1. Give your tree a good watering about 30-60 minutes beforehand. This gives enough time for the water to soak all the way through and for the roots to drink it up. This helps to plump up the roots and protect them from damage during the planting process, and also makes the tree easier to get out of the pot! 2. Dig a hole! Some people favour square holes: the theory is that roots will follow the outer curves of a round hole, as it is less effort than breaking through the undisturbed soil that surrounds the planting hole. Whereas with a square hole it is more effort for roots to make a 90 degree turn at the edge than it is to carry on going. The more spread out the root system the better: the tree will be better anchored to the ground, and it will be able to draw on water and nutrients from a large area. We have a loose, sandy soil at Newbourne so we doubt the shape of the hole makes much difference - no roots could be that lazy!
6. Tread down the soil mix with your feet. You are trying to firm down the tree and remove any large air pockets: you are not trying to concrete it in place so don't get carried away! While you are doing this make sure the trunk is straight from all angles: you don't want it on the huh before it's even had a chance to get going! Ideally a second person will be able to give you help with this ("Lean it towards me a bit, now that way a bit, no, back a bit"!)
7. Some people are against using tree stakes as they think it is mollycoddling the plant. However, our light sandy soil will make it difficult for the trees to firmly anchor themselves, and the site is relatively exposed to the wind, so we do think they will need the help. The aim is not to immobilise the tree, just to stop it being blown over in strong wind. All plants need to sway a little in the breeze (even seedlings) - fighting against this is what builds up their "muscles" and makes them better, stronger plants. We went with using single stakes, put in diagonally. Our most problematic winds come from roughly the direction of the BT Tower at Martlesham, so that is the direction the tops of the stakes face (think of when you lean yourself into the wind when walking along the seafront!).
For the health and wellbeing of our staff and customers we encourage everyone to make use of our home delivery service. We have added a large number of items to our online shop but if you do not see the plants you want please use the Request Plants listing. Below are lists covering some of our current stock. We have many more varieties which are not on these lists, either because they are in small quantities or because they are still small in their pots. We will be updating lists, so please keep checking back.
Hedges are best planted before March so the clock is ticking to order your plants. Help the birds and other wildlife with bareroot native hedging, and create screens, windbreaks and privacy with our selection of evergreens. Prices start at just £1.50 for bareroot hedging, up to £45 for premium ‘instant effect’ plants. We are practising what we preach, and have made a start on our very own hedge on site, which will provide a windbreak for our new garden area and a touch of privacy for our neighbours.
Show someone you love them with our Valentine’s offer on Roses: 3 for £25, including delivery to selected areas!
Click below to order for home delivery. Offer valid throughout February.
We have been making exciting progress on our new 'garden'! Earlier in January Rick set to work crafting us a collection of bespoke raised beds. These are now in place and will be planted up as showcases for different ranges, for gardening demonstrations and as trial beds. But first, the less glamorous end of gardening! Several dozen wheelbarrows of compost have been dug out from the bottom of our compost heap to fill the bases. Six tonnes of top soil was delivered by Field Compost and it has been a team effort by Jeanette, Tracy, Gill and Lauren to wheelbarrow it into place – the perfect way to warm up on a cold January day! Click on images to enlarge.
We like gardening to be as easy as possible. Our new collection is made up of easy-to-grow seeds, and has been handpicked by us to complement our usual range of plants. No fiddling, no additives, no long germination periods, no need for specialist equipment. Almost all will flower or crop within months of sowing. All our seeds can be started off on the windowsill or directly in the ground.
Many of our salads, herbs and annual flowers can be started off indoors in the next few weeks, including Sunflowers, Cosmos, Marigolds and annual climbers. Give yourself a break from the daily stresses by spending a few minutes a day tending to your own collection of seedlings.
*Delivery to specified areas of Suffolk only. No delivery charge. £40 value is approximate to £1, and is based on our normal shop prices.
