Gardening Calendar

Flowers and foliage are often the first thing gardeners think about when choosing plants for the garden, but many plants have another explosion of colour that's every bit as spectacular as blossom or elegant leaves. Berries can smother a tree or shrub in a good year, often in late autumn and early winter when there's not much in the way of other colour around.

Visit our Mullingar garden centre in autumn and you'll find dozens of plants in full berry, and it's quite a sight. Here are our top picks for a spectacular autumn display.

• Barberry (Berberis thunbergii) is a really easy to grow shrub that just keeps on giving. Covered in pale straw-coloured flowers in spring, it follows with brilliant red berries and orange foliage in autumn.
   
• Cotoneaster come in all shapes and sizes, from horizontalis, with herringbone branches which can be trained against a wall, to serotinus, an arching shrub to 1.5m tall. All are smothered in berries in autumn.
   
• Firethorn (Pyracantha) comes with red, orange or yellow berries: plant all three for a firework display of densely-clustered berries in autumn, and train against a wall for a sculptural garden feature.
   
• Holly (Ilex aquifolium) only has berries if you plant a male and a female plant: if you haven't room, there's a self-fertile variety called 'JC Van Tol'.
   
• Rowans (Sorbus) are small trees whose berries are much loved by birds. Sorbus cashmiriana has pearly white berries, while 'Joseph Rock' fruits buttery yellow.
   
• Beauty berry (Callicarpa bodinieri) has perhaps the most extraordinary autumn berries of them all: in an iridescent, jewel-like violet purple there's nothing else quite like them in the plant world.
   
• Elder (Sambucus nigra) follows its frothy dinner-plate flowerheads with striking sprays of black berries: pick them as soon as they're ripe and you can make elderberry wine.
   
• Species roses are the ones which produce ornamental hips in autumn to follow a riot of summer flowers. The hips of Rosa moyesii are sealing-wax red and waisted, like flagons of wine, while R. spinosissima has fat, spherical black hips.

Please ask the staff in our Mullingar garden centre for more information and advice about plants with good autumn berries.

A garden humming with bees and shimmering with brilliantly-coloured butterflies is full of life and beauty, the insects adding another dimension to your planting and giving you yet another reason to enjoy your garden.

By encouraging bees and butterflies into your garden you're doing the planet a favour as well as your plants. Populations of both insects have been plummeting, a combination of disease, climate change and the lack of suitable pollen-rich flowers. It's important because their activities are responsible for around a third of the food we eat – so helping them out makes good sense all round.

You'll find all you need in our garden centre in Mullingar to make your plot a haven for bees and butterflies: here are some of the features you can include for them when you're planning your garden.

Attracting bees:

• Include water: Like all creatures, bees need to drink. In our garden centre you'll find all sorts of water features, from bird baths to bubble fountains and ponds.
• Hang up a bee hotel: We stock a range of housing designed with bees in mind. Solitary bees lay eggs in cavities in trees or wood; recreate the same habitat with a bee hotel hung on a sunny wall.
• Plant bee-friendly plants: Bees love plants with simple, open flowers so they can get at the nectar easily. Good choices include clematis, hollyhocks, geraniums, lavender and flowering herbs.

Attracting butterflies:

• Make a sunbathing platform: Butterflies adore a warm sunny spot, so give them somewhere to sunbathe by placing a wide flat stone in a sunny spot in your garden to absorb heat for them to enjoy.
• Leave caterpillar-friendly areas: Butterflies are only half the story: caterpillars need catering for, too. A patch of nettles is perfect caterpillar food, and other plants caterpillars enjoy include mallow (Malva moschata) and mullein (Verbascum bombyciferum).
• Butterfly-friendly plants: The more nectar-rich your plants, the happier your butterflies. They'll flock to buddleja, sedum, red valerian, scabious, Michaelmas daisies and aubretia – so plant plenty in your garden.

Please ask the staff in our Mullingar garden centre for more information and advice about attracting bees and butterflies to your garden.

