“Iris”

We have nearly sold out of hybrid laying chickens once again, apologies, however we do have a delivery of 550 point of lay this Saturday, they should be with us first thing in the morning. In case you are late planting your tomatoes we have some larger turbocharged/ grafted tomato plants that have an abundance of flowers on already, these plants will be fine to go outside in a grow bag or the ground.

I am pleased to say we have the best range of herbaceous plants ever, we have found a small grower in Norfolk who propagates and produces most of his own plant stock. We can therefore offer a wide range of plants at a great price.

“Patio planted pots”

Although the weather hasn’t been that warm, we haven’t actually had much rain in the last couple of weeks so don’t forget to water your containers, while watering give them a feed, it’s really worth it. The great thing about this cooler weather is that the flowers on the plants may last a little longer.  For you really keen gardeners we will be stocking the Chempack range of ferts next week. I don’t know why we ever let them go.

Keep an eye on the black spot and aphids on your roses.

Enjoy your Garden

Regards

Ashley

www.bellplantation.co.uk | www.poultrycentre.co.uk

The post Beautiful Plants in Stock and Turbocharged grafted Tomatoes appeared first on Bell Plantation.

(click the image to see bigger)

As you can see from the photographs we are busy trying to encourage Bee life, bumble or honey. I took the photo this morning of the bumble bee returning to our hive laden with pollen on its legs. They are a bit slow to emerge in the morning as the nights are so cold, they need a bit of sun to get them going. Our Bees don’t have to travel too far to feed as we have a Garden Centre full of flowering plants, in the other attached picture we have a table full of plants that are particularly suitable for Bees. In the courtyard we have sown a mixture of wildflowers that are specifically chosen to be Bee friendly. We do have a large stand of all types of different wild flower mixes.

Establishing a wildflower area in your Garden is hugely rewarding when established, it saves mowing or hoeing part of the garden and encourages wildlife. Wild flowers thrive on poorer soils on which normal grasses do not grow so well. When sowing a wildflower mix in your garden it is the competition from other normal grasses that cause the wildflowers not to establish successfully. There is a wildflower that can help supress the growth of normal grasses Yellow rattle (Rhinanthus minor) it is a ‘hemi- parasite’ a partial parasite, it reduces the vigour of normal grass by locking its roots onto other plants and sucks the life out of them. Farmers obviously hate this plant as it reduces grass yield! Conservationists and wildflower enthusiasts love it.

There is still time for loads of planting for food and flowers. I hope we can help to make your garden grow, we would love to help you.

The cream teas are great!

Have fun

Ashley

www.bellplantation.co.uk | www.poultrycentre.co.uk

The post Wildflowers, Bees and Cream Teas! appeared first on Bell Plantation.

High winds with plants in full leaf is a recipe for damage. There is not too much you can do other than tie everything up. Newly planted tall plants need canes or stakes and then tying firmly to that support. Make sure that that there is good connection between the plant and the support, loose connection between a windswept tree and a stake may result in chaffing ,de barking of the tree. There is not a lot you can do to protect the fragile new leaves on a plant other than cover the whole thing up, which in the case of a tree would be difficult. It is a little more practical to put a cloche over newly planted vegetable plants, well worth it if you have one. Covering newly seeded plants with a cloche or glass will speed their growth by creating a micro climate around the seed / plants. The air is warmed within the space to a higher temperature, the air warms quicker in the morning and cools later in the evening creating longer growing days, it also helps retain the heat from the soil at night. It will also keep in the moisture creating a moist humid climate around the plant.

Roses could probably do with a fungicidal spray, I have just seen the first sign of black spot on one of my roses at home, if it got a little warmer the aphids would be attacking the soft new buds on the roses too.

This weather will really test our new Suttons grafted tomatoes which are supposed to grow outside better than the non grafted tomatoes, they also crop 70% heavier than the normal tomato. We have also have some much larger tomato plants with fruit already set on them also courgette, chilli sweet and hot, aubergine and courgette, buy some time!

If you are growing fuchsias pinch out the growing point in each plant to encourage more bushy growth, side shoots can be picked out later to create a symmetrical plant.

The forecast for the weekend does look a little better than today, thankfully. We have got an all-day Most Marvellous Vintage Sunday this weekend.

We have got wheelbarrows full of wonderful plants here for your garden. 550 new chickens arrived this week. Keep your hens shut up at night, foxes are busy feeding their young at the moment so they are prepared to brave all risks to get an easy meal.

‘Oak before Ash in for a splash’, I hope this is the case

Have a lovely Bank Holiday weekend, we are serving cream teas on the lawn!

Ashley

www.bellplantation.co.uk | www.poultrycentre.co.uk

The post Vintage Sunday this Sunday. 550 New Chickens and the Weekly Gardening Tips appeared first on Bell Plantation.

I hope those of you who have tried our Suttons grafted tomato, pepper and courgette plants are having good results, it would be good to get some feedback from you. This year we are stocking the great value Kitchen Garden range of vegetable plants, if the sales are anything to go by you are enjoying the great value and quality.

