CLIMBER CITY!!

We are all enjoying the nice weather at the moment - yes, it creates work by increasing the amount of watering - but it is nice to feel the sun on your back.

The nursery is looking great - particularly the SHRUB SALES AREA. This area is one of the most popular with our customers at the moment - and it is easy to see why. As well as many wonderful ornamental shrubs and hedging plants - a large section is devoted to those upwardly-mobile plants - the CLIMBERS AND WALL SHRUBS. So many people have fences and walls or even trellis - that they fail to utilise in their garden schemes. This is where climbers or wall shrubs come into their own - they do not take up much space - and many are as beautiful as any border shrub. A number are also deliciously scented - like the SUMMER JASMINE - JASMINUM OFFICINALE - in the photo above. A smashing plant for a seating area - or over a pergola where the scent can waft about on those warm summer evenings.

For something a little different, no scent but a simply beautiful flower, why not try the WHITE POTATO VINE - SOLANUM JASMINOIDES 'ALBUM' - a semi-evergreen scrambling/climbing wall shrub - covered in sumptuous white blooms from July to the frosts.

Usually this plant is seen in it's more popular blue form - SOLANUM CRISPUM 'GLASNEVIN' - you can see why it is called the POTATO VINE! Each little blue flower is very much like the flowers of your spuds!! Again very long-flowering - and dead-easy to look after - just take the shears to it in the spring if it gets out of hand.

Of course, many of us have a wall or fence in the shade - usually North or East facing - and need something other than Ivy to grow on it. Well, again on the sales area - there is the lovely climbing

HYDRANGEA PETIOLARIS. It has many of the attributes of it;s more familiar shrubby friends - but will grow in far more hostile conditions - particularly good on North or East aspects. Lovely bloom now, and peeling flaky bark in the winter.

These are just a few of the lovely things we have at the nursery at the moment - why not pop down and see them yourself - the nursery is open Monday-Saturday 9-5.

Until next time then,

RICHARD

BACK DOWN TO EARTH!!

Well, after all the excitement of the SUFFOLK SHOW - life at Crown Nursery has just about returned to normal. All the show plants are back in their correct places. The nursery is back in it's normal routine. The girls are busy working on the shrub area - taking cuttings of many of the items required for the autumn season. Potting on of the younger trees continues apace - as does the ongoing care of the new grafts. Many of the plants on the specimen area are being potted on - when a plant is held in a pot for a number of years, it does tend to get somewhat restricted - and the constant irrigation leaches out nutrients very fast - so both granular and liquid feeding is also taking place on the nursery at the moment.

Many of us at the nursery have been concerned at the plight of our bee population. A worldwide infestation of mites, and constant damp springs and summers have not helped these little chaps - and they are an essential item for pollination - particularly of food crops. We can help, as gardeners by planting as many of their favourite food items as possible. The companion planting beds on the FRUIT SALES AREA contain many items that are ideal for their food source. Bees particularly bumbles, favour blue flowers - and the catmint NEPETA 'WALKER'S LOW' and 'SIX HILS GIANT' are particularly good. - the lovely blue flower shown in the photo top left. There is one bed of pure catmint - and I counted 37 bumble bees on the flowers one day last week - they just dance and flit from flower to flower. Many of the herbs - such as Thyme, Sage and Oregano have flowers that are rich in nectar - so you can help the bees and yourself by planting those!!

On the shrub front - they are particularly fond of Cotoneaster - these have incredibly small flowers, but are very rich in nectar - and they appear over a lengthy period. In my own garden I have a large plant of COTONEASTER SIMONSII which last night, had 49 bees on it - that is no exaggeration - just a constant hum!! And of course, the big bonus is that all that buzzing will lead to a bumper crop of berries in the autumn for the birds - a DOUBLE WHAMMY!! The gorgeous HONEYSUCKLES are also a treat - they just love the deep-throated flowers - and the photo below just shows why!! ( This one is LONICERA JAPONICA 'HALL'S PROLIFIC') And if you have ever watched a bee in a bed of LAVENDER, then you just know that they are enjoying themselves!!

For the honey bees, which are actually in a worse position than the bumbles, their requirements are similar - although they seem to favour flatter flowers - in my own garden again - CALLISTEMON PALLIDUS - a yellow Australian Bottlebrush shrub is in full flower - and last night the honey bees were all over it. In early spring, they adore the catkins of pussy willows, and in late summer, they thrive on the many varieties of BUDDLEIA - the so-called BUTTERFLY BUSH. Finally for their autumn treat, they are especially fond of IVY - so it is not always wise to remove it from all your trees and fences.