The latest Government restrictions allow garden centres to open but we have made the decision to keep our Newbourne nursery closed to the public for the duration of January. This is for the health, safety and wellbeing of everyone, and to give a small team of staff the chance to carry out planned reorganisations and refurbishments of the site as we look to the year ahead.
We have spent the last few months potting up a tantalising smorgasbord of garden plants and will be growing many more in the months to come. From spring bulbs to summer perennials, cheerful primroses to structural trees, roses to shrubs, there is lots to look forward to at Katie’s Garden! Katie's Garden is now closed until Thursday 7th January 2021 (unless Government guidelines change). We will continue to accept orders through our online shop, including special requests, but please note our delivery team will be taking a very well-earned rest over the Christmas period, so deliveries will not resume until the week beginning 4th January. As this year unlike any other comes to a close we would like to thank everyone who came and shopped with us in the times we were able to open, and everyone who used our home delivery service when we were not.  We hope our plants have given you great pleasure, and will continue to do so for years to come, with your gardens being places of solace through the difficult times. As a small team we have worked hard to adapt to the constant changes that have come up throughout the year, often at very short notice, and are grateful to you all for your patience, understanding and good cheer.
Online recommendations and reviews are a huge help to small local businesses like ours, so if you have been happy with our service, advice and plants, please consider letting others know on our Google listing and Facebook page.
The nursery phone will not be checked for messages during our Christmas break, so please send us an email if you need to get hold of us. To end the season we are offering great savings on our remaining Christmas stock AND will be donating half of all takings to St Elizabeth Hospice.* We close at 4pm this Tuesday so you have just two days to pick up a bargain while also supporting a really worthy local charity.  This Monday and Tuesday we will be splitting all our takings 50/50 with Ipswich-based St Elizabeth Hospice.* Whether you are picking up a bonus Christmas tree at a discount, a few pots of seasonal colour, or are stocking up on plants for projects in the garden ahead of potential lockdowns, half of what you spend will go to help Suffolk people living with progressive and life-limiting illnesses.
* In-stock items only, including all plants, pots, composts and books. Excludes purchases of gift vouchers. Excludes pre-orders.
Our selection of Christmas trees has had a boost with a fresh delivery ahead of the weekend. All are "non-drop" Nordmann Firs, including 3ft and 5ft pot-grown trees, and 6ft, 7ft and 8ft cut Christmas trees. Come and see us at Newbourne or order online for home delivery. Keep your cut Christmas trees looking their best through the festive season by keeping them in water all times, and away from heat sources such as radiators. You can also pick up Christmas wreaths and beautiful gift planters for the home. Treat someone special with an easy-care shrub in one of our glazed, terracotta, or metal pots. We also have neat looking wooden barrel planters. We can post gift vouchers and gardening book Gardening for the Uncommitted directly to the recipient (UK addresses only) - take a look at our Home Delivery section. Fresh delivery to Newbourne this Saturday of 8ft tall "non-drop" Nordmann Fir Christmas trees - £55 each.
Free delivery available to Ipswich, Woodbridge, Felixstowe, Hadleigh, Needham Market, Sudbury areas.
We have lots of Christmas wreaths available too, including decorated, cones & berries, and 'plain' - watch our video tutorial for advice on decorating wreaths to your own personal taste.
New ranges available at the nursery and to buy online now for home delivery: *Freshly potted roses at £9.99 each. *Freshly potted fruit trees at £29 each *Pre-order bareroot fruit bushes now, including blackberries, raspberries, gooseberries, blackcurrants and redcurrants, prices £1.99 to £5.99 *Fresh stocks of Viola Totally Mixes, Sugar Rush Wallflowers & Cyclamen. *Pot-grown Christmas trees Top sellers this month are the cut Christmas trees on pre-order. If you see any marked as sold out, please check back as we are working to secure a larger delivery for the end of this month! Our spring-flowering bulbs are now in pots ready for selling early next year. If you don't want to wait please contact us as these potted plants can be sold on request.
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