Annie and Janet with their prize winning exhibits

Award

Our excellent hanging baskets and planted containers are now officially award winning as we won a Silver Medal at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show in July 2005. Well done to Annie and Janet for their planting skills and designs.

Bishops Waltham Gardening Club

In July the Open Annual Show took place and we were pleased to sponsor the booklet for this event. The standard of vegetables and flowers on display were outstanding with the children’s sections well supported with some wonderful monsters made from garden materials! If you came along to the show we hope you enjoyed our display of topiary and specimen plants on the stage and also the containers in bloom that were for sale.

Staff news

We are pleased to announce that 2 new retail staff, Jenny and Kirsty have joined us this spring.

Newsletter

We were lucky enough to achieve a silver medal on our first visit to Hampton Court  in 2005 for our hanging basket and window box, and some of our plants were displayed on the channel 4 programme, Garden Challenge.  Sarah Wheeldon, winner of the Daily Telegraph Garden Designer of the Year 2004, came to us to source some of the plants, which she used in her design for the programme; we were pleased that she made it through to the semi finals.  In July we donated a catalpa tree, when Sarah went onto design the sensory garden for Cedar School , which was opened by Alan Titchmarsh.  In October we took up the challenge to create a more welcoming entrance to Toynbee School .  We did not undertake this task alone! Some Year 11 pupils drew designs, learnt about plants and then helped with soil preparation and final planting.  We have also enjoyed donating plants to local school and church fetes. Never to miss an opportunity to ‘catch them when they’re young’, pupils at Owslebury School each received a tomato plant to grow for their curriculum topic on plants.

There are lots of plants on offer to add colour and interest at this time of year.  This year we are growing some new and unusual primroses as a trial for a major seed company, (please visit the nursery page on this website to view these), cowslips for the more natural areas in your garden and of course pansies with their colourful faces, not to mention all the shrubs, evergreens and hardy architectural plants to add structure to your garden.  This year along with all the geraniums, fuchsias, bedding and basket plants that we normally offer we are extending our range of vegetables.  Nothing beats the satisfaction and flavour of picking your own home grown fresh produce, the majority of which can be grown successfully in pots and containers, and with a little imagination can be incorporated into borders – runner beans to cover that trellis hiding the dustbins, carrot tops make a lovely feathery edge to a border and of course the wonderful fragrance of herbs!

We look forward to seeing you in 2006 and thank you for your custom.