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"Loved that you had so many different and unusual plants. You were the only place where I could find Hydrangea Sargentiana for sale. The other plants were just bought because I was placing an order! Look forward to seeing the quality when they arrive. Best wishes."
Burncoose Customer

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"so glad to find a pileostegia!! thanks. wish we were nearer your nursery to be able to come."
Burncoose Customer

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"Dear Folks. I received my 80th birthday gift this morning from my phone pal in France via your company and I have to let you know that you have done me proud. The plant you sent is in absolutely perfect condition, is a perfect example and I am devoting an entire planter outside my front door to this exquisite specimen. Most sincerely."
Nest Rubio

Chelsea 2013 - Silver Gilt medal for us.....

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February Herbaceous Border Tips

Snowdrops in the green

The best time to lift, divide up and move snowdrops to new locations is when flowering is nearly over. Lift a clump in the green (i.e. with leaves) with a spade, remove any weeds and split the clump into smaller parcels of say 6 bulbs for planting elsewhere.

Dig-Split-Divide

Once the weather improves get cracking with your clump forming herbaceous plants which have expanded, overcrowded and got too big.   Dig up the whole clump while still dormant and quite literally chop it up into sections with a spade.   One clump to plant back in situ, one or two clumps for somewhere else in the garden, and the rest for sale on your National Garden Scheme Open Day, Village Fete, Charity Auction.

Plants you can deal with in this way:-

                       Acanthus (evergreen)
                       Alstroemeria
                       Astilbe
                       Bergenia
                       Echinops
                       Hardy Ferns
                       Herbaceous Paeonies
                       Hostas
                       Kniphofia
                       Phormium

Dividing an Astilbe.

Splitting a pot bound Wachendorfia.

Splitting Bergenia

Fascicularia bicolor will have produced wonderfully coloured rosettes through the Autumn and Winter. It will also have developed many offshoots or offsets. Lift the clump gently. Discard the plants that have had flowering rosettes as they will die afterwards. Prize off the side shoots and pot or plant out for form new clumps.

Perennial grasses often look a mess at the start of the season. These too can be dug and split up. However a good crop or haircut will often suffice. After a cold winter clumps of Cortaderia (Pampas Grass) often look like a mass of dead. There will be life at the base of the plant but all the deads needs stripping away with a thick glove to protect your hands.

Primula ‘Wanda’ will start to flower here and the first primroses (Primula vulgaris) will attract comment. More harbingers of Spring!