What's the frequency?

It has always been our intention to try and strike a balance between not sending the list so often as to be a nuisance, but sufficiently often so that you are kept up to date. In practice this has meant sending every four weeks, but some customers (well, two) have asked to have the list every week. If this appeals to you then please let me know. Sorry there is no newsletter - I have things to say but not enough time to write them.

Foeniculum Giant Bronze

Foeniculum Giant Bronze if a plant of our times. It is at its most attractive when the fronds are unfurling and at its worst when it starts to set seed (and it can become a weed). However it tolerates the hardest of pruning so you can always have it at the attractive stage

Dieramas

Dieramas are propagated from seed, and therefore have the potential to be variable. However we have found the variability to be excessive in the named forms, particularly Blackbird, and have stopped growing these. To meet the demand for large darker coloured flowers we have added two species D. robustum and D. jacundum which both meet this requirement and are a good substitute for the most popular D. pulcherrimum. Again there is a cribsheet.

Centaurea cineraria

Centaurea cineraria is most often seen as a dot plant in bedding schemes or planters because of it's attractive silvery feather foliage. It doesn't naturally fit with our range except for the fact that it unexpectedly hardy being rated at Z6

Wisterias

We have increased our range of Wisterias again, but still concentrating on the two most popular which are "Black Dragon" and "Macrobotrys" (double and long racemes respectively), but this doesn't mean that they are the best or most attractive varieties. The full Wisteria cribsheet is available at www.jackdawsfield.co.uk

Vitis coignetiae

In our stock ground we have acquired a collection of different forms of Vitis coignetiae; it wasn't planned like that, but different acquisitions have turned out to be different forms of a variable species.

We only propagate two of them currently (even we have some limits); the "traditional" form with a large, matt leaves and autumn colour which can be red, orange or yellow and V.c. 'Sunningdale' which has glossier leaves, which are more toothed, bronzy when young and reliably turn scarlet in autumn. Its downside from our point of view is that it is harder to propagate. This species in general is only grown for the leaf colour, but last year it, and all our other ornamental vines, produced a lot of grapes.

Skimmia Red Riding Hood

Skimmia Red Riding Hood returns to our list after a very long break. It is a compact form with leaves about half the size of S. Rubella, branching freely to make a wide spreading mound to about 60cm. The flowers are fragrant and it does indeed have red berries Like all Skimmias it needs to be grown in shade, on the nursery and when planted, to keep a good colour to the leaves.

Rhamnus Argenteovariegata

Rhamnus Argenteovariegata did not enjoy the weight of snow we had, but it is completely hardy and wind resistant, despite not giving that impression. As a an individual plant or an informal barrier it always looks bright and is a good background for plants with showy flowers

Callistemon glaucus

This winter has been a test for the hardiness of plants, and doubtless some unexpected losses will become apparent while others with dubious reputations have come through unscathed. Callistemon glaucus is one of these which has thrived with us in the ground for many years. It is a reliable flowerer - bright red bottle-brushes - and has attractive foliage at all times.

Abelias

Abelias could well no longer be Abelias if botanists prevail, but for the time being they are. Abelia chinensis is mid-summer flowering with fragrant pale pink, tubular flowers in large clusters, which are extremely attractive to butterflies. Although lacking the glossiness of A. grandiflora it is still an attractive shrub. Completely hardy, for full sun or part shade.

Leycesteria Gold Leaf

Leycesteria Gold Leaf is a seed raised form and is not the patented one. It is similar in habit to the species Leycesteria formosa, but a little les vigorous, and the leaves are a deep gold colour with red tinges. The foliage is a good contrast to the purple bracts around the flowers.

Availability time!!!!!

An updated Availability list is ready.
A new Availability list is done. Go to www.jackdawsfield.co.uk to Download it or e-mail nick@jackdawsfield.co.uk and ask to be sent one automatically as soon as a new list is done each week.

What do Dierama's and Wisteria's Have in common?

New versions of the Dierama and Wisteria crib sheets are available at www.jackdawsfield.co.uk that's what!

Availability

An updated Availability list is ready.
A new Availability list is done. Go to www.jackdawsfield.co.uk to Download it or e-mail nick@jackdawsfield.co.uk and ask to be sent one automatically as soon as a new list is done each week.

