Why gardening is good for your health

You may have gathered that here at Seagrave we love gardening, and frankly it's a good thing! Gardening is a hobby that can actually improve your physical health and mental wellbeing...

Lowers your blood pressure

Just 30 minutes of moderate-level physical activity a few times a week can prevent and control high blood pressure. In fact, gardening scored a place on The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's recommendation list for lowering high blood pressure!

It burns calories

Those of you who already spent you spare time tending to your gardens will be delighted to hear that gardening is considered a moderate- to high-intensity exercise. Apparently you can burn up to 330 calories during just one hour of light gardening work, which is more than lifting weights for the same amount of time!

Strengthens your immune system

While you're outdoors enjoying burning all those calories, you'll also soak up plenty of vitamin D from the sun, which helps the body absorb calcium. In turn, calcium helps keep your bones grow strong and your immune system healthy – what a bonus!

Relieves stress and makes you happy

Gardening is taken up by so many people who want to calm down, relax and unwind – it’s a wonderfully productive (and cheap) way to forget about the world. There is also research into the emotional impact of being around flowers. We don’t know why, but we smile when we’re around flowers and plants, and according to research, gardening can have positive effects on your mood.

Here at Seagrave Nurseries, we are dedicated to supplying plants for people who do not want to pay garden centre prices. 

If you love gardening then you have to take a look around our website, and if you have any questions or would like any advice please call us on – 01509 621300

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Rain Gardens: What are they?

A rain garden is a brilliant way to add beauty and eco-friendly benefits to your garden. The concept is simple - strategically placed plants help to absorb excess rainwater before it can flow off and dirty our rivers and streams as storm water run-off.

In its simplest form, a rain garden is a shallow ‘basin’, with absorbent and free draining soil and vegetation that can withstand occasional temporary flooding. Rain gardens are designed to imitate the natural water retention of undeveloped land and to reduce the volume of rainwater running off into drains from impervious areas and treat low level pollution.

Everyone can help address the impact of climate change without making major lifestyle changes, and one simple and easy way is by changing the way you manage your outside space. A rain garden can help to reduce localised flooding whilst still providing an enjoyable area for the benefit of both wildlife and you and your friends and family.

 Providing rain gardens is part of a growing desire to have more sustainable drainage systems. Water is a vital resource for people and wildlife. In the UK we expect to have enough water to meet our needs - having water readily available is something we often take for granted.

Just one rain garden can make a small but positive difference in addressing localised flooding and the quality of the local water environment. Alongside other sustainable drainage systems and actions to tackle diffuse pollution, rain gardens can be an effective part of a bigger solution.

First developed in the USA in the 1990s, Rain gardens have become increasingly popular. Rain gardens aim to absorb all the rainwater that flows into them. If you are interested in transforming your outdoor space into a rain garden, you can find a very useful guide here.

Here at Seagrave we supply hardy architectural specimen plants for people who do not want to pay garden centre prices. Make sure you come to us for all your garden needs. 

Create your own contemporary garden

If you want a fresh new look for your garden that will look great and be easy to maintain you should go for a contemporary garden design.

Contemporary garden designs increasingly focus on turning an outdoor space into an additional living area. Often coined an ‘outdoor room’, this approach to modern garden design work well for those who want a beautiful space to enjoy, but perhaps don’t have the time to maintain a fruitful garden.

When it comes to planting, a popular approach in contemporary garden design is simplifying the space. Large lawned areas and continuous planted borders are swapped for more strategically placed organic elements, which can create a clutter-free look to your garden and reduce the amount of maintenance needed.

The plants become just one part of the architecture. You can include clipped hedges, specimen trees and uncomplicated sections of planting.

Grasses and bamboos are very easy to care for, grow quickly and can help break up areas. Large planters are useful if you have no planting areas and can be moved around easily.

Crisp, clean lines are an essential part of contemporary garden design, which can be applied to gardens of all shapes and sizes. Equally important is the use of space, geometric layout, simple design, and no clutter!

Here are some of our plants that will fit in beautifully in a contemporary garden design -

Brahea Armata Mexican Blue Palm 
Striking blue/grey colour makes this hardy palm stand out from the crowd.
Likely to reach approximately 12 feet (4 metres) in U.K, the Brahea Armata Mexican Blue Palm is indigenous to Mexico and looks beautiful.










