We are thrilled to announce that we have received the exciting news that we are the RHS Partner Award Winner 2021. It is our privilege and honour to be the first winners of this award. Back in March 2021 the Royal Horticultural Society launched a competition involving their partner gardens. The RHS partner gardens are […]
What does ‘stepover’ mean? Cultivated since the Victorian times, a ‘stepover’ tree is the smallest of all fruit trees, and is described as a low growing tree which has been trained horizontally and can literally be stepped over. How high are ‘stepovers’ kept? ‘Stepovers’ are traditionally kept to 12 to 18 inches in height and […]
Not Just for Christmas – Why Conifers Deserve a Place in Every Garden The Four-Season Garden Heroes Conifers are often overlooked and, for many years, suffered from an unfair reputation thanks to overgrown leylandii hedges. But don’t let that put you off as conifers are among the most versatile and valuable plants you can grow, […]
By mid-March the long wait for spring is usually over and, as the warmer weather arrives, there are lots of jobs to be getting on with in the garden: get a head start by hoeing weeds as they appear in the borders order seeds and make a plan for sowing watch out for slug damage […]
If you are growing, or planning to grow box plants, particularly for topiary or parterres, be vigilant for the fungal disease known as box blight. It can lead to brown leaves, bare patches and die back on your garden plants and can appear at any time of the year, although it is most active in […]
Chitting will give your potatoes a head start… While the cold weather persists and the ground is hardened by late winter frosts, it is too early to begin planting in the vegetable patch, but there are still lots of things that restless gardeners can do to get this year’s crop off to a flying start. […]
There are many plants that provide striking ornamental bark during the winter months, many of which create wonderful, structural form too. If you visit the nursery at this time of year, you will spot several of them planted in our borders, their stunning colours a sight to behold against a cold winter backdrop or beautiful […]
If you are tidying up your leaves, watch out for hedgehogs! A pile of tightly compacted leaves, moss and garden debris at the base of thick hedges, under bramble bushes, shrubs or among piles of leaves may mean that you have a hibernating, spiky friend in your garden. Hedgehogs are fantastic friends to gardeners as […]
As we head toward the short, dark days of deep winter it is a good time to begin exploring those plants that work hard for us when most other varieties are awaiting milder conditions. One such group of plants is the Daphne: a genus native to Asia, Europe and North Africa which offers evergreen and […]
At Larch Cottage our borders are carefully designed for year-round interest. As well as the fabulous summer colours of our herbaceous borders and the stunning golds, russets and oranges of autumn, winter brings the wonderful blooms and fantastic fragrances of our favourite winter shrubs. Shrubs that perform best in the colder months are often shade […]
