Posts by Emma Emmerson
New season roses in Stock
Our plants and other garden supplies are continuing to sell quickly, so we are pleased to announce the following new arrivals. 
Roses:
We are pleased that after huge demand earlier in the year we have new season roses in stock. The current selection of roses for sale include:
- Fragrant Cloud, Hot Chocolate and Rhapsody in Blue, which are bush roses;
- a choice of roses with names suitable for present giving, such as Many Happy Returns, The Anniversary Rose, Warm Wishes, For You With Love and Golden 50th.
- Climbing Roses includes Arthur Bell, Compassion, Golden Showers, Handel, Iceberg Climbing, New Dawn and Starlight Express
Perennials:
You all just love your Hellebores, and last week’s batch sold out in no time at all. So we have fresh ones in this week, including Double Chocolate, Shades of Night, Double Cream Speckled, and Smokey Blue.
We also now have Gentians back in stock and the climbing Hydrangea petiolaris which is always very much in demand.
Bedding Plants:
After recent frosts, I expect that many of the summer bedding plants have now finally given up. We have just had a fresh delivery of pansies, violas, bellis and primroses, all suitable for planting out now. We also have bulbs available in the shop to underplant your beds, borders and containers with to plan ahead for Spring colour. We’ve also just had a big delivery of mini cyclamen, as the last batch sold out very quickly. New this week are packs of 6 mini cyclamen which are excellent value at £12.99 per pack. Sinlge plants are £2.99 each, so it’s a good saving to buy the pack. These are suitable for patio planters and do even better in a cool indoor space such as a porch or unheated room. They are really stunning and would brighten up anyone’s day.
Fruit Trees:
I’ve had another delivery of fruit trees and we now have pears back in stock after a few weeks without. Our varieties are Catillac, Concorde, Doyenne du Comice and Sensation. We’ve also got Medlars and Quince Vranja available again.
For those of you wanting to order bare rooted fruit trees our list is now ready and can be downloaded here.You can come in and place your order, or you can post it with a cheque, or email it with a contact number for us to call you back to obtain payment. Whichever suits you best.
Please note that we have taken peaches, nectarines and cherries off our bare rooted availability, as we feel these do better in our area as potted plants.
Bare Root Hedging:
Our bare rooted hedging list is also now ready and you can download it here.
Please note that the minimum quantity per variety is 5. You can place your orders with us in the same way as the fruit list.
If you have trouble opening any of these price lists please let me know and I can either email you in a different format, or you can pop into the shop and use a printed copy.
Compost:
Compost sales continue to exceed expectations, and we are getting a new delivery in on Monday which will include Multipurpose with added John Innes, Peat-free Multipurpose, and John Innes numbers 1,2 & 3. We currently have in stock ericacous compost, farmyard manure and Dalefoot Potting Compost.
Firewood:
We’ve just had another delivery of logs and kindling for your open fire or stove. This is all locally and sustainable sourced, and is available in handy nets to neatly fit in the boot of your car.
And Finally….
Our fruit and veg sales continue to do well. We get two deliveries each week, on Tuesday and Friday lunchtimes, and we now have a big selection of fruit, vegetables and salad items available. This week’s highlights are UK Russet apples ( I tasted one a couple of days ago, and I think it’s the nicest thing I’ve eaten for ages!), local vine tomatoes, Jerusalem artichokes, enormous cauliflowers from Kelso, Conference Pears, also from Kelso, aubergines and leeks. new this week are quinces and sweet potatoes. We’ve increased the amount of baby salad potatoes. leeks and carrots as we ran out last week. Do tell your neighbours and friend about our fresh range, as the busier we are the more we can stock.
Whilst you are here stocking up on fruit, veg and plants why not have a hot bacon roll which are available again between 10 and 12 daily. We know they are appreciated by the hungry cyclists
Mini Green Grocery Launches at Woodside
We are delighted to launch our own mini green grocery at Woodside this weekend. This is set up in association with Down to Earth of Selkirk who will be supplying us with a range of seasonal vegetables and fruit. We are also harvesting here at Woodside – some of the produce will be made into soup in the tea room and some of it will be sold in the green grocery too.
