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Gardening is good for you

Packed full of vitamin C and antioxidants, blueberries are both healthy and delicious. They’re also surprisingly easy to grow, and very ornamental, with pretty flowers in spring and beautiful autumn foliage. You don’t need lots of space to grow blueberries – a big pot in a sunny place will do.

Packed full of vitamin C and antioxidants, blueberries are both healthy and delicious. They’re also surprisingly easy to grow, and very ornamental, with pretty flowers in spring and beautiful autumn foliage. You don’t need lots of space to grow blueberries – a big pot in a sunny place will do.
<h2>Which blueberries to plant</h2>
Most blueberries are self-pollinating to some extent, but they will all produce a better crop if grown near another blueberry of a different variety to allow for cross-pollination. However, if you only have space for one plant, these varieties will still produce a good crop:
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Blueberry ‘Bluegold’ – a compact variety, good for containers.
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Blueberry ‘Patriot’ – a very vigorous, hardy variety.
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Blueberry ‘Duke’ – an early-harvesting variety good for northern regions with short summers.
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Blueberry ‘Nelson’ – harvests late in the season, producing large juicy fruits.
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<h2>Where to plant blueberries</h2>
To grow blueberries successfully, it’s vital to get the soil right.&nbsp; Blueberries will only grow in acidic soil, with a pH of around 5.5. (The pH level of a soil is a measure of its acidity or alkalinity. For reference, the pH of a neutral soil is 7.) You can test your soil’s pH yourself very easily with a pH test kit, available in our centres. Or, bring a cup of soil to our garden centre and we test it for you. Please contact us for this service.&nbsp;
You can increase the acidity of your soil by adding sulphur chips. This should be done at least one month before planting, to allow time for it to take effect.&nbsp; However, if your soil conditions are not ideal, it’s often easier to grow blueberries in pots filled with ericaceous compost. For heavy crops and good autumn foliage colour, plant your blueberry bushes in a sheltered, sunny spot.
<h2>How to care for blueberries</h2>
<ul>
<li>Water container-grown blueberries regularly, using rainwater rather than tap water if possible, especially in hard water areas.</li>
<li>Feed container-grown blueberries once a month with a liquid feed designed for ericaceous plants. Mulch field-grown blueberries in autumn with an ericaceous mulch such as pine needles or leaf mould, and give them a high-nitrogen feed in late winter.</li>
<li>To stop birds stealing your blueberries before you can harvest them, net the bushes once the fruit starts to ripen. Drape the netting over the bushes to cover them right down to the ground, and peg it down carefully to stop birds from getting in and becoming trapped.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
<li>Once blueberry bushes are over two years old, they should be pruned annually in late winter or early spring. Cut back one in every four old stems to the base to promote new growth and keep the plant producing berries.</li>
</ul>
Your blueberries should be ready to harvest from midsummer to early autumn, depending on the variety you grow. When ripe, the berries are a dusty blue colour. They’re delicious cooked or eaten fresh, and can also be frozen.
We have a fantastic range of fruit and vegetables in our centre, so visit us soon and get your garden ready for a great harvest.

How to grow blueberries

Start deciding which edible flowers to grow as early as possible in the year so you can plan and make sure you have the seeds or plants available and that your soil is prepared, ready to sow and plant at the right time of year. It is a great experience growing edible flowers because they look great in the garden and provide nectar for pollinators and pick some for home-cooked food, cocktails, and even medicines. Here are four things you should keep in mind when you decide to grow edible flowers.&nbsp;

