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Herbaceous Plants – this week’s highlights
There’s nothing to beat a wander around a plant centre and many of you are very excited at being able to visit – who knew that this would be so thrilling!!?
Now the weather has broken it is perfect planting weather and we’ve lots of treats for you this week – mainly in our herbaceous range of plants which we grow ourselves.
Herbaceous Plants available this week
We have a great selection of Eryngium (Sea Holly) which thrive in a sunny well drained spot. They flower for weeks from summer through to early autumn, and are a magnet for bees. As the name suggests, they do well in coastal gardens as they have good salt tolerance, as well as performing well elsewhere. Our varieties are: Jos Eijking (probably the very best blue), Blue Lagoon, planum (not as spiky as the others), Magical Blue Falls, Picos Blue and Picos Amethyst.
For dramatic spires of tall flowers we have two Lythrum (Loosestrife) varieties – the bright pink Feuerkerze and the delicate soft pink variety called Blush. Both are easy to grow and are tolerant of a wide range of conditions, but both perform best in a soil which doesn’t get too dry.
Herbaceous Potentillas are another group of plants that do well with us, and we have the following varieties available: Monarch’s Velvet, Monseuir Rouillard, Ron McBeath, atrosanguineum and Miss Wilmott. These all have a sprawling habit and are good for the middle or front of the border, and will soften edges around paths, paving and driveways.
I’m a big fan of Nepeta too – not just the usual catmint varieties, but the upright ones as well. These are also good for pollinating insects, and are very easy to grow, requiring no special care. Our varieties are: sibirica, subsessilis, Neptune, nervosa Blue Moon, and nervosa Pink Cat. The nervosa varieties are good for the middle of the border, whereas the taller sibirica and subsessilis would do well at the back.
Herbaceous Plants for the back of the border
If you need something really large for the back of a border maybe try Helianthus Lemon Queen. This is sometimes known as a perennial sunflower, and can make large clumps of growth around 6ft in height, topped by lovely lemon coloured flowers. Or why not try Veronicastrum virginicum Pink Glow for tall thin spires of flowers. We’ve also got Veronica First Lady, which I’ve not come across before, but is a pure white form. Both Veronica and Veronicastrum are great for bees – I’ve seen them practically drunk with nectar!
For later colour in the garden we have Echinacea magnus, Helenium Moerheim Beauty, Aster Barr’s Purple, (all really good for attracting butterflies) and we still have Penstemons available – Snowstorm, King George V, Heavenly Blue and Garnet.
For all year round colour you can’t beat Heucheras, with their lovely coloured foliage. We have three varieties ready just now – Marmalade, Chocolate Ruffles and Mahogany. These all do well in the garden, and also look great in pots.
Bedding Plants
We still have bedding plants available and received a fresh delivery yesterday of ready made up planters and hanging baskets, so if you haven’t got around to doing yours yet, here’s an easy solution for you! New in this week are New Guinea Impatiens in a variety of bright colours. These are gorgeous bedding plants and even just one plant can make quite an impact. They are just coming into flower now, and will keep going until the first frosts of the autumn. We’ve also got Geranium Attar or Roses which has charming pink flowers and deliciously scented foliage.
Grow Your Own Edibles
Although tomatoes and courgettes have long been sold out, we still have leeks, cucumbers, pepper and lettuce plants, as well as a selection of herbs and fruit bushes. There are also quite a lot of vegetable varieties you can still grow from seed, such as carrot, beetroot, lettuce, radish, kale, winter cabbage, broccoli and much more, so if you haven’t got going yet – don’t despair, there’s still plenty that you can grow. We also stock potted fruit trees which are available as normal trees, and also as wall trained trees. These are pot grown, so they can be planted all year round with now being a perfect time after that rain.
Pots and Containers
We have a good range of pots currently available including the popular Errington Reay range, glazed pots, alpine troughs and planters of all shapes and sizes.
From 6th June we will be back to our normal opening times of 10:00 to 17:00 in the plant centre. Our first week of re-opening was good and busy, and the extended opening times worked well, but now we are back into our usual routine again. Customers are all being very sensible and are observing the rules that we have in place to keep both staff and visitors safe, and your co-operation with this is much appreciated. Woodside remains a lovely friendly place to shop, and with it’s own relaxing atmosphere it’s the perfect place to forget bigger worries – at least for a while.