Down to Earth is a high street green grocers based on Selkirk and supplying across the central Borders. Their aim is to sell vegetables and fruit grown locally, reducing the food miles, supporting local producers and ensuring you, the customer get fresh and tasty fruit and veg. Read more about them here.
This weekend’s highlights include tomatoes grown in the Borders, UK grown Cox’s apples, potatoes, mushrooms, leeks, parsnips, and plump green grapes from Italy, crisp Pink Lady apples from New Zealand, juicy easy peeler oranges from South Africa and much more.
We’re also beginning to stock a range of dried food products such as lentils, split peas, and broth mix. It’s so much nicer shopping for these items at Woodside, instead of battling round a supermarket, and I’m sure you’d all rather support a small local business rather than a big multi-national company, and you’ve the added bonus that you can buy fruit, veg, plants and cake all in the same shopping trip!
Autumn Planting
Mini cyclamen are now in stock and make a lovley splash of colour in your tubs and baskets. Autumn bedding plants are also available, choose from pansies, violas, myosotis and primulas.
Now is also a good time to start preparing for spring, with our range of spring bulbs and wallflowers.
For late garden colour the dwarf asters are just coming into flower and provide an excellent late nectar source for bees and butterflies. We still have some Phlox and Rudbeckia in flower for you to buy and plenty of plants and shrubs that have finished flowering but still have interesting foliage – plant them now for your summer borders next year. For winter interest why not choose the contorted willow, the twisted stems are very attractive in winter when they are most noticeable.
Keep Warm this winter
As the evnings are getting chillier and night longer you might have started lighting your fire (we have). We now have local logs and kindling for sale and will soon be stocking eco-friendly “coffee logs” made out of recycled coffee grinds.
Spring Bulbs have arrived!
It’s been busy in the plant shop with boxes and boxes of Spring Bulbs arriving. We are working to get them ready to sell this weekend. Varieties include daffodils, crocus, snowdrops, hyacinth, alliums, miniature iris, and much more.
Tips for planting spring bulbs
Now is the time to get spring flowering bulbs, planted either in the ground or into pots to give cheerful spring colour next year.
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- If planting in pots I’d recommend using specialist Bulb Fibre, supplied to us this year by bulb experts, Taylors Bulbs
- plant several different types of bulb in one pot to give a succession of flowering times and a variety of heights.
- Plant autumn/winter bedding plants over the top, such as pansies, violas, forget-me-nots or primroses to give an even brighter and longer display. Wallflowers should be ready in a couple of weeks, and we are taking orders for these just now.
Other New Stock
We’ve also got some new plants in stock just now, including:
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- a beautiful new Astrantia called Burgundy Manor, which is a lovely wine red colour;
- 4 different varieties of candelabra primulas which are huge plants and look set to produce masses of flowers early next summer;
- hardy ferns suitable for damp and shady spots in the garden, or for planting in tubs and pots
in a cool place. We have a good variety of leaf textures, heights and shapes of this interesting group of plants. - More statues and garden ornaments are due in from two different suppliers, following the success of last week’s delivery which sold very quickly.
- More wild bird food and feeders are also due in.
New Range of Ornamental Garden Pots
We are all looking forward to the release of the new seasons range of ornamental garden pots. The local rep for these is visiting next week with a brand new catalogue and I’ll be placing an order for immediate delivery. I’ll let you know when this comes in.
There is plenty to look forward to in the garden, and with all our plants being container grown, you can plant all year round as long as the ground conditions are suitable. Just now conditions are perfect, with plenty of sunshine to warm the soil and lots of rain to keep new plants well watered!
Best wishes to you all, and hope to see you over the next few days to enjoy our selection of bulbs – browsers in the shop are most welcome!
