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Halloween At The Derwen

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We have a huge selection of pots at a 50 % discount, making them a very cheap buy! Plant up some pots to colour up your deck, patio or garden.

Pots 50% off

We have a great selection of quality ornamental shrubs, ornamental grasses, and herbaceous perennials in 2L pots for just £9.90! Great if you have got a space to fill quickly.

4 plants for £9.90

Derwen Garden Centre

<p>Start <strong>growing mistletoe</strong> with this guide, and you’ll be kissing underneath it in no time at all.</p>

<p>Start <strong>growing mistletoe</strong> with this guide, and you’ll be kissing underneath it in no time at all. There is a great deal of conflicting information about growing mistletoe, and as it is a parasitic plant, it is no wonder why many people think it cannot be grown at all. In fact, mistletoe isn’t that hard to develop, and you can even start collecting your own berries to grow on your host tree. Here’s how:&nbsp;</p>
<ol>
<li>Collect berries&nbsp;</li>
<li>Store then rehydrate</li>
<li>Sow your seeds&nbsp;</li>
<li>Host tree&nbsp;</li>
<li>Kiss under the mistletoe&nbsp;</li>
</ol>
<h2>Start growing mistletoe by first collecting berries&nbsp;</h2>
<p>Collecting berries is best between February to March, but some plants will still have berries in April. Collect as many as you can, leaving plenty for the birds. Please make sure they are clean and discard any rotting or damaged berries, so they are ready to be used. You can also buy them online from a reputable store.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Growing mistletoe starts with good storage&nbsp;</h2>
<p>If you have collected berries over Christmas, they can be stored in a cool, dry place with light. Don’t place them in the dark. Although using them fresh is by far the best way to grow mistletoe.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Sow your seeds and get ready to start growing mistletoe&nbsp;</h2>
<p>This is the exciting bit! If your berries have been stored, pop them into some water to rehydrate them before squishing the seeds out of the berry. The seeds are coated in a gel-like substance, and ideally, if you can clear the seed of as much of that as you can, this will ultimately help germination. The seeds will still be sticky enough to stick to your hands and the host tree.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Growing mistletoe means choosing the host tree&nbsp;</h2>
<p>There are many trees mistletoe can grow on, and you don’t need to put the seeds under a ‘flap’ of bark. It’s even more straightforward than that. All mistletoe needs are healthy tree bark and enough light. Choose young branches and stick about six seeds per branch. You’ll need to do this on a few branches to ensure germination, and then later success as not all will fully grow. Germination will be really quick, but full growth and berries will be in a few years time, so you’ll need some patience! It will be well worth it, though.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Growing mistletoe can only result in kissing underneath it&nbsp;</h2>
<p>It might be some time, but all good things come to those who wait! So once that mistletoe is full of berries at Christmas, be sure to cut a little and hang it right over the door where the person you’d like a festive kiss with is sure to walk on through!&nbsp;</p>
<p>If you need any help with growing mistletoe tips, our friendly staff can advise you in the store.&nbsp;</p>

Growing mistletoe

<p><strong>Get your garden ready for Halloween</strong>! If you are looking for some ideas to get the trick and treating season off to a scary start, we’ve got lots of ideas for you to try.</p>

