Monday, May 22, 2006
Availability list 22/05/06
A new Availability list is done go to www.jackdawsfield.co.uk to Download it.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Availability list 10/05/06
A new Availability list is done go to www.jackdawsfield.co.uk to Download it.
Notes and News May 06
We are again taking orders for Clematis armandii and its two varieties ‘Apple Blossom’ and ‘Snowdrift’ for delivery in 2007. These are grown to order for us so we need to have your order in as soon as possible; there is a (quite high) ceiling on the number of ‘Apple Blossom’ we can get so, if necessary, we will ration these out among orders received by the end of May. Please note that we will need to deliver these to you in early March next year, as we cannot hold them for any length of time because they grow so fast at that time of year and are easily damaged. I have heard that Holland is awash with seed-raised C. armandii available at a knock-down price but there are two major drawbacks to these which should stop them affecting demand for our cutting-raised real McCoy. Firstly they won’t flower when young, and secondly the flowers will not be as good. Our price will be £2.20 -£2.50 according to quantity and there will be an option to take them this autumn.
Another area where the Dutch are dominant is Aucuba but what they don’t offer (or didn’t) is A. ‘Crotonifolia’, which can be a good plant. There are a number of clones, including a male one (Hillier’s manual says it is a male clone) and females which don’t berry freely but the clone we are now offering carries good crops of berries. It doesn’t seem to bear any male flowers so presumably it is self-fertile (or does it depend on the proximity of male such as ‘Golden King’?). The leaves are predominantly gold, splashed with other shades and is not prone to reversion. Aucubas thrive in shade and tolerate drought.
While on the subject of drought (as I write this there is a deluge outside: did Tony Blair appoint a minister for drought in his cabinet
meltdown?) Phormiums, which are popular at the moment anyway, are the ultimate survivors for a dry season in planters or in the ground. We still have a good range available, including the relatively new ‘Alison Blackman’ which is both different to anything that is already on the market and quite interesting – being predominantly gold with stripes of various colours.
I know that 2006 has only just got going, but we are already propagating for next year and so we need your orders for those items that are listed in the catalogue as ‘To order only’. By the end of May the window of opportunity will have passed for only a few items, but during June we should be doing a large tranche of deciduous shrubs. If you would find it helpful we can send you the list of the ‘to order only’ items, marked with the last chance dates, for you to use as an order form.
Ribes have finished flowering and I always wonder why Ribes x gordonianum is not more widely grown. It is a hybrid between R.sanguinem (the common one) and R. odoratum which in itself is a pretty shrub with yellow flowers. R. gordonianum has flowers which are bronze-red on the outside, yellow on the inside and they are broader than e.g. R. ‘Pulborough Scarlet’.
Following this sheet you will find a short list of surplus stock plants that we have for sale. This list is continually evolving so if you place an order we will let you know if anything else has become available. They are priced to clear and give you the opportunity to do something with them and still make a margin. Delivery is normally included in the price assuming we are delivering
liners to you anyway, but we will let you know if we need to make a charge.
Another area where the Dutch are dominant is Aucuba but what they don’t offer (or didn’t) is A. ‘Crotonifolia’, which can be a good plant. There are a number of clones, including a male one (Hillier’s manual says it is a male clone) and females which don’t berry freely but the clone we are now offering carries good crops of berries. It doesn’t seem to bear any male flowers so presumably it is self-fertile (or does it depend on the proximity of male such as ‘Golden King’?). The leaves are predominantly gold, splashed with other shades and is not prone to reversion. Aucubas thrive in shade and tolerate drought.
While on the subject of drought (as I write this there is a deluge outside: did Tony Blair appoint a minister for drought in his cabinet
meltdown?) Phormiums, which are popular at the moment anyway, are the ultimate survivors for a dry season in planters or in the ground. We still have a good range available, including the relatively new ‘Alison Blackman’ which is both different to anything that is already on the market and quite interesting – being predominantly gold with stripes of various colours.
I know that 2006 has only just got going, but we are already propagating for next year and so we need your orders for those items that are listed in the catalogue as ‘To order only’. By the end of May the window of opportunity will have passed for only a few items, but during June we should be doing a large tranche of deciduous shrubs. If you would find it helpful we can send you the list of the ‘to order only’ items, marked with the last chance dates, for you to use as an order form.