Having a small garden shed is quite common in many gardens especially in Ripley. However, a small shed in one of the garden’s corners will only suffice to store away gardening accessories, tools and equipment. Usually a small shed will not even have room to store away garden furniture that is not being used in the winter. So, wouldn’t it be better to have a larger garden shed that will be able to serve for a wide range of purposes? After all, extra space is never a luxury as we all tend to have countless things that need to be stored and generally we rarely have any free space at all! Your garden can be the perfect spot to build a gazebo, or maybe a studio workshop where you can enjoy practising your hobby. You could even opt for a small playhouse for your kids. Summer houses are another great addition. You can place a table and chairs and enjoy the beauty of your garden while sipping tea with friends and relatives. If it is too cold to stay outdoors, a summer house is certainly a great option to entertain your family or friends, while still being able to enjoy the greenery of your garden. All of these are perfectly great options if your garden is big enough to accommodate one or more of them.

So, what if I were to tell you to build such wooden constructions yourself? The first thing that will probably come to your mind is that it is too difficult, and you do not have any time to spare constructing buildings. But in reality it is neither complicated nor too time consuming to do this. In fact you will be able to find do it yourself kits for different types of garden constructions, including log cabins and garden sheds. These come with all the necessary parts and easy to follow instructions that anybody will manage to understand and implement. The instructions will offer you a clear guideline, step by step, of all the assembly needs of the building. It will only take you a few hours to complete, or at most a couple of days. If you have someone to help you out by simply holding the parts for you, the task will be rendered even simpler.

One of the most important things to consider is where you will be setting up this garden building. You need to find a spot that is large enough to accommodate it, and where there is a perfectly flat surface. This is important as you want to make sure that the building has a solid foundation. Usually once the foundation is completed, you will be able to start to attach the walls, and then the door/s and window/s. Some garden buildings will have domes too. These help to increase the flow of air and the lighting. Make sure that the windows and doors are made from high quality materials. They should be durable and preferably UV resistant and waterproof.

To make up space for a garden building you wish to construct, you may have to rearrange the layout of your garden a bit. It is best to break it up into smaller areas or parts. An entertaining area is considered as a must for most people. You may want to have one or more areas for your kids’ entertainment, such as place for a sandbox or play area. If you like to plant vegetables you will want to have a separate vegetable area. A utility area is often required. You may want to have certain parts reserved for decorations or facilities, such as a pond, benches or a pool.

If you consider gardening as a hobby you will want to rearrange your garden to have more space available for planting. However, you need to bear in mind that the more you plant, the more tools and gardening equipment you are going to need, and these call for a suitable storage area. A garden shed is the most feasible option as you do not want to drag dirty gardening tools and equipment in your house for sure!

Most garden buildings are made from wood. This is the most traditional material, and to date it is still widely used as it has that unique rustic look that complements any gardening landscape perfectly. Gazebos for instance, are almost always constructed from wood. Gazebos give a nice look to any garden and they have been used for several years, dating back to Persian and Chinese literature too. Their pavilion structure appeals to many. There are some people who prefer standalone gazebos, whereas others opt for a gazebo where one of the walls is attached to the house. Some gazebos have open sides, whereas others have some of them, or almost all of them closed. Gazebos give shelter and are often used instead of outdoor benches. They are ideal when there is a lot of sun as they provide shade where one can rest, have a chat or read a book even
in the hot summer months.

Cabanas are also popular options. A cabana is like a small hut with a thatched roof. Cabanas are generally built near water features. They can be made from treated wood, as well as steel or aluminium.

Since many people are taking up a job where they can stay at home, a garden office may just be the best option. This small building in the garden can give you the pleasure of enjoying the breeze and the nature while working, and you won’t be taking up space in your home. Another benefit of setting up a garden office is that you do not have to apply for any permit as long as it is not too big. In fact if the height is up to 4 meters and the building is at least 2 meters from the property line, then there is no problem whatsoever. It is also important that it does not take up more than half of the garden area.

Being aware of the various types of garden buildings will give you the possibility to choose one that is most ideal for your needs. Consider the storage space you need and what you will be using the building for.

