Demanding times

Due to demand another new availability list is available from www.jackdawsfield.co.uk or drop us an e-mail (nick@jackdawsfield.co.uk) and we will send you one.

More Availability

A New availability list is available from www.jackdawsfield.co.uk or drop us an e-mail (nick@jackdawsfield.co.uk) and we will send you one.

Availability time!

A New availability list is available from www.jackdawsfield.co.uk or drop us an e-mail (nick@jackdawsfield.co.uk) and we will send you one.



It has been a while since I mailed the list, because I know that there is a period in the autumn when most of you just aren't ready to commit for next year, and we are kept busy by the few of you who are. However, that time has passed and you should delay no longer; we have propagated and potted very hard this summer and the list is longer than it ever has been with a huge range to choose from, but it will reduce in length from now on.
You should also peruse the catalogue for some items never make it onto the availability list as the pre-orders exceed what we can propagate, but if you don't ask you definitely will not get! You do not need to wait for the new catalogue as the one you should still have (but I can send another) is the one to use (read what it says on the cover).

Availability

Availability

A New availability list is available fromwww.jackdawsfield.co.ukor drop us an e-mail (nick@jackdawsfield.co.uk) and we will send you one.

Availability

A New availability list is available fromwww.jackdawsfield.co.ukor drop us an e-mail (nick@jackdawsfield.co.uk) and we will send you one.

Availability updates

A New availability list is available from www.jackdawsfield.co.ukor drop us an e-mail (nick@jackdawsfield.co.uk) and we will send you one.

Ceratostigma abyssinicum

Ceratostigma abyssinicum is not really hardy (Z9) but is a superb plant. It is more vigorous than the other shrubby members of the genus, and is more firmly attached to its roots than C. willmottianum. It will make a 1m specimen and bear sky blue flowers of astonishing intensity.

Abelia engleriana

Abelia engleriana is a hardy form growing about 1.5m like A. grandiflora, but with hairy rather than glossy leaves and soft pink flowers like A. schumannii, without the death wish. However botanists, helpfully, want to lump both A. schumannii and A. engleriana into A. uniflora, but these would then have to have cultivar names as they are distinct. They don't want to go that far, so we are sticking with the names we know.

Phormiums

We are now largely producing our own Phormiums, which means that we have stronger, larger plants, and the price has reduced over the last two years. The winters have not been kind to them, but we have some large plants in the ground which have survived, so they cannot be written off as tender, which some are trying to do.

Availability

A New availability list is available from www.jackdawsfield.co.uk or drop us an e-mail (nick@jackdawsfield.co.uk) and we will send you one.

Passion flowers

If passion flowers are your thing then please send me an e-mail to let me know. A lot is happening here, but it is too soon to give any details.

Billbergia nutans

Billbergia nutans is a bromeliad, making a bright green, suckering rosettes, to 40cm, from which arise the most striking of flowers, being rose pink, edged with violet. It is not hardy, Z9, but well suited to pot culture.

Azara microphylla

Azara microphylla is a slow-growing, hardy evergreen tree ( we have one about 4m after 20 years) with very small shiny leaves. Its chief attraction is the chocolaty smell from its small inconspicuous yellow flowers which on a still spring day can spread over a considerable distance, causing mayhem among chocoholics. Actually the smell is vanilla, but that's what popular chocolate smells of; (the same problem exists with chocolate flavoured beers, but don't get me started). Although it is attractive in itself, it is a plant for the back of a border.

Fuchsia magellanica 'Threave'

A few years ago we added about twenty hardy Fuchsias to the range and more than half of them have proved popular and are still with us. I would be reluctant to drop Fuchsia magellanica 'Threave' but it needs some supporters if it is to keep its place. It makes a compact dome to about 40cm with small glossy leaves and masses of small, very glossy, red and purple flowers. Please try it, you will like it and I hope your customers do as well. It is very similar, at least on the nursery, to F. 'David'.

Hedychiums

We are currently offering a few Hedychiums, which I know little about, as they come from a customer of ours, but you can check them out at http://www.gardengingers.co.uk/ They will not remain on the list for much longer, because of the logistics of the job.

Availability

A New availability list is available from www.jackdawsfield.co.ukor drop us an e-mail (nick@jackdawsfield.co.uk) and we will send you one.

Surplus Stock plants

As usual we've had a look through our stock plants and decided we have a surplus. We will want to get these out of our way as early as we can. Delivery probably included, if we normally deliver to you with our own transport.