Due to the cold weather and late season our Dahlia, Gladioli and Lilies have not sold so we are selling them at buy 2 get 1 free. They are still fine to plant they will just be a little later flowering than normal.

“Latest additions to the family”

Despite the cold and lack of sun the herbaceous perennials are growing fast. Now is the time to place some plant support over them before they are too large to get the support over. If you are too late they can be supported from the side with meal looped edging that you push in the ground or bamboo canes and some twine. We also have some lovely Tom Chambers architectural plastic coated black plant supports. Tom Chambers is a company from Hull that now manufacture garden plant supports etc. They started in business a very long time ago manufacturing Lobster pots, good solid well-made product.

If your potatoes are popping their heads through the ground keep an eye on the weather forecast, protect them from frost, pop an upturned flower pot over the top.

Tomato plants will need feeding regularly. Box hedges need a lot of  well-balanced food. Not too late to weed and feed the lawn, at least it will get well washed in !!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Regards

Ashley

www.bellplantation.co.uk | www.poultrycentre.co.uk

The post Dahlia, Gladioli and Lilies on Offer and Weekly Gardening Tips appeared first on Bell Plantation.

“Loads of Herbs and Vegetables”

If you have plants in pots this wind and hot sun will dry them out really quickly. Remember to water them now rather than realise too late when you see some evidence of wilting. If you are planting up new containers leave the finished soil level below the lip of the container so that when you water the water stays in the pot and doesn’t run off. Some composts these days have water retention granules in to assist the retention of moisture, if not you can add water retention granules from a packet. Years ago we did a landscape job in Mansfield on a very sandy site  where we had to use retention granules to keep the plants alive. One of the team put too many granules in when he planted the plants. The next day when we went back after a rain the granules had filled up with water and pushed all the plants out of the ground. Be careful not to be over zealous with the application and mix them well into the soil.

We are absolutely full of plants this weekend, our wonderful team have got the Garden Centre looking better than ever. We have also concentrated on value for money in these times of austerity and selling British products and plants. It is not my intention to sell to you with these blogs however some of our great deals are on the website www.bellplantation.co.uk

“Loads of Herbs and Vegetables”

The bees have been a bit slow the last 10 days, however yesterday with the warmer temperatures they were ramping up the amount of daily flights from the terminal, speedy boarding!

Tips for successful Veg growing  Water, feed, protection form birds, slugs, get a fine seed bed, soak pea and bean seeds in water for 24 hrs before planting.

Loads of Chickens and Cream teas!

Have a wonderful weekend

Ashley

www.bellplantation.co.uk | www.poultrycentre.co.uk

The post Gardening Advice – Water Retention Tips. appeared first on Bell Plantation.

Now is the time to plant Dahlias, Gladioli. Plant dahlia tubers 2 to 3 feet apart approximately 3 to 4 inches below the surface. If the shoots appear before the end of the frost free period remember to cover them over, Dahlia shoots are very soft and susceptible to cold. Gladioli corms should be planted 3 inches deep a few inches apart. While in the herbaceous area now is a good time to split existing herbaceous ie Iris, Paeony, Aster etc. The easiest way is to dig part of the root out with a spade and re plant the parts of the root you have split off. Pieces approximately 6 – 8 inches diameter will be enough to establish a good new plant. Herbaceous plants grow really quickly, so don’t forget to get your plant supports in place before the plants have grown too large. It’s well worth putting some feed around all your plants, healthy plants produce more flowers, grow better and are less susceptible to pests and disease. A well-balanced granular or liquid feed of nearly equal parts nitrogen, phosphates and potash will cover  most bases. Liquid feed gets into the soil and to the plant root faster than a granular feed.

We let the Bees out this week in anticipation of warmer weather. Today I have seen several return to the hive laden with pollen, at last some flowers.

The Café continues to be really busy, despite the cold season I am pleased to say. Due to its increasing popularity we need to recruit another Cook and another Front of House Manager, both positions 20 -35 hours per week. Details are on the Government website, or you could send a CV to the Garden Centre, would love to hear from you if you are interested in joining our team.

Plants everywhere. Be careful this weekend with your tender plants Jack Frost may be about.

Most Marvellous Vintage Sunday this weekend.

Love to see you, have a great weekend.

Ashley

www.bellplantation.co.uk | www.poultrycentre.co.uk

The post Most Marvellous Vintage Sunday. The Café is recruiting. Seasonal planting tips. appeared first on Bell Plantation.

If you have fruiting cherry or peach tree now as the buds are just coming out is a great time to spray with a fungicide to prevent peach leaf curl, this will really help your fruit crop. Our vegetable plants, no all our plants are pouring into the Garden Centre. Brassica plants Cabbage, cauliflower, kale etc. are a great meal for the pigeons and slugs. Planting under a netting cloche will prevent the birds eating the plants, it will also prevent the birds from eating any slug pellets you use. A netting cloche will also prevent the small plants from the buffeting wind we sometimes get and will create a favourable micro climate which will help the plants grow faster.

