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Alpines and rockery plants for the garden

Alpines and Rockery plants You might ask yourself what is the difference? You may even wonder when a plant moves from an alpine to a shrub or herbaceous perennial – well we have the same problem. Again I’m sure that there is a system that the purists use and a well laid down RHS principle. Here at the nursery we group alpines and rockery plants together and as a general rule of thumb if it is small and not particularly rampant it fits into this group. We offer a large range of alpine plants all grown on the nursery. These range from the popular and reliable to the more unusual and slightly more difficult. How to grow them Alpines Technically, these are plants that grow in an alpine climate, which ‘occurs at high elevation and above the tree line’. Most alpines are very hardy, so can cope with cold winters. However they don’t like standing in wet soil - so the main thing to consider when growing them is drainage. They must be planted in a compost or soil that is supplemented with the addition of sharp sand or grit. If you are very lucky you may have an area that is

MIniature Hosta’s for sale and cultivation tips

Miniature Hosta's Hosta's are always a popular plant for the garden – highly valued for their structural, elegant foliage. They have a good life span and adore a shady spot, if this wasn’t enough, they produce tall plumes of lily like flowers. Gone are the days where you would have a plant completely latticed with snail bites due to the ever increasingly resilient varieties now available. Not only are the newer varieties very impressive but almost more so are the miniature varieties now available. These smaller miniature varieties are delightful and useful for those awkward shady low borders, they also lend themselves to being a plant you can be incredibly creative with, creating miniature fairy gardens and wonderful pot displays. By miniature, I don’t mean dwarf, I mean varieties that grow no higher than 15cm and are almost like alpine Hosta's. We initially started collecting our miniature Hosta’s at the RHS show but before we knew it, they became an addiction and the varieties have gradually increased over time! A particular favourite of mine is ‘Hand’s Up’ which is a miniature of ‘Praying Hands’. Before starting here at the Nursery, I had never seen a Hosta like

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Visit us at our Carmarthenshire nursery RHS Chelsea Gold Medal Winner Get advice and inspiration Helping You Grow since 1984 Customers outside of UK (including N.Ireland) Could all customers outside of the UK please contact us to place an order. New regulations have come into place you can read more here. As we have entered a Level 4 lockdown we are once again closed to visitors, we will still be operating a click and collect service, mail order and limited delivery service. Any queries please call us on 01559363389. GARDEN PLANTS PLANTS FOR WINTER PLANTING NEWS & INSPIRATION FROM OUR NURSERY WELCOME TO FARMYARD NURSERIES We are a retail nursery that pride ourselves on providing a wide range of hardy plants at affordable prices, alongside knowledgeable friendly advice. Established in 1982, we specialise in growing hardy plants including Hellebores, Schizostylis (Hesperantha), Primula Sieboldii, herbaceous perennials, alpines, bedding plants, shrubs, trees and more unusual and exotic plants such as Sarracenia. Our nursery in Carmarthenshire is

Christmas Gift Ideas For You

Christmas Gift Ideas I love Christmas! No, I'll rephrase that I love the idea of Christmas. I look forward to cosy evenings with my loved ones watching Christmas movies in front of the fire. I love wandering aimlessly through Christmas markets taking in the aroma of roasted chestnuts, gingerbread and mulled wine. I love getting caught up in the whole excitement and buzz and warmth that surrounds the festive period. I love the excitement of giving gifts....but....every year I find it more and more difficult to find that special Christmas gift. What I think of as a magical time can end up being quite stressful, and even as I hand my gifts over I still feel an element of uncertainty. Will my present be appreciated or will it just be put to one side and forgotten about? I scroll through the internet and gift guides searching for something to jump out at me. Now maybe it is just me, but I think deep down that everyone is searching for that something special. So to maybe help you out a little, we thought that we would put together a few ideas that are a little different. Just for

Living Roofs – More Than Just a Green Trend

Living Roof or Green Roof. For some people the idea of a living roof is just associated with environmentalists trying to sustain the planet. In some respects that is true, as living roofs will help to reverse some of the effects that decades of heavy industry have had on the environment. However, one of the first examples of a living roof is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World; The Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Designed by King Nebuchadnezzar II for his wife who missed the green fields and flowers of her homeland. The gardens were draped over stone pillars and roofs on a waterproof layer of reed and tar. Our ancestors were well aware of the value of living roofs. The Vikings had traditional wooden houses with low roofs covered in sod and plant material that would insulate, cool and feed the goats. Our needs are much the same nowadays, although not as many of us keep goats anymore. Settlers in North America constructed their homes completely from sod(turf), as there was a lack of trees on the prairie to build log cabins. They used upturned sod 'bricks' to create their roofs as the roots

