Quercus Garden Plants

Gorgeous wee Viola odorata ‘Alba’ is now out in the shade plant tunnel, £3.50 for a 9cm pot. A white cultivar of the Sweet violet with heart-shaped dark green leaves. Sweetly scented white flowers bloom from February to March in partial shade. H 5cm, S 10cm.

"Mouse plants" are now out in the sales area on the perennial table. These curious plants are great for getting kids interested in plants and gardens and indeed adults if you like quirky plants. Arisarum proboscideum will grow happily in shade under shrubs in humus rich soil. Tiny tubers increase sending up dense clusters of small shining green leaves. In May hidden among the leaves are tiny flowers, white inside with brown backs, the spathe tips extended into long thin tails which poke out among the leaves as though tiny mice had dived in, head first, to hide. Best in shade, near the edge of a path where you can stoop to see them. H 10 cm, S 45cm. Available in 9cm pots at £3.50.

We are the perfect place to visit on Mothers Day with lots to see and do. Great shopping, food, gardens and farm walks, there is something for everyone. We will also have the first running day of our 16mm narrow gauge garden railway from 2-5pm. Junkshopantiques AtlanticOrganic at Whitmuir Kitchen Whitmuir the Organic Place Dancing Light Gallery

Monday Projects - It's well over 3 years since we put the path, arch and bottle edge into the wildlife garden. We then got distracted by wedding gardens and other things but finally it's time to get the borders sorted and planted. Today I started with the bee border. I am also doing a bit of experimenting to contain the existing weeds and avoid the poor soil. I've treated the worst of the perennial weeds with salt solution, this then gets covered with layers of cardboard (do ...not underestimate just how much cardboard you will need!) This is then covered by a deep layer of compost. I've used our own home made compost. It took 30 barrows to do this border, thats 30 barrows, 6 and a half miles and 2 sore knees! All I'm saying is I'm glad the full barrows were going down hill. But doesn't it look good. over time the cardboard will disintigrate and by then the weeds have hopefully died. As I say it's all a bit of experimenting, but great recycling too. It was then planted up with lots of bee friendly plants, from snowdrops, through summer perennials to wall flowers. List coming to the website soon.
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It's a gorgeous spring day, that nasty wind has dropped, the sun is out and the birds are singing their wee hearts out. The weather is forecast to be sunny and settled for the rest of the week, yay! I'm here until 3.30pm, then as normal Wednesday to Sunday. Im away to start my next Monday project in the nursery gardens. Happy gardening.

Plants and their uses Allium tuberosum “Garlic chives” are a clump-forming herb grown for both culinary and ornamental purposes. With chive-like, grey-green leaves up to 12" long which can be used in cooking in the same way as chives. Tiny, star-shaped, white flowers appear in loose clusters in late summer. Plants will colonize, and a small planting can expand rather quickly. All parts of the plant have an oniony smell when cut or crushed. H50cm, S 40cm. See it growing in the... nursery herb garden and for sale on the sales area herb table, £3.50 for a 9cm pot.
Garlic Chive & Gruyère Quiche Servings: 4-6 Total Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
Shortcrust pastry, enough for 20cm pie dish 1 tablespoon butter 1/2 cup thinly sliced garlic chives 4 large eggs 1-1/4 cups double cream Pinch ground nutmeg 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 3 oz Gruyère, finely shredded 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and wrung free of water Preheat oven to 170C. Roll out the pastry and line the pie dish, prick with a fork and bake on centre rack until fully cooked and lightly golden, 10 to 15 minutes. (Keep an eye on it...if it puffs up while cooking, gently prick it with a fork so it will deflate.) Set aside and turn oven down to 160C. Heat butter in a small saute pan over medium-low heat. Cook the garlic chives until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Do not brown. Set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, double cream, nutmeg, salt and cayenne pepper. Place cooked pie shell on a baking sheet (this makes it easy to move in and out of oven). Spread the garlic chives over the bottom of the cooked crust, then sprinkle grated Gruyere over top. Scatter spinach evenly over the cheese (breaking up clumps as best you can), then pour egg mixture over top. Bake at 160C degrees for 50-55 minutes until custard is set and top is lightly golden. Serve hot or warm, with salad.
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Scuse me ..........spring has sprung :D ;) in the stock beds

