Early April

Spring has defiantly sprung here at Clifton Nurseries. As I write, the staff are working in tee shirts and the bees are out in force. It is a lovely start to the season and hopefully heralds a hot and sunny summer that will extinguish all memory of the previous two.

The nursery is filling up nicely. The herbaceous perennials are back from their over wintering ground and new stock has been brought in. Herbs are back too, even the first Basil plants (a little to early for my liking, but in a greenhouse or cool windowsill they’ll do fine - tomato seedlings, strawberries and salad plugs are also here and the same advice applies). Tender bedding plants have started to arrive too. These bright summer plants certainly give us all a lift, but please keep an eye on the weather forecasts and be ready to protect or bring in tender plants.

Many of you have told us that the cold, hard winter finished off plants that had survived for years in your gardens. Unfortunately, that is the nature of our climate. In most years London basks in a Mediterranean climate and deep frosts don’t penetrate, but every few years mother nature shows us who’s boss and snaps a frost. Pelargoniums (bedding geraniums) are the most common casualty, but I’ve heard of previously hardy shrubs and even young trees that didn’t make it – if you have been affected, don’t worry you are not alone, even some of the plants that we covered in fleece caught the frost.

PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW OPENING HOURS:

In response to customer demand, we are staying open until 7pm (Mon-Sat) through the busy spring and early summer. Our Sunday hours remain the same, and we will continue to open at 8.30 in the morning.

Happy gardening and we look forward to seeing you this spring.

Guy Pullen

Nursery Manager