Black Bamboo Phyllostachys Nigra 
Famous black caned bamboo which fits into any garden either modern or traditional. This bamboo produces canes which go black in their third year, beautifully offset by deep green foliage.








Ophiopogon Planiscapus Niger Black Grass
This black grass will grow to 25cm/ 10 inches and they will beautiful produce white flowers tinged with purple in summer.
They are evergreen and frost hardy and perfect for the modern, contemporary garden design.





Contemporary garden design means you can approach the project in the same way you would an interior design project. We have so many more beautiful potted plants, large planters, grasses and bamboos online for your perusal.

Come to us to create your own contemporary garden space!

Plants with Natural remedies and medicinal values!

A lot of plants not only look beautiful, but they can also have natural medicinal value. Natural remedies are not some new age hippy craze; they have actually been around for thousands of years by people all over the world. Plants are actually the basis of so many of the medicines and beauty products we use today.

In fact, it’s even possible to make your own natural remedies, health products and cosmetics from plants, from mouthwashes to insect repellent. Here are a few plants that we found make interesting natural remedies...

GREEN TEA = MOUTHWASH

Green tea is one of the latest fads, claiming to detox and help with weight loss by speeding up metabolism. Tea plants can actually be grown in the UK and used for much more than drinking. People use green tea leaves for making mouthwash! It’s naturally high in fluoride and is anti-inflammatory. This means it can help with all kinds of mouth issues, from bad-breathe to fighting plague.

OLIVE TREE = FACE MASK

Olive trees can also be grown in the UK and they have many benefits besides growing olives. The leaves on olives can be boiled down to extract oil which makes a fantastic, low-cost face mask when mixed with clay powder. Naturally fragrant and packed with anti-oxidants, a natural olive leaf face mask will leave your skin soft, smooth and super fresh!

ALOE PLANT =TREATMENT FOR CUTS AND BURNS

This one is a bit better known as there are a number of products out there that contain aloe in them, such as after sun and moisturiser etc. However you don’t need to buy such products to reap the benefits of the Aloe plant. Simply cracking open one of the leaves will reveal the aloe gel which you can rub straight on to burns or grazes for relief. It naturally cools the skin and acts as an inflammatory, hence its use to soothe sunburn and burns. 

LEMONGRASS PLANT – INSECT REPELLENT

You may have tasted lemongrass countless time in your life in dished such as Thai green curries, but its qualities don’t end in satisfying your taste buds. Lemongrass is actually used across the world for a number of things from toothpaste to perfumes! What many people don’t realise it that it’s a fantastic insect repellent. Rub it on your skin to release the natural oils and not only does it repel insect and bugs, it will actually kill them! An added bonus is that unlike many insect repellents on the market, this natural alternative smells great - like lemon sherbet!

So there you have it, plants are great for pretty much everything! These are just a few examples, please tell us if you have any of your own! Here at Seagrave we are dedicated to supplying hardy architectural specimen plants for people without charging towering garden centre prices. If you have any questions or would like any advice please call us on – 01509 621300!

The most weird and wonderful plants in the world..

Here at Seagrave Nurseries we’re pretty obsessed with our plants. Our world is covered with plants, and we are surrounded by some of the most beautiful of nature’s creations everywhere we go. Plants have a bad rep for being motionless, basic and uninteresting, but we TOTALLY disagree. Here are some of the coolest, weirdest and most wonderful plants that exist, challenging the boring stereotype that plagues their kingdom!

The Corpse Flower

As its name elegantly suggests, the corpse flower is a smelly beast, happily wafting the stench of rotting flesh. Nice, right?  Not only does it smell strongly like a decaying corpse, it looks like it just hopped out of a sci-fi film.

Coming from the forests of Sumatra, it's not actually one big flower; it’s actually thousands upon thousands of little male and female flowers. As the spathe begins to open up, the spadix becomes a gas chamber, warming its natural oil and emitting noxious fumes for 8 to 12 hours to attract pollinating beetles[1]. What’s most impressive it that a mature one of these monsters can weigh up to 200 pounds!

Venus Flytrap

Not many plants eat things besides sunlight, but this plant is carnivorous! This makes the Venus Flytrap really feel it like it might be from another planet. 

They have trigger hairs which activate the trap when two are touched within 20 seconds of each other. The teeth-like spikes act as interlocking fingers to lock the prey inside and then the rest is done with digestive juices.[2]

Silver Torch Cactus

This it is a very unusual cactus indeed. It's woolly for a start, and it grows pretty unusual flowers. But weirder still, is that this cactus actually prefers cold temperatures!