For more information visit our garden centre in Mullingar and speak to one of our staff

It's almost as if bulbs were invented for containers: they grow happily despite the restricted environment, look fabulous and come back year after year.

Make the most of your container bulbs with our top display tips.

Masses of tulips: at their most striking planted en masse in a head-turning block of colour, tulips look wonderful as a single variety packed into a large container. Try scarlet 'Apeldoorn' or sumptuous 'Abu Hassan' for real wow factor.

Layer planting: planting bulbs in three layers so each flowers in succession gives a really long display. Plant late-flowering pale pink 'Baywatch' tulips on the bottom, with dwarf narcissus 'Tete a Tete' and then early-flowering Iris reticulata on top for flowers from late winter till May.

Trying things out: when you're considering growing a new type of bulb but aren't sure how it'll perform, get to know it first by popping it in a container for its first year. You can then watch it up close to see how it does: if you're smitten, plant into your borders after flowering.

Plunge planting: for temporary splashes of colour, keep showy bulbs like tulips, lilies or agapanthus in large containers. When they're on the point of flowering, plunge pot and all into the ground in the main garden for instant displays.

Specimen bulbs: very lovely, delicate bulbs like bulbocodium daffodils or tiny reticulata irises disappear in the rough and tumble of the open garden, so pot them up and display them on a table to appreciate them to the full.

Indoor forcing: hyacinths and fragrant paperwhite daffodils can be brought indoors for forcing, filling your house with colour and scent through the depths of winter. You can buy ready-forced bulbs from our garden centre from late autumn.

Please ask the staff in our Mullingar garden centre for more information and advice about growing bulbs in containers.

Compost is a finely-balanced thing, a complex blend of minerals, nutrients and organic matter judged so your plants perform at their best. It's no surprise, then, that there are nearly as many types of compost as there are varieties of plant.

We stock dozens of varieties in our garden centre in Mullingar, each with their own particular use. Use our guide to help you pick the right one for your plants.

• Peat-free: A more environmentally-friendly alternative to conventional peat-based compost, using substitutes like recycled green waste, coir or composted bark. Fine for all general garden uses, including containers.
   
• Peat reduced: Similar to peat-free, but with a higher proportion of peat - up to 50% depending on the manufacturer – giving a more even structure.
   
• Pre-added feed and water granules: compost with a slow-release granular feed already added keeps plants growing vigorously without you having to do a thing; added water granules hold on to water, releasing it more gradually – great for hanging baskets.
   
• Soil-based composts: Heavier soil-based blends are usually mixed to the John Innes formula in three grades from John Innes no. 1, for seedlings, to John Innes no. 3 for mature shrubs.
   
• Seed compost: Fine-grade seed composts are sterilised to eliminate disease and low-nutrient so your seedlings don't get scorched.
   
• Ericaceous compost: If you garden on neutral or alkaline soils and love acid-loving plants like rhododendrons or blueberries, choose this low-pH compost to give them just the conditions they need.
   
• Rose, tree and shrub composts: often soil-based, these are designed to mix into planting holes to get newly-planted trees and shrubs off to a flying start.
   
• Soil improvers: organic soil improvers like well-rotted farmyard manure or composted bark open up the soil's structure, breaking up heavy clay and helping free-draining soils hold on to moisture.
   
• Specialist composts: certain types of plant have very special needs. Whether you're growing orchids, bonsai, citrus or aquatic plants you'll find a compost to cater for them in our garden centre.

Please ask the staff in our Mullingar garden centre for more information and advice about choosing composts.

Some combinations of plants just work well together. Tomatoes and basil, for example: not only do they look good, they make a perfect partnership in the cooking pot too.

But there are some combinations that go beyond looking (or tasting) good. Companion planting uses features of one plant to protect or benefit another, so you get pest-free, happier and healthier plants.

Look out for companion plants to put with your flowers, fruit and vegetables in our Mullingar garden centre: you'll also find seed of annual companion plants to sow each year. They work together in several different ways - here are some of the many combinations to try.

