cuttings early in the day when the plants still have plenty of water
Keep them in a polythene bag to prevent moisture loss
Take them from younger and healthier plants for the most successful rooting
Take non-flowering shoots from lower branches for heightened rooting

Methods of taking cuttings

The way the cutting is removed can affect its rooting ability. These are the most common methods;

Nodal;this involves making a cutting at the bottom of a stem just below the node (a leaf joint) where there are a lot of hormones.
Internodal;this is a cutting made between twio nodes (leaf joints)
Heel;this is the best method for evergreens and thin stemmed shrubs. A heel cutting is made by carefully pulling a ripening shoot from the thicker stem so that some of the parent stem stays on the new shoot. The ‘heel’ from the parent plant means that more moisture is retained along with nutrients that help with the rooting.
Wounding;this is not a method of cutting but instead a way to encourage successful rooting and can be done to any of the above cuttings. ‘wounding’ the cutting is the removal of some bark from one side of the base of the cutting. A larger surface area of the stem is thus exposed meaning that more moisture and rooting stimulants can be absorbed.

Rooting

Now that you have taken a cutting, you must put it in a suitable environment to promote root development. Here is our simply guide to the next steps;

Remove the lower leaves from the cutting
Dip the cutting in hormone rooting powder (see in store)
In a container of compost make a hole for the cutting and place the cutting into the compost so that the first pair of leaves are just above the compost.
Label the pot clearly, to avoid any confusion later, and when you took the cutting to track its progress.
If you have a heated propagator then you will next use that, however a warm window sill will be sufficient. If you are using a windowsill, cover the container with a plastic bag to prevent wilting. If you are using this method it is important to allow the cutting two 10 minutes of ventilation each week.
The cuttings should be in light, but not direct and hot sunlight. A fleece can be used in order to soften the light.
Make sure that the compost is moist throughout the rooting period.
Most cuttings will take between 6 and 10 weeks to root successfully
After your cuttings have successfully rooted they should be hardened off for around 10-14 days whilst gradually increasing ventilation and then individually potted.

Young Plant in Sunlight, Growing plant, Plant seedling

Gardening Jobs for April – Trees, shrubs and flowers

TREES SHURBS AND FLOWERS

Prune bedding roses if you have not already done so; a tough pruning is good for them in the long run. Feed them generously after doing so.
Prune hydrangeas by first dead-heading them and then cutting out any dead branches. Prune the remaining stems back to the first healthy pair of buds nearest to the dead blooms.
Prune spring-flowering shrubs such as Winter Jasmine, do so by pruning roughly a third of their growth and then feeding
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Apply a rose fertiliser and a high potash feed to flowering shrubs
Divide any perennials that need it; this is only necessary once every 3-5 years. An indicator that it is necessary is when they become woody or there is significantly less growth in the centre. For best results uproot the plant and split it into a few sections with equal amounts of root. Then get rid of the woody part; usually the centre. Replant in well fertilised ground, mulch and water well.
Weed borders thoroughly and then mulch
Pot-marigolds and sunflowers can be directly sown
Look out for early aphids, remove by squashing first and if the problem continues look into other methods

FRUITS VEGETABLES AND HERBS

Prune shrubby herbs such as sage and thyme to keep them compact
Sow basil and coriander and plant out parsley plants if you managed to sow them earlier this year. Mesh over these to protect them from insects and frost.
Cut back lavender stalks to just below their old flowers
Directly sow vegetables such as cauliflower, peas, carrots, leeks, beetroots and radishes, being sure to protect these from any forecasted frost.
If any frost is expected, prepare young or small fruit trees with a fleece
Spray fruit with a protective fungicide and a systemic to help prevent pest and diseases
Plant second-early potato tubers at the beginning of April or main crop varieties at the end, read more about planting potatoes in our last year’s blog (https://www.stbridgetnurseries.co.uk/potatoes-earthingup/)
Tidy up last year’s strawberry bed; remove any flowers
Feed berries with a high-nitrogen feed; ask in store for our staff to point out our best ones
Sow tomatoes if you want to try growing them from seed this year. Once seedlings show their first true leaves they can be planted individually into pots. They should be planted deeply with their first leaves resting just above the compost.