<p>Time to <strong>get your garden ready for Halloween</strong>, but how do you make it into a spookily, stylish or fun garden where ghosts and skeletons hide in the flower beds and the pumpkins come alive at night? If you are looking for some ideas to get the trick and treating season off to a scary start, we’ve got lots of ideas for you to try.</p>
<ol>
<li>The pumpkin pile&nbsp;</li>
<li>&nbsp;Autumn/fall Chrysthanthemums&nbsp;</li>
<li>&nbsp;Lights and spider webs&nbsp;</li>
<li>&nbsp;Ghosts and skeletons</li>
<li>&nbsp;A bucket of treats&nbsp;</li>
</ol>
<h2>The pumpkin pile is one way to get your garden ready for Halloween&nbsp;</h2>
<p>There is nothing like pumpkins and all kinds of decorated gourds in the garden for not just a beautiful autumnal display but also to make a spooky Halloween display. They can be placed in piles with some cobwebs on top or along the edges of a pathway or up steps. You could paint them all kinds of colours, add faces or do the traditional carving and lighting up. It’s great fun for kids and adults!&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Get your garden ready for Halloween with autumn/fall Chrysthanthemums&nbsp;</h2>
<p>Is there anything as pretty as Chrysthanthemums at this time of year for colour in the garden? If you have orange, yellow or red potted plants, you can move them around to create a Halloween display along with your pumpkins. Not only that but they give the garden a lot of colour at this time of year. They can flower in abundance and look really pretty even if you aren’t creating a Halloween garden.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Lights and spiders webs to get your garden ready for Halloween</h2>
<p>The Halloween garden wouldn’t be scary enough without some spider webs draped around the trees, on the shrubs and over the lawn plus, if you use lights as well, they will glow during the night and give a Halloween feel to the whole space.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Get your garden ready for Halloween with ghosts and skeletons&nbsp;</h2>
<p>What would a Halloween garden be without a few fun hanging ghosts from the trees, or even your front windows and at least one skeleton peering from behind a tree? Sure to get the neighbours jumping out of their garden boots as they walk on by!&nbsp;</p>
<h2>A bucket of treats to get your garden ready for Halloween&nbsp;</h2>
<p>If you are decorating your garden for Halloween, you will most definitely get some knocks on the door for trick or treating! You’ll need to be prepared or expect the trick! Have a bucket ready on the front lawn or by your door full of fun stuff for visitors if you want to give treats. You could have sweets and chocolates but also seed packets and even plants and flowers. Have some fun this Halloween.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Visit us in store for your Halloween decorations.&nbsp;</p>

Get your garden ready for Halloween

<p>Whether you use your own home-grown herbs or fresh herbs from the supermarket, drying herbs is easy to do.&nbsp;</p>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Drying herbs for winter</strong> storage is a skill that goes back thousands of years. It’s an ideal way to give you a supply of herbs all year round, and many herbs taste even better dried, as the flavour is concentrated. Whether you use your own home-grown herbs or fresh herbs from the supermarket, drying herbs is easy to do.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Picking and preparing herbs for drying</h2>
<p dir="ltr">If you’re harvesting your own herbs for drying, pick them on a dry day around mid-morning, when the dew has dried but before the sun’s heat evaporates the essential oils in the leaves.&nbsp;</p>
<p dir="ltr">Remove any dead or damaged leaves, then wash your herbs to remove any dirt and bugs and pat dry with a clean cloth or paper towel.&nbsp; Tie small-leaved herbs like thyme and oregano into bundles to make them easier to handle, but keep them small, as large piles are more likely to go mouldy. Strip big leaves like sage and mint from the stems before drying them.</p>
<h2 dir="ltr">Air-drying herbs</h2>
<p dir="ltr">Air-drying takes a little longer than other methods but is very easy to do and needs very little in the way of equipment. To air-dry herbs, simply place the leaves or bundles in cheesecloth bags to protect them from dust and hang the bags somewhere out of direct sunlight, with good air circulation and low humidity. Depending on the air temperature, it can take 1-2 weeks for herbs to fully dry – when the stems snap, and the leaves are brittle, they are ready.&nbsp;</p>
<h2 dir="ltr">Drying herbs in an oven</h2>
<p dir="ltr">Herbs can be dried in an oven on a very low setting, around 80°C (100°F), with the door left open so that moisture can escape.&nbsp;</p>
<ul>
<li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Spread the leaves out on a wire rack and place the shelf in the centre of the oven.&nbsp;</p>
</li>
<li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Turn the leaves every 30 minutes until they are dry – this should take between 1-2 hours.</p>
</li>
<li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Don’t leave the oven unattended while the herbs are drying, especially if there are children or pets in the house.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<h2 dir="ltr">Drying herbs in a microwave</h2>
<p dir="ltr">Microwave drying is quick, simple, and ideal if you only have a small number of herbs to dry.</p>
<ul>
<li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Place the clean, dry herbs on a paper towel on a microwave-safe plate and cover with another paper towel.</p>
</li>
<li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Microwave on high setting for one minute – stop if you smell the herbs burning.</p>
</li>
<li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Repeat in 30-second bursts until the herbs are dry.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<h2 dir="ltr">Storing dried herbs</h2>
<p dir="ltr">Dried herbs will store well for a long time in airtight containers. Keep them out of direct sunlight, especially if stored in clear glass bottles. Use a pestle and mortar or your fingers to crush the leaves before storing, unless you want to keep them whole for easier use.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Growing your own herbs will give you a ready supply of fresh leaves for both cooking and drying. Visit our centre today to see our superb range of herbs and much more for your garden.</p>

