Posts by Emma Emmerson
More New Plants In Stock
Plant deliveries are now coming in regularly and recent new arrivals include:
Hellebore orientalis Victoria – a beautiful form with deep maroon flowers and creamy yellow stamens which are carried high above the foliage so can clearly be seen. Try planting in one of our Courtyard range of Errington Reay pots for a really spectacular display.
Primula Red Lace – We’ve had “Gold Lace” in many times before (and have got it again this year). Red Lace has slightly larger flowers and they are a reddish maroon colour, tinged with a yellow edge, giving them a really old-fashioned appearance similar to Victorian auriculas, but much easier to grow.
Daphne transatlantica Eternal Fragrance – as the name implies this is a very sweetly scented Daphne with pale pink flowers in spring and summer. It’s not the cheapest of plants, but in the right spot will flower for weeks on end giving excellent value for money compared, for example, with a bunch of cut flowers.
Prunus Okame – a small ornamental cherry tree or large shrub which is one of the earliest of all the cherries to flower. It has lovely pink flowers and is hardy and easy to grow. Our plants have been grown in a shrub form rather than as a single stemmed tree.
Sarcoccocca confusa – one of my all time favourite plants, this is sometimes called “Winter Box” because of it’s box-like leaves. It is a winter flowerer and has masses of tiny very scented flowers which smell strongly of honey. I’ve one of these just near a path in my own garden, and the smell of it on a sunny winters day is just remarkable.
Cotinus “Old Fashioned” – we had this lovely shrub in for the first time last year, and I know some of you were disappointed to find it sold out. It’s back in stock again, and although it doesn’t look like much at the moment (Continus are one of the latest of all shrubs to come into leaf in the spring) it will have lovely pink new growth, which will then turn a bluish-green for the summer, and finally bright pinkish red autumn foliage.
Phlox White Admiral – do you remember the eye-catching thigh-high white plant up near the tearoom last autumn? So may of you asked after it, and I’ve now got some plants ready for sale. It is a really robust bright white Phlox which is easy to grow and gives a wonderful display from late summer and into mid-autumn each year. It’s unusual in that the white is so bright and clear – many white plants can be a bit dull and tinged with pinks or greens, but not this one!
Spring Plants Now for Sale
A colourful new delivery of primroses, bulbs, saxifrages and a few herbaceous plants has arrived this week. So far we seem to have avoided the worst of the weather here in the Borders, so lets hope that continues this weekend.
Primroses
Look out for the striking flowers of Primrose Sirococco (see photo) and Primrose Zebra, and enjoy the old-fashioned blooms of Primrose Gold Lace and Red Lace. All the primroses are in bud and flower and would look good in a cool room in the house or planted outside in a container or in the border. These are perennial plants so will come back year after year once planted in the right spot.
The saxifrages are also looking bright and cheerful and are available in pinks, reds and whites and as individual pots or in packs of 6. An unusual Iris – Katharine Hodgkin, is also now available. It’s a much sought after variety with pale blue flowers and a dwarf habit, and is just coming into
flower now.
Dragonstone
We’ve also had a delivery of garden statues from Dragonstone (the stoneware company, not a location in Game of Thrones!) and we now have back in stock a variety of ornaments including frogs, sparrows, badger, fox, imps andmuch more.
Next week we will have more garden shrubs available as well as Snowdrops “in the green” so look out for these too.
Did you know that Kelso had it’s very own onion variety?
Known as the Kelsae Onion, it was bred in the 1940’s by Alfred Breed senior at Mertoun Gardens near St Boswells and then passed on to his son Alfred Breed junior (known as Alfie) in the 1970’s. Alfie sold it on to Sinclair McGills of Kelso (now known as Mayfield Garden Centre) who in turn sold it on to a branch of Mr Fothergills seeds who raised the seed at a location in Italy.
Crop failures in Italy over recent years has put the future of the seed into jeopardy, but thanks to local enthusiasts, the original strain of the seed has been kept going. Bert Duncan, who ran Newton Don Nursery for 28 years, is one of these growers, and thanks to him and other like-minded vegetable gardeners we have managed to get enough seed to produce plants for sale here at Woodside.
