September 2014
GARDEN
Style Online magazine
Garden Advice • Expert Tips • Exclusive Offers
Be inspired with our favourite spring flowering bulbs
Insider tips for picking the best bulbs. Using our guide you will learn how to pick the best bulbs
Summer may be nearing an end so there are a number of jobs to do this month
Tulip Fringed Bell Song
How to Pick the BEST BULBS
A
t Capital Gardens we pride ourselves on the quality and range of the bulbs we offer. We work closely with our suppliers to ensure our bulbs are of the highest quality. This is why you will notice that our bulbs are larger than those stocked by non specialist retailers such as supermarkets.
you are not sure what conditions your bulbs need why not take advantage of our ‘Garden Advice’ service? Simply email your queries to , where your enquiries will be answered by our in-house team of expert gardeners.
Our trained staff are available to help you in Spring flowering bulbs, such as tulips and daffopicking the best bulbs for your garden. dils should be planted from late August to mid The general rule when selecting bulbs is to November, when the soil temperatures have look for big bulbs, this is because the bigger cooled down, but there is still enough warmth they are, the more they generally bloom. So in the soil to get rooting started. make sure your bulbs are plump and firm.
So you’ve picked a selection of plump and firm bulbs. Now the key work starts, finding the right spot for your bulbs. Regardless of the quality and size of your bulbs, healthy bulbs can fail if they are planted in the wrong location. Most bulbs do best in full sun (at least 6 hours of direct sun a day) and in well-drained soil. If
How deep do I plant my bulbs? The general rule is to dig a hole two to three times deeper than the bulb height. For example if your bulb is 3 inches tall, you will need to dig a hole 6 to 9 inches deep. However there are always exceptions to this rule, so check the planting directions that came with the bulbs or ask a member of our staff. For Garden Advice Please Email
20 Bulbs
Edi tor’ Tuli
s Ch oice
p An
geli que
£3.9 9
Planting Depth 10cm Full Height 45cm Flowering Time April/May
OUR TOP 9 Spring Flowering Bulbs Our spring flowering bulbs are now in stock accross all our garden centres. Here we showcase our top 9 must try bulbs for spring bloom.
10 Bulbs
Narcissus ‘Thalia’
10 Bulbs
£4.99
10 Bulbs
Anemone ‘Mr Fokker’
Ranunculus ‘Aviv’ White
£2.49
20 Bulbs
£3.99
1 Bulb
£2.49
10 Bulbs
Eranthis ‘cilicica’
Allium ‘Giganteum Ambassador’
£3.99
1 Bulb
Muscari ‘Blue Spike’
£2.69
Nerine ‘Mother of Pearl’
£4.99
£4.99
20 Bulbs
Tulip ‘Negerita’
15 Bulbs
Crocus ‘Joan of Arc’
£2.99
Tulip 'Kees Nelis'
Bulb Buyers Essentials S
o you have bought your bulbs and cannot wait to get into the garden and start planting them. Any seasoned gardener will know that planting bulbs can be back breaking work. We have selected our top 3 planters that help make light work of planting your new bulbs. A lot of gardeners still use their trusty trowel, but a good quality bulb planter can make all the difference.
In our garden centres we are often asked about the benefits of a long handled bulb planter. In short long handled bulb planters are great for gardeners who want to avoid kneeling or crouching when planting their bulbs. A long handled planter will allow you to make a hole for your bulb from a standing poisition and with each subsequent hole it removes the previous plug of soil from the planter. The best way to use a planter is to have a team of two people one making the hole and the other popping bulbs into the hole, this prevents a lot of bending up and down.
Get your bulbs off to a great start by using a root growth formula such as Rootgrow. Empathy’s Bulb Starter which ensures the ideal biological conditions for bulbs to grow and flower. Designed around the recognised Rootgrow™ mycorrhizal fungi, it also includes vermiculite to ensure good drainage in the root zone and seaweed meal as a source of natural auxins to stimulate root development. The product contains humates as a source of organic acids for both the treated bulb and soil microorganisms.
TOP 3 In store Price
ÂŁ9.99
RHS Endorsed RHS Endorsed
This Bulb planter by Burgon & Ball is equipped with deeply serrated edge which penetrates packed ground cleanly removing a 6cm diameter core.
Effortlessly plant rows of bulbs with the Crest Hand Bulb Planter! It will make your bulb planting tasks more accurate and less time consuming.
It also features depth markings up to 4" for precise planting. A must have for anyone looking for a top quality bulb planter.
It features depth markings for precise planting.