Collections – A Simple Way to Buy

Collections If you are looking to buy several varieties of a plant but not sure which are available? Can’t decide which colours to buy? Want to save some money? Ideal gift idea or an easy way to start off a collection! Then why not buy one of our value collections, delivered directly to your door. They are all top quality plants. These are not second grade specimens or poor colours just an easy way to buy. Occasionally we will add un-labelled collections, again theses are good quality plants, but we have misplaced the labels and are unsure of the variety, so it is a lucky dip, but at an unbeatable price. We have the following available already Alpine Primula Chrysanthemum Crocosmia Geum Hardy Impatiens Hardy Impatiens (tender selection) Helleborus - Special Collection Helleborus - Value Collection Hemerocallis Hosta - Special Collection Hosta - Value Collection Primula auricula Primula auricula un-labelled Primula sieboldii Salvia Sarracenia Schizostylis Sempervivum And we will be adding more to this throughout the year Shop Collections

Winter Gardening Weekend 2020

Storm Dennis and the gardening weekend 2020. The week before one of our most important events of the year came storm Ciara... had it come a week later it would have ruined the whole event! at least that was what we thought. Little did we realise that storm Dennis would rush in exactly as we were opening the doors on the first day. The unlikely event of two storms a week apart was shocking. However the hall was all set out and we were ready to go whatever mother nature threw at us. We didn't expect much. To our amazement people turned out in droves. Friday, the best weather day of the three, was so busy we couldn't cope. 'Lets go before the worst of the storm comes' was a common phrase. Non stop from when we opened the doors it was incredible. Saturday came and yet again people flocked in to see our guest speakers. Not a chair was empty for James, Lindsey and Matthew. the whole event was buzzing despite torrential rain and 70 mph winds. Sunday was quieter, the long distance travellers often had to battle flooded roads, but again all the talks were

Conifers – which ones to choose

Conifers. Conifers are such a diverse group that they are often misunderstood. For example if you were to compare the giants that grow in California to its neighbours in the pygmy forests. Sequoiadendron giganteum (Giant sequoia) can grow to more than 95 metres and weigh upwards of 2 million Kilograms. In contrast the Cupressus goveniana (Californian Cyprus) and Pinus contorta (Lodgepole pine) only reach a height of 0.2m at full maturity in those situations. And there is a whole range of shapes and sizes in between and suitable for many purposes. They are mainly evergreen, and usually have needle shaped evergreen leaves. Although there are a few exceptions as conifers such as Larix (Larch) and Gingko are deciduous, so they will lose their leaves. Their seeds are usually attached to the scales of a woody bracted cone. This is where their collective name Conifer originated. But yet again, conifers are that diverse that there are a few exceptions. Yews have red fleshy berries that contain a toxic seed. Juniperus is known for its berry in gin making, it is still a cone but with unusually fleshy and merged scales that give it the appearance of a berry.

Rhodohypoxis for sale and cultivation tips

Rhodohypoxis Of all the alpine plants that we grow, these are by far the most rewarding. They flower for months and are really easy as long as you stick to a few basic principles. Rhodohypoxis are a small bulbous plant native to southern Africa, and is typically found in South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. The mountainous regions where it is found generally have a summer of rainfall followed by relatively dry winters. It is suggested that the conditions are recreated in order for them to thrive. If planted in your garden, then they need watering in the summer and protection in winter from our cold and wet climate. The combination of wet and cold can cause the corms to rot. Rhodohypoxis are ideal for alpine troughs and containers, which can be taken indoors or a greenhouse for winter. It is important though to keep them cool or they’ll need watering. They flower for months The great thing about them is the longevity of its flowering time. It will flower between late March and October. Creating an array of colourful blooms throughout the summer. The star shaped flowers range in colour from white to pink to red. And

Primulas – (the others) for sale and cultivation tips

Primula are herbaceous or semi-evergreen perennials, forming a basal rosette of simple leaves, with salver-shaped or bell-shaped flowers which may be solitary or carried in an umbel or in whorls on an erect stem.