Find out how to grow, with the help of our peat-free New Horizon compost, which is kind to your plants as well as the planet.

How does New Horizon All Vegetable Compost work?

Once your vegetable seedlings are ready for planting out or potting on, New Horizon All Vegetable Compost makes the perfect partner. It’s a naturally peat-free formulation that gives your vegetables triple the goodness. It has the perfect blend of Biofibre, West+ and Coir+ to give fruits and vegetables every reason to thrive. You can also combine this compost with top soil to create raised beds or a vegetable patch.

When to use it

New Horizon All Vegetable Compost can be used all year round from January to December. We recommend using the product in a well-ventilated place and avoid breathing in dust. Always wear gloves when gardening and wash hands after use.

Which plants can I use it with?

Specially blended for all types of vegetables, the world is your oyster when it comes to this compost. Take a look at our A-Z of growing your own veg to discover all the delicious varieties you can grow. Did you know, a bag of New Horizon All Vegetable Compost can also be used as a potato growbag with no container necessary? Check out our handy article here.

Planting out vegetable plants

Whether you’ve grown from seed or bought young plants, it’s important to plant out/pot on your crops only once the danger of frost has passed. Vegetable plants should be acclimatised (hardened off) for a week or two before they’re moved outside for good. This will help to reduce the shock of being planted out. During this time, they should be outside in the milder weather during daytime and moved into a conservatory or greenhouse at night. We also recommend watering your plants thoroughly during this time. This makes them easier to remove from their pots.

Planting guide

• If you’re looking to grow vegetables in a container or pot, make sure you choose one large enough for the plants once fully grown, so that they won’t become over-crowded.
• Planting in a bed or border? Break up the soil with a fork and remove all weeds and their roots.
• Work out the correct spacing for your plants and position them in their planting position so that you can make sure that you are happy before they are planted.
• Dig a hole for each plant and loosen the soil at the bottom and on the sides with a hand fork.
• Take each plant out of its pot and position it in a prepared hole, making sure that the top of the roots is just below the level of the surrounding soil.
• Fill in around the roots with New Horizon All Plant compost and firm in gently.
• Water each plant and keep them well watered throughout the growing season.
• Tall plants such as runner beans, peas and outdoor tomatoes will need stakes to support their growth.

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How does Weed Stop work?

The fibres lock together to form a physical barrier against weeds. This barrier then blocks out light to stop any remaining weed seeds from germinating. Finally, the barrier helps to retain moisture in the soil by reducing evaporation.

What are the benefits of Weed Stop?

Weed Stop has a number of benefits for your garden. Aside from giving a neat appearance to your garden in general and preventing weeds, there’s a range of other plus-points. By helping the soil to retain moisture, less water is needed. It’s also handy year-round: it warms the soil in Spring and protects it from extreme cold in Winter.

How to use this product

Preparing the area

Clear away any weeds in the application area completely before using this prduct; it’s important that you remove the roots of any perennial weeds too. Water plants and soil before applying to ensure the soil is moist.

Application

We recommend wearing gloves when handling. Spread a layer of Westland Weed Stop 3cm deep over the soil surface, ensuring that the soil is evenly and completely covered. When spreading, break up any clumps and fluff up the mulch to incorporate air. After spreading, water over the surface of the mulch – this will lock the fibres together. Use in a well-ventilated place and avoid breathing in dust.

Aftercare

If any weeds do appear, remove them as soon as possible to prevent them from spreading. This product will stay effective as long as it remains in place but may need occasional replenishment to maintain a thick layer on top of the soil surface.

Coverage

A 90 litre bag can cover up to 2.4sqm at a depth of 3cm.

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Many plants thrive in containers, some flowers tend to last longer compared to those planted in beds and borders. This could be down to a number of things such as the plants being more protected or that a container can provide better drainage for the soil.

For beautiful containers you need to plant a variety of flowers. For adding height to your array try a Canna, for fillers a Begonia is always a reliable choice, and finally you need a spiller plant to help with the voluptuous look, Lobelia or a member of the Callibrachoa family will help achieve this.

However if it’s a picture perfect container you are after, keep reading! Our Top 5 favourite container flowers will not only give you plenty of ideas for plant choices but hopefully they will provide some inspiration leaving you reaching for the flower pots!