Smelly combinations:
Insect pests often rely on a sense of smell to find their prey, so if you disguise that smell with another even stronger-smelling plant, you'll put off the insects, too.

Good partnerships:

• French marigolds (Tagetes) and tomatoes to keep away whitefly
• Onions planted around carrots to confuse carrot fly
• Garlic at the feet of roses making them taste nasty to aphids

Decoy planting:
Often pests will abandon one plant if something more delicious comes along. It's a little hard on the decoy plant, but it's very effective.

Good partnerships:

• Nasturtiums planted at the feet of broad beans to attract blackfly away

Complementary plants:
Some plants just help each other out. Tall, sturdy plants support climbers; broad-leaved plants act like a living mulch, holding in water and suppressing weeds.

Good partnerships:

• Sweetcorn with its feet kept cool by broad-leaved squash
• Clematis allowed to scramble up into apple trees (it'll attract pollinators for the fruit, too)
• Strawberries and borage, said to improve their flavour

Pollinating partnerships:
Plants that attract pollinating insects are beneficial for anything that's fruiting nearby, as while hoverflies, bees and lacewings are in your garden they'll also stop by to pollinate your beans and munch on a few aphids, too.

Good partnerships:

• Sweetpeas scrambling up the fence behind courgettes
• Lavender planted round the trunks of pear trees
• Herb fennel (allowed to flower) and runner beans

Please ask the staff in our Mullingar garden centre for more information and advice about using companion plants to keep pests at bay

Give your home a touch of truly exotic beauty with some of the dozens of orchids on offer in our garden centre. They're easier to grow than you'd think, especially the Phalaenopsis (moth) orchids, and come in a dazzling array of colours: everything from white to palest yellow to magenta.

Their habit of absorbing moisture and nutrients from the air – in the wild they grow halfway up trees, with no soil at all – means you don't have to stick to containers on the windowsill to display them. In fact, it's far better for them if you create a backdrop that's as close to what they'd find in their native rainforests as you can. Here are a few suggestions:

• Mounted on wood: imitate their natural habitat in a tree by picking a piece of driftwood or interesting branch with rough bark and a v-shaped nook. Tuck some moss in the nook, then mount your orchid snugly on top and tie it on gently with string or finishing line. Eventually they'll hold on by themselves, using their aerial roots: at this point, you can cut the ties and leave them to scramble over their supports naturally.

• Hanging baskets: traditional orchid baskets are made out of wooden slats, but you can use any type of basket from our garden centre. Fill the basket about three-quarter full with coarse bark, then place the orchid on top and hold it in place with more bark. Thread the roots gently through the holes in the sides, taking care not to break them, so they can start to grow around the basket by themselves.

• In vertical planting displays: orchids adore the conditions found on walls and look sensational as a vibrant touch of exotica among ferns, ivies, heucheras and tradescantias. Fill planting pockets with bark instead of soil, and plant the orchids in ribbons of colour through the greenery. You'll find vertical planting systems available in our garden centre to create your own living work of art.

When it comes to houseplants, there's no reason why you shouldn't put your garden design skills to good use in just the same way as you would any outdoor display.

Houseplants may look more exotic – among the choice in our Mullingar garden centre you'll find lush green ferns, stately weeping figs, orchids and sumptuous velvety-leaved begonias. But the principles are still the same, and a carefully-chosen group will always have far more impact than one plant standing on its own.

Follow our top tips for how to show off your houseplants at their very best.

Match houseplants to your interior décor: picking up your colour scheme in the foliage of your plants is a sure way to add serious wow factor to interior style. Plum-coloured curtains or upholstery echoed in a purple-flowered streptocarpus, for example, brings out the colour in both material and plant. The same trick works with texture, like shiny, reflective leaves in a modern chrome-and-glass kitchen.

Repeat the same plant: several identical plants repeated along a hallway or up stairs invite your eye to follow them – a great way to highlight something in your home, whether it's a sculpture or a signature piece of furniture. Clipped green plants like ivy or privet can be made into elegant topiary that's stylish and bold.