Start deciding which edible flowers to grow as early as possible in the year so you can plan and make sure you have the seeds or plants available and that your soil is prepared, ready to sow and plant at the right time of year. It is a great experience growing edible flowers because they look great in the garden and provide nectar for pollinators and pick some for home-cooked food, cocktails, and even medicines. Here are four things you should keep in mind when you decide to grow edible flowers.&nbsp;
<h2>1. Flavour&nbsp;</h2>
Just like any other food, edible flowers all taste a little different. Some are spicy or peppery like Nasturtiums, some have a little zing such as Marigolds, and others are very delicate such as Violas and Pansies. Consider the tastes when you look at which seeds to sow.&nbsp;
<h2>2. Colour</h2>
With so many edible flower options, you can even choose colours that fit your own garden colour scheme. So take a look at what kind of style and feel you would like your garden to be, and then look for edible flowers that match! If you are looking for white, try Chamomile and Alyssum for pretty white flowers. Perhaps you would rather have vibrant colours such as the blue Cornflower and pink Fuchsia.&nbsp;
<h2>3. Usage</h2>
When you think about sowing and planting, edible flowers consider what you will use them for. Will you want to use them as a salad garnish or perhaps on a cocktail? Will you want to use them as a medicine, such as a herbal tea or in a tonic. The usages are wide and varied, so do some research first to plan what you would like to grow to meet all of your usage needs.&nbsp;
<h2>4. Space</h2>
It is a good idea to look at how much space you have so you know how much to sow and grow. There are so many edible flowers to grow that you shouldn’t feel restricted by space if you have a smaller area or even a balcony.&nbsp; You can grow in hanging baskets, pots and containers or larger beds and borders - there are many options. Here is a list of some popular edible flowers:
<ul>
<li>Hibiscus</li>
<li>Scented Geraniums&nbsp;</li>
<li>Rose</li>
<li>Peony</li>
<li>Calendula</li>
<li>Gladiolus&nbsp;</li>
<li>Squash flowers</li>
<li>Borage</li>
<li>Day Lily</li>
<li>Dandelion</li>
<li>Magnolia</li>
<li>Honeysuckle</li>
<li>Camellia</li>
<li>Sunflower</li>
</ul>
As you can see, there are many to grow, and these are just a few. Please do your research and make sure they are safe for you personally to eat. Always try just a little first and find out what the health benefits are of each.&nbsp;
We have many options for edible flowers in store, come and visit us where our team will be happy to help.&nbsp;

Edible flowers to grow

We all know that biodiversity is a good thing, but what does it actually mean? Well, essentially, it’s the variety of plants and animals found in an area. A biodiverse garden can contain an astonishing number of different forms of life, from bacteria, fungi, worms and insects to small mammals, birds, and of course, plants.&nbsp;

We all know that biodiversity is a good thing, but what does it actually mean? Well, essentially, it’s the variety of plants and animals found in an area. A biodiverse garden can contain an astonishing number of different forms of life, from bacteria, fungi, worms and insects to small mammals, birds, and of course, plants.&nbsp;
This is great news for gardeners, ensuring plenty of natural predators to keep our gardens free of pests, as well as pollinators to give us good harvests. But it’s not just about us. Increasing the biodiversity of our gardens also helps support species in trouble, such as declining insect and bird populations, especially in urban areas. There are plenty of ways to make your garden more biodiverse, and here are our top tips.
<h2>8 ways to make your garden biodiverse</h2>
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Plant flowers for pollinators. If you have space, try to have something in flower most of the year. Ivy and mahonia are good in late autumn and winter, and crocuses provide early spring food for pollinators. Avoid double flowers where possible, as insects find it hard to reach their centres and gather pollen.
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Plant berry-bearing trees and shrubs like holly, hawthorn and crab apple to provide food for birds and protection against predators. Mature ivy scores again here, providing late autumn food for both birds and bees, as well as winter shelter for a whole host of garden creatures.&nbsp;
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Add water to your garden. You don’t need a huge amount of space for this – even a mini-pond made out of a large pot will attract birds and insects to drink. In larger ponds, if you’re lucky you may get frogs, which will help reduce the slug population. Don’t add fish to your pond, as they’ll eat everything else, but do provide some rocks or a slope so that visiting wildlife can get in and out of the pond.
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Make a log pile. These are great for invertebrates i.e. insects, worms and other assorted creepy crawlies. Dappled shade is the best location for log piles, with a bit of sunshine for warmth but not enough to dry the wood out completely. Stag beetles love log piles.
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Put up a bird feeder and birdbath, and keep them both topped up all year round.
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Don’t cut all your perennials down in autumn. Leave a few hollow dead stems standing to provide somewhere for insects to overwinter. Cut them back once the weather warms up in spring and insects start to emerge again.
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Learn to love weeds. Dandelions are an excellent early nectar source for pollinators and nettles provide food for the larvae of many moths and butterflies, so leave a few to grow in a corner of your garden.
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Avoid using pesticides, and let natural predators control your garden pests instead.
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Every little helps when you’re trying to improve your garden’s biodiversity. Whether you’re after pollinator-friendly plants, bird feeders or hedgehog houses, visit our centre to find everything you need.
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How to grow blueberries

Edible flowers to grow

8 ways to make a biodiverse garden