Autumn and Winter Bedding Plants
We now have the first batch of autumn and winter bedding plants for sale. Coose from Violas, Pansies, Myosotis (Forget-me-not) and Primroses which are ready to be planted out now in tubs, baskets and in beds to give colour over the next few months. If your summer bedding plants are all beginning to look tired then now is the time to replace them.
Underplant winter displays with Spring flowering bulbs for extra colour and interest.
Our packs of bedding plants are £3.45 each or 4 for £12 and you can mix and match varieties.
GET A FREE PACK OF BEDDING WITH A FULL LOYALTY CARD until 30th September 2020. Offer limited to 8 packs (8 full cards) per transaction.
House Plants for Sale
Following many requests from customers we now have house plants for sale here at Woodside.
We are now proud to stock plants grown by the award-winning Dibley’s Nursery, based in Wales, who specialise in Streptocarpus (Cape Primrose) plants, along with a range of other easy to grow but interesting house plants. They are regular exhibitors across the UK at RHS Flower shows (all of which are cancelled for the year), and have won an astonishing 26 Chelsea Flower Show GOLD medals.
Cape Primroses for sale
One of their most popular and spectacular Streptocarpus is “Polka Dot”, pictured above, and we are pleased to have these available along with a selection of other named varieties. Streptocarpus are fairly straight foward to grow, and can be addictive – once you start collecting you can’t stop – so be warned!
They do best on an east or west facing windowsill, which avoids the hot middle of the day sunshine, and should be watered sparingly being careful not to over-water. They readily produce plenty of showy flowers in a variety of colours, many with attractive markings.
Foliage Begonias
Dibley’s are also well known for their foliage Begonias, and we have a good selection of these available, as named varieties. These make excellent houseplants and have a wide range of different foliage shapes, patterns and colours to give all year round interest to your house-plant display.
We’ve also got Curly Spiderplants (Chlorophytum), and an unusual Tradescantia called Bridal Veil which is a trailing plant with masses of white flowers and curious leaves with purple undersides. Both of these are suitable for hanging pots as they have a lovely trailing habit. Finally, we also have Nematanthus in stock, which is an attractive evergreen houseplant, sometimes known as the Goldfish plant, although I have no idea why – perhaps one of you can enlighten me!
Trees now in stock
Our delivery of trees has arrived as planned with a good selection of fruit and ornamental trees now available. Looking particularly good are the Cotoneasters and Crab Apples (Malus) which are both full of fruits and berries. As our trees are all container grown you can plant all year round. I’d recommend planting in a good compost with added fertiliser and rootgrow. Taller trees will need staking and securing with a tree tie, and we can show you how to do this – just ask in the plant shop.
Apart from our excellent range of trees, we also have a good selection available of shrubs and herbaceous plants, including Pieris, Skimmias, Salvias, heucheras, Cotinus, grasses, and much more. New stock is still arriving each week, to keep our selection fresh and interesting, with a new batch of herbs arriving later this coming week.
Compost
After earlier problems with compost supplies, we now have good stocks of:
- Multi-purpose compost
- General Purpose Wool Compost
- Wool Compost for salads and vegetables
- Lakeland Gold Claybreaking compost.
All the wool composts are peat free and certified organic.
We are expecting a delivery this week of both Ericaceous Compost for all your acid loving plants such as Pieris, Skimmias and Rhododendrons and Farmyard Manure for improving vegetable gardens and to feed and mulch a wide variety of plants.
Face Coverings
As the use of face coverings now becomes more widespread we are pleased to be able to offer you a choice of attractive designs. So if you’re fed-up looking like you’re about to start surgery, or looking like a bandit, we now have a selection of “pretty” face coverings at just £4.99 each. Designs include rainbows, bees, flowers and birds, and our face coverings are available to purchase from both the tearoom and the plant shop.
We also stock re-useable face shields (the clear plastic visors) which have been made by the local “Men’s Shed”. These are in packs of 5 and are £15 per pack (£3 each), to cover costs, and the cash for these goes directly to the Men’s Shed to enable them to make more. So if you would like to get a pack and distribute them around friends and family, this is a handy way to do this.