“Summer Flowering Plants”

We had our biggest delivery of Poultry this week 550 new laying pullets. The poultry team had a real task on at the beginning of the week treating all the poultry housing for bugs and beasties before the new arrivals. We also had 60 Quail, we are now selling loads of Quail and fresh Quails eggs, great hard boiled with Celery salt. We have also got week old Chicks for sale, they will need keeping warm for the first 2-4 weeks.

We are again sowing wild flower seed in the beds either side of the Courtyard, they were a bit of a disaster last year as it was so wet and cold, hope for better things this year. We have a great range of Nova flora wild flower seed in stock in mixes or single varieties.

Check the website and Facebook for deals and offers. www.bellplantation.co.uk & https://www.facebook.com/Bellplantationgc

Have a good weekend

Regards

Ashley

Ps I let the Bumble Bees out today as it is a bit warmer!

“Releasing the Bees”

www.bellplantation.co.uk | www.poultrycentre.co.uk

The post New Poultry Arrivals & Planting under a Netting Cloche appeared first on Bell Plantation.

“Bonsai, wild flowers and bedding”

It is really worth putting some feed around your plants at  this time of year, it will create good flowers, more fruit, healthy leaves/plants, strengthen the plant to resist disease and bugs.

I am delighted to say the Café is now open until 5pm every day except Sundays, great for Cream tea season. And you can now use our Garden Loyalty card in the Café as well as the Garden Centre, look after the pennies and the pounds look after themselves, as my Grandmother used to say.

In anticipation of a great weather weekend we have just stocked up with Outdoor Chef bbq’s gas and charcoal. The great thing about these cookers is that they will never flair up and burn / carbonise your food, what a relief!

“Colourful tableware”

Vegetables, herbs, bedding, herbaceous, fruit, trees, …………….good food, smiley people.

Have a great weekend

Ashley

www.bellplantation.co.uk | www.poultrycentre.co.uk

The post Tips on Feeding Plants and new Café Opening Hours appeared first on Bell Plantation.

Apparently, according to the weather forecasters Spring is on its way this weekend! We have still got an awful lot of our first delivery of turbocharged grafted tomatoes in stock, hardly surprising I think. The ground has hardly warmed in the stronger spring sunshine due to the freezing easterly winds. Cool soil temperatures will mean that plant action, such as germination of seeds and root growth will be slower under the soil. If you have planted seeds they will take much longer to emerge from the ground. It will be beneficial to wait a few days before planting smaller seeds until the soil does warm a little. The buffeting wind, cold soil are not conducive to achieving a good germination %. Also a tip, stagger the sowing of vegetable seeds for a longer period of cropping. A packet of lettuce seeds goes along way.

For all poultry keepers and lovers we have just assembled our first Brinsea plastic chicken coop, great design, no hiding place for those little red mites.

We have had some summer bedding and some hardier vegetable plants, brassicas and lettuce delivered this week.

We have some cracking compost deals 4 bags of 50lt multi-purpose for £10. We have 1000’s of herbaceous plants in pots/liners 5 for £8.

Moving into Cream tea type of weather, I hope.

Look forward to seeing you all.

Have a great weekend.

Ashley

www.bellplantation.co.uk | www.poultrycentre.co.uk

The post Bumble Bee Colony in Your Garden. Cracking Compost Deals. appeared first on Bell Plantation.

Next week we will be getting in our first delivery of Grafted Vegetables from Suttons, Tomatoes, Cucumber, Aubergine, Courgette, Sweet Pepper & Chilli Pepper. Last year Suttons sold out of this product very early due to the demand. Grafted Tomato plants give you 6 – 8 trusses per ‘single’ tomato and 5 – 6 trusses per ‘double’ and ‘duo’ grafted tomato plant. 75% more fruit on a grafted plant and earlier and longer fruiting period. Grafted plants have excellent resistance to soil-borne pests and diseases. They are superb for growing on a patio, obviously they will grow faster in a greenhouse or grow house. The tomato varieties are

Belriccio         Beefsteak

Cupido          Small Plum

Elegance        Gardeners delight

Juanita            Small cherry

Lizzano          Heart shaped

Orangino       Yellow

We will also have Cucumber Iznik, Chilli Pepper Medina, Sweet Pepper Britney. If you need any advice on growing any of these veg you can speak to a member of our team. The plants will be £3.99 each.

With the cold weather and few sunshine hours the soil temperature is much lower than last year, it will take a few days of warmer weather and sunshine to get seeds germinating properly. Remember to protect any new shoots that do pop their heads above the surface of the soil. Small plastic cloches are a good and cost effective way of protecting new seeds and encouraging growth of new plants. They keep off the frost, warm up inside when the sun shines creating a warm, moist micro climate for the plant to survive.

“Yew, Helmdon churchyard”

Did you know in Helmdon Church yard there is a massive Yew tree (Taxus baccata) about 1700 years old, correct 1700

“Yew, Helmdon churchyard”

Have a great weekend by the fire!

Ashley

www.bellplantation.co.uk | www.poultrycentre.co.uk

The post Grow your own tomatoes, get started with grafted vegetables. appeared first on Bell Plantation.