Alpines
The Nurseries Alpines sell well, coming in mixed packs of six, and as individuals 9 cm pots, so well in fact we often get new plants in every week.
One of our most popular Alpines are Sempervivums, known for there fascinating geometric shapes, they were popular during the Roman period, there common name being ‘House Leek’.
Alpines are not in fact a single taxon, they are any plant that grows in an Alpine climate above the tree line, and can include mosses, cushion plants, perennial grasses and lichen. Alpine plants have adapted specifically for their environment and as such are suited for free draining, bright, and cold conditions, able to thrive despite a limited growing period. Interestingly they have also adapted to be able to withstand high levels of ultraviolet radiation, though how is not clear. It is suggested that perhaps the influence of the ultraviolet radiation has lead to smaller growth, and other mutations unique to this group.
Bare Root Hedging
Bare-Root is usually available from Nov – March. Its the most cost effective way of planting a hedge. Bare-Root ‘whips’ are lifted from the ground in autumn, when they are dormant. Given plenty of water they can establish quickly in the spring often outstripping pot grown specimens.
We have a wide selection of ‘whips’ for creating a mixed native hedge for wildlife, or a formal hedge for your garden.
We do also sell rabbit guards and canes, which can prove vital in protecting the smaller plants.
Bare-Root is now in!
Please ask for assistance from a member of staff when you come to nursery, we expect to get muddy, our customers can provide witty commentary.
Bedding Plants
Our Bedding Plants are very seasonal, first arriving for sale in May, alongside our Hanging Basket Plants. Providing a much welcomed burst of colour and life after the winter. Bedding can be used to fill in bare patches in borders and in pots, allowing for wonderful displays.
We can make up Hanging Baskets to order, either with new baskets or customers existing much cherished ones. Other containers, such as pots and troughs can also be planted up for order. Give us a ring and we’ll be able to give you more information.
Climbers
Climbing plants can add an entirely new dimension to the garden. They can be used to cover up walls or trellace, providing screening and a good environment for bees, butterflies and even nesting birds once the plants are mature. From a design perspective they can also provide the means for creating divisions within the garden, allowing for the construction of living “rooms” each with a focus or feature all its own. Nothing quite compares to a wall of fragrant Honeysuckle, perfumed scent sweeping across a sunny afternoon in the garden, the foliage alive with the busy attentions of bees.
We stock a good range of climbers, some evergreen, some with showy and fragrant flowers. What ever way your wall or fence faces we have a climber to suit the location.
Ferns
Having fallen somewhat out of favour since their Victorian heyday, ferns have undergone a much deserved renaissance in recent years. Excellent in containers, tolerant of shade, long-lived and in many cases evergreen, ferns lend a subtle beauty to a planting scheme, their often intricate foliage contrasting well with bold hostas and hellebores.
At Woodgate we maintain an evolving selection of more than 20 fern varieties suitable for a wide range of garden situations from Osmunda that thrive in boggy soils to Aspleniums that will grow out of brickwork.
Ask Teresa, our resident pteridomaniac (fern-nerd), for help in choosing the perfect fern for you.
Roses
Perhaps one of the most quintessential plants in the traditional English garden, the Rose has enjoyed a long and extremely varied life within the horticultural sphere. Thought to be in fact one of the worlds favourite plants, the fossil record takes the origins of this popular species back at least 30 million years, though of course we would probably hardly recognise its original form. As one of the most cultivated plants, outside of plants cultivated for food, the Rose has many hundred of varieties, each with their own unique appeal.
We have a wide selection of Roses. Bare root from November to March. Potted available from March to July. We stock climbing, rambling, hybrid tea, floribunda, patio climbers, patio, gift roses and ground cover roses.
Please ring the nursery for any inquires as to our stocks or the availability of plants.
Perennials
Perennials are the mainstay of our nursery, as they are of the garden border, and we aim to provide our customers with as wide a range of high quality plants as possible. During the main season, which runs from April to October, we offer a constantly changing array of traditional favourites as well as many more unusual varieties.
