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Showing posts from 2014

New Year sapling giveaway

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To celebrate the start of the New Year, we’ve got 2,015 small sapling trees to give to any worthy causes that would like them for projects they are running in 2015.

A beginner’s guide to planting and choosing potatoes

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Growing and eating your own spuds can be great fun but if you’re unsure what to plant and when we’ve got a simple guide written by our potato expert, Tom Berry to help you along.

Preparing for spring

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January is traditionally a slow gardening month but if you want to get ahead for the season to come then why not drop in and get some free advice from our team of in-house experts…

Look after your birds this winter

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We are a resource of friendly free advice and this year if you’d like some help with what to feed the wild birds that visit your garden throughout the winter come and see us.

Learn to patchwork sew this New Year

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If you’re looking to learn a new skill this New Year you are invited to attend our patchwork sewing bee in our Craft Centre on Saturday 31st January from 10am until 1pm.

Father Christmas fundraises for Children’s Hospice SW

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Anyone who books tickets to see Santa in his grotto at the garden centre this year will be helping to raise invaluable funds for Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW).

Choosing a real Christmas tree

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Our Plant Team is offering visitors complimentary tips on real Christmas trees every day in December in the lead up to Christmas.

Pamper but don’t poison your pets this Christmas!

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We’re really looking forward to having representatives from James Wellbeloved visit on December 20th and 21st to chat to visitors about their animals’ nutritional needs.

Blooming lovely indoor colour

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It’s busy, busy, busy in the houseplants section of the garden centre at the moment. We’re all preparing for the biggest event of the year and making sure we have the best quality plants in-stock for the festive season.

Rudolph and friends help Santa arrive in style

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Ho, ho, ho! Families watched Father Christmas arrive here by reindeer and sleigh in November.

Aiden receives ‘Peace’ rose from Monkton Elm

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Aiden Wyatt from Taunton has recently received a ‘Peace’ rose from us to commemorate his Great, Great Grandfather who fought in World War One.

Pygmy goats and micro pigs star in our Christmas displays

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Miniature donkeys, ponies, pygmy goats and micro pigs are starring in our Christmas displays and are on-site during normal opening hours until Christmas Eve.

Send your wishes to Santa

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Children who want to send Santa their Christmas wish list will be able to post a letter to him for free here  until December 15th and receive a letter back from him.

Plant of the month - December - Poinsettia

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HOW THE POINSETTIA BECAME THE OFFICIAL CHRISTMAS PLANT This ever popular Christmas plant has an interesting history. A native of Mexico, it was introduced into the United States of America by Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first minister to Mexico, in the 1820's. In the wild it can reach 5 metres or more, and was once harvested as an important crop by the Aztecs during the 14th to 16th century, when its sap was collected and used to control fever, and the red bracts made a reddish dye.

Santa gears up for grotto with reindeer & sleigh arrival

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We’re inviting you to come and watch Father Christmas arrive by reindeer and sleigh and enjoy complimentary festive entertainment too.

Festive open evenings at Monkton Elm

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If you’re keen to get festivities underway why not come along to our Christmas Open Evenings on November 18th, 19th and 20th.

Christmas cake recipe delights with a difference

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Looking for a Christmas cake recipe with a difference? We are handing out our very own free festive recipe from now until Christmas, created by our Chef, Tom Elton. He has freshened up the traditional Christmas cake recipe by including ingredients such as Earl Grey tea.

Free advice on winter colour

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Would you like to find out how to add more colour to your garden this winter? Andrew Pitman our Store Manager will be hosting a free talk on the topic during our monthly Gardeners’ Group on November 4th.

Receive a ‘Peace’ rose at Remembrance Weekend

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We recently opened up our offer of a free ‘Peace Rose’ to people who have lost a relative or loved one in any conflict.

Keep it crafty

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We’re inviting keen crafters to come along to our Craft Club and work on their projects in the tranquil environment of our Craft Centre.

Plant of the month - November - Cyclamen

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Our choice plant of the month for November is the beautiful indoor Cyclamen persicum.

Donate pumpkins to charity display

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Do you have any surplus pumpkins? We’re asking you to donate your pumpkins to our Halloween displays in aid of charity.

Halloween pumpkin carving & facepainting

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To celebrate Halloween, we are giving the children the chance to create a pumpkin lantern, in our seasonal covered area from Saturday 25 th October until Friday 31 st October.

West is best for our new restaurant build

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We are aiming to keep the majority of our building work for our new restaurant with small to medium-sized businesses from the Westcountry rather than employing construction firms from further afield.

