Posts by Emma Emmerson

Food:

We are continuing to take orders for Christmas Lunches, Christmas Afternoon Teas, and Christmas Evening Dining. You can book via the events section or phone us on 01835 830315.
The Plant Shop are also taking orders for Christmas Groceries.
Our groceries order form can be accessed here or you can collect one from the plant shop or phone us on 01835 830315.

Christmas Trees, Wreathes and Plants:

Nordmann cut Christmas Trees available. They are the non-needle drop variety, available in height from 4ft to 8ft,  and also potted live Christmas trees. This year we have Picea as growing Christmas trees – these are really neat conical trees and great for small spaces and tabletops.

Sarah and Joanne are currently making Christmas wreaths for orders and for general sale – please order by phoning us. Our beautiful fresh wreaths are suitable for doors or for graves, and we can also make garlands too if requested.

We currently have in stock a gorgeous range of Cyclamen to brighten up the festive season, and we have loads more Christmassy plants arriving next week, including Christmas Roses, Christmas Cactus and potted Hyacinths.

Christmas Treats:
Our shop is packed full of decorations, lights and Christmas gift ideas, including wild bird food and feeders, and foodie treats for humans too,  so do come in and have good browse – we may be able to solve your Christmas present buying problems!

If you’ve completely run out of ideas we also sell Woodside vouchers which can be spent in the Plant Centre or the Birdhouse Tearoom.
For all enquiries please phone us on 01835 830315 or better still, come and visit us.

Winter and spring bedding plants are just some of the gorgeous plants we now have available in the plant centre.

So, it’s time to pull out your summer bedding displays and replace with winter and spring bedding plants – we have a great selection including wallflowers, primroses, polyanthus, bellis and myosotis which will really come into their own next spring, but need planting now. We also have a good choice of colours in violas and pansies, which are flowering now and will continue to do so right through the winter. This is likely to be our last delivery of bedding plants, so once these have gone that will be it until the spring season. Underplant with spring flowering bulbs for a really showy display. These are selling fast but we do still have a good selection for you to choose from.

Recommended Plants this Week

• Hamamelis (Witch Hazel). We have some beauties in stock for you – in fact Stephen thinks the larger plants are amongst the best he’s ever seen, being well branched and full of flower buds. In the large size and costing £99.99 we have the following varieties:
  • 

    Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Jelena’

    Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Arnold Promise’ is a large deciduous shrub of open habit. Spidery, yellow flowers are extremely frost-resistant and highly fragrant, and appear from mid-late winter. After the flowers, large green leaves open that turn vibrant shades of yellow and orange in the autumn. This is a lovely shrub for the woodland garden or as a specimen in the shrub border.

  • Hamamelis x intermedia Diane’ is a broad crowned, large deciduous shrub of open habit. One of the best reds Witch Hazels, its large spidery flowers are a striking brick red and produced between December and March. The large, green foliage turns fiery shades of red, orange and yellow in autumn.
  • Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Jelena’  also known as ‘Copper Beauty’, is an eye catching, well branched Witch Hazel. The spreading stems are cloaked in unremarkable green foliage in summer, which then turn spectacular shades of yellow, orange and red in the autumn. Majestic flowers in spectacular shades of yellow, orange and red are produced on bare branches from November to January, making them perfect for adding colour and interest to the winter garden. Flowers also release a subtle citrusy perfume.
  • Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Orange Beauty’ is a vigorous, deciduous shrub with an upright but spreading, vase shaped habit. The broad, hazel-like leaves emerge yellowish green flushed maroon, turning deep green in summer, and in autumn turn brilliant yellow and orange. From early to late winter, slightly twisted, spidery, scented flowers emerge on the bare branches, at first yellow-orange, later turning amber, orange and red, against the purple-red calyxes

We also have a selection of smaller Hamamelis plants priced at  £56.99.

• Sarcococca ( Winter Box)
  • • Sarcococca ruscifolia var chinensis ‘Dragon Gate’  is a splendid Chinese shrub with fairly narrow, lance-shaped dark green leaves and masses of sweetly scented white flowers in winter.
    • Sarcococca hookeriana “Purple Gem” is a popular and attractive, low growing evergreen shrub with slender, glossy dark green leaves and clusters of highly scented white flowers from December to March. The stems are dark purple-red in colour.

  I would recommend planting Sarcococcas near a path or house door so that you can get the full benefit of the honey scented flowers in winter. They also do well in pots – but be careful not to over-pot them.

