Groves Nurseries

The importance of eating Fruit & Veg.

2012-01-23T11:52:00.015Z

We all read and hear in the news that it’s important to eat fresh fruit & Veg. Not only do they provide antioxidants to help prevent cancer but most are high alkaline forming foods which are great for overall health.

If we have too much acid in our system, we decrease the body’s ability to absorb minerals and other nutrients. Too much acid decreases energy production in cells and increase the risk of tumour cells thriving.

The problems we face today is that our diet consists of too many processed foods. We also eat acid producing animal products like meat, eggs and dairy and not enough fruit & veg to even this imbalance out. We also eat acid producing processed foods such as flour, sugar and drink too much acid producing beverages like coffee and soft drinks.

To correct this we need to clean up the diet and lifestyle.
Generally, alkaline forming foods include: most fruits, green vegetables, peas, beans, lentils, spices, herbs, seasonings, and seeds and nuts.

To maintain health, the diet should consist of 60% alkaline forming foods and 40% acid forming foods.

Acid/Alkaline Food Chart

Our bodies are about 80% alkaline and 20% acidic. That’s a good reason to consume approximately 80% alkaline foods and 20% acidic foods. Realistically if you can maintain a ratio of 60% alkaline to 40% acidic food, this will be sufficient to give your body what it needs.

The pH scale goes from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral. Below 7 is acid and above 7 is alkaline.

It might seem like eating something at a pH of 6 isn’t that much different than eating something at a pH of 7, but pH is an exponential scale: every unit of change in pH equals a 10-fold increase. So the acidity of a food with a pH of 6 is ten times more acidic than that of a food with a pH of 7. A difference of 2 units (from 7 to 5) would mean that the acidity is 100 times greater. That means that Coca-Cola with pH 2 is 100,000 times more acidic than water (neutral pH of 7). Coffee with pH 4 is 1,000 times more acidic than water.

Pre-Order Christmas Tree & Save 10%. Delivery in Dorset

2011-11-17T15:25:00.004Z

You can now pre-order your Christmas Tree for local delivery (+25 mile radius). Save 10% if you order before the end of November. Delivery only £1/Free over £50) Delivery will commence the first week of December. (Please specify if you want it delivered later)

On ordering your chosen Christmas tree, as soon as they arrive, our expert staff will ensure that your tree is pre-selected from the very best of the bunch and well in time for the festive period.

Should you wish to purchase your Christmas tree in-store from our Christmas Tree area, our staff will be more than willing to assist you in your selection and can also give advice on care and decoration.

We cover the Bridport area, Dorchester, Weymouth, Potland, Abbotsbury, Beaminster, Yeovil, Crewkerne, Axminister, Lyme Regis and Charmouth. We will give you a call to arrange delivery of your Christmas Tree.

Should you require any further information or have any specific requirements please do not hesitate to give us a call on (01308) 422654 before ordering your Christmas Tree.

Growing Grape Vines in Greenhouses

2011-09-07T11:31:00.004+01:00

We have put together a quick video demonstration on how and where to grow Grape Vines in your Greenhouse. Growing your own grape vines is very satisfying and the fruits of your labour will last you many many years. If you are interested in purchasing indoor grape vines, please click here. We also have a wide selection of grape vines that are ready for outdoors. We have red, white and rose, dessert and wine making. We feel that this gives you a real choice, without baffling you with too many varieties.

How to Sow Violet Seed

2011-08-19T09:25:00.001+01:00

As most of us know, the time to sow seed is in the spring months. However not many people know that the time to sow Violet Seed is now. This is because the seed needs to be stratified, this means they will need a period of cold after they have been sowed. Although you can sow them in other seasons using your fridge, this is the natural method. When you sow the seed, cover it lightly using a gritty compost to get a good drainage then cover with glass or polythene with air holes punched in. Make sure they are kept damp. The RHS also recommend that viola seed should be kept in the dark. For further instructions, see video below.

How to make good Cider in large quantities

2011-08-18T13:01:00.002+01:00

First choose a blend of Apples to get the best taste.

Clean your apples thoroughly, cutting out any bruises or damaged parts. As a rule, it is not recommended to use any fruit for cider you would not eat as it is.

