Garden And Gardener

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Archive for April, 2014

Planting potatoes

Thursday, April 17th, 2014

Aftre planting potatoes

I have planted my potatoes in the last week.
They have been sat in their paper bags open to the light in a tray since then.
I bought 6 lots from the Hulme Garden Centre potato day earlier in the year. I bought 5 of 5 varieties and 6 of Ambo.

I’ve planted orla, cara, golden wonder, ambo, colleen and red emaille in rows on last years pumpkin bed. This was a raised area of lasagna bed that had plenty of organic matter in.

The last ambo has been planted over near some first earlies the far side of my plot. I wanted to try this one in a much clayier area to see how it coped.

New products at Gardens and Homes Direct

Thursday, April 17th, 2014

Lots of new products added today at Gardens and Homes Direct

20m/80ft String of 250 Solar Powered White LED Garden Lights

20m/80ft String of 250 Solar Powered White LED Garden Lights £29.99
The ideal way to brighten up your gazebo, dining area and patio during the spring and summer months: Our String of 250 Solar Powered White LED Garden Lights is 20m/nearly 80ft long and will look great gently illuminating any outdoor setting. The bright LED bulbs have a flicker flashing and static mode powered from a rechargeable AA battery fed by a discreet solar panel.  Features:• Extra-long 20m string of white solar-powered LED lights.• Perfect for patios, trellises gazebos and dining areas.• Rechargeable AA battery included.• Automatically switch on and off at dawn and dusk: 3 functions with flickering and static mode: On/Off switch included.• Up to six hours of light on a full solar charge.Dimensions:Total length 20.9m/80ft.10cm/4in spacing between each LED.

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Price reductions at Suttons Seeds

Thursday, April 17th, 2014

Suttons Seeds has cut the price of this item

Poppy Planter Plus 2 Wall Planters & Seed Kit

Poppy Planter Plus 2 Wall Planters & Seed Kit was £80.00 now £69.99
Poppy Planter & 2 Wall Planters x 2 packs:POPPY PLANTERS – Don’t be confused by its odd name – our Poppy Planter is a quick, easy and very affordable way to grow your own veg, at easy working height, on a patio or balcony! Its easy-to-assemble powder-coated steel tubular frame is tough yet lightweight, and it folds flat for easy storage. The robust pre-formed liner has a sewn-in water membrane to ensure good moisture retention, and the planter has angled feet caps for greater stability. Measures 40cm (16) x 65cm (26) x 79cm (31) high. Holds approximately 50 litres of compost. Plus it comes complete with 2 Living Wall Planters! WALL PLANTERS – Ideal for flowers, herbs or salads, our Wall Planters make vertical wall gardening easy – just add compost and plants! They’re easy to mount on a wall, fence or balcony, with a simle hook system (expandable metal S hooks included) for adding more planters. They feature reinforced eylets and webbing for strength, and are lined to ensure good moisture retention.PLUS 7 Veg Seed Varieties: Tomato F1 Lizzano – Lizzano, as confirmed by Bangor University, is the most blight tolerant variety we have seen. It is a semi-determinate type producing abundant yields of tasty, high quality, bright red, baby cherry sized fruits. It is a vigorous variety with a compact, uniform trailing habit. Height and spread approximately 50cm (20). Patio type. For greenhouse crops, sow February/April under glass 18-21C (65-70F). Grow in well-prepared borders, large pots, or growing bags, removing laterals as they appear. For outdoor crops, sow April under glass 18-21C (65-70F). Grow in warm, sunny positions in well prepared, moisture retentive soil allowing 45-60cm (1-2′) between plants, and water regularly in dry periods. (16-18 weeks maturity). Packet of 7 seeds.Dwarf Bean Mascotte – Ideal for growing in window-boxes and pots, and very attractive in flower. Produces good crops of round, extra fine, absolutely stringless pods approximately 14cm in length on plants approximately 40-45cm in height. Easy to harvest because the pods are held well outside the foliage. Packet of average 110 seeds.Beetroot Boltardy – Smooth-skinned roots of fine colour, ideal for exhibition. Resistant to bolting and recommended for early sowing. Seed Tape x 1.Spring Onion Lisbon – White Lisbon is an ever popular spring onion, very quick growing, with silvery skin and mild flavour. No thinning required. Seed Tape x 1.Radish French Breakfast – French Breakfast 3 produces solid, sweet, cylindrical crimson and white radishes. RHS Award of Garden Merit winner. Seed Tape x 1.Salad Italian – Grow nutritious mixed salad leaves with this Italian Mix on a biodegradable tape. Contains Italian Parsley, Rocket, Sweet Basil, Lettuce, Radicchio and Broccoli. It couldn’t be easier to grow your own salad. Seed Tape x 1.Carrot Early Nantes – Early Nantes 5 is a suberb tasting carrot that’s excellent for successional sowing, or in frames or under cloches for early roots. Suitable for salads, cooking or freezing. Seed Tape x 1.SEED TAPES – Suttons Groweasy Seed Tapes are just the thing for you. Pre-spaced seed in a tape – less thinning out! 5m (16′) of bio-degradable tape per pack. Simply prepare your soil, draw out a groove, roll out your tape, cover with soil, water well and watch your seedlings grow! Growing instructions on packet.