How to dry herbs for winter

<p>Choosing suitable shrubs for borders and hedging is an effective way to give your garden a whole new look.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Shrubs and hedging</strong> are the unsung heroes of the garden. These modest, low-maintenance stalwarts provide structure and create a framework to show off more glamorous plants. Choosing suitable shrubs for borders and hedging is an effective way to give your garden a whole new look.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Structural shrubs and hedging</h2>
<p>These popular structural shrubs don’t have showy flowers, but they are a reliable presence in the garden with their evergreen foliage.</p>
<ul>
<li>Yew (Taxus baccata) – One of the few conifers that can tolerate hard pruning, it makes a good hedging or topiary plant and will cope with dry shade once established.</li>
<li>Box (Buxus sempervirens) – The classic choice for topiary and low evergreen hedging, as it can be clipped to shape. In areas affected by box blight or box moth caterpillars, Euonymus ‘Jean Hughes’ or Lonicera nitida (shrubby honeysuckle) are good alternatives.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) – grows well in the sun or shade and makes an excellent hedging plant.</li>
<li>Beech (Fagus sylvaticus) – a tree that can also be grown as a hedging plant. If trimmed in late summer, it will hold onto its brown autumn leaves until spring.</li>
<li>Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) – a deciduous shrub ideal for native hedging, with white flowers in spring and berries in autumn.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Shrubs for flowers and scent</h2>
<p>These low-maintenance flowering shrubs add both colour and structure – a must for any garden.&nbsp;</p>
<ul>
<li>Rockrose (Cistus purpureus) – drought-tolerant and low-maintenance, forming a neat dome covered in brilliant pink or pure white flowers all summer.</li>
<li>Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) – aromatic silvery foliage and very fragrant purple flowers. A must for bee-friendly gardens.</li>
<li>Forsythia – brings fantastic colour in early spring, when the bare branches are smothered in a blaze of yellow flowers.</li>
<li>Christmas box (Sarcococca confusa) – an unassuming shrub that grows happily in the shade, with small but incredibly sweetly scented flowers in the middle of winter.</li>
<li>Hydrangea – an excellent shrub for shady spots, with big pink, white or blue flowerheads in late summer.</li>
</ul>
<h2>How to plant shrubs and hedging</h2>
<p>Please follow our how to plant shrubs and hedging guide to provide your shrubs and hedging with a&nbsp;</p>
<ol>
<li>Water container-grown plants well before planting. Bare-root plants should be soaked in water for an hour to rehydrate them before planting.</li>
<li>Dig a hole big enough to fit the rootball. If planting a hedge, it’s often simpler to dig a trench and then space the plants evenly along the trench rather than digging individual holes.</li>
<li>Plant the shrub to be at the same level in the soil as it was in the pot. A sprinkling of mycorrhizal fungi over the roots can help the plant to establish a sound root system.</li>
<li>Backfill with soil and firm gently around the trunk of the plant with your boot—water well.</li>
<li>Water shrubs and regularly hedging in the first year after planting. Mulch annually in spring or autumn with compost or well-rotted farmyard manure.</li>
</ol>
<p>Autumn is the ideal time to plant shrubs and hedging, so visit our centre soon to see our extensive range. Our staff are always happy to help and advise!</p>

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Halloween At The Derwen

Shop Christmas

Pots 50% off

4 plants for £9.90

Derwen Garden Centre

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Address:	Derwen Garden Centre, Guilsfield, Welshpool, SY21 9PH
Office:	(01938) 553015
Email:	[email protected]

Mon - Sat:	9.30am - 5.30pm

Sunday:	11am - 5:pm