This Bulb planter by Burgon & Ball is equipped with deeply serrated edge which penetrates packed ground cleanly removing a 6cm diameter core. It also features depth markings up to 4" for precise planting.
Special Offer Bulb Starter
N o rm al Pr ice
£5.9 9
Spec ia
l Offe
rP
£4.9 rice 9
While Stocks Last
Cooking with Butternut Squash
Butternut Squash Chickpea and Spinach Curry “The butternut squash in this recipe adds a lovely vibrant colour and a delicate sweet taste to this richly spiced curry. Be assured that the word 'spiced' does not actually mean this is extra hot (as in spicy) this is just a lovely warming delicious and very tasty curry ideal for an autumn evening. Should you fancy an added kick just add more chilli.�
2 Tablespoons of sunflower or vegetable oil 1 large onion - peeled and chopped to small dice 2 fat cloves of garlic - peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger - peeled and finely chopped to make 1 teaspoon
3/4 teaspoon of Panch Phoran (a blend of equal quantities of fenugeek seeds, nigella seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds and black mustard seeds) known as Bengali Five-Spice a pinch of dried chilli flakes 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric 1 teaspoon of garam masala 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1 bay leaf
1 medium butternut squash washed but not peeled - cut in half across the middle and wrap the base in cling film then into the fridge for another day. Quarter the neck part only and slice into 1 cm chunks 200ml water 1 tablespoon of sugar 1 x 400g tin of chickpeas - drained 1 x 400g tin of good quality plum tomatoes including their juice 1 heaped tablespoon of tomato puree (paste in the USA) 1 x 400g tin of chickpeas - drained 1x400g tin of tomatoes two handfuls of pre-washed baby spinach a small bunch of fresh coriander - leaves only and chopped salt to taste
In a large lidded frying pan heat 2 tablespoons of oil throw in the panch phoran and the chilli flakes- stirring and taking care it doesn't burn - cook for just a minute.
Remove the lid and squish up the tomatoes then add the sugar along with the drained chickpeas - you can mush some of the chickpeas and butternut up too to create different textures.
Now add the turmeric, garam masala, ground cumin and the bay leaf. Stir then add the onions, garlic and ginger stirring to coat in the lovely spices.
Cook for another 10 minutes, throw in the spinach and give it 2 minutes to wilt.
Add 1 heaped tablespoon of tomato puree and cook for one minute. Now add 200ml of water along with the tin of tomatoes including their juice and throw in the sliced butternut. Put the lid on and cook over a medium heat for about 15-20 minutes or until the butternut is tender.
Stir well and have a taste and add salt if you think it needs it - adjust the spices adding more chilli flakes if you like it hot. Sprinkle over the chopped coriander and serve immediately with basmati rice and naan.
Top 10 jobs for September
September Jobs 1 Divide herbaceous perennials 2 Pick autumn raspberries 3 Collect and sow seed from perennials and hardy annuals
4 Dig up remaining potatoes before slug damage spoils them
5 Net ponds before leaf fall gets underway 6 Keep up with watering of new plants, using rain or ‘grey water’ if possible
7 Start to reduce the frequency of houseplant watering
8 Clean out cold frames and greenhouses so that they are ready for use in the autumn
9 Cover leafy vegetable crops with birdproof netting
10 Plant spring flowering bulbs
Evergreen Autumn Spreader 100m2
Evergreen Autumn 2 in 1 3.5kg
N o rm al Pr ice
£12. 99
Spec ia
l Offe
r Pric
£10. 99
e
N o rm al Pr ice
£24. 99 l Offe
£10. 99
Spec ia
Evergreen Autumn Lawn Food 360m2 Spec ia
N o rm al Pr ice
r Pric
£19. 99
l Offe
Evergreen Autumn Lawn Builder 100m2 N o rm al Pr ice
£12. 99
Spec ia e
rP
£8.9 rice 9
l Offe
rP
£10. rice 99
Evergreen Autumn Lawn Builder 400m2 N o rm al Pr ice
£32. 99
Spec ia
l Offe
rP
£27. rice 99
SPECIAL OFFERS Hand picked seasonal offers for real gardeners
Your Local Stores North London Alexandra Palace Garden Centre Alexandra Palace Way London N22 7BB 0208 444 2555
South London Neal Nurseries Heathfield Road London SW18 2PH 0208 874 2037
Hertfordshire Woods of Berkhamsted High Street Berkhamsted HP4 1BJ 01442 863 159
Shop online www.capitalgardens.co.uk