With so many options to choose from, narrowing it down to 5 was not an easy task. But after a few debates in the office, we have finally agreed that the following are our top flowers.

Our Top 5 Container Flowers

1. The Dwarf Dahlia, flowering through until the first frost you certainly get value for money from the dahlia. With so many varieties and vibrant colours everyone should be able to find a favourite for their garden. They are easy to grow and tolerant to a variety of soil types. They have gained a new following in recent years.

2. Cosmos (Bipinnatus) Antiquity, bearing a sweet, prairie / daisy like resemblance due to its upright stalks the antiquity come in a stunning two-tone shade of crimson through to burgundy, turning to a deep pink with age. As long as you keep dead-heading the antiquity there is no reason why it won’t flower right through to October. For further information and advice on Cosmos Antiquity go to visit Unwins Seeds where you will find useful advice on successful germination.

3. Lavender, one of the most cultivated of plants, known for its delicious smell and oil format, not only will it look beautiful in your container but you can also use it as a cooking aid or dry out the flower spikes and use them in a floral arrangement. This multipurpose, useful plant will attract bees to your garden. It is also easy to grow but does prefer well drained soil.  Positioned in a warm, sheltered sunny spot will ensure these flowers thrive. A top tip for growing lavender is to water the plant little and often.

4. Sweet Pea, the dwarf bush type growing variety is best for containers, they are a fragrant flower, easy to grow and can be bought in a multitude of colours so there is something to tone in with every garden theme. If you are like us and enjoy the fresh floral scent around your garden then Sweet Pea is perfect, the more you cut the more they grow. Unwins offer delightful Sweet Pea Cupid Mix Seeds which can be delivered right to your door for convenience.

5. Number 5 on our list but by no means last, the Verbena. For best results seed indoors, then once leaves appear it’s time to expose the new plant to the elements of outdoors. After a week it’s time to transfer the plant to a container. You may be asking yourself is it worth the hassle? Yes is the answer, these are exceptionally beautiful flowers requiring little care once settled. With so many varieties to choose from we have decided upon Quartz Waterfall mix, this particular variety flowers earlier than it’s cousins from the Verbena family and tends to do so for longer. The blue and white blooms will perform in all weather and will look beautiful together in a container with lavender.

What do to now

Now that the plants have been selected it’s time to start thinking about getting the most out of them. Our recommendations to keep your plants flowering for longer are:

• Give the plant a head start when planting, using Gro-sure easy containers compost
• Keep deadheading to encourage more flowers
• Ensure your containers are well watered – particularly during the hotter months
• Feed with liquid feed once a week for an added boost to your display
• Move the container if needed, if torrential rain is forecast move your plants to a covered area so the heavy rain fall can’t damage your Dahlias

How to Create a Container Garden

For more tips on container gardening check out our videos for further advice.

The post Our Top 5 Container Flowers appeared first on Garden Health.

Vegetarian and vegan gardening is growing more and more popular year on year. The Vegan Society conducted research several years ago that showed a significant number of us have gone vegan and numbers have only risen since then. Veganuary seems to have replaced Dry January. Veganuary encourages people to go vegan for the month of January, replacing meat and animal products in favour of a plant-based diet.

For quite some time we, as a nation, have become more aware of the products we use that are animal-friendly. Many of us are now more aware than ever of what we put in our bodies. Then the dreaded COVID hit and a large percentage of us decided to grow our own fruit and veg and Westland hope you will continue the same trend this year.

Where to start with Vegetarian Gardening

There are so many reasons to start gardening, and if you are unsure where to start, you could consider a garden without the use of animal products.

Animal products are commonly used in gardening in everything from manure to fertilizer. Westland offers a wide range of products to ensure there is something for every garden and every gardener, so if you are looking for vegetarian or vegan products to use in the garden there are a number of options for you can choose from. It has never been easier to grow your own fruit and vegetables and with a wide variety of vegan and vegetarian gardening products to choose from, now is a fantastic time to get your garden ready for spring and start growing your own.