We must look after our flying friends - without them the world would be very different. Here at Crown Nursery, we are certainly trying to do our bit - what are you doing in your plot??

Until next time,

RICHARD

SUFFOLK SHOW TRIUMPH!

Well, we did it!! After several 13 hour days - CROWN NURSERY scored a great victory at the SUFFOLK SHOW!! Our stand in the flower tent - was awarded a LARGE GOLD MEDAL - and to cap it all - the PERPETUAL CHALLENGE CUP FOR THE BEST TRADE EXHIBIT IN THE SHOW!!

The certificates below for the medal and the cup are a testament to all the hard work put in by everybody. The PERPETUAL CHALLENGE CUP that I am holding is for every member of the CROWN NURSERY team. Every single person on the nursery was involved in some way - from growing the plants - to designing the stand - to producing the countless labels and literature - to moving plants up to 5 times in some cases, so ensuring they did not go over too quick. The brilliance of Brian and his landscape gang - ensured that the decking area built into the stand was superb - and also the considerable logistical headaches of transporting hundreds and hundreds of plants to the showground - and back again - were achieved in an incredibly short timescale.

Out of those hundreds and hundreds of plants - in true CROWN NURSERY style - 20ft trees were also included - all moved around - also pallets of turf - and countless barrows of mulch - all coming together to make the stand the sucess it deserved to be. To all those of you who came to see us - a big THANK YOU for your kind comments! And to those of you that did not come to the show - a range of photos of the stand will be appearing on our website very soon.

The name of our stand - was 'THYME FOR TEA' - a deliberate play on the word time. A cottage garden effect with a mature backdrop of large trees and shrubs - a woodland glade at one end - and a decking area with a seat - surrounded by scented plants at the other. A real garden for relaxation after a hard day. Such a range of plants were used - far too numerous to mention - but the CUPS AND SAUCERS filled with herbs drew much admiration.

In reality though, it was probably our ALTERNATIVE HANGING BASKETS that caused the most comment. A quite brilliant idea of Graeme's - we used a roll of turf in the bottom of the basket instead of the usual boring liner - and after just three weeks it had grown through to hide the basket completely. Compost was then added in the normal way - and we used EUONYMUS 'EMERALD GAIETY' as the main plant in the top - incredibly simple - but so many people could not believe their eyes!! You can see them in the photo - mounted on stands - and surrounded by typical cottage garden style planting.

Not content with all this - we also produced yet another incredible stand - this time outside the tent - this one was really GRAEME'S BABY - and he did himself and the nursery proud, despite having to put up with the most incredible gales on the first day of the show. This was the 'EDIBLE GARDEN' - 4 raised beds incorporating a glorious mix of herbs, fruit and easy-to-grow vegetables in the smallest of spaces. Again, thank you to so many people for all the interest shown.

These photos are just a taster of an incredible fortnight at Crown Nursery - at times the task seemed endless - and the days never-ending - but in the end we got there - and every single member of the team deserves a huge pat on the back. We are still sorting out the returned plants from the show - and getting them back into their rightful positions on the sales area - it is another whole year - before the next Suffolk Show - but we are already planning what we are going to do!!

Until next time,

RICHARD

FULL STEAM AHEAD TO THE SUFFOLK SHOW!!

It's all systems go here at the nursery. We are shipping plants up to the Suffolk Show daily - starting off with the bigger items - and now onto turf, decking and some of the hard landscaping materials. The stand is starting to take shape - but it will be Tuesday before the 'pretty' bits go in. If you are coming to the show - do come into the Flower Show Tent and see us - we are at the far end next to the teas and cakes. We also have an Edible Garden stand - just outside the Flower Show entrance.
The show is on Wednesday 27th and Thursday 28th May at the Trinity Park Showground on the outskirts of Ipswich. It is a real showcase for Suffolk - featuring the traditional elements of the old agricultural show - and many other elements besides.

Back at the nursery, on the shrub front, now is the season of CEANOTHUS - often simply called the CALIFORNIAN LILAC. There are a lot of different varieties - from the large to the dwarf types. They are such useful plants - being evergreen and also jolly tough. The photo at the top shows just how profuse the flowers are - almost smothering the foliage.

