Soft Fruit, including Raspberries, Strawberries, Gooseberries, Currants etc, can be grown by everyone, even where gardens are smaller. There are varieties which are ornamental as well as productive. They can be grown in a mixed border or in pots on the patio and they love to grow against a sunny wall or a fence. Soft Fruit will grow well in most soil types, but ideally should be grown in well drained, loamy soil that is not too heavy. Dig over the soil in the planting area before planting, to relieve any compaction and dig in some soil improver or granular fertiliser.
When you receive your 'Potted Plants', remove from packaging and position in a sheltered spot. Make sure water can drain freely from the bottom of the pot and give the plant a generous watering. The potted plant should then be allowed to rest for a few days before planting. Whilst the plant is resting, keep it moist but not saturated.
If you've ordered 'Bare Root' specimens, un-pack the plants immediately on receipt. In all cases, aim to plant as soon as possible to reduce the possibility of the roots starting to dry out and failing to establish. If you can't plant straightaway - because the ground is too wet or frozen for example, store the plants in an un-heated out building such as a shed or garage, making sure the roots are moistened and loosely covered with a sack or compost. Alternatively, dig a hole in a sheltered position and 'heel in' the roots temporarily
Planting: for any type of bare root plant, soak the roots in a bucket of water for a couple of hours before planting. Dig a hole wide enough and deep enough to take all the roots without them being doubled up. Plant bare root Strawberries and Rhubarb with the very top of the growing crown set level with the soil surface. Back-fill the planting hole and press the soil down firmly. Water after planting.
Canes and bare root bushes, such as Raspberries, Currants, Gooseberries and Jostaberries need to be planted slightly deeper than they were in the nursery. The nursery soil mark should be visible, but if not, just make sure the entire root-ball is under soil, along with about 1cm of the stem. After planting, press the soil down around the plant and water in.
Autumn-fruiting variety with slightly thorny canes, renowned for its outstanding performance and good quality large tasty raspberry fruits which are packed full of vitamins and antioxidants. It's a popular prolific variety with good disease resistance. Can be grown to overgrow a wall, climbing frame, or for creating a hedge.
A good all-round mid season variety. Compact growth, resistant to blight, botrytis and some viruses. Excellent flavour, firm texture, high yields. Fruits early to late.
A mid season variety with good firm tasty fruit.
Early fruiting raspberry with thorny stems and firm, red fruit with medium flavour ready for harvest in early summer. This cultivar is heavy cropping, virus resistant and tolerant of poor soils.
A golden yellow garden raspberry that bears fruit on one year old canes with harvest starting in August. Very large fruits with a sweet, fine aroma.
A purple-coloured garden raspberry that bears fruit on one year old canes with harvest starting in August. Large fruits with a fascinating resinous smoky flavour.
A red-coloured garden raspberry that bears fruit on one year old canes with harvest starting in August. Large, very regular, conical fruits with an excellent flavour.
Yellow, compact raspberry for pots that bears fruit on this year's canes. A perfect sister variety for Summer Lovers Patio Red. Height approx. 100cm. Convinces due to its aroma and great luminosity.
Late season. A new introduction from the U.S. This is a late season raspberry with large firm fruits and a long picking season.
An upright, deciduous shrub with thorny canes bearing lobed, palmate, dark green leaves and white flowers in spring followed by globular to conical, edible, sweet, red fruit ready for harvest in late summer or early autumn.
Dessert or culinary use. Growing to a large bush, reliable, good all rounder with long trusses. Excellent cropper, mid season.
Smallish red stalks throughout, long thick petioles. Introduced in Canada and very popular. Stems are shorter and more slender than many seedling types but very tender. High quality and good red colour, produces few seed stalks.
Blood-red coloured stems. The stems show a pronounced ribbing on the back and have deep grooves on the inside. The flesh is green to pink, sometimes stained red in the lower stem area.
Long, scarlet stems that have a deliciously sweet taste. Though an old variety, it is easy to grow, reliable and early.
A good flavoured early rhubarb suitable for forcing. Height 1m. Spread 1m. Herbaceous. Sunny position in well fertilised soil. Long luscious stick of string-less rhubarb. Plant before mid February, preferably before Christmas as possible to crop in February if winter is mild.
Sweet flavour, just perfect for pies and crumbles. Good at retaining its bright colouring when cooked. Originating from the 'Rhubarb triangle, in West Yorkshire an early cropping variety with colourful red stems literally bursting with flavour.
A very attractive deciduous tree with spectacular dark-orange autumn foliage. The Latin name Diospyros translates as " Food of the gods" which is very appropriate when describing the melting flesh of the persimmon fruit.
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Seed-raised ever-bearer, producing small flushes of fruit from late spring to early autumn. The flowers are a striking, bright red but the dark red fruit are small with little taste.
Early strawberry variety, arrives in June, July, beautiful shiny berries with a pleasant smell, shapely, juicy berries.
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The everbearing strawberry 'Ariba® White' is an early and compact series. The pretty white flowers are very attractive. Ripe, aromatic fruits grow throughout the whole summer and can be snacked directly from the plant.
'Elan' Strawberry develops vigorous plants with big flowers. These characteristics will give 'Elan' its best performance in Hanging Baskets.
Produces a heavy crop of large, very sweet fruits from mid-summer through to autumn. Pink flowers and red fruits. It is easy to grow and maintain, just keep well watered and fed.
Vibrant Semi-double cherry/pink flowers in Spring. Medium, sweet, gourmet fruit all summer. Perfect for pots, containers and hanging baskets.
Double blooms in a deep shade of red-pink. Dark green foliage forms neat mounds with fewer runners. Perfect for the front of sunny borders, patio pots or window boxes. Height 20cm. Spread 30cm.
White 'rose-like' double flowers, borne high above the deep-green foliage, all summer long. Aromatic strawberries that follow taste as good as they look. Ideal for patio pots or hanging baskets. Fantastic ornamental plant.
Produces striking, bright red cone-shaped fruit with a deliciously sweet flavour. Vigorous trailing habit. Heavy cropper. It has great ornamental appeal, producing an abundance of deep rose flowers which will look stunning in baskets and containers.
Compact growing habit. Blooms large bright white flowers that stand out, followed by the sweet berries which can be snacked on directly from the plant. Height and spread: 20cm.
A new and distinct variety of strawberry plant named. Particularly characterised by high adaptability to non-fumigated soil, very early ripening, good taste with high sweetness, high firmness and shelf life.
A whitecurrant that produces long heavy trusses of pale yellow currants that are very sweet. Thoroughly reliable, pick in early June. Sunny position, well fertilised.
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Any questions? Email us or give us a call on 01904 400092.
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