Exhibition Type Onion
It is a very large exhibition type onion, and enjoys slightly damper conditions than most onions so is ideal for our area. The large onions don’t always have the best of flavour, but can still be used in the kitchen once you’ve won your prize for the biggest onion at the Kelso Flower Show!
Where To Buy
If you fancy giving it a try you’ll need to reserve your plants in good time, as stocks are limited and always sell out quickly. Plants are usually ready in April for planting out in the garden then. For information of how to grow them, check our guide
Phone us on 01835 830315 to reserve plants.
Reminder that centre is open, but tearoom is closed for 2 weeks for maintenance
Just a reminder that we are closing the tearoom at Woodside Garden Centre, Jedbrgh, for 2 weeks from 27th January while we carry out essential repair works to the kitchen and redecorate.
Teas and Coffees Still available in the Plant Shop
The plant shop will be open as usual during this time and we’ll be offering teas and coffees in there, to keep you warm while you browse. If everything all goes to plan (fingers crossed) the tearoom will be open again on the 10th February with a new kitchen and freshly painted ready for another busy year!
Vegetable Plants now in Stock
Well, our thoughts are now turning to the new gardening season ahead of us, and we are getting lots of exciting new stock in.
To Buy This Week: Vegetable Plants, Hellebores & Bulbs
I’ve had a busy week this week, as Christmas has been finally “put to bed” and I’ve been getting the shop all ready for the spring season.
Although I enjoy the Christmas trading period I always feel a sense of relief when I can get back to being a garden centre again, and we all look forwards to getting fresh stock of plants in.
We now have our full range of vegetable, herb and green manure seeds all available, and one or two vegetable seed varieties really caught my eye.
Vegetable Plants: Cauliflower, Squash & Sprouts
Firstly a couple of club-root resistant varieties of brassicas – Calabrese Monclano and Cauliflower Clapton, which should prove to be useful for those of you who are unlucky enough to have club-root in your garden soil.
I also spotted a variety of squash called vegetable Spaghetti, which I remember my dad growing when I was a child back in the 70’s, probably with limited success. It’s now back in fashion again, and perfect for those of you who have a polytunnel or greenhouse to grow it in.
Look out too for an unusual sprout/kale cross called Flower Sprout Petit Posi, which has purple open sprouts with a frilly top. From the picture above it looks pretty enough to grow in the flower garden, and should be hardy enough for our Scottish Borders weather, so I might give it a go this year.
Fruit Tree Pruning and Planting
One of the first things to think about in the garden in January is your fruit trees and bushes. If you are looking to plant them, now is the perfect time. We have a good range of fruit bushes available in the garden centre, including raspberries, gooseberries, blueberries and currants.
Fresh stock of fruit trees are also available and ready for planting now.
Fruit Tree Pruning Course
If your fruit trees are established now is the time to prune them. This can sometimes be a daunting task, which is why are running a Fruit Tree Pruning course on 26th January.
Limited places are still available, so if you’d like to book a place please call Woodside on 01835 830315. This is a very popular course giving detailed information on pruning a whole range of fruit trees and bushes, and it’s also “hands-on” meaning that you get to practice and gain confidence with your pruning technique.
Bare-Rooted Plants
If you have ordered bare-rooted plants from us we should have those available the last week of January (weather depending), so we’ll phone you when they are ready for collection.
How to Plant Raspberry Canes
With our raspberry canes now in stock, I thought I’d share a few tips on how to plant raspberry canes:
- Choose a well drained spot in full sun, weed the ground and construct post and wire fencing support for summer fruiting varieties (autumn varieties don’t need this), avoiding ground that has previously grown raspberries.
- The planting depth is important with raspberries and as a rule of thumb, aim for the old soil mark on the stem to be at the same level as the ground after planting. To do this, dig a shallow hole, about 30cm (1ft) wide and 8cm (3in) deep. Add a scattering of Rootgrow in the bottom of the hole to help root establishment.
- Spread out the roots and cover with soil, firming as you go.
- Plant canes 40cm (16in) apart.
- Cut canes down to 30cm (1ft) above the soil, pruning above a bud, and water well.