Ribes have finished flowering and I always wonder why Ribes x gordonianum is not more widely grown. It is a hybrid between R.sanguinem (the common one) and R. odoratum which in itself is a pretty shrub with yellow flowers. R. gordonianum has flowers which are bronze-red on the outside, yellow on the inside and they are broader than e.g. R. ‘Pulborough Scarlet’.
Following this sheet you will find a short list of surplus stock plants that we have for sale. This list is continually evolving so if you place an order we will let you know if anything else has become available. They are priced to clear and give you the opportunity to do something with them and still make a margin. Delivery is normally included in the price assuming we are delivering
liners to you anyway, but we will let you know if we need to make a charge.
Surplus stock plants
We have a range of stock plants surplus to our requirments as follows:
- 87 Yucca Ivory 1 Litre Strong crowns with many toes, recently potted on from 1 litres so £2.00 will make very good plants.
- 71 Arundo donax 'Variegata' 7.5 litre Need to be potted on, but will make stonking specimens £2.00
- 26 Arundo donax 7.5 litre Need to be potted on, but will make stonking specimens
£2.00 - 50+ Sasaella glabra 'Albostriata' 5 litre For planting or potting on, as they have been in these pots too long. £3.50
- 50+ Indocalamus tesselatus 5 litre For planting or potting on, as they have been in these pots too long. £3.50
- 3 Cornus alba 'Aurea' 3 litre £1.50
- 18 Actinidia Hayward (female) 3 litre £2.00
- 15 Actinidia Tomuri (male) 3 litre £2.00
- 3 Sedum Frosty Morn 3 litre £1.25
- 20+ Trachelsospermum jasminoides 'Variegata' 25 litre £6.00
- 13 Escallonia illinita 3 litre For plantingto make a pretty evergreen hedge. £1.50
- 12 Salix myrsinifolia 5 litre Black stemmed willow £2.00
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Availability list 03/05/06
A new Availability list is done go to www.jackdawsfield.co.uk to Download it.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Friday, April 21, 2006
April 2006
We have always grown a wide range of hardy Fuchsias and despite a sterling effort at making a hash of it the RHS have come up with some interesting new awards after trialling. We have acquired stock of a number of these and we will be propagating them in small quantities this year. If you are interested in this group of plants the please let us know and we can make sure you get some to try out. Despite the overwhelming availability of Fuchsia plugs we maintain that there is still a good justification for a our robust liner that will require little work and a minimum of protection to produce a flowering plant
Orthrosanthus laxus is a perennial that has Wedgewood blue, starry flowers over iris like leaves. Grows and flowers without protection. 45-60cm
Molinia Skyracer is a grass to be grown as a specimen plant – I have seen it flower with the spikes reaching over three metres (although the books give it as only 2.5m). Like all Molinias it is completely herbaceous, but comes back to make a large clump of relatively broad leaves before the flower spikes appear.
Iris Sibirica hybrids produce flowers in a range of shades of blue from very pale to almost black, all marked with conspicuous veining and white bases to the falls. Height from 60-90cm.
Whenever we have Embothrium on offer I make the point that they cannot be grown in a standard compost: they will die as they are super efficient at extracting phosphate from their substrate and they will take up a lethal amount. Please ask for more information if you want to grow this very popular small tree which has fire-coloured flowers in late spring.
Corylus avellana ‘Aurea’ and Corylus maxima ‘Purpurea’ are both spectacular shrubs which respond best to being cut down hard each winter to maximise the size of the yellow and purple (respectively) leaves. The drawback to this is that you the don’t get many of the catkins which in both cases are particularly large and coloured like the leaves, so an alternative pruning regime is to only cut out half the current growth each year, but all the two year shoots which should have flowered. If left unpruned both become very large shrubs.
Although Lupinus arboreus and Lupinus chamissonis are relatively short-lived they are both worthwhile plants and will perpetuate themselves by seed. L. chamissonis is more compact than the L.arboreus and has finer leaves which are slightly hairy and give a silvery sheen to the plant; the flowers are blue with white keels. We are temporarily out of the yellow (species) form of L.arboreus but there will be more available soon and we also will have some white and some progeny from the variety ‘Barton on Sea’ which have a pinky tinge on yellow.