Jackdaws' Field Nursery surplus stock plants January 2010

• 17 Aruncus dioicus Kneiffii 3Litre £2.00 Suitable for planting, growing on and retail. Dormant - choice plant.
• 60 Arundo donax 15 Litre £4.00 Suitable for planting, growing on and retail. Cut back
• 60 Arundo donax Var 15 Litre £4.00 Suitable for planting, growing on and retail. Cut back will be huge by summer
• 16 Aster thomsonii Nanus 3 Litre £1.50 Suitable for planting, growing on and retail. Dormant
• 1 Beschorneria yuccoides 25Litre £10 Suitable for planting and growing on. Has reached flowering size
• 17 Caryopteris cl Arthur Simmonds 2 Litre £1.20 Suitable for planting, growing on and retail
• 6 Caryopteris cl Dark Knight 15 Litre £4.00 Suitable for planting and retail
• 4 Caryopteris cl Ferndown 20 Litre £5.00 Suitable for planting and retail
• 5 Caryopteris cl Grand Bleu 7.5 & 25 Litre £2.50/£5.00 Suitable for planting, growing on and retail
• 10 Caryopteris cl Heavenly Blue 10 Litre £3.00 Suitable for planting, growing on and retail
• 5 Caryopteris cl Kew Blue 7.5 Litre £2.50 Suitable for planting, growing on and retail
• 3 Caryopteris Sunshine Blue -rylty pd 7.5 Litre £2.50 Suitable for planting, growing on and retail
• 17 Caryopteris Sunshine Blue -rylty pd 5 Litre £2.00 Suitable for planting, growing on and retail
• 5 Caryopteris First Choice 25 Litre £5.00 Suitable for planting and retail
• 1 Cestrum newelli 20 Litre £2.50 Suitable for Retail
• 30 Cestrum newelli 2 Litre £1.20 Suitable for Growing on
• 14 Correa Dusky Bells 1 Litre £1.20 Suitable for planting, growing on and retail
• 2 Crinodendron patagua 25 Litre £5.00 Suitable for planting, growing on and retail
• 5 Crinodendron patagua 2 Litre £2.50 Suitable for planting, growing on and retail.1.5m tall
• 7 Lonicera purpusii Winter Beauty 3 Litre £1.50 Suitable for planting. rather old (and large for the pot). Flower bud
• 7 Loropetalum ch.v. rubrum Fire Dance 25 Litre £5.00 Suitable for planting and retail. Large plants, umbrella shaped on a clean stem.
• 13 Pandorea jasminoides album 7.5 Litre £2.50 Suitable for growing on and retail
• 15 Perovskia Blue Spire 10 Litre £3.00 Suitable for planting and retail
• 7 Podranea ricasoliana 5 Litre £2.50 Suitable for growing on and retail Caned plants, about 1.5m.
• 38 Trachelospermum jasm Majus 7.5 Litre £3.00 Suitable for planting, growing on and retail Caned plants, about 1m.
• 8 Vitis coig Claret Cloak - ryty pd 25 Litre £5.00 Suitable for planting and retail. Very solid plants
• 10 Zantedeschia Pershore Fantasia 2 Litre £1.20 Suitable for Retail. All showing variegation but they do revert very freely

Availability

Our first availability list of a new season is available now at www.jackdawsfield.co.uk to Download it or e-mail nick@jackdawsfield.co.uk and ask to be sent one automatically as soon as a new list is done each week.. Unusually it is going to our entire mailing list at the same time, so some lines will sell very quickly. Our 2010 catalogue will be posted within the next two weeks, and there are catalogued items that are not on this list but will still be available this season.

Availability

An updated Availability list is ready.
A new Availability list is done. Go to www.jackdawsfield.co.uk to Download it or e-mail nick@jackdawsfield.co.uk and ask to be sent one automatically as soon as a new list is done each week.

Another Availability list

An updated Availability list is ready.
A new Availability list is done. Go to www.jackdawsfield.co.uk to Download it or e-mail nick@jackdawsfield.co.uk and ask to be sent one automatically as soon as a new list is done each week.

Availability

An updated Availability list is ready.

A new Availability list is done. Go to www.jackdawsfield.co.uk to Download it or e-mail nick@jackdawsfield.co.uk and ask to be sent one automatically as soon as a new list is done each week.

Cordyline indivisa

Cordyline indivisa in the wild occurs at higher altitudes than C. australis and therefore should be hardier, which is curious as it has much wider leaves that in our windy climate is not generally helpful for hardiness but it will survive to at least –5C. The broad leaves are the reason for growing it and they should have longitudinal red stripes – which ours do. The difficulty that the two species hybridise freely and pure C.indivisa is rare with a complete range of variation in the hybrids. Even micropropagated plants are not always true to name.