Tea Room Open for Takeaways
The Birdhouse Tearoom is now back open again for takeaway drinks, cakes and scones. We will also be selling delicious free-range organic eggs and fresh fruit and vegetable boxes so that you can avoid the dreaded supermarket visit!
The tearoom is open 11am – 3pm daily for the time being, and we hope to extend this once we are allowed to use our outdoor seating area. So if you’ve been missing our legendary cheese scones, gooey lemon meringue roulade and extra carroty carrot cake – the wait is now over! Please let us know if you want to order whole cakes and we will try and organise this for you.
Garden Centre re-opened successfully
Our re-opening last week was very successful – thank you to all of those who sent good luck messages, and to those of you who have been in over the weekend.
If you are anxious about being out and about, I can assure you that Woodside feels very safe and the atmosphere is as relaxed and enjoyable as ever. Of course, we have various safety measures in place to protect both customers and staff, but it’s still the same pleasant shopping experience. Overcrowding and queuing hasn’t been a problem; there is plenty of space for people to practice social distancing and to feel comfortable while doing so. At the moment afternoons are our quieter time, so if you feel at all worried, you might want to visit then. As you know we extended our opening times for the first few days, just to be sure we could cope with demand. Everything has gone well, so from Wednesday we will be closing at our usual 5pm, although we’ll still open at 9am for now as this seems to be a popular time to visit.
Don’t Forget the Birds
Don’t forget you can wander around the garden, and enjoy looking at the fish, birds and insects at the wildlife pond, just please make sure that all household members stay together. And we have more good news in that the nuthatch has decided to nest in the camera nest box for the first time in about 10 years – hopefully this is a good omen for Woodside!
We now have new stock available of wild bird feed and feeders – all year round feeding is recommended by the RSPB and that now is especially important to supplement the diet of adult birds trying to keep up with feeding demanding chicks. As we can’t go on holiday this year, setting up bird feeders is another good way to make your enforced stay at home that bit more enjoyable.
I look forwards to welcoming you all back to Woodside, and I hope you’re all looking forwards to indulging in our delicious home-made cakes and scones. If there is any other tearoom product you’d like to purchase from us, do let us know – we are just trying out various ideas for now to get a feel for customer demand.
Garden Centre Open
Finally, after 9 weeks and 1400 free deliveries within the Borders, I’m delighted to be able to tell you that Woodside Plant Centre re-opened on 29th May
We’re very excited at the prospect of having visitors back, and we’re looking forwards to you being able to see the plants for yourselves rather than relying on our descriptions!
We have temporarily extended our opening times to 9am – 6pm daily to allow more time to shop and have put in place various measures for all our safety. You can read our Safety Statement here.
The plant centre is looking amazing, and is full to bursting with plants, pots and compost (a delivery arrived on the 28th – just in time) so there’ll be lots for you to see.
End to Telephone orders and collections.
With the garden centre open, we are no longer accepting telephone orders or car park collections as this simply isn’t possible while being open – we would much rather see you anyway. If you are unable to come in because you are in the vulnerable category, please email me with your phone number so that I can call you back and discuss your requirements. Please note that I’m not often able to get into the office, but I will get back to you as soon as I can. Delivery charges will be applied according to your postcode.
Highlights this week:
Bedding plants – packs of geraniums, plenty of potted begonias, petunias and callibrachoas and packs of nicotiana. The colour themed tub and basket carry packs are back in stock and we’ve also got more Trixies available (3 in 1 plants)
Fruit Trees – more fruit trees are ready this week, including apples, pears, plums and damsons
Compost – Westland have finally delivered to us, and we now have peat free Multi-purpose compost back in stock, as well as Multi-purpose with added John Innes, Alpine Compost and Ericaceous Compost. We also now have Wool Compost back in stock.
Pots and Planters – it’s been rather a challenge selling pots over the phone as you need to be able to see them! Well now you can, and we have a good range of glazed pots as well as the popular Courtyard Range from Errington Reay
Herbaceous Plants – we’ve got a fabulous range of herbaceous perennials ready – most of them grown by us at our nursery site.