  Other plants to add interest to a winter garden:

  • Corylus avellana contorta ( Twisted Hazel) which has attractive twisted stems
  • Viburnam bodnantense Dawn – an early spring flowering shrub which is highly fragrant and good for cutting
  • Brachyglottis greyii (used to be called Senecio greyiii) a silver leaved evergreen plant with yellow daisy-like flowers in summer
  • Fothergilla Major – A medium-sized deciduous shrub with a height upto 2m, with glossy, broadly oval leaves glaucous beneath and turning brilliant red and orange in autumn. Flowers small, white, in short spikes before or with the leaves. Quite an unusual plant
  • Garrya thuretii – This shrub produces cascades of long, silky, tassel-like catkins in January and February. It has dark evergreen leaves that have a silvery underside. Garrya can grow to a substantial size over time, but would benefit from the protection of a wall in our area.
  • Olearia macrodonta – (New Zealand Holly, Daisy Bush) )  A medium sized, evergreen shrub with large silvery-green, holly-like leaves and clusters of fragrant, white flowers in early to mid summer. The leaves are musk-scented when crushed.
  • Leucothoe White Water (NEW to Woodside) An evergreen shrub with striking, white variegated leaves on reddish young shoots. In the winter the leaves become dark red.

Our main delivery of Scottish Grown soft fruit bushes has just arrived, so settle in for a good long read as I tell you what we have to offer.
You can reserve plants by phoning Woodside on 01835 830315, or come and visit and have a look. We are open 9am – 5pm until the end of October and then from 10am – 4pm from November 1st for the winter season.

Black Currants
All our varieties are part of the “Ben” series which have been bred at the Scottish Crop Research Institute so are particularly suitable for our climate.
Ben Alder – Mid season variety cropping from mid – late July. High yields and good disease resistance
Ben Sarek – Early variety cropping from early – mid July. A compact habit, making it suitable for smaller spaces or growing in containers, It has large glossy tart fruits.
Ben Tirran – Late variety cropping late July – early August. Reliable and heavy cropper for dessert or culinary use

Red Currants
Laxton’s No 1 – A traditional favourite with good mildew resistance. It’s a late flowerer so avoids late frosts, and fruits in mid-July. The fruits are a bright red with a tart flavour suitable for culinary use.

Pink Currants
Gloire de Sablon – An old French variety which produces masses of beautiful pale pink, almost translucent berries in July, which are fragrant and juicy

White Currants
White Versailles – An early variety producing heavy crops of pale yellow/white berries in July. The fruits are very sweet and can be eaten fresh as a dessert fruit

Blackberry
Merton Thornless – a mid-season variety producing large fruits on thornless stems. It has a relatively compact growth habit so is suitable for smaller spaces on a wall or fence

Boysenberry
This is a complicated hybrid, developed in California, and is a blackberry, loganberry, dewberry and raspberry cross. It is a vigorous grower and a prolific cropper and easy to grow. The fruits are dark purple and combine the tartness of a blackberry with the sweet tanginess of a raspberry

Tayberry
Medana – A vigorous raspberry/blackberry hybrid producing fruits which can be twice the size of a large raspberry and are juicy and sweet. The stout prickly stems require the support of a wall or fence

Loganberry
A thornless raspberry/blackberry hybrid which produces long large berries from mid July, requiring the support.of a wall or fence

Jostaberry
A thornless cross between a blackcurrant and gooseberry producing the large fruits of a gooseberry and the taste of a blackcurrant. This is a large and vigorous shrub which is easy and reliable to grow

Gooseberry
Achilles – this is a NEW variety to Woodside and is a mid-season thornless variety producing masses of fruit which can be picked when green to be used in cooking and in jams, or left to ripen to a striking deep red colour and used as a sweet dessert fruit
Hinnonmaki Green – a mid-season variety producing sweet and aromatic fruits from mid-July. Bred in Finland, so good hardiness and disease resistance
Hinnonmaki Red – another Finnish variety with large sweet red berries. It has excellent mildew resistance and is a good choice for organic growers.
Invicta – a popular reliable variety producing very heavy crops of sweet fruits in late July – August. The fruits hold their shape well when cooked

Gojiberry
These originate in the Himalayan Mountains so are extremely hardy. The berries are one of the most powerful nutritional and anti-ageing foods known and are produced in late summer. The attractive fruits have a mild and sweet liquorice flavour and have more vitamin C than an orange and can be eaten fresh, or dried and added to muesli. They are easy to grow and are self fertile, meaning they don’t need a pollination partner. Grow in a sunny spot in a well drained soil that has been enriched with manure.

