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  1. The Growers Choice: Evergreen Hedging

    The Growers Choice: Evergreen Hedging

    Evergreen hedging provides leaf cover 365 days of the year, providing a natural screen to bring privacy and structure to your landscaping project.

    We have a wide range of evergreen hedging plants available, from Prunus rotundifolia to Cupressus Leylandii. Our selection of evergreen hedging plants includes colourful foliage to fast-growing varieties.

    See a selection of our favourite evergreen hedging varieties below.

    Photinia ‘Red Robin’

    A versatile evergreen shrub that can be used for hedging, trained against a wall and even used as a ½ std tree once trained. It is happy in most fertile soils, in either a sunny or shaded position. If you wish to encourage its strong red growth and more flowers, it will be better planted in a full sun position. White flowers appear by April and into May once the plant is better established. We have found Photinia ‘Red ‘Robin’ to become ‘leggy’ over time if it is not properly maintained and left to run away with themselves, they can grow up to 4m tall and up to 4 m wide.

    Available in 2L, 3L, 5L, 10L + pot sizes and as a rootball from November – March

    ????Flowers: April – May

    ????Position: Full sun – partial shade

    ????Height: Up to 4 metres

    ????Soil: well-drained, fertile soil

    Prunus Rotundifolia 

    A vigorous, dense evergreen shrub suitable for almost all locations. Large, glossy green leaves make this a go-to plant above other Prunus varieties.  Its density makes it ideal for screening for privacy, and it is a great barrier to noise and wind. Commonly known as laurel, this hedging variety grows up to 60cm per year and is relatively happy in most soil conditions.

    Available in 2L, 3L, 5L, 10L + pot sizes and as a rootball and bare root plants from November – March

    ????Flowers: April

    ???? Position: Full sun – full shade

    ???? Height: Up to 5 metres

    ????Soil: well-drained, moist soil, do not plant in shallow chalk

    Taxus Baccata 

    A dark green evergreen hedging variety with needle-like leaves, ideal for your garden project’s shaded location, this variety is commonly known as ‘Yew’. It is a popular variety often used in stately homes grounds and private gardens. This hedging variety is easy to trim and can be used to create shapes for a statement feature or simply cut to create a clean line.

    Red berries are seen come Autumn, which are loved by birds but harmful to humans, pets and livestock if eaten. This slow-growing variety prefers fertile, well-drained soil.

    Available in 2L, 3L, 5L, 10L + pot sizes and as a rootball from November – March

    ????Flowers: April

    ????Position: Full sun – partial shade

    ????Height: Up to 20 metres

    ????Soil: well-drained, fertile soil

    Prunus Lusitanica

    Also known as Portuguese laurel, boast luscious dark green glossy leaves on deep maroon stems with small, fragrant white flowers in the summer which are loved by pollinators and red berries in the autumn which are very popular with birds.

    ????Position: Full sun – partial shade

    ????Height: Up to 15 metres

    ????Soil: well-drained, moist soil, do not plant in shallow chalk

    Available in 2L, 3L, 5L, 10L + pot sizes and as a rootball from November – March

    Cupressus Leylandii

    Is one of the fastest evergreen hedging varieties that can grow up to 3ft per year with its eventual height reaching up to 12m. Great as a windbreak, general barrier and for noise reduction. Regular clipper in summer and autumn can help achieve a dense formal hedge.

    ????Position: Full sun – partial shade

    ????Height: Up to 12 metres

    ???? Soil: well-drained soil

    Available in 2L, 3L, 5L, 10L + pot sizes

    Grisellina littoralis 

    A great hedging plant for a seaside retreat with large glossy, apple green ovate leaves. Grow in moist well-drained soil in a sheltered sunny spot for best results.

    ????Position: Full sun

    ????Height: Up to 12 metres

    ????Soil: well-drained soil

    Available in 2L, 3L, 5L, 10L + pot sizes

    Not sure how many hedging plants you need per meter? head over to our hedging guide here

    Posted 24th Feb 2:44pm
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  2. Plant donation helps rejuvenate Henshaws grounds

    Plant donation helps rejuvenate Henshaws grounds

    We are pleased to have donated £150 worth of winter interest plants to Henshaws Arts and Crafts Centre in Knaresborough.

    As part of our nurseries 100-year celebration, we are giving away 12 donations in 2021 to charities across the Yorkshire region.

    Lucky winner Henshaws provides vocational training, including art and horticulture workshops, for people with a wide range of both learning and physical disabilities.