Vegetable Plants – we still have some veg plants available, mainly lettuces and leeks, with a handful of courgettes and cucumbers
We are delighted to be able to open again, and look forwards to welcoming you back to Woodside.
Please bear with us while we get used to this new way of operating our lovely plant centre, and we hope that you find your visit both enjoyable and safe. This safety guidance may be updated or changed as we go along, so please keep checking the website or sign up to our emails to see the latest guidance before making a visit. If you have any concerns about safety during your visit please speak to any member of the Woodside team.
Whether you are one of our regular customers or one of our many new customers who ordered from us for the first time during lockdown and enjoyed our free delivery service during that time, we hope to see you very soon.
A Glimmer of Hope – and a plant update
Finally there seems to be a glimmer of hope that we can re-open soon. Following the First Minister’s daily briefing on 21st May, it seems that a decision will be made on the 28th May regarding the first phase of lifting lock-down restrictions. Included in that first phase is the re-opening of garden centres, and as soon as we get the go ahead we will be opening our gates and welcoming visitors back to Woodside, with social distancing and increased hygiene measures in place. Until then we will continue to operate our phone-in order system, and arrange for customer collections from our car park.
In the meantime, here is a list of bedding plants that we have available now:
Tub and Basket Plants – mixed trailing and upright plants suitable for containers and for hanging baskets. 6 for £12 for a mix of plants
Trailing Fuchsias – suitable for tubs and baskets. These are in 10cm pots and are £2.50 each or 6 for £12 for a mix
Upright Fuchsias – for centre pieces for tubs and baskets and for bedding out in the garden. 1 litre pots £4.99 each of 3 for £12
Heliotrope – beautiful intense blue flowers with rich green foliage. £3.99 each for 1 litre pots
Nemesia – pretty fragrant flowers £4.99 each or 3 for £12 in 1 litre pots.
Osteospermum (new this week) – bright and cheerful daisy-like flowers for pots and for flower beds. £4.99 each or 3 for £12 in 1 litre pots
Trailing begonias – mixed colours £2.75 each or 4 for £10 in 10cm pots
Non-stop Begonia Carry packs (new this week) – six mixed begonias in a carry pack – excellent value at £11.99 per pack of 6
Callibrachoa/Petunias – suitable for tubs and baskets £2.75 each or 4 mixed for £10
Scented Leaf Geraniums – Cola Bottles, which has the unique scent of the fizzy drink. £3.99 each
Bedding Geraniums – packs of 4 geraniums at £3.99 per pack, or 4 packs for £15 (16 plants). Available in White, Red or Mixed
Argyranthemums (Crazy Daisy/ Marguerites) £3.99 each in Red, Pink or White
Hanging Pots – ready planted pots with a hanger at £12.99 each. Either Red Petunias, or Mixed Plants.
Don’t forget we also have Lavender Hidcote available in a handy carry pack – 6 plants for £9.99.
NEW THIS WEEK – Alstroemeria Inticancha. Superb garden plants at £11.99 each.
We also have available a good range of home-grown herbaceous plants as detailed on the previous email, and a selection of fruit trees, vegetable plants, fruit bushes and shrubs, as well as houseleeks, dianthus and a mix of plants for rockeries and small spaces. Deciduous Azaleas still available and looking gorgeous!
Preparations for re-opening
As we prepare for re-opening and work hard to get the plant centre stocked up and made safe for visitors and staff, we are still able to offer a delivery service, but from Monday 25th May our usual delivery charges (based on postcodes) will be applied, as we get back to some sort of normal trading.
Our phone line will be open 10am – 12pm & 1pm – 3pm Monday to Saturday, and 10am – 12pm on Sunday for ordering. The number is 01835 830315. Please remember that the office is unmanned so we can’t accept orders by email, text, Facebook etc – so please phone in.
I’ll give you all information about re-opening, and how this will work for us all, as soon as we have a firm date, but it is likely to be the end of next week. If you want to receive this information via email, please sign up to the newsletter – you will hear any updates from us there first.
