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Alpine troughs are compact, easy to plant and very low-maintenance, so they&rsquo;re perfect for gardeners short on time or space. As the name suggests, alpine plants come from mountain regions, so they&rsquo;re used to tough conditions.&nbsp; Planting an alpine trough is a great way to appreciate these fascinating plants and provide long-lasting interest for a pot on a patio or balcony. Here&rsquo;s how it&rsquo;s done.

Alpine troughs are compact, easy to plant and very low-maintenance, so they&rsquo;re perfect for gardeners short on time or space. As the name suggests, alpine plants come from mountain regions, so they&rsquo;re used to tough conditions.&nbsp; Planting an alpine trough is a great way to appreciate these fascinating plants and provide long-lasting interest for a pot on a patio or balcony. Here&rsquo;s how it&rsquo;s done.

<h2>What you&rsquo;ll need to plant an alpine trough</h2>

<ul>
	<li>A shallow container or trough with good drainage holes</li>
	<li>Loam-based compost such as John Innes no 2</li>
	<li>Horticultural grit</li>
	<li>Rocks for decoration if available</li>
	<li>Alpine plants</li>
</ul>

<h2>How to plant an alpine trough</h2>

<ol>
	<li>
	Choose the position for your alpine trough. Most alpines do best in the sun, although some will grow in light shade.&nbsp;&nbsp;
	</li>
	<li>
	The key to growing alpines is good drainage &ndash; they hate sitting with their roots in wet soil. Raise your trough on pot feet to improve drainage, and place pot shards or squares of shade netting over the holes to stop them from getting blocked up with compost.
	</li>
	<li>
	Fill the trough with a 50/50 mix of a loam-based compost like John Innes no 2 and horticultural grit to about 2cm below the pot&#39;s lip.
	</li>
	<li>
	If you have a few interesting-looking rocks, arrange them in the compost to create the look of a mountainous environment.
	</li>
	<li>
	Plant your alpines among the rocks.
	</li>
	<li>
	Top-dress with a layer of grit. This keeps in moisture, suppresses weeds and stops the plants from being splashed with mud when it rains.
	</li>
</ol>

<h2>Caring for alpine plants</h2>

Most alpines are reasonably drought-tolerant but water the containers during long dry periods to stop the compost from drying out completely. Deadhead plants after they have flowered.

In winter, move the trough into the rain-shadow of a house to shelter it from excessive winter rain.

<h2>Plants for an alpine trough</h2>

There&rsquo;s a wide range of alpine plants to choose from. Here are a few of our favourites:

<ul>
	<li>
	Armeria (sea thrift): Pretty pink flowers bob on slender stems above a mat of evergreen grass-like foliage. Deadhead faded flowers to keep it flowering.
	</li>
	<li>
	Phlox douglasii Crackerjack: A semi-evergreen creeping phlox with small leaves, covered in a mass of bright pink flowers in late spring and early summer.
	</li>
	<li>
	Sedum cauticola (stonecrop): A low, spreading sedum with small rounded blue-green leaves and clusters of small pink flowers in autumn.
	</li>
	<li>
	Saxifraga (saxifrage): Rosettes of fleshy leaves form mats, with clusters of small pink or white flowers float above the leaves on wiry stems. Good for shady spots.&nbsp;
	</li>
	<li>
	Lewisia: Colourful star-shaped flowers in late spring and early summer. It prefers damper soil to most other alpines.
	</li>
	<li>
	Sempervivums: Evergreen succulents that come in a wide range of colours and sizes, forming rosettes of fleshy leaves. Very tough and easy to grow.
	</li>
</ul>

It&#39;s fun starting on a new project this summer. Gardening relieves stress and is healthy at the same time. We have a great range of alpines and other plants in our centre, so visit us soon and get some inspiration for your next gardening project!

How to plant an alpine trough

Here&rsquo;s why you should love earthworms. Many people see them as a fun insect that continues to live as two worms if split in half. This is a myth! So leaving the worms to work the soil is much better than messing them around. There&rsquo;s a reason why leaving them in the soil is the best thing to do and here is why:&nbsp;

Here&rsquo;s why you should love earthworms. Many people see them as a fun bug that continues to live as two worms if split in half. This is a myth! So leaving the worms to work the soil is much better than messing them around. There&rsquo;s a reason why leaving them in the soil is the best thing to do and here is why:&nbsp;

<h2>1. Earthworms&nbsp;improve the soil structure&nbsp;</h2>

Earthworms do a wonderful job of improving the soil structure - even clay soils and sandy soils. When you mulch your soil, earthworms naturally take that down to where the roots of your plants will be nourished. If you have earthworms in your soil, you are doing something right.&nbsp;

<h2>2. Earthworms are also food&nbsp;</h2>

Not only do they help to ensure your plants are happy, but they are also a protein-rich meal for your garden birds. Have you ever noticed that as you&nbsp;turn&nbsp;your soil in the garden, your garden birds won&rsquo;t be far behind you? As the soil is turned, earthworms come to the surface, and they do the same when it rains.&nbsp;