LAWN

Feed the lawn and treat weeds and any moss that may have appeared
Do not feed if the grass is too wet; scorched grass may result
Repair lawn bald spots; minor damage can be combated by breaking up the surface with a fork and then adding seed
Larger areas of damage may require new turf to be laid

Using Roses Alongside Other Shrubs In Pots

Using Roses Alongside Other Shrubs in Pots

Roses and small shrubs such as Skimmia Japonica and Euonymus Fortunei together form very attractive centre pieces in outdoor containers. Edge them with variegated ivies and ornamental cabbages or tumbling geraniums to fall or drift over the pot.

Pale pink and small bright pink roses and geranium

How To Plant Out Sweet Peas

Seedlings started in the late Autumn or in January under glass will be ready to plant outside now or in the coming couple of weeks.

You’ll need to train tall varieties against canes, (just like runner beans) so buy a bundle of ten 2.4m (8 feet) bamboos and a securing ring or some ties to hold everything together. A lot of people like to stick some hazel sticks in the ground too so as the young plants have something to hold on to as they stretch ever upwards.

Find a sunny part of the garden and arrange your bamboos in a circle to make a wigwam shape or alternatively set them up 30cm (12 inches) apart in a straight double row.

If you don’t have any hazel, you may want to throw some pea and bean netting to the canes to form a continuous mesh; the plants tendrils will naturally cling to this, however, if you want to have the very best blooms and win your local garden show prizes, you will need to grow them up the bamboos as cordons, just as the exhibitors do.

Plant one sweet pea plant at the bottom of each cane.

TIP!

Never grow the main shoot up the canes as they quickly run out of steam and become ‘blind’. Instead, tie in the strongest side-shoot from each plant to each cane and remove all the others. If there are no side-shoots, pinch out the growing tip to encourage them and then keep the best one for training,

As the stems grow, pinch out the side-shoots so as to direct all of the plants energy into the flowers and once they have formed, cut them regularly, not just for their sweet scent but because leaving them to set seed will stop them from forming.

Growing Roses In Containers

If you are a lover of roses and can’t wait to see them all in flower, why not get a head start now? Ground cover roses, patio roses and all of our miniatures are perfect for pots and containers.

Ideally roses should be bought in threes to make a “huge wow” in a big tub, but single plants can also look beautiful in 30cm (12 inch) pots. The important thing is to consider the depth. The plants need a good root run. We recommend you allow 25cm (10 inches) for the smallest varieties and up to 40cm (16 inches) for ground cover roses.

We recommend you use a soil based compost such as John Innes No 2 or ask a member of the St Bridget’s team what else we have in stock for you.

Your roses need to be pruned hard. Never be nervous. Cut the thicker shoots back to 4 buds and the thinner ones to two, always cutting to just above a bud that faces outwards. You can then stand the plants in a sunny cold frame until April or put them straight into a cool greenhouse or conservatory where they’ll grow a little taller than normal and essentially, flower several weeks earlier!

Water them regularly but avoid letting them get waterlogged and after 6 weeks give them a feed and then repeat (feed) every fortnight.

Primrose Festival Results 2019

During February Half Term we held our second Primrose Festival. The week celebrated the glorious colour from the primula family of plants. We had over 20 different varieties of primrose and polyanthus on display and asked visitors to vote for their favourite variety.

The results

It goes to show that tastes vary in that we received votes for 20 different varieties. The primrose with the most votes in 2019 was the reigning champion; Blue Zebra. This unusual primrose has stripes of blue and white. It was closely followed by Tiara Purple Eye.

Primrose Blue Zebra

Primrose Tiara Purple Eye

Primrose Red Bicolour

Polyanthus Fire Dragon

Primrose Apple Blossom

Winner

Congratulations to Ms Wills who was the first vote pulled from all entries and she has won herself some seeds, seed trays and a £10 St Bridget Gift Token.