On the tree front - in my last post - I talked about the tree of the moment - the MAY trees - ornamental forms of HAWTHORN. They really are looking very fine here at the nursery - there are so many varieties to choose from - but here are a few real crackers with piccs as well!!

CRATAEGUS 'PAUL'S SCARLET' -

I particularly like this one - it is very profuse in flower - and has the most attractive button-like flowers - scarlet-red with just a hint of white.

The flowers are fully double - so of course it is not going to set any berries - that is perhaps the only drawback - but if you are looking for a small tree for your garden - that will make a mushroom like shape - what better could you ask for?

Another of my absolute favourites - and very well-named is 'CRIMSON CLOUD'. This has a similar colouring to 'PAUL'S SCARLET' - but it has a single flower - with a beautiful white centre - and of course that means that you get MASSES OF BERRIES in the autumn. Possibly an even better tree than 'PAUL'S SCARLET'.

There are loads of other types - many with the more normal white blossom - particularly good for autumn berries is the aptly-named 'CRATAEGUS AUTUMN GLORY' - with fruits like small red glace cherries. For large leaves - totally different to the usual small types - you cannot fail to be impressed by CRATEGUS MOLLIS - a leaf more like a Hazel in size - and stuffed with red berries in the autumn. If space is really tight - there is even an upright form - ideal for putting in a small corner - called 'CRATAEGUS 'STRICTA'.

There is also a variegated form - 'CRATAEGUS MONOGYNA 'VARIEGATA' - a very subtle variegation - not at all vulgar!! It is such a versatile family - there must be one for your garden!

There, now I really must stop - and get on with getting some more plants out for the Suffolk Show!

HOPE TO SEE YOU AT THE SHOW - IF NOT UNTIL NEXT TIME,

RICHARD

NOTE - THIS IS A BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND - AND DUE TO LOCAL PLANNING RESTRICTIONS, THE NURSERY WILL BE CLOSED FROM SATURDAY TO MONDAY. NEXT WEEK THE NURSERY IS AT THE SUFFOLK SHOW - AND ON WEDNESDAY 27TH AND THURSDAY 28TH MAY - WILL BE ON REDUCED OPENING HOURS - BEST TO RING THE OFFICE ON 01394 460755 TO CHECK OPENING HOURS ON THOSE DAYS.

THE RAINS COMETH!!

Hooray, Hooray, Hooray!!! At last, after SIX WEEKS OF DROUGHT, the rains have come! We have had just over three-quarters of an inch of rain at the nursery over the last two days - a nice steady rain - mostly at night. The difference is incredible - plants look so much fresher and plumped up. It does not matter how much watering you do-NOTHING BEATS A GOOD RAIN-it wets the whole garden, not just small pockets. As you can probably tell I am a VERY HAPPY BUNNY!!!

A couple of nice shrubs for the season - the one above on the left is a plant often called the SILVERBERRY or technically ELAEAGNUS COMMUTATA. A very nice plant indeed - seldom seen and beautiful in two distinct ways - SUPERB SILVER FOLIAGE - and tiny yellow flowers that have a KNOCK-OUT SCENT. They are just starting to come out, they may not look much - but boy do they scent the air - I think the fragrance is best described as a heady mix of jasmine and vanilla - quite heavy on a warm evening.
The other shrub on the left is the BEAUTY BUSH - KOLKWITZA AMABILIS 'PINK CLOUD' - again another under-rated beauty. This has very soft foliage - and a real cloud of blossom - with the most delicate markings inside the flower as the photo shows - wonderful when the bees are inside!! On the tree front - this is the season of the ornamental Thorns - better known as MAY TREES. If you want a small ornamental tree for your garden, you will struggle to find anything better than one of the CRATAEGUS types. There are those with double red flowers in great profusion such as 'PAUL'S SCARLET' - or if you prefer pink, then CRATAEGUS 'ROSEA FLORE PLENO' is for you. The only disdvantage with these double types is that lacking stamens - they will set few, if any berries. If berries are your thing - 'CRIMSON CLOUD' is the one - pretty red flowers with a white middle - and being single - masses of berries in the autumn.

I am going to focus on these lovelies in my next post - but I can't resist mentioning them now!!

Otherwise - the nursery is heavily involved in planning for the SUFFOLK SHOW STAND - we have pretty much finalised the plants - but trying to work out what will be in flower in a fortnight is proving tricky!! The show is at the TRINITY PARK SHOWGROUND on the outskirts of Ipswich on WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY 27TH AND 28TH MAY. If you are coming to the show - pop into the FLOWER TENT and see us - we are at the far end -near the tea and cakes!!!

