Writing this blog on the day of the Autumn Equinox seems rather symbolical. It makes one reflect on the summer season as well as whether our New Year aspirations for our gardens have been fulfilled. Did I purchase that plant I have been meaning to get? Did my roses do well this year? Did my seeds do well? As Monty Don says, “A garden is not a place. It’s a journey.” So even if something doesn’t go quite as we imagined, we can learn from it and try something different. The good news is, Autumn is the perfect time to get planting, and we’re not just talking about Spring bulbs. The soil is moist and warm which creates the perfect environment for new plants to set their roots before the winter frosts start. You may have also realised that some of your perennials or shrubs don’t quite work well in certain positions. Now is the time to replant them! If you feel that your garden could do with an addition of a tree, why not plant one (or more) now? At Madrona Nursery, we have a great selection of various trees, so head over to our Plants page to download our most up to date Plant List. Don’t forget the crucial task of supporting your newly planted trees. As we know, the winds during Winter can be very harsh and may damage the young root systems.

If you are thinking of a garden project on a larger scale, pop over to our Garden Design page. Ylva is a very experienced garden designer who can help with anything from smaller projects to large ones.

As we normally do, we reduce our Autumn/Winter opening times; from 1st November 2024 until 14th March 2025, we will be open Tuesday to Friday 10am – 5pm. Until then, and from 15th March, we will be open Monday to Saturday 10am – 5pm and Sundays 1pm – 5pm,

Hope to see you soon,

Liam, Ylva & The Madrona Nursery Team
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

When will it stop raining? Or – will it ever stop raining?? At the moment more than one gardener might be panicking, and asking themselves, and others, the latter. But, as the old saying goes, “Nature always pays her debt”, and so the rain now will translate to some gloriously sunny days before long, we’re sure of it. And when they come, you will want to be ahead of the game!

One way, of course, as far as we are concerned, is stocking up on some good quality, exciting new plants ready to go in, as soon as your borders have stopped resembling moats, and as soon as you feel safe to pack away the snorkelling equipment that you needed to get to the bottom of the garden all winter.

Here at Madrona Nursery, where we have a particularly spectacular form of thick squelchy clay, we have rarely been out of wellies since the autumn, but we still have hopes and aspirations for this coming season.  As the winter clean-up is now complete and the nursery stocked up with a number of lovely new and well-known shrubs, perennials, grasses and ferns, as well as some interesting trees, why not come by and see for yourselves? We are sure you will find something that you didn’t know you needed, but in fact hardly can live without! And if nothing appeals, just have a little sit down with a hot drink and perhaps some of the famous fruitcake…that can never be wrong, come shine…or even more rain! Surely not??

Our opening hours:
Mon-Sat: 10am – 5pm
Sun: 1pm – 5pm

Hope to see you soon,

Liam, Ylva & The Madrona Nursery Team
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

After the unusually wet and cold Summer, we have found ourselves in tropical temperatures just as the children returned to schools. Our gardens have been looking confused by the weather and many plants have suffered whilst others have thrived. Global warming is an ongoing issue and it has been widely spoken about for a while, however this summer we have absolutely seen the evidence of this phenomenon.

But let’s be positive! September is a great month for new beginnings and we encourage all gardeners to sit down in their gardens, grab a notepad and a pencil and spend sometime planning, drawing, pondering and imagining what they’d like to do in their gardens next year. Perhaps you’ve spotted a gap in your borders or a plant that looks out of place. Now is the time to plan these changes.

For some of us, the upcoming autumn months give us an opportunity to have a good tidy up and “put the garden to bed” for winter, but please remember that some plants should not be deadheaded until next Spring; such as Hydrangeas. Some gardeners like the look of the large brown heads but some of us are itching to cut those off – try to resist the urge! The spent flowers protect the new forming buds below from frost over winter but also, the large heads provide a perfect place for many species of insects to hibernate over winter.

Liam, Ylva & The Madrona Nursery Team
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

When we look outside, it seems like we have found ourselves in October although the calendar says it’s still August. This year’s Summer has been very strange indeed. It seems like we have experienced some April showers, November Rain (any Guns & Roses fans out there?) and January blizzards! The only reminder that it indeed is Summer have been our gardens of course.