We have been impressed with the habit of Lotus hirsutus ‘Lois’ which is more spreading and branched than the rather upright type. Both have small, grey, trifoliate leaves which are intensely hairy giving the plant a very silvery appearance. Flowers are pea-like and pink, and can be followed by dark red, shiny seed pods. Lotus has a delicate appearance, which belies its hardiness and resilience although in pots it will defoliate if it gets too wet.
Arum italicum Marmoratum is an awkward plant in the nursery because it is summer dormant with its sagittate (arrow-shaped) grey-marbled leaves re-appearing in the autumn and lasting through the winter. Spathoid flowers appear in spring followed by ‘Lord and Ladies’ spikes of berries in the summer when the leaves are absent. Although the native types frequently grow under trees Arum Marmoratum should be planted in sun.
And finally for the benefit of climber growers who have waded through this far; have you ever tried Muehlenbeckia? The species has small round leaves while the form ‘Trilobata’ has three lobed leaves which subtly changes the look of the plant. Both are sprawling plants which, with support, will cover anything. The wiry stems are dark so the whole effect is dark, which in autumn is lightened by tiny, cream waxy flowers. It is certainly hardy in this part of the country and can be rampant in the south-west.
Orthrosanthus laxus is a perennial that has Wedgewood blue, starry flowers over iris like leaves. Grows and flowers without protection. 45-60cm
Molinia Skyracer is a grass to be grown as a specimen plant – I have seen it flower with the spikes reaching over three metres (although the books give it as only 2.5m). Like all Molinias it is completely herbaceous, but comes back to make a large clump of relatively broad leaves before the flower spikes appear.
Iris Sibirica hybrids produce flowers in a range of shades of blue from very pale to almost black, all marked with conspicuous veining and white bases to the falls. Height from 60-90cm.
Whenever we have Embothrium on offer I make the point that they cannot be grown in a standard compost: they will die as they are super efficient at extracting phosphate from their substrate and they will take up a lethal amount. Please ask for more information if you want to grow this very popular small tree which has fire-coloured flowers in late spring.
Corylus avellana ‘Aurea’ and Corylus maxima ‘Purpurea’ are both spectacular shrubs which respond best to being cut down hard each winter to maximise the size of the yellow and purple (respectively) leaves. The drawback to this is that you the don’t get many of the catkins which in both cases are particularly large and coloured like the leaves, so an alternative pruning regime is to only cut out half the current growth each year, but all the two year shoots which should have flowered. If left unpruned both become very large shrubs.
Although Lupinus arboreus and Lupinus chamissonis are relatively short-lived they are both worthwhile plants and will perpetuate themselves by seed. L. chamissonis is more compact than the L.arboreus and has finer leaves which are slightly hairy and give a silvery sheen to the plant; the flowers are blue with white keels. We are temporarily out of the yellow (species) form of L.arboreus but there will be more available soon and we also will have some white and some progeny from the variety ‘Barton on Sea’ which have a pinky tinge on yellow.
We have been impressed with the habit of Lotus hirsutus ‘Lois’ which is more spreading and branched than the rather upright type. Both have small, grey, trifoliate leaves which are intensely hairy giving the plant a very silvery appearance. Flowers are pea-like and pink, and can be followed by dark red, shiny seed pods. Lotus has a delicate appearance, which belies its hardiness and resilience although in pots it will defoliate if it gets too wet.
Arum italicum Marmoratum is an awkward plant in the nursery because it is summer dormant with its sagittate (arrow-shaped) grey-marbled leaves re-appearing in the autumn and lasting through the winter. Spathoid flowers appear in spring followed by ‘Lord and Ladies’ spikes of berries in the summer when the leaves are absent. Although the native types frequently grow under trees Arum Marmoratum should be planted in sun.
And finally for the benefit of climber growers who have waded through this far; have you ever tried Muehlenbeckia? The species has small round leaves while the form ‘Trilobata’ has three lobed leaves which subtly changes the look of the plant. Both are sprawling plants which, with support, will cover anything. The wiry stems are dark so the whole effect is dark, which in autumn is lightened by tiny, cream waxy flowers. It is certainly hardy in this part of the country and can be rampant in the south-west.
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