12 Amicia zygomeris in 20L pots "cut back" good for growing on £4 each

1 Anisodonta capensis in 10L pot, good for planting growing on and re-sale £3

3 Anisodonta x hypomandarum in 5L Pots good for planting growing on and re-sale £2.50

12 Arundo donax in 15L Pots "Cut back" good for planting and re-sale £3

6 Buddleja crispa in 10L Pots good for planting growing on and re-sale £2.50

3 Caryopteris cl Arthur Simmonds in 5L Pots," Bushy" good for planting growing on and Re-sale £1.50

5 Caryopteris cl Kew Blue in 15L Pots, "Bushy" good for planting growing on and re-sale £4

1 Ceratostigma abyssinicum 20L Pot, "Bushy" good for planting and re-sale £10

2 Cercidiphyllum jap. Pendulum 15L "Excellent 2 meter tall" good for planting and re-sale £25

7 Cornus alba Aurea 5L "Good" good for planting growing on and re-sale £22

5 Correa Dusky Bells 2L "Good" good for planting growing on and re-sale £1.50

5 Fuchsia thymifolia 3L "Good" good for planting growing on and re-sale £1.50

5 Furcraea longaeva 5L "Excellent" good for growing on and re-sale £5

9 Teucrium fruticans Compactum 5L "Good but Brittle" good for planting and re-sale £1.50

Camelias

We have a list of the Camellias that are available please contact us at nick@jackdawsfield.co.uk or call us on 01403 891473 and we will be delighted to send you a copy.

Availability List

A New availability list is available from www.jackdawsfield.co.uk or drop us an e-mail (nick@jackdawsfield.co.uk) and we will send you one.

Happy Grafting

We have completed our grafting for this year - Wisterias, Corylus, Hibiscus, Campsis, Hamamelis and Cercidiphyllum. There are pictures of the process (and the team doing it) soon to be on the website. The range of Wisterias has increased to thirteen, so here is the rundown on them.

White. 'Longissima Alba' and 'Alba' both have medium length racemes of glistening white flowers. They are very similar to each other, and if you believe the most authoritative book (by Peter Valder) on Wisterias they are the same variety, as are all other white forms of W. floribunda. The Plantfinder concurs with this view, so we may do soon, if our plants are the same. (Syn 'Snow Showers' ,'Shiro-noda', 'Shiro-nagi')

'Shiro-kapitan' (syn 'White Silk' as I understand it but not according to the Plantfinder) is a form of W. brachybotrys so flowers earlier than the W. floribunda types and has short, thick racemes. The flowers really do shine with their whiteness.

Pink. 'Kuchi Beni' (syn. 'Peaches and Cream', 'Lipstick') opens pale pink, but quickly fades to white unless the wether is very dull. 'Hon Beni' (syn 'Pink Ice', 'Rosea') is a deep, girly, pink and does not fade. 'Showa Beni' is a W. brachybotrys type with short, early, deep pink racemes.

Double According to Valder there is only one double Wisteria and we call it 'Black Dragon', but the Plantfinder prefers 'Yae-kokuryu'. However the Plantfinder now cites a Japanese botanist who says there are two forms - the other of which of which it is giving the well-used name 'Violacea Plena'.

Therefore I don't know which we have but, whatever, it is at its most impressive as the buds are opening, when the colour is most intense; as it opens the colour is not that great in my opinion.

Which leaves the blues. I like 'Harlequin' because its flowers are fully open before the foliage unfolds so against a wall it is a good choice. 'Macrobotrys' has the longest racemes and really should be grown where the flowers can hang freely. 'Geisha' and 'Lawrence' are good selections with long narrow racemes with very many florets which intensifies the colour. 'Domino' is a good deep blue, Buford is vigorous form with large florets and long racemes and I know very little about 'Russelliana' except our stock came from a plant so named among the collection at Cannington and it should be a strong colour.

We graft Campsis because if the scion wood is taken from plants which flower (which ours do) then the grafts will flower from the first year - unlike their, much cheaper, cutting-raised siblings. We cane these as they grow and terminal flower buds start to appear in July, so if they are potted on in June you will have a saleable plant in flower in August when there is no footfall. Heigh-ho

As yet the range and quantities of Hibiscus are limited, but please let us know if you are interested - they do not appear on the list quite yet.

If we do one variety of anything we do ten and that is how many Hamamelis we have, but very few of each and we don't know how many will take (success so far has been erratic) Let us know ...