Latest bedding, vegetable and herb plants for sale
It has been difficult getting hold of bedding plants to sell on this year as lock-down came just at the time when young plants across UK nurseries should have been pricked out, and seeds sown, so there is a shortage in the supply chain, and an extra demand from customers who are keen to garden during lock-down. As a result I have been able to get fewer bedding plants in than I would have liked. However, we do have some that are available to order for collection or delivery if you are vulnerable or shielding (details as to how to do this at the end of the plant list.) Here is the list of what is currently available:
Tub and Basket Plants
A fresh batch of these have just arrived and we sell these as a mix of 6 plants for £12. Back in stock are the colour themed basket kits in shades of Blue, Pink or Hot colours. These come in a carry pack of 6 plants and are £12.99 each.
Bedding packs
We still have some bedding packs in stock at £3.50 per pack, or 4 packs for £12. Available plants are:
Lobelia (bush varieties only) packs of 12, blue, white or pink
Gazanias packs of 6
Cosmos packs of 4
Cineraria packs of 6 (limited numbers)
Begonia sempervirens packs of 6
Antirrhinum White packs of 6
Alyssum mix packs of 12 (limited numbers)
Dahlia bedding packs of 6 (limited numbers)
Salvia vanguard packs of 6
Nicotiana Lime Green packs of 6
We also have bedding Geraniums at £3.99 per pack of 4 (4 packs for £15) available in red, white or mixed colours.
Potted Bedding Plants
We have a range on plants grown in individual pots:
Argyranthemums (Marguerites/Crazy Daisies) £3.99 each available in red, pink or white
Begonias – non-stop and trailing begonias are £2.75 each or 4 for £10. Mixed colours
Scented leaf Geraniums £3.99 each – Cola Bottles or Sweet Mimosa
Trailing Fuchsia – £2.50 each or 6 for £12. Mixed varieties
NEW Heliotrope Marino Blue £3.99 Beautiful plants
Nemesia Mixed £3.99 each
Petunias – Petunia Rose Diamond, Petchoa Cherry Imp (this is a cross between a petunia and a callibrachoa) Callibrachoa Magenta, Callibrachoa Pink Carnival) £2.75 each or 4 for £10
Surfinia (Red) Hanging pots – only 4 left £12.99 each
NEW – Dahlia Biship of Canterbury. Not strictly speaking a bedding plant, but needs similar care. This is one of the popular dark leaved forms. £5.99 each.
We also have some carry packs of Lavender Hidcote available – packs of 6 for just £9.99 offering excellent value for money.
Vegetable Plant Update:
We have a good range of vegetable plants available. Perhaps if you can’t get all the bedding plants you want, you could make a creative display with lettuces!
Veg packs: (£3.50 per pack, 4 packs for £12)
Lettuce All Year Round
Lettuce Little Gem
Lettuce Marvel of Four Seasons
Lettuce Green Salad Bowl
Lettuce Red Salad Bowl
Lettuce Cos
Oriental leaves (only a few left)
Cauliflower All Year Round
Cauliflower Romanescue
Cabbage green
Cabbage Red (only a few left)
Brussel Spouts (only a few left)
Calabrese
Purple Spouting Brocolli (only a few left)
Leeks
French bean Goldfield
Climbing French Bean Limka
French Bean Blue Lake
Pea Kelvedon Wonder (only a few left)
Potted Vegetables:
The following are available as individual plants:
Butternut Squash
Courgette Safari (striped)
Courgette Yellow
Chilli pepper
Pumpkin Early King
Cucumber Passandra (mini)
Cucumber Femspot (ridge)
We also have a few hanging pots of alpine strawberries £7.99.
HERBS:
Herbs in a 9cm pot size are £2.50 each or 6 for £12, and we currently have:
Thyme – Archer’s Gold, Common, Foxley, Silver Posie or lemon
Mint – Apple, After Eight, Curly, Spearmint, garden mint, Moroccan Mint
Chives – Common, or Garlic
Fennel – green or bronze
Marjoram – Pot or Sweet
Oregano – Country Cream or Greek
Lawn Chamomile
Dill
Parsley – Curled or Flat leaf
Sage – Purple
Curry Plant
Rosemary
Lavender Munstead or Vera
Tree Spinach
Catnep.
We also have some strawberry plant still available.
In a larger pot size we have the following, priced at £4.99 each, or 3 for £12:
Golden Marjoram
Lavender Munstead
Lavender Hidcote
Lavender Vera
Rosemary Pink
Rosemary Blue
Rosemary Trailing.