Until next time,
RICHARD

THE NURSERYMAN'S NIGHTMARE - HOT AND WINDY!!

No, not a really good curry - but the WEATHER at the moment! Blue skies and BLAZING HOT SUN - sounds great, but for the last two days, it has been accompanied by a 30 mph GALE-FORCE WIND. It comes swooping down the valley into the nursery, knocking everything flat, and sucking the moisture out of the fresh new leaves of all our lovely plants. I HATE IT - AND THE PLANTS HATE IT TOO! The sales areas look like World War 3 - and the nursery staff all seem to have hoses permanently attached to their arms! As a customer very kindly told me today, you do seem to have a wind problem!!! Yep, great, thanks!!

It is actually fairly normal in this part of East Anglia at this time of the year- but it does not help my mood - I do feel for my plants when they are battered left, right and centre.

On a more POSITIVE NOTE - there are some very nice shrubs in season at the moment. I mentioned a dwarf LILAC in my last entry, and here is a piccy.

SYRINGA 'PALIBIN' - a nice LILAC - smaller-leaved than it's bigger cousins- but with the same delicious SCENT - and a rather nice colour too. They tend to be much easier to look after as well.

I often find, that they flower again in September - if they are kept well-fed and watered.

This is also the season of another of my favourite shrubs - VIBURNUM PLICATUM 'MARIESII'- a superb horizontal tiered plant - with a simply gorgeous flower - consisting of bracts and a central disc - as seen on the right - all against a fresh green leaf - what a cracker!! A wonderful plant for the edges of beds and borders - in my own garden at home, it is sited on the bend of a path - and the effect is simply breathtaking!!

There now, you see I'm starting to feel better already- I almost forgot the gale blowing outside! The weather forecasts suggest that we will actually get some much-needed rain on Thursday and Friday - plus the winds will die down - and then I REALLY WILL BE A HAPPY BUNNY!!

Until next time,

RICHARD

THE MERRY MONTH OF MAY

What a fantastic SPRING we are having this year! Have you ever seen plants looking so good?

A combination of constant night temperature - and a cold period in January have set fair to produce a WONDERFUL SHOW. Here at the nursery, we are still incredibly busy, with many people in a LAST-MINUTE RUSH to get their plants in before the ground get's too dry.
Those of you who came to our SPRING OPEN DAY last Saturday - thank you very much for your kind comments on how good the nursery looked - they were very much appreciated!! Considering the weather forecast, we were incredibly lucky to have sun for most of the day - and it does make a big difference - all that hard work seems just that little bit more worthwhile!!

Attention now begins to turn towards our stand at the SUFFOLK SHOW - this will be at the end of May - and always occupies a lot of time. We have been planning and setting aside plants since the end of January - but even then, you are never actually sure what is looking good until the last moment.
On the subject of looking good - early May is LILAC TIME - and this is proving to be a good year for them - two of our favourites looking good at the moment are 'Firmanent' - with a lavender blue single flower and delicious scent - and the dwarf 'Palibin' with a reddish-pink flower. One particularly nice shrub now flowering in the 'impulse area' outside the office door is a seldom-seen shrubby Honeysuckle - LONICERA SYRINGANTHA - a delicious little plant - I often feel it would be equally home listed as a member of the Daphne family - it has small glaucous-blue leaves and the most HEAVENLY-SCENTED clusters of fresh-pink flowers. Yes, I know you have never heard of it! - most people have not - but it is one of those gems that should not be missed at this busy time in the garden.

On the tree side - the MALUS - THE CRAB APPLES - are still giving a good show. The purple-leaved varieties such as LISET and RUDOLPH are particularly good - and one of our favourites - 'VAN ESELTYNE' is just sumptous with buds like inflated hot-air balloons! Oh, and did I mention that Prunus 'SHIROFUGEN' is looking great - with long stalked clusters of soft pink flowers that hang from bronze leaves??

I think I need to stop now since I am starting to drool at the thought of all these lovely things!!
Until next time,
RICHARD

P.S. = REMEMBER THIS IS A BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND - SO DUE TO LOCAL PLANNING RESTRICTIONS, THE NURSERY IS CLOSED FROM SATURDAY TO MONDAY INCLUSIVE.