Monkton Elm News, Events and Tips Blog

Chelsea Flower Show is the pinnacle of the gardening year – for over 100 years it has been inspiring gardeners worldwide. The extensive television coverage it now attracts means that everyone can enjoy a little piece of loveliness. The many glorious show gardens are always outstanding and a common thread amongst them is often the Allium bulb. 

Butterflies are among the most beautiful wild creatures you can attract to your garden, but they are becoming rarer. You can help reverse this decline by creating a butterfly garden.

Having a beehive in your garden can bring you closer to nature and rewards you with delicious honey to eat, plus you’re helping to pollinate your plants and those in your neighbourhood.

On a decent day, if you’ve got the urge and your secateurs are handy, it’s time to get out into the garden and give a few things a haircut.

Our Managing Director, Mike Lind, has been announced as the Chairman elect for 2018/19 for one of the nation’s leading horticultural bodies, the Garden Centre Association (GCA).

A bigger Californian Lilac giving year round structure and leaf colour as well as a rich display of spring flowers.  

Despite Good Friday being traditionally the last day for getting your seed spuds in, it is still Ok to plant them throughout April.

Children from Somerset can get up close to some furry friends and some slimy ones too during our Pet Centre’s Cuddle Club on Saturday, April 15 from 10am until 4pm.

We will be offering free gardening advice to all of our customers on all aspects of gardening as part of National Gardening Week from Monday, April 10 until Saturday, April 15.

Now that the evenings are lighter and the weather is slowly improving, it’s time to think about giving your garden a spring clean. Many people spring clean the home so why not the garden too?

If you were lucky enough to receive an orchid for Mother’s Day or have simply picked up one of the plants as a treat to yourself then you’re probably wondering how best to care for it.

We’re inviting Somerset crafters to put their sewing skills to the test and help raise money for charity this year (2017).

If you’re growing some fruit and vegetables this year then we have a couple of quick five minute fixes you should be putting into practice this month, whether you’re growing on a patio or an allotment:

Tomatoes are one of the easiest crops to grow if you haven’t tried GYO before. Nothing beats the satisfaction of eating your own, home-grown produce, so we’ve put together a handy step-by-step guide to help you if you’re a bit of a beginner.

The Easter bunny has visited us and hidden treasure all around the garden centre and we are challenging children to find it all for the chance to win a prize. Treasure hunt forms will be available from our reception desk from Monday, April 3 until Thursday, April 13 and these include helpful instructions on how to take part.

We’re offering you the chance to get free gardening advice and hints and tips on all aspects of gardening from Grown Your Own (GYO) to patio plot planting this and next month (March and April, 2017).

The primrose is a native European plant, which derives its name from the Latin ‘prima’, or first, and ‘rosa’ or rose. The first rose, meaning a symbol for the arrival of spring in the UK.

March signals the official start of spring so it’s time to think about colourful pots to enhance your patio or frame your front door.

Treat mum to lunch in our restaurant on Mothering Sunday, March 26. We’ll have soup for starters followed by Pynes of Somerset beef and our famous homemade Yorkshire puddings or Pynes of Somerset turkey breast with delicious homemade stuffing.

Children from Somerset are invited to have a go at making their mums a special present for Mothering Sunday.

This March match your Mum’s star sign to flowers and plants and give her a Mothering Sunday gift that really suits her personality.

Winter garden fragrances come principally from flowering shrubs and bulbs. Shrubs close to paths are best as when you go by them you get a wonderful whiff.

We asked our top plantsman, Andrew Pitman for his gardening tips for the month and this is what he said…

Andrew Pitman, our leading plantsman, talks about his favourite plant for February, the Prunus subhirtella ‘Autumnalis Rosea’. 

With spring rapidly approaching it's time to think about some wonderful colour for your garden for the months ahead. For February we have chosen three traditional favourites. 

The British back garden is becoming increasingly important for all sorts of wildlife.

Our gardening experts say if you’re making a ‘to do’ list for February here are a few things to pop on it:

  Feed Due to the longer days, houseplants may start growing again. You can begin feeding them again, but use a dilute 50% fertiliser mix until the growth is well established.

Before buying a bouquet or a pot of something this Valentine’s Day you might want to check out our Victorian Flower Code to see what the blooms you’ve selected really mean.

Keeping your garden safe from thieves is a difficult task.

  Viburnums are among the most reliable, hardy and rewarding shrubs you can grow and will cope with almost any soil or aspect. It is a large genus of more than 150 species with mainly white or pink flowers, some very fragrant, with the potential for flowers all the year round with careful choice.

The fab folks at Children’s Scrapstore Taunton will be hosting free Valentines-themed craft activities in our Elm Tree restaurant on Monday, February 13 from 10am until 2pm.

  During January, your garden could need protecting from all sorts of weather conditions from frosts and snow flurries to heavy rain and wind. It is important to make sure you check any ties, stakes or other supports for damage and replace them if necessary. 

Feeling like getting out in the garden today to do some jobs...here are some of Andrew’s tips for what to do in your garden now.

  There are very few varieties that won’t reward with a moderate crop. Westcountry soil is varied and frequently on the acidic side, but what if you have light or heavy soil?

We want you to get involved with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds’ (RSPB) Big Garden Birdwatch from Saturday, January 28 until Monday, January 30.

Children are the future generation of gardening and we believe it’s extremely important to get them out into the fresh air and learning all about horticulture as soon as possible.