Choose contrasts: when you're picking plants to group together, go for opposites. Tall, upright plants like dracaena work well with lower-growing, like philodendron, and small-leaved ivy contrasts with the broader leaves of the peace lily. Colours, too, can provide fabulous effects: try clover-like purple oxalis paired with yellow-flowered kalanchoe.

Plant a big specimen pot: several different houseplants can go in the same pot, as long as it's big enough and all the plants like the same conditions - shade-loving ferns, for example, go well with peace lilies which don't like full sun either. Then just choose your group so there's one taller plant to give the display height, then mid-height plants and low-growing or cascading plants to cover the soil for a pleasing, well-balanced display.

Please ask the staff in our Mullingar garden centre for more information and advice about grouping your houseplants together.

Hanging baskets make a bright splash of colour against a wall or fence, filled with brilliant scarlet pelargoniums or tumbling begonias. But don't just stick to bedding plants this year: try planting baskets which are productive as well as beautiful.

Edible hanging baskets are a great way to squeeze a little more produce out of your garden. Several types of fruit and veg do better raised off the ground: strawberries, for example, are kept well away from slugs, so you get to pick your crop unmunched and perfect.

Mix several different types of edible in the same basket to create a vibrant display of contrasting foliage and fruits: you can even create an 'instant dish' by planting complementary veg together, like tomato and basil for all the ingredients you need to make a flavoursome Mediterranean sauce.

You'll find everything you need to create an edible hanging basket in our garden centre in Mullingar, from the baskets themselves to liners, compost, water-retaining gel to cut down on the watering workload, and of course plants and seeds. Here are some great varieties to try growing up in the air this year:

• Tumbling tomatoes cascade fetchingly in jewels of red and yellow. Choose a container variety like 'Gartenperle' or 'Hundreds and Thousands'. Keep well-watered and feed with liquid fertiliser once a week.

• Chillies are Mexican firecrackers which love a hot, dry spot and don't mind restricted roots. Try multicoloured 'Numex Twilight' or tumbling 'Basket of Fire'.

• Peas: mangetout peas ('Shiraz' is a purple-podded variety) and dwarf types like 'Bingo' or 'Little Marvel' do exceptionally well in hanging baskets and don't need any support. Choose a larger basket and water well.

• Strawberries: fill a hanging basket with two or three strawberry plants and they'll froth joyously over the edge. Prolific varieties include 'Cambridge Favourite' or intensely-flavoured alpine 'Mara des Bois'.

• Herbs: Mediterranean herbs love conditions in hanging baskets. Hang your basket right by the back door for easy picking. Herbs that do well in hanging baskets include thyme, marjoram, basil and summer savory.

Please ask the staff in our Mullingar garden centre for more information and advice about creating edible hanging baskets.

When you're working all day, sometimes the only time you get to spend in your garden is after dark, especially in the autumn and winter when the days are closing in.

There's no need to give up on your outside space, though. Design your garden to look just as good in the evening as during the day and you'll look forward to the moment when dusk falls, so you can go out into the night-time wonderland you've created just outside the back door.

In our garden centre in Mullingar you'll find everything you need to bring your garden to life after dark. Here are a few suggestions to start you off:

• Lighting: Subtle lighting in the garden transforms it into a space full of mystery and intrigue. Uplight special trees or sculptures with spotlights fitted on spikes in the ground, or use torchlight flares along a path for a romantic invitation to explore. Small lights strung across a pergola twinkle in the dark; you can even float solar lights on your pond for a captivating light display.
   
• Planting: Pale colours shine out from dark shadows, emerging after dark to take centre stage. White foxgloves, white roses and palest blue forget-me-nots gleam in a night-time garden. Many plants also have evening scent: evening primrose, honeysuckles like 'Graham Thomas' and stately annual Nicotiana sylvestris release their heady perfumes as the light fades.
   