We are enjoying the last splashes of Summer colour at Madrona Nursery. What we particularly enjoyed this season have been the striking flowers of Phlox. Every gardener who strives to create an English cottage garden will include one of these beauties showing off its impressive clusters of striking flowers. Suitable for the middle part of flower beds and borders with its 90-100cm tall stems, these flowers will provide you with an impressive sight from June until September. And of course, bees absolutely love them!

Liam, Ylva & The Madrona Nursery Team
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

At Madrona Nursery, we have a lovely selection of the more unusual Hydrangeas, such as Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’ with its beautiful lacey cream-coloured flower heads or its sister Hydrangea arborescens ‘Pink Annabelle’ with stunning salmon pink hue.

Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Snowflake’ has rather unusually oak-leafed shaped foliage towards the end of summer and early autumn. The flowers start off white and fade towards a pink whilst its leaves take on a bronze and purple tinge prior to dropping.

If you’d like a climbing Hydrangea, why not consider our fully hardy Hydrangea petiolaris ‘Silver Lining’ which again has unusual variegated leaves and fabulous white lacy flower heads.

Visit us this summer and choose your Hydrangea – no one ever regrets adding these beauties to their garden. To see what we’ve got in stock, please click here. We look forward to seeing you!

Liam, Ylva & The Madrona Nursery Team
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Madrona Nursery itself has undergone quite a bit of change, although much remains the same. We have gained a new member of staff, Leanne, who we are very pleased to welcome onto the Team.

Our potting operation has moved to a new location behind the Tea Room, which itself has received new nice decking for you to sit on with your cuppa’ and cake. Thankfully, that bit has not changed!

Plants come and plants go, that’s the same every year. This year we are particularly excited to be able to offer you Calycanthus ‘Aphrodite’, a hardy shrub with lush leaves and large wine-coloured flowers streaked with white, shaped a little like a Magnolia flower. Also, the hardy and perennial Verbena officinalis ‘Bampton’ with purple-tinged foliage and a haze of tiny purple flowers. As always, we have a fine selection of roses and are particularly pleased to finally being able to offer for sale Rosa chinensis ‘Bengal Crimson’, a single scarlet rose which blooms for much of the year; so rarely available and highly desirable!

Come and be inspired, come with your questions and queries…but most of all…come and enjoy a beautiful Nursery and a true gardener’s paradise!

Liam, Ylva & The Madrona Nursery Team
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

We are open during the week but please call before travelling to avoid disappointment. Our normal opening hours will resume from 12th March 2022.

And finally, we would like to wish you a very happy Christmas and may we all meet in good health in 2022!

Ylva, Liam & The Madrona Nursery Team

However the plants that absolutely thrived in this weather were the hydrangeas. Some of our gardeners have mentioned their bushes were bigger than ever, showing off their spectacular large flowers with rich colours. After all, the plant’s name in Latin means “water pitcher”. We have a splendid selection of hydrangea paniculata cv:s available at the moment and we are of the opinion that every garden needs a hydrangea so we recommend you grab one (or more) of these beauties!

We have now entered autumn and many of us are thinking of preparing our gardens for winter. If you find a gap in your borders, we would love to help you find the perfect plant to fill it! Besides, now is the best time to plant new plants and trees.

You can visit us anytime during our opening hours: Mon – Sat: 10am – 5pm Sunday: 1pm – 5pm. After 31 October we are open during the week, but if you are travelling some distance, we recommend emailing on info@madrona.co.uk or calling beforehand to avoid disappointment. Our regular opening hours will resume again from Saturday 12 March 2022.

Ylva, Liam & The Madrona Nursery Team

There is much to make everyone happy and we are excited to welcome you, our dear customers, back. So, please come along, feast your eyes on all the new and familiar plants liberally spread around our quirky and unique site. Sit in the sun, or shelter in the poly tunnels during a spring shower. Enjoy a cuppa and a slice of the famous fruit cake, let’s have some banter and some serious talk about plants, plants and more plants!

Our opening hours:
Mon-Sat: 10am – 5pm
Sun: 1pm – 5pm

Ylva, Liam & The Madrona Nursery Team