Recommended Plants for this Weekend
We hope you are enjoying the summer and embracing the recent rain as the gardens did need it! We have plenty of plans for the rest of the year, including workshops, so please sign up to our newsletter if you haven’t already done so to find out more. In the meantime we are still getting more plants in to brighten up the summer and autumn. This weekend’s highlights are:
Penstemons available in 2 litre pots £8.49 each. Choose from Huskers Red, Heavenly Blue, Garnet, Purple Bedder, Sour Grapes and Snowstorm.
Patio Dahlias – ideal for brightening up tired looking planters and borders. They come in various colours – Pink, Orange, Red & White, Pink & White, Pink & Yellow or Yellow, and are in bud and flower and looking very colourful. These will now flower non-stop until the first frosts of the winter, so will keep going for ages yet.
Please feel free to enjoy the space here in the walled garden and perhaps have some refreshments from the tea room. The herbaceous beds are attracting a lot of butterflies, so lovely for a wander.
Next week we will have more herbaceous plants ready and hopefully more garden furniture in stock. And at the beginning of August we will have a new batch of fruit trees available.
More Outside Seating
It has been a pleasure to see you all enjoying sitting outside in the garden tucking into our scones, cakes and sandwiches. Even if it is raining you can still enjoy the refreshments as we have put two gazebos up to keep you dry. We’ve a new seating area near the wildlife pond which is nicely tucked away, so if the seats in the main garden are full it’s always worth checking this “secret” area for space! You are very welcome to bring your own outdoor seating if you prefer.
New Herbaceous Plants in Stock:
- Ajuga Black Scallop – dark purple leaved ground cover
- Coreopsis – bright daisy like flowers above pretty foliage
- Kniphofia (Red Hot Poker) Nancy’s Red or Tawny King
- Crocosmia (Montbretia) George Davison (yellow) or Walberton’s Miss Scarlet
- Papaver (Poppy) Patty’s Plum – a very popular pinkish purple form
- Sedum Red Sparkle or Herbstfreude – great later summer flowering plants for bees
- Aster (Michaelmas Daisy) Jenny or Marie Ballard – another good late summer plant loved by butterflies
- Salvia Love and Wishes – beautiful flowers and looking lovely just now
- Tiarella Sunset Ridge or Sprin Symphony – similar to Heucheras but more dainty and green leaved
- Hardy Geraniums – Bob’s Blunder, Rozanne, Buxton’s Variety or magnificum
- Monarda (Bergamot) Cambridge Scarlet or Scorpion.
- Nepeta faassenii (Catmint) – in flower now and attracting lots of bees
Ornamental Grasses in Stock
- Miscanthus Ferner Osten, Silberfeder, or Zebrinus
- Panicum Heavy Metal
- Stipa gigantea
- Imperata cylindrica Rubra (exceptional plants)
- Ophiopogon Nigrescens (not strictly a grass, this is actually in the lily family, but is generally known as the “Black Grass”)
Face Covering Reminder
Just a reminder that all visitors should wear face coverings when entering the plant shop, according to the new rules that came into force in Scotland on 10th July.
Some of you have also been asking about our toilets – yes, we have one toilet now available for customer use – please only use it if absolutely necessary in order to minimise any risks. We have plenty of hand sanitiser on site, both at the entrance gate, and at the tearoom, and sanitiser spray for trolley handles, shopping baskets and carry trays is also readily available. We have a supply of disposable gloves, so if you need any for your visit please feel free to use them. Bins are available outside the tearoom and at the entrance gate.
Woodside remains a very enjoyable place to visit, with a lovely friendly atmosphere, and we welcome browsers, so do come and pay us a visit. We’re also happy to accept cash ( in fact it’s much quicker for us at the tills due to a slow card machine connection), as well as card payments.
Guest Nursery Event
On Wednesday 1st July we will be hosting a plant stall from a guest nursery, Tinnisburn Plants between 11:00 and 17:00.