Cut your apples into quarters or use our fruit crusher to do this for you. Then press your apples through a straining bag using a cider press.

Store the cider juice in a sealed container below 40 degrees Fahrenheit for up to 2 weeks, or freeze for extended storage.

The trick to making cider and not vinegar is to FILL your container to the top with your pressed apple juice. If you only half fill that bucket you're going to get vinegar. Yeast need an anaerobic environment. So the more space - hence air - left in the container contributes to the vinegar taste. Co2 is heavier than oxygen and will eventually be purged through the valve at the top.

Choose a variety of apples, and process each separately, then combine the juice to sample different flavors and see the difference in the colors you may produce using golden, green, and red apples.

Just remember, Whatever the size of your container/bucket you must fill the container as close to the top as possible with your squeezed apple juice. If you do not do this, if you only half fill the container, and you will get vinegar instead of cider.

About our Fruit Presses
Groves are excited to bring our Cider Fruit Presses online and in-store (around 8th September). Our cider presses are capable of crushing everything from grapes, oranges, lemons, strawberries to large apples. Why not make some homebrew Wine from the Grapes or Cider from the Apples?

For large hard fruit such as apples, the fruit must be prepared pre crushing, so we recommend you buy the Aluminium 7 litre fruit crusher that fits onto all our presses.

The fruit press also comes with one free fruit straining bag that you insert into the main basket so the efficiency off the press is 100%. The straining bag will also help catch pips, seeds and other plant waste you don't want to find in your freshly pressed apple or fruit juice.

All fruit presses are beautifully made, with a heavy duty pressed steel base covered with a hard wearing enamel coating, a beech cage bound with enameled steel rings, a stainless steel spindle and cast iron press mechanism. Our presses range from 6 litres perfect for making juice in small quantities up to 75 litres for large quantities of juice/cider.

How to Light up your Garden on a budget - DIY

2011-08-17T11:47:00.008+01:00

Ever wanted to know how to light up your garden at an affordable price? Our DIY Techmar Garden lighting range is a perfect solution.

The Garden lights product range offers you a series of lighting products that can be easily and safely installed by everybody and without an electrician.

Each light is supplied with 2 meter cable with a watertight screw connector, which fits the connectors to the low voltage main cable. Our wall lights are supplied with 3 meter cable. It won't get any easier! All cables and transformers are supplied with these easy to use, watertight screw connectors.

Spotlights
To light certain details or features in the garden you can choose spotlights. These spotlights can be directed and are available in various models and materials. Most popular in this range is the Focus spotlights which delivers great lighting directed to your conveience

Deck Lights
Another way to illuminate certain features is to apply deck lights, fittings which illuminate details from a fixed position. (e.g. from the ground) We recoomend the Astrum white and blue lights in this range.

Driveway lighting
Straight standing lighting can be placed along pathways, on lawns and between plants. These models are available with halogen lamps, light bulbs and LED's. In this range we recommend our Vitex and Larix Lights

Wall lighting
Wall lighting is fitted with LED or halogen light source. Simple to fix to fences/walls etc. If you want a traditional look then look no further than are Lumo lights. If your looking for a modern light ,then our Olympia lights. Both would add a great source of lighting to your conservatory or outside area.

Under Water Lighting
A number of lighting products in our range are suited for permanent use under water. These models can be recognised by the IP68 logo and will be stated in the product description.

As well our lighting range, we also offer dusk/dawn sensor and the abilty to control your lights with a remote control. All available at a budget price that you can install on your own.

If you need any help with layout, or design, please email sales@grovesnurseries.co.uk and we will be pleased to help.

Plants at Groves

2011-08-16T13:59:00.009+01:00

We have just updated our plant catalogue with an easy to use Index that has all the plants we have available (when in season/stock).

We have also expanded our online plants section that includes Herbs, Roses and are very popular Grape Vines and Violet Plants

The Violets and Herb plants are grown on-site and sent all around Europe. Clive has been growing Violets for the last 30 years and is a well known expert in this field. We hold the national collection of Violet Plants are we recommend them for your garden to add wonderful sent and colour. Clive has recently retired from administration which gives him more time to tend to his beloved violets with the help of Rodney and Barbara who also work in the Violet Nursery.