How to order
You can phone your order in on 01835 830315 10am – 12pm, and 1pm – 3pm Monday to Saturday, and 10am – 12pm on Sundays. Saturdays and Sundays are usually the quietest days, so if you’re struggling to get through I would suggest you try then.
Collections are at an arranged time from our carpark, and we also do deliveries free to most TD postcodes for orders over £35 to our customers who are vulnerable and are shielding.
Bedding Plants to Order
We hope you are enjoying this glorious spring weather, and remembering to protect your bedding plants and tender vegetable plants such as peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and courgettes from the frost – we’ve had a sharp frost the last two nights.
Here is an update on the availability of bedding plants at the moment. It is proving to be a challenge getting sufficient stock in to satisfy demand, as the growing process as been badly affected by lock-down measures, however we have a good selection in stock right now.
Tub & Basket Bedding Plants
We now have these back available again at £2.50 each or 6 for £12. These are mixed plants and we are unable to pick out specific varieties for you as they have come to us as a mix. Your mix might include Bacopa, Fuchsia, Verbena, Callibrachoa, Nepeta and many more varieties – all looking good and strong and ready to go.
We have teamed up with Scottish Growers Pentland Plants and can now offer colour themed carry packs as a basket kit. These come in the following colours:
Blue Shades
Pink Shades
Hot Shades
There are 6 plants to a pack and they are £12.99 per pack and are looking gorgeous.
Fuchsias
We now have some beautiful Fuchsias in stock. Our upright, bush fuchsias are in 1 ltr pots and are good sized, bushy plants in bud and flower and look amazing. They are £4.99 each or 3 for £12.
Trailing fuchsias are in smaller pots and are £2.50 each or 6 for £12.
Nemesias
These lovely scented bedding plants are also available in two sizes and are in bud and flower and are £4.99 each or 3 for £12 for the larger 1 ltr pot size and £2.50 each or 6 for £12 for the smaller 9cm pot size. These make lovely plants for containers and to fill gaps in the borders.
Marguerites
These are also known as Argyrathemeums or Crazy Daisies and make quite a large plant, covered with daisy like flowers over the summer months. We have them available in Red, Pink or White, and they make wonderful feature plants in containers and in the garden. They are easy to grow, and reliable to flower, whatever the weather. These are £3.99 each.
Variegated Zonal and Ivy Leaf Geraniums
These are sold as individual plants and are £2.75 each or 4 for £10. Ivy leaf geraniums are the trailing ones and look really good in window boxes and containers – you might have seen them in your travels in France and Italy (in the days when we could go there!). Variegated Zonal geraniums are the ones with attractively patterned leaves, and these make a good central feature plant in a mixed container and also make a good houseplant on a sunny windowsill.
Scented Leaf Geraniums
These have strongly scented leaves and the two varieties (or flavours) we have are Sweet Mimosa and Cola Bottles, which really does smell of the fizzy drink. These look great in pots in a sunny spot outdoors and also do well as indoor plants. Perhaps a good way to get the children involved with gardening.
Surfinias
These are the trailing petunias that everyone loves in their hanging baskets. We don’t have a huge amount available, so once they’ve gone, they’ve gone! Colours are blue, purple or red. These are £2.75 each or 4 for £10.
We also have some red petunias ready planted up in hanging pots – all you need to do is hang them up somewhere, and you’ll have an instant display of flowers. These are looking really lovely and are £12.99 each.
Bedding Packs
We have a selection of bedding plants available in packs, and the current choice includes:
Alyssum in pink or white (12 per pack)
Busy Lizzies (these are a new disease resistant variety) (4 per pack)
Red salvias (6 per pack)
Cosmos in White, Pink or Mixed (4 per pack)
We also have limited numbers of Nicotiana Mix or Appleblossom, French Marigold, Antirrhinum (Snap Dragon).
These are all £3.50 per pack or 4 packs for £12.
We also have packs of bedding geraniums at £3.99 per pack or 4 for £15. There are sold as 4 per pack.
