A splash of colour in the garden brightens gloomy days

Well here we are at the start of 2017 and firstly may we wish you all a happy and healthy new year. Things here at the nursery have started at a relaxed pace as we reboot ourselves after the Christmas and New Year celebrations, but as each day goes by during this month we will find ourselves getting back into the swing of things.

We have been adding more plants to the website with more to come over the next couple of months in the hope we can keep you interested and entice you with new or different plants. Many of the early flowering bulbs and corms are starting to emerge from their slumber and we can’t wait for them to come into flower, particularly the beautiful Corydalis solida cultivars which always give a wonderful show.

We already have flower on Narcissus romieuxii ssp albidus with many others getting ready to come into bloom and undoubtedly their splashes of colour dotted around the nursery and our small garden are enough to raise our spirits on even the gloomiest of mid-winter days.

Our 'Flights of Fancy' restaurant has reopened its doors after the Christmas break with plenty of hungry residents already visiting on a regular basis. Armies of birds descend on our garden as the temperature drops: first will be the little Mandarins (blue tits - the drawing below is by our grandson Sam) followed closely by the Royal Regiment of Red Caps (goldfinches). The restaurant welcomes many species of birds including nuthatches, long tailed tits, robins and wagtails to name just a few.

Mr B A has been busy making sure his menu is up to scratch, getting in fresh supplies of lard for the gourmet cake which is a great favourite. I have been out shopping for the supplies of nuts and seed which come in large sacks. We have also been putting up more small nesting boxes in the garden and around the nursery, and have just acquired some owl boxes which will go up soon.

Many of you may know that we have been desperate to start the landscaping at the nursery and this finally commenced in the autumn with fencing now complete and beech hedging planted. The ground-levelling and large tree planting came to a halt before Christmas due to heavy rain, making the ground unsuitable for the mini-excavator. We are on heavy clay which quickly turns into a quagmire after a few days of constant rain. We are determined to spend a little time each day on this project once the weather improves and the evenings longer and lighter. (The photo below was taken back in the autumn - didn't we enjoy a glorious extended summer.)

It has been lovely to hear from customers over the past 12 months complimenting us on the plants we have sent and the quality of our packaging. It is always nice to know that plants have arrived in good order and we love to hear about where our plants are going to spend their days. You can read some of their comments here.

Thank you to you all for your continued custom and support and we hope you enjoy browsing our collection online.

Iris reticulata 'Katharine Hodgkin' is one of the first iris to flower with unusual pale blue and yellow flowers in early spring. It's one of our favourites that has stayed with us for over 30 years.

Anemone nemorosa 'Royal Blue' is one of several woodland anemones that serve to brighten up our days at this time of year. Carpet forming and easy to maintain they are a true jewel in the garden.

Trillium grandiflora Flore Pleno is a particularly special plant to have in the garden. It takes four growing seasons to flower, but once established it gives a wonderful display year after year.

Bellevalia paradoxa provides a wonderful display of smoky blue florettes in early spring but is not an invasive grape hyacinth cultivar. Easily grown in well-drained soil in the garden or in containers.

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We accept online orders from across the UK and many European countries. Postage and packaging will be added automatically at the checkout and you can find out more about our pricing here. We understand the cost of postage is high and are constantly looking for alternative providers who can help us reduce costs. For most of the UK we offer a 24 hour postage service and for Northern Ireland, the north of Scotland and Highlands & Islands we aim for plants to arrive within 48 hours. We will pass on any cost savings to customers as and when we can.

You can purchase our plants securely online via PayPal but please note you do not require a PayPal account to do this. PayPal will give you the option of paying by credit or debit card at the checkout stage. However, if you are not comfortable buying online, or are having any problems with PayPal, please contact us. We are happy to accept a cheque as payment for your order, and we can take orders via telephone. If you live locally or are going to be travelling to North Devon, we are happy to arrange for you to collect your order from the nursery. However, please note we are not generally open to the public.

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