We recently sponsored and donated plants to a show garden at BBC Gardeners World Live via Harrogate-based Grant Horticulture and The Northern School of Gardening.
Charlotte Jones from Grant Horticulture and The Northern School of Gardening won a Silver Merit at last week’s BBC Gardener’s World Live at the NEC in Birmingham.
The award-winning beautiful border which included 300 plants to the value of almost £2,000 will now be donated to Harrogate Hospital, Johnsons and Grant Horticulture’s local hospital.
21-year-old Charlotte Jones designed the Border under the theme ‘Wildlife’, which the designer interpreted as a reflection of someone who has lived a ‘wild life’, full of frivolity, fun and joie de vivre.
Charlotte is currently studying for her master’s in Landscape Architecture at Sheffield University and is in her working year with Grant Horticulture and The Northern School of Gardening.
The 300 plants donated will now be used to enhance Harrogate Hospital’s grounds and include varieties such as Achillea, Aquilegia, Astrantia, Digitalis, Geranium, Nepeta, Salvia, Iris, Lavender, Miscanthus, Erigeron and herbs including Mint, Thyme and Rosemary.
Dean Bolton-Grant, Managing Director of Grant Horticulture and founder of The Northern School of Gardening said: “ Garden design is at the very heart of our business. With the pandemic behind us what better way to showcase our talents, in particular, our young designer Charlotte Jones, than with a show garden at BBC Gardener’s World Live.
“We worked closely with Johnsons of Whixley who kindly donated the plants for our Beautiful Border Garden, affording us the opportunity to support Harrogate Hospital with the gift of the plants which we hope will bring patients and staff a little joie de vivre during their day.”
Yvonne Campbell, Head of Charity and Business Development Project Manager at Harrogate hospital said: “On behalf of Harrogate Hospital & Community Charity I would like to say thank you to Johnsons of Whixley for this amazing donation and the opportunity to enhance our hospital grounds. The donated plants have been distributed across the hospital to fill our staff and visitor areas with a touch of colour.
“I would also like to congratulate Charlotte Jones and the team at The Northern School of Gardening and Grant Horticulture for winning a Silver Merit for their border design, a huge well done and thank you to everyone involved.”
Marketing Manager at Johnsons of Whixley, Eleanor Richardson said: “ Congratulations to The Northern School of Gardening and Grant Horticulture on their Silver Merit award at BBC Gardeners World Live. We were delighted to sponsor the garden with plants to the value of almost £2,000 and are glad to be donating the plants to our local hospital, Harrogate. We look forward to seeing the plants in the ground and hope they bring joy to staff, patients and visitors at the hospital for many years to come,”
Posted 23rd Jun 10:56am
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We recently held a garden design competition for local primary schools in celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Competition.
Children from primary schools within a 15-mile radius of the nursery were invited to design a ‘Platinum Jubilee Garden’. They were asked to design a colourful garden and include details of the plants they would use, with prizes on offer for some of the best.
Over 100 children within the area entered the competition with the winning child, eleven-year-old Theo Copley of Green Hammerton Primary School, receiving over £250 worth of plants for his school, along with several more for his own garden.
The winning design featured a Land Rover, in recognition of the Royal Family’s loyalty and love for the iconic vehicle.
Celebrating his achievement, Theo said: “I chose to design a Land Rover themed garden because the Queen drove and repaired Land Rovers in the second world war. They are very important to the Royal Family, so much so that Prince Philips’s coffin was carried in a specially-adapted Land Rover at his funeral.”
Children in second and third place also received a collection of plants for their home gardens, and their respective schools were gifted a small assortment to add to their outdoor areas. Johnsons overall donation to schools within the area came to over £600.
Marketing Manager, Eleanor Richardson, said: “It’s great to inspire the garden designers of the future with our competition. We were amazed by all of the fantastic entries, which made judging very difficult. We look forward to seeing the plants thrive in the grounds of the winning schools and hope it will remind them of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee for many years to come.”
Posted 13th Jun 10:57am
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June brings with it extra sunlight, warmer temperatures, flowers in abundance and those pesky weeds. There’s plenty to keep you busy within the garden this month, from clipping topiary to cutting back Clematis. Check out our full hints and tips below.
Continue to stake or support fast-growing plants with appropriate materials such as pea sticks, nets and canes.
Lightly clip box edging and topiary to remove wandering shoots. Remember to provide feed and water, mainly if they have been growing in containers for some time.
Trim back the flowering growth of Erica carnea varieties and top-dress with peat-free compost.
Bulb foliage will be dying down this month, do not remove it until it has gone dry and yellow. Daffodil bulbs will be fine left in situ, but tulip bulbs need lifting carefully, cleaning, and drying off in shallow boxes. Keep well ventilated until ready for re-planting.
June is the worst month for weed growth. Water with a contact weedkiller under hedges, shrubs, and on paths or crazy paving. Alternatively, use a sharp hoe to keep stirring the soil to prevent the growth of seedlings.
Sow winter pansies, primulas, violas and Brompton stocks under glass. Foxgloves and wallflowers can be sown outside in a weed-free area of the border to flower next year.
Do not use lawn mowings as a mulch for trees and shrubs if the lawn has been treated with a weedkiller.
Plant out young dahlias by the middle of the month. Two or three weeks after planting, pinch out the tip of each leading shoot. This will encourage the production of further side shoots. Tie into stakes when about 18” tall with loose loops of raffia or string.
During warm, settled weather, syringe sweet peas with a mist of clean, soft water in the early morning or after sunset. If ground watering is essential, give the soil a good soaking of about 3 gallons. Buds which turn yellow and fall off before opening is not a disease but may indicate too much moisture at the roots.
To increase the number of strawberry plants, select strong runners or young established plants and dig a hole under the leaves. Fill the pot with compost and plant into it the rosette of leaves of the new plant. Peg it down firmly with a forked twig or wire staple and water in.
Remove self-sown trees such as sycamore and ash from around the garden, and ensure they are removed from near house and wall foundations. Weedkillers effectively dispose of plants challenging to dig out.
Clematis montana varieties have now finished flowering and will benefit from being cut back before the growth becomes a jungle!
Posted 7th Jun 1:10pm
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