HERBS & STRAWBERRIES
We’ve had another delivery of herbs today, and the smaller pots of herbs are £2.50 each or 6 for £12. The choice includes:
parsley, rosemary, catnip, mints, lavender, pot marigold, sage, artichokes, thymes, fennel, oregano, lawn chamomile, curry plant, alpine strawberry, basil and tree spinach. Quantities are limited to a maximum of 6 per variety when ordering.
As larger herbs for immediate impact we have Lavender Munstead, Lavender Hidcote and Lavender Vera as well as golden Marjoram and Trailing Rosemary. These are all £4.99 each or 3 for £12. Numbers are restricted to a maximum of 8 per variety when ordering.
If you would like larger quantities of herbs please email me on emma@woodsidegarden.co.uk and let me know how many you require and I’ll try to order them in for you.
We also have a few more strawberry plants available at the same price as the small herbs; Hapil, which is an early variety, Red Gauntlet and Alice which are mid-season and Sophie which is a late variety. Numbers are limited and these will sell out soon.
We also have parsley available in packs of 6 at £3.50 per pack, which is excellent value. These are part of our vegetable pack range which also includes lettuce, cabbage, oriental leaves, calabrese, leeks and cauliflower, as well as peas, French Beans and Runner Beans. Most of the vegetables are sold in packs of 12 and you can mix and match packs 4 for £12.
Meconopsis
I think I forgot to mention on the last email that we have Meconopsis sheldonii available just now as a 3 litre pot plant at £8.99 each. These amazing blue poppies do really well in our area, and enjoy a humus rich soil in semi-shade. A “must” for any garden. They associate really well with rhododendrons and we still have some of these available too, which are just coming into flower.
A Reminder
We can only take telephone orders on 01835 830315 10am – 12pm, and 1pm – 3pm Monday to Saturday, and 10am – 12pm on Sundays. Saturdays and Sundays are usually the quietest days, so if you’re struggling to get through I would suggest you try then. Home deliveries may take up to two weeks, but we now have a collection service too – which is usually available the next day, please let us know when you order whether you can collect or are shielding and need the delivery service.
Once again, thank you for your continued support.
Order Collection Service Available
With no update on when we will be allowed to open the garden we have consulted with industry colleagues and the police and can now offer a collection service for all orders.
This means that your order will be ready much quicker, and will free up our vans to deliver more efficiently to those shielding. Just let us know when you place your order whether you would like delivery or collection. Collected orders can often be ready the next day (subject to volume and demand), while deliveries can take up to two weeks.
If you have already placed an order and are waiting for delivery but would now rather collect please call us after 4pm on 01835 830315 and leave a message on the answer phone clearly stating your name, address and contact number and we’ll let you know when you can collect. Collections are from our car park, and collection points are well spread out to ensure we comply to social distancing guidelines.
All orders are still be ing taken by phone 01835 830315 between 10am – 12pm, and 1pm – 3pm Monday to Saturday, and 10am – 12pm on Sundays.
Saturdays and Sundays are usually the quietest days, so if you’re struggling to get through I would suggest you try then.
Thanks for Your Support
Well, that was an Easter bank holiday weekend like no other, and one we’ll certainly remember for years to come! Thank you so much for continuing to support us. Here is an update on our ordering system and our stock.
Phone Ordering System
When I set up the phone ordering system at the onset of “lock-down” I was expecting a few calls a day and was planning on getting the garden at Woodside into shape while answering phones.
How wrong I was! Demand for Woodside gardening products is exceptionally high, and I’m working longer hours than usual to try to fulfil demand. We only have one phone line and each order takes a while to process as we have to physically pull off the stock while you’re on the phone. We’re trying to be as quick as we can, so please don’t take offence if we don’t have a good chat with you!
I can only accept telephone orders between 10am to 12pm and 1pm to 3pm daily. I cannot accept orders on the answerphone, and it is only phone orders. Sorry, but the office is not manned, so I cannot take orders via Facebook, text, or emails. It is far from ideal for all of us, but it’s the only way we can do it. Laura is now back at work with me, so I’m getting stuck into the back-log of deliveries that need to go out. Waiting time for deliveries could be up to 2 weeks, but I’ll get round you all as quick as I can – the Borders is very large and my van is quite small!
If I can catch up on deliveries we may be able to extend our phone order times so that more of you can order – I’ll let you know if we can do this.