Cercidiphyllum japonicum Pendulum is just a beautiful tree - it has the pros (lovely autumn colour and smell) and cons (really doesn't like late frost) of the species but the form is prettier. We still have two fine specimens on the stock plant spares list - go on treat yourself at your business's expense.

We do Corylus in purple and yellow; nothing startling but both make excellent specimens with some shoots pruned out each year and some left to produce catkins for the next year

And that is why we graft. I hope we will see some of you at GAN next week.

Catalogue

The new 2011 Catalogue is now available on our website,please go to www.jackdawsfield.co.uk to download it.

Vinca major 'Jason Hill'

I wrote two years ago about a Vinca that we couldn't name, but it was too pretty not to propagate and we have now identified it as Vinca major 'Jason Hill'. it has dark green foliage to about 20 cm and the flowers are like blue velvet. A picture is attached, but it doesn't capture the intensity of the flower colour.

Tanacetum densum 'Amani'

Tanacetum densum 'Amani' is rated as Z7 which is not something you would expect from its appearance having very soft, divided (in fact pinnatisect) leaves. I think winter wet would be more of a threat to it, but is a pretty and very tactile plant.

Euphorbia characias 'Portugese Velvet'

Attached are two images of Euphorbia characias 'Portugese Velvet', showing the soft velvety foliage and the well-coloured flowers. It does not grow as large as some of its kind, less than 1m, making a compact dome of foliage.

Philadelphus delavayii

Philadelphus delavayii is a 'once seen, never forgotten' variety. It may be a bit large for many gardens at 2m tall, but the white flowers have purplish nodding stalks and are borne in clusters giving a stunning effect.

Holodiscus discolor

We haven't grown Holodiscus discolor for many years, but it is a very good plant - a medium-sized, upright, deciduous shrub topped by white Astilbe-like flowers in early summer. The foliage is attractive as the leaves are soft and lobed (like an oak leaf).

Anisodonta x hypomandarum

Anisodonta x hypomandarum has larger flowers, which are purple veined and deeper pink in colour than A. capensis. It is not really hardy (Z9) but is so fast growing that it will make a good size in a season, and in the right, dry and sheltered, spot it will flower almost continuously.

Clematis

We can offer Clematis armandii and C. a. 'Snowdrift' for April delivery, but we need the orders for these as soon as possible. These are traded items and because they grow so fast in the spring and are prone to damage when handled it is vital that we hold them for as short a time as possible so we will only be able to supply those that are pre-ordered.

Ferns

During 2010 we reintroduced ferns to our range. I am not going to pretend that we propagate these (the Dutchman who does produces 44 million annually so why try to emulate that?). The most important production tip is the to keep them shaded and not too hot, but there are other factors which are important to some varieties, particularly wet/dry tolerance and pH. Please ask if you need some further guidance - a cribsheet is in preparation. If there are other types that you would like to grow I can send you the full list that is available to us.

Availability list's

A new availability list is ready. Please go to www.jackdawsfield.co.uk to download it. Alternatively you can give us a call on 01403 891473 or e-mail nick@jackdawsfield.co.uk and we can put you on our e-mailing list or send you a copy by post whenever we generate a new one.

Hydrangea macrophylla 'All Summer Beauty

Hydrangea macrophylla 'All Summer Beauty' is a pink mophead that will repeat flower during the growing season because it will flower on sideshoots of the current season's growth, whereas all the older varieties will only produce flowers at the end of shoots which arise directly from buds formed in the previous year. It is not the only new variety that has this ability, but it is the only one that is not subject to PBR. The advantage for both the grower and the gardener is that the plants can be pruned as needed to contain their growth without the risk of losing a year's flowering. What a common question it is from the public: "Why does my Hydrangea never flower?"

New year Availability and some changes

We have a lot of new lines in production, or nearly. The new catalogue will be in the post within a fortnight, but in the meantime there is plenty to tempt you on the new Availability list available at www.jackdawsfield.co.uk

The catalogue will indicate items that are new to the listing and I plan to re-introduce the system that marks items on the availability list that are not in the catalogue. There are always items we catalogue that will never appear on the availability list (because they sell out in advance) and there are always items on the availability list that are not in the current catalogue (for a variety of reasons) so you do need to consult both to get the most from our range.

Camellia availability

If you would like to know about the availability of Camellia's give us a call on 01403 891473 or click on the link for details. http://www.jackdawsfield.co.uk/ave/Camellia.pdf

Stock Plant Surplus

To find details of our Surplus stock plant sale please give us a call on 01403 891473 and we will e-mail you the list. Or go to http://www.jackdawsfield.co.uk/ave/sps.pdf