Tinnisburn Plants is an RHS Gold Medal winning nursery, specialising in truly hardy perennials; many of which are choice and unusual. Founder and owner, Helen Knowles, has a lifelong passion for plants and propagates plants for sale at her nursery set 600ft above sea level near Canonbie.
Helen usually sells her plants through plant shows throughout the UK, but of course they have all been cancelled this year, so I thought it would be good for her (and for Woodside customers) if she could bring her plants here for you all to see and hopefully buy. If it is a success she will be back again in another couple of weeks.
Looking forwards to seeing you soon.
Roses for sale
We have been really busy replenishing stock this week after record sales. We now have a good stock of roses for sale. We have dealt with the same rose suppliers for about 20 years now, both here at Woodside and at Floors Castle Garden Centre before that, and these are the best quality roses I’ve seen over those 20 years.
Roses for Sale
Here is a list of the varieties of roses for sale this week:
Bush Roses: Arthur Bell, English Miss, Fairy Rose, Peace, Shelia’s Perfume, Rhapsody in Blue, Sunny Sky, Sweet Honey, Timeless Cream, Timeless Pink.
Patio Roses, suitable for tubs and small spaces: Flirt, Flower Power, Little Sunset, Our Dream, Raspberry Royale, Silver Wishes, Sweet Dream,
Flower Carpet Roses, suitable for ground cover: Gold, Pink, Ruby, Sunset, White
Classic Shrub Roses: Dunham Massey, Festive Jewel, Frilly Cuff, Grosvenor House, Our Beth, Sandringham, Queen’s Jubilee, Jacques Cartier
Climbing Roses: Aloha, American Pillar, Compassion, Dublin Bay, Galway Bay, Lilac Bouquet, Paul’s Scarlet, Schoolgirl, Sparkling Scarlet, Starlight Express, Zepherine Drouhin
Bedding Plants:
The end of the bedding plant season is almost upon us now, however we still have fresh plants coming in, and this week we have:
Shades baskets kits in Blue, Pink or Hot colours – a carry pack of 6 themed mixed plants suitable for containers and baskets.
Begonia Starshine Appleblossom or Orange – beautiful trailing begonias for baskets or for filling a container. Long lasting flowering period, and performs well even in poor weather.
Calibrachoa and Petunia now available in 1 litre sized pots for quick impact
Tub and Basket Plants, such as Bacopa, Bidens, Salvia, Verbena all now ready in 1 litre sized pots
Osteospermum are available again with their lovely bright flowers, perfect for bedding out in the garden of for tubs.
Dahlia Bishop of York – a good bronze leaved form with rich yellow flowers, good for planting out in the garden and they’ll flower right through into autumn.
All bedding plants are available in limited numbers due to exceptionally high demand, so don’t leave it too long before you visit!
Shrubs:
We have restocked our shrub beds and have some gorgeous plants ready waiting for their new homes! Highlights this week are: Daphne Pink Fragrance, Hebe Champagne and Wiri Cloud, Rhamnus alternus argenteovariegata, Berberis Golden Rocket, Cistus procumbens, Cornus alba Elegantissima and Gouchaulti, Buddleia Buzz (compact) in Ivory, Candy Pink and Hot Raspberry, Olearia macrodonta Major (Daisy Bush) and we have Ceanothus back in stock again. We also have lots more varieties available, but these particularly caught my eye.
Herbaceous Plants:
Plenty available, but looking really good are: Chelone obliqua (Turtlehead), Eupatorium atropurpureaum, Anemone Honorine Jobert, and Anemone Wild Swan, and we have three varieties of Agapanthus – Headbourne Hybrids, Black Pantha and Midnight Star.
Herbs:
We are currently in the middle of the production “gap” that lockdown has induced, so varieties are limited – we have some lovely fresh sages, mints and golden marjoram available, but not much else just now. Hopefully production at UK nurseries will increase again, and we’ll be able to restock soon. I have however managed to source an outdoor grapevine, Merlot, so if you fancy growing your own wine you might want to give it a try!