Lewis Cottage Plant Nursery to Open for One Weekend Only
The beautiful Lewis Cottage garden, near Spreyton, has not opened to the public for the last two years. But for one weekend only, on Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th August, they will be opening their plant nursery from midday until 5pm. For shade loving hostas, sun loving crocosmia, the common or the slightly unusual, pay them a visit to buy plants ready for planting in the autumn. Here Richard Orton reports on this special event, as well sharing his gardening tips for August.
It has been two years since the garden was last open for the NGS. We’ve missed the families, the expert gardeners, the novice gardeners, even the non-gardeners. We’re excited to welcome everyone back next year and by opening the plant nursery for this one weekend we hope to get a little of the wonderful atmosphere that opening the garden always creates.
We will reopen the garden properly for the NGS in 2026. To re-familiarize ourselves, the revamped plant sales area will be opened this year. The range of plants has been updated to include more of those growing in the garden.
You can preview the range of plants available and place orders online here. Avoid paying postage by choosing ‘local pick up’.
The garden itself won’t officially be open, but if visitors do want to wander, they can do so for a voluntary donation to the National Gardens Scheme (NGS).
Back in March I mentioned that we had planted out the perennial foxgloves in the rose garden partly as a deer deterrent and partly to save space in the nursery. Some of the varieties grow to be in excess of six feet (180cm) tall.
Digitalis stewartii is a statuesque, wonderfully haughty and grand example of the genus. Its tall stem is covered with coppery orange flowers marked with sienna-coloured veins. It has a leathery evergreen rosette of foliage and prefers full sun, unlike its native cousin. It’s a real statement plant especially when grown en masse as you can see. You might just catch it in flower if you visit the nursery on the 16th or 17th August.
Gardening tips for August
- Once wisteria has finished flowering it time to trim back the whippy side shoots.
- Stake dahlias and lilies and any ‘top heavy’ flowering plants to stop flower heads breaking off. Keep picking dahlias to ensure continuous flowering.
- Collect and store ripened seed but remember to leave some stems in the border so that they have a chance to self seed.
- Now is a good time to mow a wildflower meadow so that the ripened seed has a chance to scatter.
- August is prime time to harvest vegetables so remember to feed and water regularly to get best crops.
- Pinch out the growing tips of vegetables such as aubergines once the plant has 5/6 fruits and runner beans to encourage side shoots.
- Pumpkins and squash should be limited to about 3 fruits per plant. Better to have a few good quality fruits.
- Lift and dry your onions, shallots and garlic once the stems have turned yellow and have folded over. Store in onion nets to prevent them attracting mildew.
- Don’t let your runner or french beans get stringy. Pick them little and often to ensure a tasty crop.
- Birds and squirrels enjoy soft fruit. Consider making a bird scarer or draping some old net curtains over your plants for protection.
- Raspberries, blackberries and loganberries all freeze well. Put them on trays individually before putting them in bags to use over winter in puddings or for making fruit gin.
- Water evergreen shrubs such as camellias and rhododendrons thoroughly this month to make sure that next year’s buds develop well.
- Dead head annual bedding plants and perennials to encourage them to flower into the autumn and stop them self-seeding.
- Damp down your greenhouse on hot days to increase humidity and deter red spider mites.
- Water plants thoroughly when needed, instead of small amounts every day. Thorough watering supports plants for up to 14 days, while merely wetting the surface wastes water and encourages weeds.
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