Please note the following:
- Minimum order for free delivery is £35
- We can only deliver to TD postcodes
- We are operating a “kerbside” delivery system to keep both us and you safe. If you want your items to be left somewhere specific please let us know when you order.
- Please don’t come out and see me, or offer to help unload – a wave from the window would be appreciated!
Available Stock
Compost:
We have plenty of compost now in stock with a delivery arriving to us just last week. If you are waiting for compost so that we can fulfil your order we are trying to get through as many calls as possible to get caught up.
Vegetable seeds
My vegetable seed supplier is still dispatching to us, and I had another delivery last week, so we have plenty of most varieties in stock and we’re happy to pull together an order of seeds for you.
Scatter Gardens
This popular range of seeds is back in stock with us. It’s a great way of creating a wildlife friendly garden space and each box of seeds costs £8.99 each or 2 boxes for £15. Simply prepare the ground, scatter the seeds, and watch the garden grow! Choose from: Ultimate Wildflower Mix, Classic Meadow Mix, Woodland Shade Mix, Bee Friendly Mix, Cornfield Annual Mix and Fragrant Annuals Mix.
Seed Potatoes
There has been an exceptionally high demand for these, and we have managed to get another delivery in to us. Varieties are:
First Earlies – Foremost, International Kidney (Jersey Royals)
2nd Earlies – Estima, Wilja, Nicola and Maris Peer
Maincrop: Markies, Kerrs Pink and Pink Fir Apple.
They are all £3.99 per 2kg bag which probably has around 30 tubers per bag. We are unable to split bags at this time.
Bedding Plants
Although it’s still quite early for summer bedding plants, we currently have the following ready:
Packs of 6 £3.50 per pack – 4 packs for £12
Violas: Yellow Jump Up, Purple Babyface, Pink Halo, and Mixed
Pansy: Clear yellow, Deep Orange, True Blue, Pink Shades and Mixed
Lobelia: Upright Blue, Cambridge Blue, White Lady and Rosamund (Pink)
Lobelia: Trailing Mixed, Fountain White, Fountain Blue, Sapphire
Tub and Basket Plants £2.50 each – let us pick out a selection of 6 for £12
Lysimachia aurea
Ivy silver or gold
Nepeta variegats
Felicia blue
Diascia pink or orange
Helichrysum silver or gold
Trixies – 3 in 1 plants suitable for easy planting of hanging baskets and tuns. £3.99 each
Cherry Kiss (pink mix)
Blueberry Parfait (blues and pinks)
Ayers Rock (hot colours)
Please note that we cannot take advance orders for any plants not in stock, as we cannot guarantee supply.
Vegetable Plants
If you fancy having a go at “Grow Your Own”, or are already an exprienced grower, we have a good range of baby plants for you:
Tomatoes – our range may include Shirley, Moneymaker, Alicante, Ailsa Craig, Beefmaster, Golden Sunrise, Floridity, Gardener’s Delight. There are £1.75 each – let us pick out a selection of 6 for you at £12 for 6.
Vegetable Packs – these are in packs of 12 and are £3.50 each or 4 for £12
Leek Musselburgh, Onion Ailsa Craig, Rocket, Lettuce Marvel of 4 Seasons, Lettuce All Year Round, Lettuce Green Salad Bowl, Lettuce Red Salad Bowl, Cabbage Durham Early, Cabbage Advantage, Red Cabbage, Cauliflower, Brussel Sprouts, Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Pea Sweet Horizon, Pea Kelvedon Wonder, Dwarf French Bean, Broad Bean, and Sweetcorn. We also have Curled Parsley in packs of 6 plants at the same price, and packs of 12 Kelsae Onions at £6 per pack.
Fruit Plants
We are currently out of stock of fruit trees while we wait for another batch to be ready – probably in 2-3 weeks time. However I’ve just had a large delivery of fruit bushes and now have the following in stock:
Blackcurrants – Baldwin or Ben Lomond £6.99
White Currants £6.99
Red Currants £6.99
Pink Currants £7.99
Blueberry – Darrow, Jersey, Pink Lemonade £9.99
Gooseberries – Hinnonmaki Green or Red, Careless £7.99
Loganberry £7.99
Jostaberry £7.99
Raspberry – packs of 5 potted plants £8.99 – Glen Prosen, Malling Leo, Autumn Bliss and All Gold
Rhubarb – Champagne, Glaskins Perpetual or Victoria £7.99
Blackberry Bedfordshire Giant £8.99
Roses
I’ve just had a new delivery of roses:
Flower Carpet Roses – long flowering period, easy to grow, disease resistant, the only thing they lack is fragrance, but you can’t have everything!