Since Little Groves Nursery opened back in 2007, Becky has been expertly growing Herbs and we now offer a wonderful array of common and unusual herb plants. Most of of which are great for cooking and aromatic use.

Grape Vines are also matured on our premises are mostly two year old plants and we have had some great feedback from them. Once planted, you should start getting your best crop from 3 years after planting.

Roses are only sent out bare root from late October but please feel free to contact us if you would like to pre-order. We do also stock many Roses throughout the year, so please get in touch as we can often make exceptions if the Rose is in stock.

Moment in Time Rose - Rose of the year 2012 (Pre-order for Nov 2011)

2011-07-22T13:33:00.001+01:00

Launched at this year’s Hampton Court flower show this fabulous floribunda rose produces masses of red flowers on a neat, compact bush.

It is an extremely healthy with great disease resistance.

It only reaches 2’ in height making it great for both mixed borders and containers.

We love this rose because…

It has rich ruby red flowers have slightly scented flowers in abundance. These remain the same intense red colour from bud to mature flowers so increasing the overall impact of the plant.

PRE-ORDER MOMENT IN TIME ROSE

Furniture Special offers

2011-06-09T10:57:00.001+01:00

Link here

Jaques Garden Games

2011-05-24T16:07:00.002+01:00

Garden Games including Croquet ready for the nice sunny weather!

Useful Garden Links

2011-05-24T15:41:00.004+01:00

http://www.grovesnurseries.co.uk/about-us/useful-links.aspx

New Techmar Remote for Garden Lights

2011-04-22T15:27:00.004+01:00

We have a new product for our garden lighting range. This Techmar remote allows you to control your garden lights from the comfort of your home and has a range of 40m

Get pruning this winter

2011-02-18T21:10:00.000Z

With the Groves pruning masterclass taking place soon (on the 26th & 27th of February) it seemed appropriate to provide a bit of background information on the subject. If after reading this you are still not sure what you are doing, don't dispair, give us a call on 01308 422654 for some more information or even better call in and have a chat with one of our trained horticulturalists.

Many plants respond well to pruning. It’s a great way to rejuvenate tired and woody plants and is also essential for many plants to keep them producing fresh growth, new flowers and healthy foliage.

Prune roses by removing any dead and diseased stems. Open up the centre of the bush by removing any overgrown stems and any that are rubbing together. Always prune just above an outward facing bud, as this encourages the plant to grow out rather than in and creates a much better shape overall. An overcrowded bush is much more susceptible to pest and disease problems. Feed after pruning with Rose and Shrub Plant Food.

Many shrubs can be pruned in March. Dogwoods (Cornus) respond particularly well to hard pruning, as this encourages plenty of fresh coloured stems to develop. Spring flowering shrubs such as Forsythia, flowering currants, Weigela, Deutzia and early Clematis should all be pruned after flowering as they all actually flower on stems made last year. If you remove these mature stems before the flowers have opened you will stop the plants from flowering this season.

Plants that flower on this year’s stems should be pruned in early spring to encourage plenty of new growth and flowers this season, these include Roses, the butterfly bush (Buddleia), Hydrangea paniculata, and Caryopteris. Feed after pruning with Rose and Shrub Granular Plant Food.

Produced in association with Westland Garden Health

Feed your soul, man!!!!

2011-02-08T22:42:00.000Z

If you thought that having an allotment was all about feeding your belly then think again, it can also be used to make you feel good too. Don’t you just hate it when it gets to those perfect summer months and the allotment has worked well, too well and you are trying to think of more and more interesting ways to use up those runner beans and cabbages? Well, if you are fed up with the usual summer glut of veg, why not put a little land aside for growing cut flowers?

This is a great time of year for buying bulbs that produce great cut flowers. Dahlias, Lilies and Gladioli are all available at the moment. They need to be protected from the frost so make sure that are well protected until things warm up a bit or you could start them off in a greenhouse.