Plant Feeds

The following traditional plant feeds contain no animal by products and are therefore vegan and vegetarian friendly:

• Growmore is a great general purpose feed for use all around your garden. It has a balance of nutrients to ensure even stimulation of growth in all plant parts, which means you will get lots of fruit and flowers.
• Sulphate of Potash is a fast acting ready to use granular feed, for bigger healthier fruit and flowers. It has great disease and drought resistance and is ideal for all fruit trees, bushes and flowers.
• Sulphate of Iron is a ready to use granular ericaceous booster to provide strong root growth with richer green foliage. It acidifies the root zone , making it prefer for ericaceous plants.
• Superphosphate is a great root vegetable booster for strong and healthy rooting to improve fruit and vegetable quality.

For incredible tomato plants, vegan gardeners can also opt for Westland Big Tom Tomato Feed! WARNING – Could produce an excess of stunningly delicious tomatoes! Enjoy.

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With Christmas over, you might be wondering how to recycle your Christmas Tree. Here are a bunch of ways to recycle your tree.

Speak to your local Garden Centre. Some garden centres offer Christmas tree recycling facilities. Also ask the retailer for details when purchasing your tree.

Visit a Household Waste and Recycling Centre. You can recycle your tree by transporting it to your local Household Waste Recycling Centre.

Your Local Council. Most councils collect Christmas trees at the beginning of January. Contact or check your local council’s website to see if they offer a pavement collection service.

Recycled Christmas trees can be used as mulch in public parks and gardens, and to help prevent beachfront erosion.

Use your Garden Waste Bin. If you have space in your garden waste bin, you can always choose to cut up your tree and leave with your weekly bin collection. Check your local council website for more information.

Create mulch or compost. If you have access to a chipper or shredder, turn your used Christmas tree into garden mulch. Not only can this then be sprinkled around your plants as a soil improver. It can also be used to help suppress weeds. Furthermore, you could also use branches as canes / supports for your plants.

Simply remove the pine needles and leave the stakes to dry out. These branches are fantastic for using as supports in your greenhouse and veg patch later on in the year.

If your tree is pot grown. Plant your pot grown tree in your garden. Once the 12 days of Christmas have been and gone, you can transplant your pot grown Christmas tree into your garden to display for the rest of the year.

Keep in the pot:. Alternatively, you can re-pot it into a larger-sized container and display outdoors. Be careful to give the root ball sufficient space to expand and grow. If the tree remains healthy, you could even re-use it by bring.

The post Don’t forget to recycle your Christmas Tree appeared first on Garden Health.

Celebrity vet Matt Brash explores why the Robin continues to capture our hearts as a nation:

1. Christmas card pin-ups

2. They are easy to identify

3. Gardeners’ friends

4. They are romantic

5. They are wonderful singers

6. We have loved them for centuries

7. Home is where the heart is

8. They build nests in amusing places

The post 8 Reasons Why the Robin is the Nation’s Favourite Bird appeared first on Garden Health.

A selection of genuinely useful Christmas Gifts for gardeners. Many of us know avid gardeners and this selection of ideas are all great options. Are you searching for a great Christmas present for a keen gardener? These useful Christmas Gifts can be found in most garden centers. Pop out for a coffee and do some Christmas shopping.

Here are our some of our top suggestions for useful Christmas gifts that any gardener would love to unwrap and will be genuinely useful for the coming year.

1. The Capability Trowel

The only trowel you’ll ever need! Introducing The Capability Trowel, inspired by the work of Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, one of England’s greatest gardeners. The Capability Trowel has been designed in his belief that in gardening everything could be improved. This trowel has the functionality to endure many gardening tasks. It has a multitude of functions including a hammer for hammering canes and posts, as well as a serrated edge for weeding. Furthermore, this is the only trowel you will ever need.

2. National Gardening Gift Vouchers

A great choice for any gardener,  National Garden Gift vouchers are redeemable at over 2,000 garden centres and garden retail outlets across the UK and Channel Islands.

3. Gardman Aura Small Bird Feeder

The Gardman Award Winning small bird feeder. Our Gardman Aura Small Bird Feeder is a superior bird feeder to enhance any garden space. Not only is this feeder practical, but it is also extremely stylish and eye catching. Designed with the contemporary garden style in mind to add a sleek addition to your bird care.

