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The Ashwood Charitable Trust is delighted to announce that it has awarded the first Adam Greathead Award to Matthew Padbury, an aspiring young horticulturist who impressed the trustees with his exceptional passion for plants and strong desire to hone his skills of good gardening practice. Nursery owner John Massey explains, in his own words, the […]

The European hepaticas (H. nobilis, H.transsilvanica and H.x media and their cultivars) are the most tolerant of garden cultivation while the American species (H. americana, H. acutiloba and their cultivars) are well worth trying in very sheltered areas of the garden.  Some of our new inter-species crosses may well succeed in the garden but we […]

Hellebores are easy to grow providing a few simple guidelines are followed. They prefer a rich soil with plenty of available moisture during their flowering period, but they also require excellent drainage: they are after all ‘snow-melt’ plants. If you can grow them on a slope, they will naturally be well drained. Most are found […]

Hepaticas are generally easy to grow from seed if a few simple guidelines are followed. It’s essential to gather hepatica seed while it is still green and to sow fresh seed. The seed should be sown thinly in seed pans and  Use a very well-drained compost made up of 2 parts John Innes Seed, 1 […]

Enthusiasts and collectors usually prefer to grow all hepaticas, whatever their country of origin, in the protected environment of an alpine house or poly-tunnel. Alpine house cultivation ensures that plants will be untouched by the vagaries of the British weather and allows their exquisite blooms to be viewed at close quarters. We strongly recommend that […]