It can stand frosts up to -10 degrees and it lives in the high mountains of Bolivia and Argentina, were it gets strong sunlight and water in the summer months. So Cacti don’t just belong in the dessert!

Skunk Cabbage

This huge, putrid smelling North American member of the Aurum family leaves little to be desired. Despite looking quite pretty, the aroma from it is often mistaken for an enraged skunk, hence it’s name.  Again this unusual looking plant looks like some kind of alien artefact. Human consumption of the wrong parts of these plants in excessive quantities can cause death from severe calcium oxalate poisoning. The calcium oxalate is an extremely corrosive toxin that burns into the flesh and can shut down organ systems, so we wouldn’t recommend tucking in!

Victoria Amazonica

Commonly known as giant waterlillies and famous for having leaves so large and sturdy that you could place a child or even a petite woman upon one without the risk of sinking, these beauties are pretty incredible. The ends fold up to avoid overlapping with their pals and the bottom of them are covered in thorns to protect from being eaten. Their flowers are enormous, beautiful, and change colour over the course of the lily's lifetime. [3]

We hope you’ve enjoyed our blog. We at Seagrave are dedicated to supplying hardy architectural specimen plants for people who do not want to pay garden centre prices. If you have any questions or would like any advice please call us on – 01509 621300


[1] http://www.chron.com/news/bizarre/article/Hold-your-nose-Corpse-flower-to-bloom-at-1597222.php

[2] http://www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq2100.html

[3] http://gardenofeaden.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/the-giant-amazon-water-lily.html

Create your own peaceful Japanese Garden

There is something quite calming and stress relieving about an Asian style garden. Using a combination of plants, colours, ground textures and structures, Japanese gardens are highly stylized and depict a miniature idealized landscape.

There are certain features that are sure to give your garden a taste of the orient.

Water

Water is a natural element and as such it belongs in your garden. Western gardens focus on colours and the visual appearance where as a Japanese garden focus more on nature and the natural flow of outdoors.

Water or something that represents water such as white sand in dry gardens is always represented in a Japanese garden. Any pond included in a garden should be an irregular shape to convey a natural shape.

Rocks and plants can be included in the ponds which will also help the pond look more natural and not man-made.

Trees and Plants

Although a Japanese garden attempts to symbolize nature, there is nothing wild or random in its design. Even the plants are well thought out to create the look, whether it’s for strong greens of conifers to last all year, or the changing of vivid reds in Autumn which make the gardens in Kyoto so famous.  We recommend Acers for creating this lovely bright red in Autumn.

No tree is more synonymous with Japanese culture is that of the Bonsai plant. The trees are pruned and trimmed to retain their unique shape and to not over shroud the rest of your garden.

At Seagrave Nurseries we stock a range of Bonsai trees in a variety of heights and sizes so you can find a perfect fit for your Japanese inspired garden. They’re easy to care for as long as you give them a trim every now and again.

Rocks and Sand

As mentioned, sand represents the flow of water in a dry garden. It often has lines raked into it to create a visual effect of movement and the flow of water.

Rocks are often placed in the sand to represent mountains and the earth.  If they are placed in a formation of three, the tallest represents heaven, the middle size represents humanity and the shortest symbolises the earth.

Stone features

Stone lanterns are a common feature which originally served the purpose of locating the temples they were placed around.

As gardens are often the setting for tea ceremonies, water basins were a common feature. Guests would be encouraged to wash their hands and mouth before entering the tea house.

Remember

Keep the garden simple. Don’t be tempted to include every feature of a Japanese garden all in one.

Browse our full range of trees, topiary and plants in person and see what fits with your garden whatever the theme. Our nursery is situated in Leicestershire. Contact us today for more information on our nursery plants

Plan & Prep your garden hedge

Hedges have been an important part of the British landscape and wildlife attraction for many centuries. Whether you’re an amateur or veteran gardener, knowing when to plant one and how to prepare your hedge for the cooler and more brisk temperatures is key to a beautiful and thriving display for your gardens.

Hedges are typically planted for varied purposes to usual plants and shrubs found in the gardens, whether for protection, as an alternative to a fence or to prevent windbreak, they are a diverse form of plant life and therefore should be planted and maintained differently to other garden plants.

As the mists, darker evenings and winter chill appears in the air, believe it or not, now is the time to start planning your hedge planting.