4. Kent & Stowe 9L Vintage Cream Watering Can

Our stylish Kent & Stowe 9L Vintage Cream Watering Can is perfect for garden decor and everyday watering. This watering can has a handy folding handle as well as a detachable watering rose, making it easy to use and store. Galvanised for strength, this watering can is also rust resistant – a great addition to your garden all year round.

5. Gin Cocktail Garden Kit

The perfect gift for gin enthusiasts! Grow Mint, Basil, Lemon Balm & Orange Scented Thyme. These Fresh, tasty herbs that are perfect to add to gin cocktails. Your box will contain a decorative planter, gin infusion bags, recipe cards, and more!

6. Red Natural Bamboo Gloves

These Kent & Stowe Red Natural Bamboo Gloves are ideal for various garden jobs including pruning, weeding and planting.

Our bamboo gloves are super soft and natural, designed for comfort. They are also naturally antibacterial and hypoallergenic, great for more sensitive hands. These gloves are highly flexible with good dexterity for intricate tasks. Furthermore, our gloves help keep hands clean and reduce risks of harming yourself whilst gardening.

7. Homegrown Chilli Growing Kit

This Homegrown Chilli Growing Kit is perfect for your kitchen windowsill garden. Grow these Chillies direct from seed in this easy to use kit. Its the perfect solution for small space gardening. Great for adding to spicy dishes!

We hope you found this list of useful Christmas gift ideas for your gardening friends and family useful. Take yourself off to your local garden center with your list and go and treat your loved one… and yourself whilst you’re there!

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Westland has developed a new range of effective natural and organic solutions to help you choose a product that’s right for you and your garden. These will help gardeners to create an organic garden.

Google Trends data shows the number of us searching for these phrases on the UK’s largest search engine has soared. In the last few years, we have searched for alternatives to traditional weed killers, pesticides and herbicides.

Our own independent marketing research has shown over a third of gardeners (35%) now do not use chemicals and a further 12% use them, but have environmental and/or safety concerns. Thanks to technological advancements, Westland has developed a range of effective non-chemical alternatives which are fast acting and effective. These products will help you create an organic garden.

How to create an organic garden

1. Get a safer, more natural lawn

Independent YouGov research¹ shows over 4m parents and pet owners are put off using chemicals on their lawn due to safety concerns about children and pets. New Westland SafeLawn is an organic fertiliser with added lawn seed, made with only natural ingredients. It nourishes lawns, greening them up within a week and uses naturally occurring bacteria to eliminate moss and thatch.

2. Prevent weeds from growing

Create a protective barrier against weeds by topping your beds and borders with a protective mulch. Gro-Sure Smart Ground Cover is 75% more effective than bark at preventing weeds² and also creates the ideal micro-climate to keep roots insulated against ice and snow in the winter and moist during summer months. Plus it looks likes freshly dug soil, so will keep your garden looking smarter for longer.

3. Use peat free compost

Through 18 years of research and £35 million  investment gardeners no longer need to compromise. Our  New Horizon All-Purpose Compost starts nourishing the plats immediately, has an open structure and micro-nutrients for total plant health and rich in goodness to feed for longer.

​4. Use organic products to prevent slugs and snails

Our Growing Success Advanced Slug Killer is the UK’s No.1 branded organic slug killer³ and is just as effective as chemical alternatives when it comes to preventing damage from slugs and snails. It contains naturally occurring ferric phosphate to combat slugs organically and remains effective after exposure to rain, watering and sunlight. Plus, because it’s organic, crops can be consumed shortly after application!

5. Combat pests and mildew

Resolva Natural Power Bug & Mildew Spray is a fast-acting physical action spray which prevents insects, pests, mites and mildew from infesting plants. It’s the result of 4 years of research and testing and is a great alternative to using chemicals for gardeners who want something more effective than trying to squash pests by hand.

¹YouGov independent research, September 2016

²Independent trials at Reading University 2016

³GfK Management Report, UK Panelmarket excl. Ironmongers, Jun 15 – May 16

The post 5 Ways to Create an Organic Garden appeared first on Garden Health.