A Few Winter Warmers
Remember from 1st November we start our winter opening times of 10am – 4pm daily. We stay open right through the winter, closing only for Christmas and New Year.
Although the weather is chilly, Woodside is full of winter warmers: with a wood burning stove in the tearoom you can keep warm and watch the feeding birds up close with a slice of Pat’s delicious Spiced Toffee Apple cake(subject to availability) and freshly roasted coffee from Fairtrade supplier Three Hills Coffee of Selkirk.
New to the tea room menu are Club Sandwiches and a range of cold drinks, including alcohol-free lager.
Christmas just around the corner
As Christmas is approaching, we are beginning to take orders for our handmade fresh wreaths suitable for doors or for the cemetery. Christmas decorations and gifts are beginning to sneak into the plant centre shop now, with our main display being ready in early November.
As a small independent shop we can buy the things that we like – we’re not restricted to central buying contracts like many of the bigger shops. This means that you’ll nearly always find something unusual that you won’t see elsewhere, so if you haven’t shopped with us before at Christmas, please do have a look this year – you will be surprised how much we can fit into our little space. Our range includes light up reindeer, climbing squirrels (yes, really) children’s toys and games, novelty signs, battery powered lights, garlands and load more. And of course we stock real Nordmann Christmas Trees from the last week in November.
Next Kailyaird Restaurant: 13th September
The Kailyard Restaurant Jedburgh is the fortnightly evening dining experience which takes place in the Birdhouse Tearoom.
What makes us different from other restaurants is that we base our menu very much on what is available in the garden, so our menu is predominately vegetarian, with an option for meat-eaters. Fish is very popular with our diners, so we have added that to the menu this year.
Items freshly picked from the garden and featuring on the menu this month are: tarragon, fresh figs, courgettes, tomatoes, potatoes, beetroot, green beans, carrots, pears, plums and grapes.
I hope the menu is tempting!
MENU
Starters:
Cream of mushroom and tarragon soup £5.50
Sweet potato and mustard blinis topped with blue cheese and warmed fresh figs £5.99
Smoked salmon pate with toasted foccacia £5.99
Mains:
Butternut squash and courgette tagine served with spiced couscous £11.99
Spinach and feta in flaky pastry served with tomato salad in a mint dressing, and herby new potatoes £11.99
Pollock, beetroot & potato traybake with lemony crème fraiche £12.99
Pheasant breast stuffed with sausage-meat, chestnut and thyme, wrapped in pancetta and served with herby potatoes, garden vegetables and a bramble sauce £13.99
Puddings:
Pear & chocolate frangipane served with Scottish tablet ice-cream £5.99
Strawberry mousse cheesecake with whipped cream £5.99
Plum crumble cake and custard £5.99
Cheese and biscuits with homemade chutney and freshly picked grapes (for one) £7.50 or for two to share £12.00
Booking essential. Please call us on 01835 830315.
Tables are available from 7pm.
More Planting Trees available!
Some may be sad to see the end of Summer, but here at Woodside we are excited that Autumn has begun and that it is the start of Tree Planting season.
We have the best choice in the Scottish Borders for ornamental trees suitable for planting in this area.
So many to choose from, we have around:
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14 varieties of Sorbus (Rowan & Whitebeam) to choose from including rare varieties such as: Ravensbill, Fingerprint, Bisetti Pearls, and Hemsleyi John Bond.
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5 varieties of Liquidamber (Sweetgum Tree) which put on an exceptional show of autumn colour.
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6 varieties of Malus (Crab Apple) which produce showy edible autumn fruits.
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7 varieties of Betula (Silver Birch) including the aptly named variety “Edinburgh”.
We also have the stunning long needled Pinus Wallichiana, the rare oak Quercus Crimsonschmidt, beautiful Acer Rubrum October Glory, and the maple syrup tree – Acer Saccarinum.
All of which have good Autumn or Winter interest.
Please note – that some trees were ordered in as singles, meaning we only have 1 of that variety for sale. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. Interest in the trees this weekend is likely to be strong, so don’t delay your visit to pick out the tree you’re looking for.