WITH the days drawing out and the weather trying to improve, those with green fingers will be thinking about their spring gardening — Adrian Steele of Endsleigh Gardens Nursery offers his thoughts on good plants to have in your garden looking through spring and summer.

SPRING is here and even the most reluctant gardeners see all the colour and enthusiasm of life in both our gardens and in nature and get inspired.

If you travel to us over Greystone Bridge you will know exactly what I mean with the carpet of bluebells and wild garlic. Hopefully we have seen an end to the frosts, but do keep an eye on the weather. Everywhere there is soft, young growth, vulnerable to late frosts. 

Here at the nursery we are busy potting up all the young grafted plants which have healed up since they were grafted at Christmas. These will be the plants that our customers buy in a few year’s time.

For now, we have many interesting plants available here. If fed and watered properly and regularly deadheaded, these colourful and varied plants are good value, lasting until the first frosts.

As well as regular bedding we have in scented geraniums, an old fashioned favourite. ’Concolour Lace’ has frothy, bubbly foliage and bright pink flowers, ’Orange Fizz’ is strong growing and has pink flowers, whilst ’Fragrans’ is more delicate and elegant looking with graceful white flowers.

We also stock Impatiens (Busy Lizzies) which are making a comeback. They are a welcome return as, like fuchsias, they will thrive in shady places.

Alongside the bedding we have vegetable plants. As well as traditional, familiar types of vegetables like cabbage, runner beans, broccoli, curly kale, radishes and 16 types of tomato (techincally a fruit), we have more exotic fare like pak choi, mizuma, pumpkins, globe artichokes and chard.

Strawberries and a good range of chilli and sweet peppers are available too. Sweet peas, often part of the vegetable garden or allotment, can be bought as pots of seedlings.

On a larger scale we have a good range of fruit trees ready including apple and pear trees. The blueberries are showing their little pale lantern flowers. They appreciate acidic soil.

As it warms, so our range of herbs grows.

For those who prefer to look at plants and not eat them, the shrubs are looking lovely with the fresh, vibrant gold and orange foliage of the low growing spiraeas looking especially astonishing amongst the mass of green of the other shrubs. Hopefully, our wisteria arches will soon be in flower and we have young, grafted plants for sale. The young foliage of the trees is impressive too.

As well as potting, another job here at Endsleigh Gardens Nursery is getting out the young herbaceous plants that were potted earlier in the year. They are looking very lush and some are already flowering.

Rhododendrons are beginning to flower. ’Golden Torch’ with its flowers a complex mix of pale cream to bright pink shades, is especially lovely.

Japanese azaleas like ’Geisha Red’ are very colourful and the deciduous azaleas are beginning to colour. Remember, the deciduous Azaleas also have glorious autumn colour and some varieties are scented.

We are known at this nursery for, amongst other things, our Japanese maples (acers) and we currently have many types looking elegant in their fresh colours.

Many people like to grow them in pots and we recommend ericaceous compost for these and raising the pot off the ground with pot feet.

Acers do not like to dry out, but equally too much water is not to their liking. We sell decent sized plants, ready to go out into the garden or pot. There are red and purple varieties like ’Yezo Nishiki’, ’Inaba Shidare’, and ’Red Pixie’, with many habits and leaf shapes.

Green leaved varieties look fresh and elegant and provide fine autumn colour later on. ’Sango-kaku’ has lovely bark too and ’Orange Dream’ is a strong grower with varied tone of yellow and orange.

Cornus (flowering dogwoods) is another plant we cultivate and this year we have some new varieties as well as old favourites like ’China Girl’ and controversa ’Variegata’.

The new types like ’Gallilean’, ’Roberts Selectie’, ’Bultincks Giant Flower’ and ’Cappucino’ can all be seen here at the nursery.

If you like your garden you often find room in it for statues and it is worth mentioning that we have an interesting range of animals, classical subjects, heraldic creatures and birdbaths.

In between planting and visiting us, remember that the better weather also benefits the weeds, so keep on top of them. Your lawn now also needs cutting — and look out for slugs.

Tie in any new growth on plants like climbers and fruit trees as required. There is much to write about, much to do and even more to enjoy at this time of year.http://www.endsleighgardens.co.uk