We have the following colours £9.99 each:
Pink Supreme, Red Velvet, Amber, Sunset, White, Scarlet
Classic Shrub Roses £12.99 each:
All fragrant and looking full of vigour
Compassion (Apricot)
Maiden’s Bush (Blush pink)
Comte de Chambord (double pink, very fragrant)
Cardinal de Richelieu (Purple)
Felicia (Silvery pink)
Climbers and Ramblers £14.99 each:
Albertine (Pink)
Golden Showers (Yellow)
Galway Bay (Pink)
Penny Lane (Pale yellow)
Crimson Cascade
Maigold (Warm yellow/ornage)
Dublin Bay (red)
Shrubs:
My regular shrub supplier appears to have stopped trading for now, but I’ve managed to find another source of Scottish grown shrubs and highlights from this week’s delivery includes:
Hebes – Caledonia £10.99, Purple Pixie £10.99 and Nicola’s Blush £8.99
Ceanothus – Italian Skies and Concha £11.99
Viburnam plicatum Mariesii £20.99 and davidii £10.99. The V. davidii are looking exceptional with lots of flower and bud
Ribes King Edward £10.99
Forsythia Weekend £8.99 – very large plants for the price and full of cheerful flowers
Hydrangea petiolaris £11.99 – this is the climbing form
Photinia Red Robin £11.99 Beautiful plants
Portugese Laurel £8.99
We also have a good range of Rhododendrons and deciduous Azaleas – just let us know what colour you are looking for and we’ll pick out a plant for you.
Herbaceous Plants:
These are our own home grown plants and some of the best plants for this week are:
Nepeta Walkers Low and Six Hills Giant (Catmint)
Knautia macedonica Red Knight
Geum rivale (in bud)
Potentilla Miss Wilmott and nepalense Ron McBeth
Campanula perscifolia White
Circium rivale
Astrantia Roma
Eryngium Jos Eijking and Blue Lagoon.
Prices range from £6.99 – £8.99 for most herbaceous plants
Rockery Plants:
We still have some of these available and are hoping to get more this week as they are really popular. Let us select 3 for £12 for you.
Herbs and Strawberries:
We still have some herbs left, but not all varieties previously listed. Basil is a new addition. Plenty of strawberries – Honeye, Cambridge Favourite, Elsanta and Pegasus. £2.50 each or 3 for £12
Bulbs:
A limited selection of potted bulbs are still available. Muscari Siberian Tiger is looking wonderful and are in bud and flower £3.49 each. Let us pick off a selection of potted hyacinths for you at 5 for £12, suitable for planting in the garden, in a tub or simply sitting on a windowsill to cheer up the house.
Carry on Gardening
Updated on 21st March
Woodside is OPEN and busy with people stocking up on gardening supplies. We’ve just had new deliveries of vegetable seeds and compost – so come in and get stocked up. Seed potatoes are selling fast and I’m trying to get more in to cope with increased demand.
For those of you who are self-isolating or who feel too vulnerable to come in please do phone us to discuss your requirements and pay over the phone. If you are unable to come in and you live within a 10 mile radius of Woodside (and because I live near Kelso, the whole of the Kelso area) we are now operating a FREE delivery service. Charges apply outside these areas, but if I can tie in several deliveries then I’ll bring down the cost. Of course we are happy to post out smaller items for you for the price of the postage. Just call on 01835 830315 and we’ll do our best to help.
Tea room
Our tearoom is currently OPEN but for take-away only. We will be serving hot and cold drinks, sandwiches and cake.
It is “business as usual” at the nursery site near Kelso with bedding plants coming on ready for the season ahead. Yesterday Stephen and I pricked out around 3000 Kelsae onion plants – so at least we’ll have plenty of onions to eat! These will be ready next month, and again we can post these out or arrange to have them delivered to you.
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.