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.