Honeyberry
These originate in Russia and are a member of the honeysuckle family, although they are of a shrubby habit, rather than a climber. They are very resistant to cold temperatures and they all require a pollination partner to successfully produce fruit.
Boreal Beauty – a relatively new variety, bred in 2016, this variety crops in June to July and produces attractive berries with excellent flavour
Boreal Blizzard – Heavy crops of large sweet fruits in June and July
Honey Bee – Bred in Canada as a pollinator for other varieties, it produces reliable crops of fruit rich in Vitamin C and provides a good nectar source for pollinating insects.

Blueberry
Blueberries are reliable attractive shrubs which require full sun or part shade, good drainage and an acidic soil, so if your soil is not acidic you’ll need to add ericaceous compost when planting, and top-dress annually to keep the acidic levels up. Blueberries are self-fertile, but tend to crop better when there are other blueberries to pollinate with. They are worth growing in the ornamental garden as they have attractive flowers in spring and have good autumn colour.
Jersey – a mid to late variety cropping in late July to August producing high yields of small sweet fruits
Legacy – NEW to Woodside, this is a late season variety cropping in August to September, and produces masses of medium -large fruits

Rhubarb
Victoria – this is a popular main crop variety with high yields of thick red stalks that are not tough and stringy, but juicy and sweet. Plant in a well drained position with plenty of sun and a good dose of manure

Raspberry
These are supplied in bundles of either 10 or 5 canes, which should be split and planted individually in a sunny well drained position, with a post and wire support for all summer fruiting varieties.
All Gold – a vigorous Autumn fruiting variety producing sweet yellow fruits from August until the first frosts. This is the variety we have at Woodside and is very reliable and easy to grow
Autumn Bliss – an Autumn variety which has heavy crops of rich red fruits from August until the first frosts
Glen Ample – a mid-season Scottish variety cropping from July to August. It has spine free canes, high yields and good disease resistance.
Glen Clova – an early season Scottish variety producing good yields of small, firm and flavoursome fruits in July.
Glen Ericht – a mid season Scottish variety with good disease resistance. It is almost spine free making picking easier, and the fruits have a good sharp flavour, particularly suitable for jam making.
Glen Lyon – an early season Scottish variety which has spine free canes and good disease resistance. The berries hold their shape well when frozen.
Glen Magna – a late season Scottish variety producing fruits from mid-July to mid-August. The canes are almost spine free and the berries are large and dark red.
Glen Prosen – a mid season Scottish variety with spine free canes and firm round fruits with an excellent flavour. This variety is widely used commercially due to its reliability and heavy cropping.
Malling Admiral – a mid season variety producing fruit in mid-July to August. The canes are almost spine free and the fruits are long and firm. It has excellent disease resistance so is suitable for organic growing.
Malling Jewel – a mid-season variety which is an old favourite with gardeners. It’s a reliable cropper and a good choice for all purpose use.
Malling Promise – an early variety producing fruit in July, heavy cropping and tolerant of poor soils, and with good virus resistance.
Octavia – a late variety, cropping in August, with large juicy fruits which have a superb sweet flavour
Tulameen – a Canadian late season variety which has extremely heavy crops of sweet and aromatic fruits.

October  is the perfect time to plant Autumn onion sets and garlic. In this post I will share how to plant autumn onions.

We have two  varieties of onion in stock for you:
Autumn Champion – a brown onion which is one of the best autumn and winter varieties, producing high yields which store well. A good all purpose cooking variety.

Red Winter – a red tinged skin with good flavour and excellent keeping qualities. Crisp and sweet and perfect for stir fries and salads.

We also have Elephant Garlic ready and these can also be planted now. The Garlic variety Kingsland Wight is due in soon. This always sells out very quickly so if you’d like us to reserve any for you please contact the shop on 01835 830315.

If you need advice on how to grow garlic please check out our “How To Grow Garlic Guide” here.

If you’ve never tried growing autumn onions before – just read on….

How to Grow Autumn Onions

Onion sets are small immature onions, which have been grown from seed in the previous year, and then harvested early so that they can be planted out a later date. Autumn planted sets will provide the grower with a distinct advantage of an early harvest in the following year.