Here are a few Seagrave Nursery tips to help you on your way to hedging heaven:

What hedge?

There are many types of hedging plants out there, but depending on how quickly you want results you will need to decide between the smaller hedging plants (whips) which are usually cheaper and easier to establish or larger plants which will provide boundaries a lot quicker. 

Deciduous hedges and evergreen hedges are ideal for planning early- mid autumn so the soil can be worked easily.

When?

The planting season starts when plants are lifted from nurseries like ours so usually October until early March. Make sure that if your soil is light you plant before Christmas and that for heavier clay-type soils you plant after Christmas so that there is less chance of water logging which can cause harm to your hedge particularly as they are more prone to risk after they have first been planted.

Prepare

Wherever you are planting your hedge you will need to ensure that the ground has been prepared enough so plough and cultivate. Kill any weeds with herbicide a long time prior to planting and consider organic mulches. The more preparation that goes into the ground, the more successfully formed your hedge will be.

Preparation is the most important part before planting any type of hedge, whether one or many.

At Seagrave Nurseries we can provide you with the correct guidance and advice to ensure that your hedges fulfil their potential.

At present we are offering customers 25% off the marked price of everything for a limited period only. Please browse our current range of hedging plants which can be brought in bulk or as single pieces.

How to care for your tree fern

Making up the Cyatheales group of ferns, Tree Ferns are groups of plants which take on a tree-like form and can grow -with the right care- up to 20 metres tall. Slow growing and striking in appearance they are ideal for placement in a sheltered and shady garden with plenty of space to thrive, as the plant can often spread.

We are excited about the arrival of our new batch of Tree Ferns at the end of this week and to celebrate we thought we would give you a comprehensive guide on how to care for yours to ensure that they flourish in your garden all year round.

As slow-growing plants that can increase at almost one inch per year you may want to consider purchasing a fern with a longer length of trunk to ensure it fills the space that you want to satisfy.

What to look for?

Look for healthy and undamaged crowns with new fronds of leaf and a well developed root system that is likely to adapt quickly to your garden, you will spot this by how robust the roots are in the container, don’t pick one that sits loose.

Ensure that the plant is completely pest free and has no aphids or scales on the leaves, ferns need to have a good start in life, so this is vital. Also make sure that your fern is good shape, this is especially important if it has been dug out of a pine forest.

Where and how to plant?

Our ferns generally flourish in full or half shaded gardens so avoid direct sunlight as this can dry the plant out. However, ensure that it is likely to get some and is not completely in the shade and protected from the wind.

If you have an outdoor tap and connected hose, perhaps consider planting near here. As your fern will need a lot of water.

Make sure that your soil is well drained upon planting and consider adding organic matter to help the new plant establish itself while providing an easy way for the roots to grow.

If your soil is heavier or made up of clay components then you will more than likely need to dig a hole that is twice the size of the container the fern comes in and line it with compost to improve drainage and conditions for the plant.

Feed and water

The trunk and crown of a tree fern will not withstand drying out so require regular and efficient watering, so make sure the plant remains damp and during hotter conditions, spray the trunk with water.

Unless you live in the wetter parts of the UK you will need to keep on top of watering and you will soon see newer fronds appearing perhaps 4 weeks after planting. 

Don’t feed your fern initially, once established look to feed the plant with liquid high nitrogen fertiliser, diluted as required once a month when the plant is in growth from mid-spring to summer, this will stimulate natural growth. 

Winter care

It is likely your plant will lose its fronds over the winter months, but this is natural and to be expected.

Prepare for winter forts by using our top tip of pushing hay into the crown for insulation on the immediate onset of colder temperatures, this will encourage fresh fronds to grow as spring approached by which time the hay will have rotted away and bestowed nutrients into the ferns growth serving two purposes at once. 

In the more severe winters consider Hessian blankets and wrap these around the trunk for further warmth.

Containers

Tree ferns can be grown in containers, pots, and in greenhouses as long as there is filtered light and only moderate humidity – use loam-based compost and adding fertilizer once a week droning growing season.

Many of our tree ferns are imported from Australia and are truly stunning additions to any garden. We are expecting new batch on July 31st and these can be ordered online however fronds will be removed prior to dispatch. We also offer wholesale prices for our ferns.

Or, why not come and browse our full range in person and see these truly beautiful plants for yourself? Our nursery is situated in Leicestershire. Contact us today for more information on our nursery plants.