It first started last winter when the concept of Hygge entered our media. This led swiftly onto our current obsession for a more simple way of life, hibernation in general, butter/cream, bracing walks, Ikea and Scandi design, including their love of houseplants.

This is good news for us gardeners, who have always loved a good houseplant. It also means our homes are now looking ultra-trendy and stylish, like the pages of a glossy home magazine (well in principle anyway!)

Rejuvenate your obsession with houseplants

For those who are a bit late on the bandwagon, this is why you need to fill your home with houseplants now!

1. Improve the air quality of your home

A NASA study in the mid 1980’s found that houseplants clean the air in a sealed space, improving air quality for the humans who live there. They neutralise the chemicals found in furniture, household products and decorating materials.  Here are the top 10 plants for removing indoor pollutants according to NASA.

2. Easy for budding gardeners

Houseplants allow anyone to have a go at growing, within the comfort and safety of their own home. You can be as safe (cactus) or daring (bonsai tree) as you want depending on how much time you have to dedicate to them. Read our Caring for Houseplants guide

3. You don’t need any fancy equipment

All you need is a small watering can (or jug), some compost and some plant food. Pots can be recycled out of old tin cans. As well an old box or mis-matched glassware and china. Why not try it, more weird and wonderful the better!

4. Gives you eco-therapy

Do you work in an office or shop with fluorescent lighting and barely see any nature during the winter months? Many of us are and some say it’s just as damaging as a lack of sunlight. By filling your home with house plants, like soothing succulents and beautiful orchids, you’re helping your senses to reconnect with nature.

5. Great for Generation Rent

Houseplants are the ultimate way to make a room look cosy and inviting quickly and reasonably cheaply. Plus they are landlord friendly and you can take them with you when you move house.

The post How Hygge re-sparked our obsession with houseplants appeared first on Garden Health.

I can’t wait to get started on some new plants this year. My greenhouse is clean, tidy and raring to go. I have pots, trays and even a selection of seeds I want to sow early (pelargoniums, begonias and yes, even tomatoes). I just need to get my compost now.

Here is my plan for successful seeds

I have a 5-point plan for choosing a good compost for sowing seeds and getting cuttings to root:

1. When I fill a pot or tray with the compost, I must be able to make the surface flat. Basically without any lumps and crevices. This makes it easy to sow the seed, as well as dib holes for the cuttings.
2. The structure of the compost must be open enough to allow the movement of water and air, yet fine enough to allow young roots to push through it freely. This will also make it much easier to separate the seedling roots when it comes to transplanting them later.
3. The compost must be free-draining, yet hold sufficient moisture for the seeds to germinate, and the young roots of seedlings and cuttings to develop.
4. It must be easily re-wetted if it dries out; some composts will let water drain through without absorbing any of it.
5. It must be sterile (that is, free from fungal spores, diseases and weed seeds); this is best achieved by using fresh compost straight from the bag. After using, fold over the opened bag of compost to keep it as sterile as possible.

My favourite compost

So, taking all of these points into consideration, which compost do I use? There are loads out there, but I get as good a result as any using Gro-Sure Seed & Cutting Compost. It has been developed especially for seed germination and seedling and cutting establishment. It is a fine grade compost containing Vermiculite (a naturally occurring substance that aids drainage and aeration), as well as seaweed and plant extracts that stimulate young seeds and cuttings to produce strong healthy seedlings and growth. It’s available from leading garden centres, in 10litre, 20litre and 30litre bag sizes.

By the way, don’t use any seed sowing or cutting compost left over from last year. Fungal spores and creatures (from tiny insects and ants to larger toads and rodents), may have contaminated it, rendering it less than suitable for the delicacy of seed sowing and the taking of cuttings. Instead, any unused seed compost from last year can be mixed with potting compost to bulk it out, or spread on to garden soil to add humus.

Final tip

Did you know that you can improve your chances of germination success in your Gro-Sure Seed & Cutting Compost, by using seeds from the Unwins Gro-Sure range? Even better results are achieved if you then transfer the seedlings or rooted cuttings into Gro-Sure All Purpose Compost, and then feed your developing plants with Gro-Sure All-Purpose Plant Food. As I have found myself saying more than once, the Gro-Sure brand is a one-stop-shop for gardening excellence!.

Read more blog entries…

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