Posts by Emma Emmerson
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.
Tree Planting for the Autumn Season
It is now tree planting season, and in stock we have a great choice of fresh trees available for the autumn season.
Grown in Yorkshire, the trees selected have been chosen for hardiness and autumn interest.
Highlights include:
Cercidiphyllum Japonica Pendula – The Weeping Katsura Tree, which has attractive heart shaped leaves which turn fiery shades of red and orange in the autumn. Originating in Japan, this ancient tree gives off an unmistakable smell of candyfloss in the autumn as the leaves begin to fall.
Liquidamber Palo Alto – This is a rare form of Liquidamber, rarely offered for sale in the UK, which has an upright habit, and leaves resembling a Japanese Maple. Liquidambers are well known for autumn leaf colour, and this one turns dark mottled red in the autumn.
Malus Rosehip – An attractive new form of crab apple which has masses of white blossom in the spring and forms beautiful rounded red fruits in the autumn, which strongly resemble rosehips in appearance. The fruits can be used for cooking, jam and jelly making, or left for the birds to enjoy.
Sorbus Joseph Rock – This is a yellow berried form of the native Rowan, or Mountain Ash, and is easy to grow and very hardy. A good plant for autumn berry colour in colder gardens.
Quercus Crimschmidt – This is a new Oak hybrid, sometimes called Crimson Spire, and it has a narrow habit with dark green leaves turning a stunning red in autumn.
Betula Jaquemontii – Probably the best of all the white stemmed birches, the Himalayan Birch is hardy and easy to grow, and is offered as a single or multi-stemmed tree.
Tree sales are likely to be brisk over the next few days, so if you would like us to reserve any of the trees listed please give us a call on 01835 830315. Better still, come in and see what trees we have, as there are many more varieties available.
The Age of the West Equine Show
Our annual equestrian theatre performance is nearly here!
“The Age of the West” is a unique production, performed by Equestrian Theatre Scotland, in the garden at Woodside. It is a one-off performance taking place next weekend on Saturday 10th August, and features stunning horses and talented riders, fresh from filming “Outlander” and who can also be spotted in “Game of Thrones” and in the recent film “Mary, Queen of Scots”. You may also see performing dogs and we are sometimes lucky enough to enjoy the performance of a talented goat! Combined with live music, a freshly prepared buffet supper, and an attractive setting in the garden – what more could you wish for?!
Tickets are on sale now, and can be purchased by calling during our opening times of 10-5, or you can call into the Plant Centre and pay in person. We accept all major cards except American Express. Tickets are £18 for adults, £12 for children and £50 for a family ticket (2 adults and up to 3 children). The ticket price includes a two-course buffet.
We are anticipating that this show will once again be a sell-out (we have been hosting the equestrian theatre for a number of years now) so please note that you will not be able to purchase tickets at the door.
Gates open at 6.15pm, with the buffet served from 6.30pm. The show starts at 7pm.
You are advised to bring something to sit on, such as a picnic blanket or deck-chair as we have limited seating, and also to bring with you everything you might need for an evenings outdoor entertainment (umbrella, midge repellent, sun glasses etc).
This year we have purchased two large gazebos, so there will be a certain amount of undercover seating in case of rain.
Don’t forget to book your tickets by calling us on 01835 830315 and have your card details handy. It should be a wonderful evening’s entertainment.
Recommended Roses
My favourite roses are back in stock – Flower Carpets.
These low growing roses provide weeks, if not months of beautiful flower colour, and are not subject to the rusts, mildews, blackspot and aphid damage that other roses can be prone to. As a result they are easy to grow in full sun or part shade, in any decent garden soil or in a container. Planting with Root grow and Bone meal improves performance even more. The only thing they are lacking is fragrance, but with so much in their favour I can forgive them that!
Colours now available at Woodside are Pink, Red Velvet, Scarlet, Amber, Sunset, Gold, White, and Ruby, so a great choice of colours to select from. These will sell quickly, so be sure to hurry.