Buckingham Garden Centre collect Highly Commended title for best Plant Area at this years Garden Retail Awards

Chuffed to bits (picture l-r) : Sarah Brill (Plant Area Manager), Me (Plant Merchandising Manager) and Pauline Brown (partner, Buckingham Garden Centre) at this month's awards ceromony at The Royal Gardens Hotel, Kensington, London on 12th November 2008. Full details (see link).

New kid on the block...

Good to see Toby Buckland at the helm of BBC2's Gardeners' World... I've met Toby and interviewed him a few years ago when I edited Water Gardening magazine, and he always comes across as a knowledgable, passionate gardener who just gets on with it.

Wisley Glasshouse

Great structure, amazing plants, a jungle that gives the Eden Project a run for its money, but on a much smaller scale.

Plant of the Moment

It's got to be Hydrangea grandiflora paniculata, those amazing candy-floss like flowerheads almost float above the mid-green foliage. This is a must-have shrub everyone should make space for.

Wisley Day Out

Over 40 Buckingham Garden Centre customers visited the Royal Horticultural Gardens at Wisley in August. Some pictures of a day of sunshine, showers and horticultural excellence.

What a difference 5 weeks makes - same plot after the snow!!

18th May, just 5 weeks after the snow and what a difference!

Raised beds installed

Good timing... the new veg raised beds are now in position and ready for action this spring. The entire area surrounding the potting shed/greenhouse is being turned over to fruit and vegetable production. We are busy sowing, under glass, and chitting potatoes in readiness to planting.

We'll keep you updated on their progress over the coming months....

Why should you get switched on to plug plants?


Get creative and ideas-driven with a flying start this summer, says Chris Day.

How impatient are you? Come on, be brutally honest now! The way we garden and how much time we spend doing it really depends on our lifestyle but when those ever-so innovative nurserymen decided to market part-grown seedlings and cuttings just a few years ago, they were on to a winner from day one. Because, let’s be frank here, when it comes to germination, our patience can be stretched to the extreme!

Please don’t get me wrong I still grow plants from seed, but guaranteed results, especially with bedding plants, is what we want these days. That explains why major seedsmen offer supplements to their catalogues extolling the virtues of plugs in all their variety.
Plugs and pots of seedlings offer instant results, so follow our guide on how to get the best from them…

My 7 tips to plug success…
1. Don’t buy too early if you do not have the space to grow on your plants under heated conditions. The counter-balance is, if you leave it too late, the retailer might well sell out!
If you can’t plant them up straight away grow them on a bright windowsill, spacing the plants out.
2. The mesh pots can dry out very quickly indeed. The best way is to sit them in a tray of water for a few minutes so they take moisture from the base upwards.
Seedling pots have a short shelf life and cannot hang around too long before they need moving on.
3. The compost you opt for is important. Consider using a multi-purpose potting compost (Levington, Westland, Bower’s and diy own brands), making sure it is fresh. Plants susceptible to vine weevil (fuchsias) and sap-sucking aphids may benefit from potting into Levington Plant Protection Compost. One of the major suppliers of young plants, KinderGarden Plants grow many of their plants in this compost, so you can continue with the plants protection by potting into this special compost at home.
4. Carefully water the seedlings and allow them to drain for half an hour. You must keep the compost damp, watering when the top surface starts to feel dry. It’s worth noting that more seedlings die through drowning in misplaced kindness.
Seedlings benefit from being moved into individual compartment trays so they can be moved without disturbance.
5. Mesh pots need to be moved into individual 9cm (31¼2in) pots if you are not planting straight into baskets or similar planters. Hanging basket plants like trailing verbenas and fuchsias may need pinching to encourage a branching plant.
6. Most compost contains sufficient food to last around six weeks. Commence a liquid feed (liquid or soluble-based) after potting. You may need to adjust the regularity of weekly feeds if a slow-release food has been incorporated into the compost.
7. Keep a note of the plants you’ve grown from seedlings, seed and mesh pots for future reference. See how they perform and make sure you check out new varieties to keep you one-step ahead in the bedding plant display stakes!

What I asked David Beckham...

Transcribe of my question and reply from David Beckham on BBC Radio 2's Line Of Enquiry show broadcast on Christmas Day 2007.
Presenter Kate Thornton: Now we're going to take some more calls. This is Chris day, Chris you're through to David
Chris: Hello David, Hello Kate, Merry Christmas to you. David you're seen all over the world as a bit of a gay icon. How does this sort of make you feel and what qualities in your career sort of reflects your broad appeal?
Becks: Merry Christmas. Good question. I'm very honoured to be a gay icon. I'm a person that kids look up to, things like that, so I'm very proud to have the tag of, like you say, gay icon, so throughout my career its been great to have things like that. For me it's an incredible honor. Things about me? I really don't know. I think it's better for other people to say things like that but I don't know maybe it's that I like to look after myself. I like to look smart, look presentable most of the time. I don't know maybe there's that
Presenter: Why do you think David is a gay icon Chris?
Chris: I think it's for those reasons. You always look good David, you're always well turned out. Immaculate, and I think you're a great sort of role model for boys and men all over the world and I think it's great in this day and age of you know, what's going on with the world, to have someone to look up to. I was going to say, I think your look and fashion style is kind of legendary now isn't it?
Becks: Thank you for that. It means a lot.
Presenter: It must make getting dressed in the morning a bit pressured though?
Becks: You know it doesn't really take much to get me dressed in the morning though. I'm literally, in America, I'm just shorts, T-shirt, flip-flops so it's just aaah... I must admit though if Victoria's listening, she'll probably turn round and say the truth which is that I actually get my outfit ready the night before.
Presenter: Do you?Becks: yeah I do
Presenter: Is that because you're organised, a bit kind of controlledBecks: I'm very organised and very controlled. I need to go to bed at night knowing what I'm going to wear the next morning
Presenter: yeah?
Becks: yeah
Presenter: Well I guess that reflects your state of mind. Thank you very much for your call Chris.