<h2>3. Earthworms are incredible&nbsp;</h2>

Earthworms have the remarkable ability to breathe through their skin because they don&rsquo;t have lungs. They eat almost any dead matter in the soil and the average life span of a worm is up to 4 years! That&rsquo;s a long and busy&nbsp;life for a small creature.&nbsp;

<h2>4. Life would be difficult without earthworms</h2>

If earthworms became extinct, the soil would diminish, and the food we eat would be vastly less, if any. We would have more floods (since earthworms also help the soil structure) and more pollution.&nbsp;

<h2>5. A wormery is useful&nbsp;</h2>

Wormeries are incredibly useful in the garden for home composting. Worms break down organic matter such as food scraps from the kitchen and make them into perfect garden compost. Just like magic! Wormeries are great additions to a kitchen garden or allotment and are it&#39;s great for children to watch the worms in action as well.&nbsp;

<h2>6. Worm castings are full of nutrients&nbsp;</h2>

Those little piles of worm mounds on the grass or soil are full of nutrients which make a great soil conditioner. So worms in your soil both under the surface and above are a good sign of a healthy, biodiverse garden.&nbsp;

Keep your garden full of earthworms and other insects by planting a range of plants for pollinators from our nursery.&nbsp;

Why you should love earthworms

If you have rabbits in your garden, you know what it feels like to look out in the morning and see a collection of bare nibbled stems where your plants used to be instead of beds filled with beautiful plants.

If you have rabbits in your garden, you know what it feels like to look out in the morning and see a collection of bare nibbled stems where your plants used to be instead of beds filled with beautiful plants. Rabbits can be a menace in gardens, eating a wide variety of garden plants. While there&rsquo;s no such thing as a completely rabbit-proof plant, there are some that seem less attractive to most rabbits. Here&rsquo;s a list of some of the more successful rabbit-proof plants.

<h2>Top 10 rabbit proof plants</h2>

<ol>
	<li>
	Helleborus x hybridus (Hellebore): These useful perennials will grow in the shade, have attractive palmate evergreen leaves and flower in winter, adding colour to the garden. Not only rabbits but also slugs and snails find their tough leaves unappetizing.&nbsp;
	</li>
	<li>
	Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii (Mediterranean spurge): An evergreen perennial with grey-green leaves and vivid acid-green flowers in spring. When cut, the stems ooze a milky white sap that will irritate the skin, so wear gloves when working with euphorbias and take care not to get the sap in your eyes.
	</li>
	<li>
	Digitalis (foxglove): A well-known and popular wildflower with tall flower spires in late spring and early summer. Foxgloves are biennial, producing leaves in their first year and flowers in their second, then setting seed and dying.&nbsp; They grow well in the shade and will self-seed and spread slowly around the garden if the conditions are right.
	</li>
	<li>
	Alliums (ornamental onions): These easy-to-grow bulbs are a superb addition to a sunny border and range in size from compact chives (Allium schoenoprasum) to the tall Allium giganteum with its enormous globe-like purple flower heads in summer.
	</li>
	<li>
	Agapanthus (African lily): Rounded blue or violet flower heads on tall stems above clumps of long strappy leaves. These natives of southern Africa look lovely in a sunny border.
	</li>
	<li>
	Acanthus (bear&rsquo;s breeches): With their big leaves and tall, upright purple and white flower stems, Acanthus make a bold statement in a large border. They are happy in the shade but do tend to self-seed and spread.
	</li>
	<li>
	Tagetes patula (French marigolds): With their cheerful orange or yellow flowers, these marigolds brighten up pots and window boxes, and they&rsquo;re also good companion plants in vegetable gardens, attracting pollinators and deterring aphids.
	</li>
	<li>
	Salvia x superba (hybrid sage): A classic border perennial with soft grey-green leaves and spires of purple flowers in late summer.
	</li>
	<li>
	Bergenia (elephants ears): A low-growing perennial with large, tough rounded leaves. It grows well in partial shade and flowers in early spring.
	</li>
	<li>
	Eryngium (sea holly): A striking perennial with steel blue foliage and spiky-looking flowers that are bee magnets in summer. It does best in well-drained soil in full sun.
	</li>
</ol>

We have a fantastic range of plants for all situations in our centres, so whatever you&rsquo;re looking for, you&rsquo;ll find something to suit your garden. Visit us today!

Rabbit proof plants for your garden

Think about cost effective vegetables to grow, so not only will your kitchen garden be thriving and full of produce, but you will be sure to save plenty of money as well.