New products at Suttons Seeds

Thursday, April 17th, 2014

New items added today at Suttons Seeds

Value Bedding Plants - Lucky Dip

Value Bedding Plants – Lucky Dip £24.99
This fantastic lucky dip containing 240 healthy plants has been selected from our most popular bedding plants and will include 12 different varieties to fill your beds and borders, patio pots and containers with colour throughout the summer. This has to be an encomoical way to buy your plants. Varieties will be individually labelled and may vary from those pictured.

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Price reductions at GreenFingers

Thursday, April 17th, 2014

GreenFingers reduced the price on these items today

Greenfingers White Solar LED Star String Lights - Set of 24

Greenfingers White Solar LED Star String Lights – Set of 24 was £7.99 now £3.99
Add a great finishing touch to your trellis arch or shrubs with these Greenfingers Solar LED Star string lights with no wiring needed. Imagine how magical your garden will look when night falls and you see the ambient glow from star shaped lights. A wonderful way to highlight any feature. Monocrystalline solar panel Set of 24 lightsCan be switched off1 x AA rechargeable 600mAH NiMH Battery Cable length: 5.5mDistance between LED lights: 20cmLead from solar panel to first light: 1mMeets EN Standards: 55015:2006 A1:2007 A2:2009 61547:2009We recommend the solar panel is exposed to direct sunlight for as long as possible; it takes approximately 10-16 hours to fully charge and provides 8 hours of light.If you need more solar lighting ideas for your garden then click here for the Solar Lighting department

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New products at GreenFingers

Thursday, April 17th, 2014

New items at GreenFingers

Greenfingers Tuscany Sun Lounger

Greenfingers Tuscany Sun Lounger £24.99
Feel the sun on your face as you rest your head back on the pillow and relax on this reclining Greenfingers Tuscany Sun Lounger. It is perfect for the ultimate lazy summers day! The pillow has Velcro on the back making it easily removable while the lounger can fold down for storage. Manufactured from steel tube framing and the choice of black or cappuccino quick drying Textilene fabric. Dimensions: L140 x W58 x H96cm Height of seat: 29cmLoad capacity: 100kgAvailable in either black or cream colour.

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MRI scans of fruit and vegetables

Thursday, April 17th, 2014

Yes you read that right, MRI scans of fruit and vegetables.

Don’t read this list before going and looking.

1. Corn 2. Banana 3. Pineapple 4. Pomegranate 5. Starfruit 6. Strawberries 7. Brussels sprouts 8. Onion (with bruise) 9. Orange 10. Bell pepper 11. Broccoli 12. Peach 13. Spaghetti squash 14. Beet 15. Passion fruit 16. Okra 17. Eggplant 18. Tomato 19. Persimmon 20. Garlic

You will guess some just by looking.

Price reductions at Crocus

Thursday, April 17th, 2014

Crocus has cut the price of these lines

Lavandula stoechas subsp. stoechas f. leucantha 'Snowman' (white French lavender)

Lavandula stoechas subsp. stoechas f. leucantha ‘Snowman’ (white French lavender) was £9.99 now £7.99
Position: full sun Soil: moderately fertile, well-drained soil Rate of growth: average Flowering period: June and July Hardiness: borderline hardy (may need winter protec tion) As the name suggests, this French lavender has spikes of pure white flowers, topped with distinctive white, butterfly-like tufts from late spring to summer and grey-green, aromatic leaves. It makes a striking feature planted en masse as a fragrant edging for a sunny, protected border, along a path or in a container. Like most French lavenders, this is earlier flowering than its English cousins, but associates well with them if you want to prolong the season of lavender in your garden. The flower-spikes are also a magnet for bees and other beneficial insects. In frost-prone areas it is best grown in a large container and over-wintered indoors. As it’s borderline hardy it is best grown in a container in colder areas of the country and should be over-wintered in a cool greenhouse or conservatory. Garden care: Cut back the stalks after the flowers have faded to retain a compact shape. Carefully trim back in April, taking care not to cut into old wood.

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New products at Crocus

Thursday, April 17th, 2014

Crocus just added these new products

Melica altissima 'Alba' (Siberian melic)

Melica altissima ‘Alba’ (Siberian melic) £9.99
Position: full sun or partial shade Soil:fertile, well-drained Rate of growth: average to fast-growing Flowering period: May to June Hardiness: fully hardy An unassuming but beautiful grass that produces its airy sprays of white, grain-like flowers on slender stems that catch the slightest breeze. It flowers earlier than many of the other ornamental grasses and it blends effortlessly with many different perennials and ferns. Tactile as well as attractive, it will add softness to the planting scheme. Garden care:Cut down to the ground in early spring, before the new foliage appears.

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New products at Plant Me Now

Wednesday, April 16th, 2014

Plant Me Now has this new product today

Canna Tropicanna Tubers (1 root)

Canna Tropicanna Tubers (1 root) £3.95
If you’re looking for a plant that looks a little exotic, try these Canna Tropicanna tubers. Included in our ‘Select Range’ these dark orange flowered canna will bloom all summer long. Canna rhizomes like a moist, humus rich soil and to be in full sun. Dig-over the ground and add well-rotted manure if possible. Ideal for flower beds, outdoor containers and as focal points. Cannas are best started indoors in containers of moist compost at a temperature of 20C. Water sparingly until foliage develops and once well grown and rooted, plant out into containers or flower beds. Water regularly. Cannas aren’t frost hardy, so lift, clean and divide before the first frosts. Store in a frost free area until planting time again.