Growing in containers

Onions can be grown in beds or containers. Growing onions from sets in containers is ideal for those who want a small, steady supply of bulbs as and when needed, with any surplus being dried and stored for later use. Make sure that the posts selected have good drainage holes, and raise them up on pot feet to prevent waterlogging. Fill large pots or containers with good quality compost such as Growmoor Vegetable Compost. Firm the soil surface and apply water with a watering can and rose attachment. Use a dibber or gently push the sets into the soil, at 10cm spacing, so that only the tips are visible. Place the container in a sunny position.

Growing in beds

Prepare planting beds, usually after other main crop vegetables have been harvested, and incorporate plenty of organic matter. Onions will grow best in well-drained soil in a sunny position. Rake the surface soil to a fine tilth and firm with the back of a rake. Push the sets into the soil so only the tips are showing. Space each set at 10cm apart in the rows and 30cm between the rows. If the birds pull them out, just keep pushing them back in until the roots are sufficiently formed to anchor them on place.

General aftercare

If the autumn is mild then the sets will begin to show signs of growth with green shoots appearing. Onions are very hardy but if early hard frosts are forecast then ensure these young shoots are protected with frost fleece. Water sparingly and only if the soil dries out, otherwise they should over winter without any problems. Water as normal when temperatures rise during late spring.

Pests and diseases

Over winter, the onions will be dormant and pests and diseases will be less troublesome. Come the spring, look out for signs of yellowing leaves, rust, mildew and mould.  Avoid feeding young plants with nitrogen-rich fertilisers. Onion fly is a known pest but rarely affects plants grown from sets.

Harvesting and storage

Autumn planted onion sets should be ready for harvesting from early June in the following year, which is 2-3 months ahead of spring planted sets. Store in a cool dry place.

We have had several deliveries of new plants this week, including ornamental trees, to get us all stocked up ready for the autumn planting season.

How to Plant Ornamental Trees

Sarah and Joanne have  unloaded our main delivery of ornamental and fruit trees, and these are  ready for their new homes. Now is a great time to plant whilst there is still a bit of warmth in the ground and also plenty of moisture. Trees should be planted with compost to improve the soil structure, a handful of Bonemeal as fertiliser and Rootgrow to aid establishment. You’ll also need a stake and tie to secure them, and consider a tree guard if rabbits and deer are likely to be a problem. Remember to water them in well, and keep an eye on them for supplementary watering during dry spells of weather – particularly in their first spring as they are becoming established. Its a huge delivery we’ve just had, so too many to list, but particular highlights are:

Fruit trees

• Apple trees
• Damsons (Farleigh’s Prolific, Merryweather, Shropshire Prune, Sweet Prune)
• Gages (Dennistons Superb, Cambridge)
• Pears
• Plums (Victoria, Marjories Seedling, Jubilee)
• Quince Vranja
• Fan trained fruit trees available for smaller spaces, for growing against a fence or wall, or for screening.

Recommended Ornamental Trees

• Amelanchiers – these are really lovely trees suitable for smaller gardens. They have really pretty white blossom in spring and develop good autumn colour. The varieties Obelisk and Glenform Rainbow Pillar are upright varieties so are great for a feature plant or a small space, and Amelanchier laevis “Snowflakes” is a stunning small tree with white flowers appearing at the same time as the coppery coloured leaves in spring.
• Betula (Birch) – very hardy trees with attractive bark and providing excellent wildlife habitat for insects and birds. Dalecarlica, also known as the Swedish Birch, has dissected feather-like leaves and white bark, Jaquemontii (Himalayan Birch) is one of the best birches for its white bark and graceful habit, and albosinensis Pink Champagne has distinctive pale pink peeling bark
• Malus (Crab Apples) – these are great trees with so much to offer: flowers in springtime, edible and attractive fruits in late summer, and good autumn colour
• Parrotia (Persian Ironwood). Persian Spire is a narrow upright form with purple emerging leaves in spring, which develop into green with purple edges in summer, finally providing a display of oranges and yellows in autumn. These are fully hardy and do well in sun or partial shade in a moist, but well-drained soil.
• Sorbus (Rowans, Mountain Ash) . Superb trees with spring flowers, late summer berries that can persist right through into early winter, and good autumn leaf colour. Super hardy, and does well in difficult sites. We have plenty of varieties available with a choice of berry colour – red, pink, white and yellow.
• Styrax japonicus – (Snowball). A small tree with spreading branches, with small white bell-shaped white flowers in summer. Plant in acid soil or ericaceous compost in a spot sheltered from the cold north-easterly winds
• Ulmus x hollandia Wredei (Upright Golden Elm) . An upright form of elm with crinkled edged leaves that are yellow where exposed to the sun, and greener in the shaded parts giving an interesting textured appearance. Tolerant of most soils and a good feature tree.
• Xanthocyparis nootkatensis Pendula. This is a large growing weeping conifer with a shaggy habit and grey-green foliage. A superb specimen tree for a large garden or parkland
  Firstly we have a fresh batch of bedding plants for you, including wallflowers, primroses, polyanthus, violas, pansies and myositis. These are all perfect for replanting tired looking containers and for filling up autumn gaps in the garden.