It&#39;s great to think about cost effective vegetables to grow, so not only will your kitchen garden be thriving and full of produce, but you will be sure to save plenty of money as well. Purchasing fruit and vegetables from the supermarket can soon add up, but sowing and growing from seed can save plenty of money and be full of fun as you soak up the best of gardening. We have put together this list of vegetables that you can grow easily in your garden and that will provide you with plenty of crops. Some are even hard to find in the supermarket!&nbsp;

<h2>Vegetables you can grow easily in your garden</h2>

<h3>1. Courgettes and Pumpkins</h3>

Sow squash seeds, and you are sure to get great germination rates, and as they are easy to grow, you can grow them just about anywhere. Courgettes will keep coming all summer long and into autumn and are superb value, full of nutrition and easy to cook with. Pumpkins last ages in storage and can provide you with a lot of autumn and winter food.&nbsp;

<h3 dir="ltr">2. Asparagus&nbsp;</h3>

The spears of delicious and nutritious asparagus can be expensive to purchase from the shops. Hence, creating an asparagus bed is a great way to ensure you have the seasonal goodness of these sought-after vegetables. Plant crowns, and although you will need to wait until year two or even three for a full harvest, it is definitely worth the wait.&nbsp;

<h3 dir="ltr">3. Swiss chard&nbsp;</h3>

Probably the easiest leafy greens to grow. Sow seeds; they germinate well and will grow in abundance in the garden or allotment. They can grow in pots and containers as well. If you let some go to seed, you can collect the seeds for the following year or allow them to self-seed and grow where they want to!&nbsp;

<h3>4.&nbsp;Kale&nbsp;</h3>

With the many varieties available and the tasty green leaves, Kale is an easy crop to grow and looks great in an autumn/winter garden. Keep the slugs and pigeons off it with some netting, and it will provide you with a long supply of vegetables for many months.&nbsp;

<h3>5.&nbsp;Lettuce</h3>

Harvesting lettuce from pots, containers or in beds and borders is satisfying and so easy! Sow seeds successionally every couple of weeks from spring to late summer, then choose winter varieties to get you through the winter, and you can grow almost all year round!&nbsp;

<h3>6.&nbsp;Beetroot</h3>

Another easy crop to grow that will supply you with plenty of beets that you can pickle and store for a long time. Try Rainbow beetroot for orange and white layers in your jar of pickled beets,&nbsp;an extra special rainbow colour of goodness.&nbsp;

Come in store to find all the seeds you need for cost effective vegetable growing.&nbsp;

Cost effective vegetables to grow

We all appreciate getting away for a break now and then, but no one wants to come home to a house and garden filled with sad, drooping plants or beds filled with weeds. Here are a few tips on how to keep your plants happy while you’re away.

We all appreciate getting away for a break now and then, but no one wants to come home to a house and garden filled with sad, drooping plants or beds filled with weeds. Here are a few tips on how to keep your plants happy while you’re away.
<h2>Tips on how to avoid dead plants while you're on holiday</h2>
<ol>
<li>
Water everything well before you leave.&nbsp;
</li>
<li>
Mow the lawn, and instead of putting the clippings on the compost heap, spread them on the beds as a mulch. This will act as an insulating layer, helping the soil to retain moisture. It will also go some way towards suppressing weeds, meaning you won’t come home to face hours of weeding. If you don’t have enough grass clippings to act as mulch, garden compost works fine too.
</li>
<li>
Move houseplants into a cool, dark place to slow down their growth temporarily. One way to do this is to line with a sink (or a bath if you have lots of plants) with a few layers of damp newspaper and place your plants on this. Close the curtains or shutters to block out the light, and the plants will grow more slowly, absorbing enough moisture from the newspaper to keep them healthy for a few days.
</li>
<li>
Create a wick using capillary matting (made of felt or other absorbent material) to provide individual plants with a water supply. Fill a bowl with water, then place a strip of matting so that one end is in the water and the other end is buried in the compost in the plant pot. The capillary matting will draw up water from the reservoir and allow it to soak gradually into the compost.
</li>
<li>
Move outdoor potted plants into the shade and group them to create their own micro-climate, raising the humidity around them slightly.&nbsp;
</li>
<li>
Mulch outdoor pots with bark mulch, decorative pebbles or gravel to reduce water loss through evaporation.
</li>
<li>
To make your own drip water feeder for a potted plant, take a large plastic water bottle and make a tiny hole in the lid. Fill the bottle with water and plant it upside down in the pot. The water will leak out slowly, providing a constant supply of water until the bottle is empty. It’s a good idea to do a few test runs before you go away to make sure the water won’t run out of the bottle too quickly.
</li>
<li>
Deadhead everything, especially roses and sweetpeas, and pick any ripe vegetables like tomatoes, beans and courgettes before you go. If you’re lucky, you may be able to get a friendly neighbour to water your garden in exchange for free vegetables while you’re away!
</li>
</ol>
Whatever solutions you need for your garden, you’ll find plenty to help at our centres, so visit us soon. Our friendly staff are always happy to advise!

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