Hi everyone, David has another recycling project on the go in the nursery gardens, but we are one ladder short to complete it. Does anyone have an old wooden ladder they want rid of? It will be going to good recycled home and making another quirky feature in the nursery gardens :) :)

Fragrant Friday - Primula auricula - …… and cultivars of which there are hundreds! Auricula primulas come in a wide range of colours and combinations, often double or semi-double. The scented blooms appear above light green or often grey-green foliage with wavy edges. Grow in well drained compost in pots or troughs and protect from wet and cold in winter, a cold greenhouse is ideal. Height 15cm. We have several varieties for sale, these include Primula auricula 'Blue Velvet', Primula auricula 'Helen Ruane', Primula auricula 'Osborne Green' and Primula auricula 'Trouble', all propagated from my own collection at home, featured in the photos. Find them on the alpine table in the sales area. #fragrantFriday #auriculaprimula

Getting the stock beds tidied after winter is as satisfying as giving the nursery gardens their spring clean. I also get all the new plants out of the tunnels, potted and put out as I go along. Busy busy time of year, and 100 packets of seeds arrived in the post yesterday so guess what I'll be doing this weekend as well as tidying the stock beds 😊

I planted Viburnum bodnantense 'Dawn' in what will be the winter garden today. This is one of my favourite shrubs with its pink scented flowers which appear through winter into srping. It's tough and makes a great centre piece in a border. I will be underplanting with hellebores, bergenias, spring bulbs, and other lovely winter interest perennials. Watch this space :)

I've been filling up the alpine table this week, I love all the stripes of colour! All our alpines are propagated and grown here in the nursery from our own plants. Why not plant up an alpine trough this year?

Did you know black currents make excellent hedges? They are particularly useful in more exposed, colder and windy areas where they cope very well in these conditions and of course provide plentiful berries for us and the birds. Just a few bushes will provide enough berries for jams, jellies, cordials and fruit to freeze for use through winter. You can see our blackcurrant hedge here behind the stock beds in the nursery. Plants for sale available soon.

Throwback Thursday - creating the scented garden in March 2017 and today, it won't be long until the borders are full of growth again. There are plenty shoots popping up already.

We are the perfect place to visit on Mothers Day with lots to see and do. Great shopping, food, gardens and farm walks, there is something for everyone. We will also have the first running day of our 16mm narrow gauge garden railway from 2-5pm. Junkshopantiques AtlanticOrganic at Whitmuir Kitchen Whitmuir the Organic Place Dancing Light Gallery

The sun is out, there is blue sky, it's definitely warmer, and i've not put the office heater on for the first time this year. We've got lots of great hardy plants for your garden, good advice and gardens to inspire. Come and visit and get your garden stocked up for the coming year. Spring is coming! AtlanticOrganic at Whitmuir Kitchen Whitmuir the Organic Place Junkshopantiques Dancing Light Gallery

Monday Projects - I got the stream garden extension finished today, there are lots of chunky perennials planted to cope with the poor soil, cover the ground and knit the bankings together. Most are available to buy in the nursery but there are a few newbies which I will prop from as they grow and introduce into our stock list over the next year or so. I'm really looking forward to seeing it all coming together and growing over the summer. Now to plan my Monday project for next week :)

My blog post on wet and damp garden areas seems appropriate after all the rain and snow melt we've had over the past few days!

We love Quercus Garden Plants for lots of reasons...a superb plant selection that has been specifically selected for tough Scottish gardens, this means that when we put the plants in our garden they grow! And Rona is so full of expert knowledge and gives of her time freely to help us choose just the right plant for the right spot. And what a transformation the nursery at Whutmuir is...every time we visit there's been another delightful and inspired development. A treat to visit.

Outstanding selection of plants, good advice and great prices. Well worth a visit.