    Plants donated by us include Hamamelis, Skimmia, Sarcococca and Helleborus. The plants will be used in the sensory garden and other prominent places around the Centre, bringing a splash of colour for the art makers and staff currently attending to enjoy, and visitors too once the Centre is able to reopen to the public safely.

    Henshaws Fundraising Manager, Gemma Young, said: “We were so pleased to hear Henshaws Arts & Crafts Centre were the first winners of this brilliant Centenary Charity Giveaway and can’t wait to see the blooms in their new home! Lorna and her team at Johnsons of Whixley were instrumental in the creation of the beautiful sensory garden at the Centre a couple of years ago, and their continued support means such a lot to the community here”.

    2020 was a challenging year for many charities, including Henshaws, who rely heavily on donations to survive. It’s great to support Henshaws once again, we hope our plants spread cheer amongst staff, students and visitors for many years to come. This is just one of 12 donations throughout the year.

    We have donated thousands of plants over the years; at the start of the pandemic in 2020, we donated hundreds of plants to local villages. Other donations include a cash donation of £5,000 to restore their village church stained glass window and a donation of over £800 worth of plants to the Marie Curie Hospice in Bradford.

    Posted 18th Feb 12:58pm
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  3. What to do in the garden during February 2021

    What to do in the garden during February 2021

    The February forecast predicts lots of on and off snow showers for the start of the month, so here are our top tips on what to do on snow days and beyond.

    1) Remove original stakes from trees which are now well established. It may well be worth sawing them off at ground level rather than disturbing the root zone by trying to wriggle them loose.

    2)Check that all establish cotoneaster, poplar, willow, standard roses etc., and other plants with tree ties are not too tight, and showing signs of strangulation!

    3) Take hardwood cuttings of Forsythia, Deutzia, Honeysuckle, Jasmine, Virginia creeper, Holly, Privet, Cotoneaster, Poplar, Willow, Gooseberries, Blackcurrants etc.

    4) On days when snow and frost make work in the garden difficult, build a bird table with a flat base and a roof over it. Try preventing squirrels from reaching the table by fixing a biscuit tin inverted immediately under the table. A rim around the table will help contain seed but leave a gap for sweeping out.

    5) Pot up or transplant last year’s hardwood cuttings.

    6) Cut bushy Eucalyptus back to within 2-3” of the main stem to stimulate a flush of bushy growth.

    7) Divide and replant Snowdrops ‘in the green’ as the flowers go over.

    8) Plant a selection of dogwoods and willows with bright stem colours in an area that looks dismal and uninteresting in winter.

    9) Now is a good time to do a soil test to identify the acidity or otherwise of your garden, this will help not only in your choice of plants to grow, but also any fertilizers you may wish to use.

    10) Finish winter pruning of woody plants this month, first principles are to remove dead and diseased stems, then crossing branches, followed by a reduction in the height of the main stems in the case of roses.

    11) Plant container-grown perennials towards the end of the month for an early start to the spring. If large plants, consider carefully dividing them before planting, we all enjoy getting a bit extra at no cost !!

    12) Clean out and sterilize with boiling water all existing bird nesting boxes and erect new ones. Continue to feed the birds!

    13) If the weather warms up, take the opportunity to prepare compost and boxes for sowing half-hardy annuals by the end of the month. You should have a heat source available for cold nights and early sowings.

    14) Cut back Clematis Jackmanii and C. Viticella groups to about 30cm.  Pyracanthas should be pruned to within 2 buds of the main frame except for required extensions, if not already done last autumn.

    15) Prune shrub roses towards the end of this month to encourage growth from the base. Remove some old shoots but do not reduce the height too much as they tend to flower on older wood.

    16) As Hamamelis species finish flowering, prune out branches that are crossing, in order to stimulate new growth.

    17) Complete the cutting back of overgrown hedges this month. Also, make sure that the bottoms of existing hedges are cleaned out before the new growth commences.

    18) Divide ferns and repot for rapid establishment. Start dahlias into growth for the production of early cuttings. Place the tubers in a peat type compost, and keep them moist in a temp. of around 13-18 deg. C

    Posted 5th Feb 10:46am
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  4. Brexit stops plant supply to Northern Ireland

    Brexit stops plant supply to Northern Ireland

    We have had to stop supplying plants to Northern Ireland after new Brexit restrictions came into play in January.

    Before Brexit, we sold half a million pounds worth of plants a year to Northern Irish customers, but new and impractical restrictions have put a wedge between long-standing trading relationships.