Autumn in the Plant Area

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The nights are certainly drawing in and it’s getting darker much earlier these days. Plant expert, Andrew, gives us the latest from the plantaria and some advice for autumn gardening…

Perfect roast beef with our chef, Tom Elton

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Hmmmm, delicious...here are a few of our Tom’s top tips on how to cook perfect roast beef...

Free Orchid Day

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Want to get some advice on looking after your orchid from an expert? Manos Kanellos from Growth Technology will be hosting an Orchid Day at the garden centre on Tuesday 7th October.

Jobs in the garden

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There’s plenty to be getting on with in the garden this month. Here are some of the tasks you could tackle this weekend.

Crochet classes for complete beginners

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Want to learn a new skill ready for when the nights draw in? Come along to our six-week course: Crochet for Complete Beginners.

Plant Of The Month - October - Conifers

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Conifers were very popular in the seventies where unfortunately it was almost overkill with conifers dominating many gardens, combining this with commonplace Leylandii monster hedges, they all got tarred with the same brush, “not suitable” or “old fashioned”.

Free advice on autumn planting

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We’re inviting amateur gardeners to our Bulb and Autumn Open Week from September 22 until 28 to get free advice on autumn planting.

Bright ideas with bulbs

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Autumn is already upon us and it is the perfect time to get out into the garden and plant spring flowering bulbs.

Restaurant milestone at Monkton Elm

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The new restaurant at Monkton Elm took a big and exciting step further forward this week (August 26, 2014) with construction starting on the main steel structure of the building.

Get planting this September

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We’re backing the Horticultural Trades Association’s (HTA) annual ‘Plan it, Plant it this Autumn’ campaign again this year.

Get buzzy at sewing bee

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Budding tailors are being invited to take part in sewing bee groups on Saturday, September 13th from 10.30am until 1pm and at 2pm until 4pm.

Autumn lawn care

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September is a key time to carry out annual maintenance on your lawn. Our sundries buyer, Sara Wildman, gives us her top tips on how to get ahead for 2015…

Plant Of The Month - September - Japanese Anemones

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Japanese Anemones – full of Eastern Promise The elegant Japanese Anemone ( Anemone hupehensis and A. x hybrida) always seems so delicate near the back of the herbaceous border, with pretty pink to white flowers held upon wiry stems. But this late bloomer is really as tough as old boots, making large clumps to enliven the Autumn gardens. Its strong stems need little if any support, often reaching over 1.5m high.

De-clutter your shed and donate unwanted tools

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Anyone who is de-cluttering their shed this autumn is being invited to donate their old and unwanted tools to our ‘Tools Shed’ programme.

Best In Show at Flower Show!

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Special thanks to Redwood Stone (http://www.redwoodstone.co.uk) for lending us the monument Our World War One memorial garden scooped a large gold medal and ‘Best in Show’ at this year’s Taunton Flower Show.

Remember a loved one and win a ‘Peace’ rose

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To commemorate the start of World War One we are giving away 500 Peace roses to people who visited our stand during this year’s Taunton Flower Show, and to our E-News subscribers.

How to get the best from your barbecue

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Are you hoping to host a few more barbecues this summer? Our very own Tom Berry, who is in charge of the Outdoor Living Department, gives us his top tips for getting the most out of your barbie.

Keep your pooches cool this summer

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We have all been trying to keep cool in the recent hot summer weather but it’s really important to consider your pets too. Our Pet & Reptile Centre Manager, Liz Woodward, has some top tips on caring for your dogs in the heat.  

Feed your pet the natural way

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Animal lovers who would like to feed their cat or dog with a natural, additive and preservative free food can try a new range we are stocking in our pet centre.

Things to do in the garden this August

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August can be a month to kick back and relax but if you want to get ahead for the new season then there are plenty of tasks that you could be doing. Here are a few tips from our horticultural experts.

Construction picture update - No.3

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Trucks queueing ready to take away tonnes of soil

Catch up on your crafts at Monkton Elm

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Crafty residents in Somerset can dedicate some time to their craft projects by attending our next Craft Club on Monday, July 21.

Construction picture update - No.2

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No more block paving here!

Are you a budding Banksy?

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ARTISTS from Somerset who like to create their masterpieces on walls are being invited to contact us this month (June, 2014) to help decorate some partitioning.

Free advice to help your garden bloom

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Gardeners from Somerset are being offered free advice from our Plantaria team on how to get their gardens blooming.

Cheers to a trio of new roles

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Our three senior managers have been given new roles in our award-winning business this month (June, 2014). General Manager, Norma Moore, Plant Manager, Andrew Pitman and Shop Manager, Steve Searle now form a new management team at the garden centre.