While we love growing from seed and cuttings, it is not possible to propagate everything ourselves – we do not have enough staff, or space, or hours in the day, to produce thousands of plants from scratch. Consequently, we buy in much of our new stock as either bare-rooted clumps, plugs or small potted plants in early spring, which we then grow on to selling size. Our main supplier of young perennials is the award-winning Howards Nursery at Wortham on the Norfolk/Suffolk border.
Once at Woodgate, our perennials are raised in peat-free compost and fed with a seaweed-based fertilizer. Because we love our bees, we use biological pest control rather than chemicals.
Whether you are gardening on heavy clay or trees are robbing your plot of moisture, there are perennials that will thrive in even the most difficult situations and our friendly, knowledgeable team are always on hand to help you find them.
Looking for a particular plant? Please contact Woodgate Nursery by phone or email for up to date information on availability.
Herbs
Herbs, by common definition, are plants predominantly known for either medicinal or culinary uses. It can be argued that the true heday for herbs is in the past, as a vital part of early medical practices dating back to a time before records began. The earliest surviving illustrated ‘Old English Herbal’ is the Cotton MS Vitellius C III, dating back to the late 4th century and attributed to the author Pseudo-Apuleius. It is now thought that the text is in fact a collection of earlier tomes and the combined work of several late antiquity authors.
You can view the document on the British Libraries website, test out your olde English Latin! The first illustration of a herb is on page f.20r.
Cotton MS Vitellius C III
However Herbs still have a important and vital role to play today, both domestically and commercially, with many modern medicines and household products still derived from the same plants generations before us used. In the domestic sphere, many herbs, alongside making delicious additions to cooking, are brilliant for bees, acting as reliable sources of nectar.
Our available herbs change with the season. Currently we have our hardy perennial herbs in stock, such as Rosemary and Thyme. When Spring is back upon us we will have our annual tender herbs back in, along with a small selection of unusual herbs such as Pineapple Sage and Myrtle.
If you have any questions or inquiries please give us a ring or send in an email.
Pond and Bog Plants
A pond is a multi-layered eco-system, with plants that have evolved to exploit every water depth. Whether you have a lake or a washing-up bowl we can help find plants to populate it.
Aquatics grow with their crowns wholly submerged. They often have floating leaves that help shade the pond and provide cover for wildlife. The water lily is the archetypal aquatic plant. During the spring and summer we stock lilies suitable for a variety of pond sizes.
Oxygenators usually live below the water surface. The oxygen they produce helps improve water quality and reduce the growth of algae. We stock oxygenators in weighted bunches that can be placed directly in the water without the need for potting.
Marginals grow with their roots below the water and their stems emerging above. Many have beautiful flowers or architectural foliage. Our marginals are available in 1 litre pond baskets or 9cm pots.
Bog plants enjoy damp soils but won’t tolerate constant flooding. We offer a range of moisture-loving perennials from the humongous Gunnera to the elegant candelabra primula.
We also stock pond baskets and aquatic compost.
Grasses
Grasses are an invaluable addition to any garden. Most natural habitats are rich in grasses and their inclusion always makes a planting seem more harmonious.
In our grass section we have varieties of evergreen Carex, blue Festuca, bold Miscanthus and the beautiful, versatile Hakon grass that thrives in containers and in shade.
Whether etched in frost or rustling in the wind, grasses bring structure and movement to the border right through the autumn and well into winter.
Shrubs
Shrubs provide structure to a garden throughout the year, with evergreens provide interest in the winter months.
Many deciduous Shrubs have benefit of attractive autumn colours or ornamental bark. With careful selection you have a shrub flowering in your garden for most of the year.
Whether you’re looking for a small shrub for a pot, or a large specimen plant, our knowledgeable team are here to give advice.
Ornamental Trees
Potted Trees are available all year.
We have a good selection of ornamental trees many of which are suitable for a smaller garden. When selecting a tree for a smaller garden choose a variety that gives interest in more than one season, for example the Sorbus or Rowan flowers in the Spring, and provides vibrant colours in the Autumn, with bright berries through the Winter months.