    The new legislation stops nurseries like us supplying Rootball, Bare Root and Container plants into the EU and now Northern Ireland. Plants which originate from a bare root young plant, or those that have had any contact with the soil, even if container-grown, are considered a risk due to the likely legacy of soil residue which has the potential to carry pathogens or nematodes.

    While not impossible, soil residue removal is impractical and would defeat the object of rootballing and containerisation.

    Long-standing customers of Johnsons and many other nurseries are left with no choice but to go directly to EU suppliers as there are no restrictions on a legacy soil residue between EU members or affiliates in the guise of Northern Ireland.

    Johnsons Head of Production and Procurement, Jonathan Whittemore commented:

    “This legislation penalises UK growers and gives an immediate competitive advantage to EU suppliers who may go on to monopolise supply into an existing part of the UK at the expense of our business and the wider industry.”

    The Brexit ‘project’ was meant to reduce red tape and bureaucracy and was surely not intended to penalise UK Suppliers and active Northern Ireland/UK customers. The restriction was designed to protect the wider EU Flora and Fauna, under this scenario there is ‘nil’ risk to the EU from Johnsons traditional supply into NI be it from our own production or ironically imports sourced in the EU and supplied into NI!”

    Click here for further details regarding plant health and growing media

     

     

    Posted 2nd Feb 1:02pm
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  5. Centenary Charity Giveaway - February 2021

    Centenary Charity Giveaway - February 2021

    Centenary Charity Giveaway – 12 plant donations up for grabs throughout 2021

    We are marking our centenary with a competition where 12 lucky Yorkshire charities will have the chance to win a plant donation worth over £150 each.

    At the end of each month in 2021, Johnsons will be giving away £150 worth of seasonal plants to a Yorkshire-based charity.

    To nominate a Yorkshire charity or enter your Yorkshire charity comment on this post or email marketing@nurserymen.co.uk quoting ‘Centenary Giveaway’ commenting on where this donation would be planted and why you deserve to win.

    Please read the full terms and conditions listed below before applying:

    February terms and conditions 

    • The promoter is Johnsons of Whixley Ltd
    • Entrants must comment on the post or email marketing@nurserymen.co.uk quoting ‘Centenary Giveaway’ letting us know where this donation would be planted and explaining why they deserve to win by Friday 26th February 2021.
    • The prize is open to Yorkshire charities – a valid charity number will be required to redeem the prize.
    • The January prize will include the following plants: 1x Acorus ‘Ogon’ 2L, 1x Asplenium scolopendrium 2L, 1 x Azalea evergreen in variety 3L, 1 x Carex ‘Everest’ 2L,  1 x Cornus alba ‘Elegantissima’ 3L, 1 x Cornus ‘Cardinal’ 3L, 1 x Cornus ‘Flaviarmea’ 3L, 1 x Crocosmia George Davision bulbs pack, 1 x Dahlia Purple Gem bulbs pack, 1 x Dryopteris erythorosa 2L, 1 x Euonymus Marieke 10L, 2 x heathers in variety 1L, 1 x Helleborus ‘Diego Ice’ 2L. 1 x Leucotheo ‘curly red 5L, 1 x Lily asiatic mixed bulb pack, 1 x Mahonia ‘Winter sun’ 10L, 1 x Narcissus ‘Tete a Tete’ 1L,  1 x pack of Nerine alba bulbs, 1 x Scabiosa ‘Butterfly Blue’ 2L, 1 x Skimmia Finchy 2L, 1 x Skimmia Rubella, 1 x Tulipa Spring Green 1L.
    • Charities based within North, West, South and East Yorkshire can apply.
    • The nominator must be aged 18 or over.
    • The promoter will deliver at a convenient time to the winning charity for free.
    • The winner must agree to use their charity name and share photos with Johnsons for marketing purposes.
    • The promoter will contact the winner directly by email, telephone or social media depending on submission.
    • The winner will also be announced on social media during early March 2021 please share your social media details on application.
    • There is only one prize available per winner, per month (£150 worth of seasonal plants).
    • Entries who did not win will not be contacted.
    • The promoter will not take responsibility for any failure to the plant once the prize is received, replacements cannot be issued.
    • The Promoter reserves the right to withdraw this offer or amend these Terms and Conditions at any time without notice.
    • In the event of any dispute regarding the terms and conditions, the conduct, results and any other matters relating to this prize draw, the decision of the Promoter shall be final, and no correspondence or discussion shall be entered into.
    • By entering applicants agree to the above terms and conditions.

    Posted 18th Feb 2:08pm
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