Winter Bedding Plants

Firstly we have a fresh batch of bedding plants for you, including wallflowers, primroses, polyanthus, violas, pansies and myositis. These are all perfect for replanting tired looking containers and for filling up autumn gaps in the garden.

We’ve also had a batch of Hellebores delivered. Some of you will know what a fan I am of these hardy garden plants. Whilst they’re not the cheapest of purchases, they offer such good value for money as they flower for months on end. One Hellebore in my own garden flowered from October right through until May, and then I cut it back and it’s flowering again! I think there has only been about two months in the last year when it hasn’t had any flowers. Plant Hellebores in partial shade in a humus rich soil. Add some garden mulch to enrich your soil if it’s a bit thin and poor. They do really well under deciduous trees and shrubs as long as it doesn’t dry out too much.

Choice of Hellebores

Our choice of Hellebores this week is mainly from the “Viv” series. These have been bred specifically for their long flowering period and their abundance of blooms. They are very hardy and hold their flowers facing outward (rather than downward like many traditional Hellebore varieties) so you can really appreciate their beauty.
Varieties we have in now are:
Amalia – A crisp double white with a lemon green centre
Dorisa – White single flowers with distinctive red speckles
Luisa – Rich maroon red double flowers
Maeva – Pale yellow with red speckles
Serafina – Striking pale lemon/white petals with a strong purple red blotch
Victoria – Opens as cherry red and matures to aubergine purple.
In addition we also have two other popular varietes:
Walberton’s Ivory Prince – Creamy flowers flushed with pink and green
Walberton’s Rosemary – Gorgeous dusky pink

Autumn is always a lovely time in the garden as you replenish pots and beds for all around colour and for planning ahead to next summer.

Our first batch of Spring bulbs have just arrived! Despite the fact we hardly seem to have had a summer, these are all ready for planting now to give a wonderful display next spring.

You can plant directly into the garden, or many of them look great in containers too, especially when combined with bedding plants such as pansies and violas. I had a lovely display of Tulip Red Riding Hood, with blue Myosotis in my tubs last spring which looked really good, so will probably do again this season. Don’t forget to plant up with specialist bulb compost for best results.

The range includes Tulips, Crocus, Alliums and Narcissus, with more varieties still to come.

We also have some particularly interesting spring bulbs:
Eranthis ciliata (Winter Aconite) That joyful little yellow flower that blooms with the snowdrops
Allium Ambassador – a giant headed variety
Colchicums (Autumn Crocus) – an Autumn flowering bulb with large crocus shaped flowers
Erythronium dens-canis (Dog Toothed Violet) a British native with pretty mauve/ purple flowers
Puschkinia scilliodes libanotica – that’s the fabulous carpeting bulb we have up near the tearoom which is always much admired.

We also have indoor (prepared) hyacinths ready at 99p each, which can be planted up ready for an indoor winter display.

We are delighted that live music will be returning to Woodside on Saturday 24th August when 11 year-old singer Rosie Angus will be back again at 1pm. She will then be joined at 1:30 by her singing group, The Rivertones for a further 30 minutes. They will be part of our August fundraising for the Margaret Kerr Unit.

She performed for nearly 1 hour last week, raising £140 for the unit. Her programme included folk songs, modern pop and classic pop – so something for everyone. Do come along and support her if you can.

Here is what to expect:

You are invited to visit our tearoom and view the exhibition by August artist, Marjorie Keys. Marjorie has exhibited at Woodside before and is always one of our most popular artists with her local scenes.

Throughout August Marjorie is very kindly donating 50% of her sales to the Margaret Kerr Unit at the Borders General Hospital in response to the wonderful level of care Emma received there during her recent stay. The exhibition started this morning, and one piece has already sold, so hopefully we will be able to give a significant donation by the end of the month.