Latest Stories

  1. Six spring bulbs to mark the end of winter

    Six spring bulbs to mark the end of winter

    There’s nothing like a meadow of golden daffodils to raise your spirits. But daffodils aren’t the only spring bulbs to mark an end to dark winter days and bring colour to the garden. Here’s six of our favourites.

    For best results plant between September – October.

    1) Daffodil Tete-a-Tete – A miniature bright yellow daffodil growing up to 15cm tall from March to April that will do well in partial shade. Think about planting around the edge of a tree or in a pot.

    2) Crocus Ruby Giant – An early flowering Spring bulb, which flowers from February to March and will give you vibrant purple flowers at 5cm tall. They will look great naturalized on lawns.

    3) Allium Purple Sensation – Purple globes on long stems that flower from May to June. They would look great amongst ornamental grasses or in the middle of a sunny perennial border.

    4) Tulip Mistress – A beautiful pink tulip flowering in April and growing up to 60cm tall. Great planted in mass in either a mixed tulip pot or in a border situated in Partial shade or full sun.

    5) Fritillaria-meleagris – Also known as snakehead fritillary with pink / purple checkboard flowers, and flowering from April to May. Perfect in a wildflower garden or woodland.

    6) Hyacinthoides non-scripta – bell-shaped blue flowers that flower from April to May. Best in partial shade and would do great in a woodland area.

    Posted 1st Sep 1:48pm
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  2. Six shade loving plants

    Six shade loving plants

    Looking for plants that will do well in a shaded spot? Here’s six shade loving plants

    Almost every garden has a bit of shade, this could be shade cast by buildings, trees, fencing or simply the positioning of your garden but don’t see this as a problem with these six shade loving plants.

    1. Vinca Minor – A great low growing spreading ground cover with lavender purple flowers flowering from April to September – great for suppressing weeds and great at the front of a border in partial shade.

    2. Hostas do great in partial shade and thrive in damp soil conditions but be sure to keep the slugs and snails away which create holes in the leaves. The darker the foliage of the hosta the better it will do in the shade.

    3. Anemone ‘Honorine Jobert’ – Great to add a splash of colour at the end of summer into mid-autumn. These Anemone will flower from August to October and grow up to 120cm tall. Best at the back or the middle of a border.

    4. Geranium Rozanne – A perfect plant doing well in partial shade to full sun, it’s great for under planting or filling in any empty gaps in your border, adding beautiful purple flowers from June through to September.

    5. Ferns – Not only are ferns low maintenance, but they also thrive in a shady spot. Try Dryopteris filix-mas or polystichum setiferum for your shady planting plan.

    6. Brunnera Jack Frost – I absolutely love the silvery foliage of a Brunnera ‘Jack Frost’. They would look great next to tiarellas, heucheras and ferns. Plant at the front of your shady border.

    Posted 15th Sep 1:38pm
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  3. Six reasons why you should love and protect bees

    Six reasons why you should love and protect bees

    Here are six reasons why you should love and protect bees this National Honey Month.

    1) 1 out of 3 bites of food is originally sourced from a bee-pollinated plant.
    2) Bees pollinate 80% of flowering plants on earth.
    3) Bees have been producing plants for over 100 million years.
    4) Only bees can make honey.
    5) A colony pollinates 4,000 fruit trees.
    6) Some crops are 90% dependent on bee pollination.
    7) Bees contribute millions to our economy.

    Posted 7th Sep 8:39am
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  4. Johnsons help Maggie’s Centre garden blossom with plant supply

    Johnsons help Maggie’s Centre garden blossom with plant supply

    Johnsons help Maggie’s Centre garden blossom with plant supply

    Our Wholesale Commercial team has supplied plants to a new garden, built in the grounds of Maggie’s Centre in Oldham.

    Maggie’s Centre offers practical, emotional and social support for those with cancer, along with their family and friends.

    The structure and space were designed by dRMM, under the guidance of garden designer Rupert Muldoon. It was planted by Wrights Landscapes.

    The garden will provide a peaceful and beautiful setting for people with cancer, friends and family members to relax and reflect.

    We supplied a selection of shade tolerate herbaceous, edible and screening plants.

    Our area sales manager, Vicky Newell, said: “The garden truly is beautiful. It is arranged on three levels and features beautiful Betula pendula Szechuanica multi-stem, cocooned in a ceiling to floor undulating clear window. The tree lets in so much light to the building that it lifts your spirits as you enter.

    “The majority is made from recycled materials and water from the roof is drained via a single rainwater pipe hovering above a water bowl, and the next level has an edible garden featuring fruit trees and culinary herbs. Underneath the building is a swath of shade tolerate plants and a disabled access walkway so patients can enjoy their environment.”

    DRMM garden designer, Rupert Muldoon, said: “Maggie’s Centre in Oldham presented the opportunity to design an ornamental forest floor, which is lushly planted and flows below the sculptural birch and pine trees on a sloping, shaded site.

    “My design was based upon mixes of plants species that would knit together and thrive alongside one other, resulting in a very intricate planting schedule of perennials and shrubs. And working alongside Johnsons, I was assured of the best quality plants, which are all British-grown on site.”

    The establishment of Maggie’s Centres was inspired by the story of Maggie Keswick Jencks, who was told she had cancer in a hospital corridor, and vowed that no one else with cancer should be treated in that way.

    This led to the first Maggie’s Centre being opened in Edinburgh in 1996, and since then 21 Centres have opened in the UK and abroad.

    Posted 4th Sep 12:16pm
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  5. Honey all round as we collect our first batch from our onsite apiary

    Honey all round as we collect our first batch from our onsite apiary

    Honey all round as we collect our first batch from our onsite apiary

    We’re delighted to have collected our first batch of honey, after installing an on-site apiary earlier this year.After recognizing the important role that bees play in the UK’s natural eco-system, we partnered with Harrogate and Ripon Beekeepers Association to offer the insects a home at a new apiary, constructed in May.

    The British bee population has declined at an alarming rate in recent years, by a third since 2007.

    Contributions to the decline include recent wet summers, which have prevented bees from searching out pollen, and environmental changes, such as the increased use of pesticides in farming, alongside the depletion of natural habitats.

    Bees are a vital part in the world’s food production, as studies have revealed that around a third of the world’s food is pollination dependent.

    The new apiary has already provided a boost to the local bee population, and several jars of honey have now been collected.

    Each bee can make half a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime, meaning it takes approximately 180 bees to fill a full jar.

    Our group managing director, Graham Richardson, said: “The installation of the on-site apiary has proven a hugely worthwhile exercise. It’s our duty to protect and nurture our eco-system, and this is a small way that we can do just that.”

    Have you read our blog on planting trees for bees? you can read it here ‘Planting trees for bees’ 

    Posted 28th Sep 1:13pm
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