• Heating: As the sun goes down, so does the temperature later in the year. A source of heat adds a cosiness to outdoor evenings in autumn and keeps you outside for longer. Firepits, like bonfires in a dish, throw out heat intense enough to cook with, as do clay chiminea ovens: you'll find people irresistibly drawn to them at parties.
   
• Eating: Once you're looking at a bewitching evening garden, your chair pulled close to the fire, it won't be long before you start feeling peckish. Balmy autumn evenings were made for cooking outdoors, and you'll find everything you need in our garden centre, from kettle barbecues to luxury outdoor kitchens.

Please ask the staff in our Mullingar garden centre for more information and advice about using your garden in the evening.

When you're starting out with your new veg garden and trying to decide what to grow first, the sheer variety of vegetables that opens up to you when you grow your own can be bewildering. You'll find so many different types in our garden centre in Mullingar, from artichokes to zucchini, not to mention the mouthwatering selection of varieties of each, that it's hard to know where to begin.

But there are some veg you shouldn't be without: the tried-and- tested, easy-to-grow kitchen essentials. Plant these first, and you won't go far wrong.

Potatoes
Grow your own spuds, and you'll transform your opinion of this 'humble' vegetable forever. Try deliciously-flavoured heritage varieties, or savour melt-in-the-mouth new potatoes within minutes of harvest. Recommended varieties: 'Duke of York', 'Mayan Gold', 'Sarpo Mira'

Peas
If your idea of a pea comes from the freezer, fresh peas are a revelation. Sow on windowsills for microgreens, enjoy young pods as mangetout, and sprinkle curly shoot tips in salads. Or just enjoy the mature peas. It's up to you. Recommended varieties: 'Douce de Provence', Mangetout 'Shiraz', 'Ambassador'

French climbing beans
The connoisseur's alternative to runner beans, tailor your French climbing beans according to taste. Choose from slender pencil beans, flat-podded types, purple or yellow varieties, or shelling beans for white haricots. Recommended varieties: 'Cobra', 'Blauhilde', 'Blue Lake'

Garlic
Breaking a fat head of garlic into cloves to plant in chilly November starts your gardening year with a smile. As well as dried cloves, try green scapes (flower spikes) and mild-flavoured green garlic. Recommended varieties: 'Chesnok Red', 'Solent Wight', Elephant Garlic

Chard
Generous crops of leafy greens, with a side order of crisp midrib, chard is just like spinach but miles easier to grow. It comes in a rainbow of differently-coloured stems - sometimes on the same plant. Recommended varieties: Swiss chard, Ruby chard, Chard 'Bright Lights'

Please ask the staff in our Mullingar garden centre for more information and advice about five easy veg.

Garden sheds are considered to be a very convenient and practical addition to any garden. What with all the tools, machines, pots and garden furniture you need to store, a shed is surely a great option.

This simple garden building appeals to many people, as storage space is certainly needed in any house. Garden sheds can be made from different materials. The most common option traditionally was wood. However, besides wood, garden sheds are now being made from plastic and metal too. You can construct your own garden shed if you have a knack at DIY. Alternatively you can buy a ready-made one. These are generally made from plastic and are available in various sizes so as to suit varying needs and preferences. You can also order a garden shed. This is the ideal option in case you want a customised one.

When garden sheds are rather large, they can also be used as summer houses. A partition is generally made so that part of the shed can be used for entertainment purposes, whereas the other part is kept for storage. Many people also use sheds as a play area for their kids. Some even decide to have a shed in their garden specifically for this purpose. Kids will love the fact that they will be able to play in their own little house surrounded by the beauty of the garden.

Others use their garden shed as a home gym. Gym equipment can be set up inside, and you can train and exercise while looking out on your garden. There are also people who use garden sheds as a place where they can play music. Since they will be a bit away from the house, this is an ideal option for a music room. Garden sheds are often used as workshops too. There are even some who convert their garden shed into a little office where they can work from home, and enjoy the restful silence of their garden setting too.

So, clearly garden sheds can be used for literally any purpose! What will you be using yours for?

Ask one of our members of staff in our Mullingar centre for more information.