Cut flowers from bulbs are actually dead simple, just make sure that the ground is well manured, again a perfect February job, and as the plants grow make sure that you have plenty of supports for the plants to keep those stems nice and straight.

If you get really keen you could always enter a few prize blooms into your local flower show! If you are after a few tips, come down to Groves and have a chat with our resident expert Cyril. He is a local judge for many of the flower shows in the Bridport area!

Bare Root Roses

2011-01-28T15:25:00.000Z

All our Roses are available to buy online. We have just received a new styled rose catalogue from the printers. This year it is illustrated with colour photos including on the front cover, the ‘Rose Of The Year’ ‘Joie de Vivre’ , a lovely, very double, pale pink, scented, floribunda rose.

Other lovely roses are ‘Chandos Beauty’ a subtle white and pink. ‘Birthday Girl’ an apple blossom colour, and bright tangerine coloured ‘Irish Eyes’ (they must have been on the Guinness)

Each year, Mr & Mrs Clive Groves travel to Hampton Court Flower Show, where they make for the Rose Pavilion to choose the very best of the latest and traditional varieties, these are then sourced from our wholesale rose growers and are available the following season from the Garden Centre and on line.

Roses provide wonderful value in the garden, flowering from the end of May until November.

Still time for Seed Potatoes

2011-01-28T14:08:00.000Z

Buy your seed potatoes as early as possible to avoid disappointment but don't put them in the ground until Jack frost has gone on his summer hols!!!! You can however get them started indoors, especially useful for first earlies to get a good early crop. Place the seed potatoes in a seed tray or egg box with the rose end (That's the blunt end with the most eyes). Give them maximum exposure to light but protect from frost. A good chit should be firm and green and not be easily knocked off

Movember Day 1

2010-11-01T09:48:00.000Z

Day one of Movember. While most of us our coming to work proud of our one days growth this morning Cyril has come to work WITHOUT his trademark moustache. For the first time in 38 years he has shaven his upper lip much to the dismay of his wife. So come on and give a little money to help Cyril grow back that ‘tache.

Donate online http://uk.movember.com/mospace/595854/ or even better visit us in person and put some money in the collection pots at the tills.

Pre Campaign Photo

2010-10-29T11:51:00.000+01:00

Our Movember campaign is soon to get underway.

This morning the group of brave men that will be taking part in the hairy lip campaign all had their photos taken for the press.

The rules of the campaign state that everybody must be clean shaven on the 31st of October, no beards or goaties allowed. The keen eyed of you out there may have noticed Cyril (5th from right) with his moustache. Don’t worry, he will be clean shaven on the 31st October, no mean feat as he has been growing his moustache for 38 years, not even his wife has seen him without one!

Be sure to check back here soon where we will be updating regularly with stories of the moustache growing madness.

Feel the urge to show your support & donate??

Please go to our official Mospace page http://uk.movember.com/mospace/595854/

Keep up to date with this and everything that is going on at Groves by following us on twitter & facebook

Christmas Lights

2010-10-26T15:12:00.000+01:00

We now have our full range of Christmas lights online and in-store

Christmas Shop Now Open

2010-10-23T18:19:00.000+01:00

After 3 weeks of hard work Mike and his team finally opened the doors the Christmas shop last night.

We had mulled wine, minced pie and sausage rolls which were all greatly received by our customers. I have to say that the shop itself looks wonderful this year. Mike has created a woodland area complete with animals and sounds. This is where Father Christmas will be when he arrives on the 4th of December. We also have the whole roof covered by a net, supplied by local netmakers Coastal Nets who very kindly helped us put them up after we made a bit of a pigs ear of it!!! This has allowed us to hang lights, baubles and other decorations from the ceiling, adding to the magical effect.

Anyway, please do come down and visit it as soon as you can (I know its on the early side but it soon won’t be!). If you want to see more photos check out our Facebook Page.

2010-10-22T13:25:00.000+01:00

Had a great weekend at the Eat Dorset Food fair. Loads of people there and brilliant weather. Couldn't have asked for a better weekend. Go to our facebook page to see a few pics of our display and stand.

This year we decided to catagorise the herbs into different uses which people seemed to really find helpful. Let us know what you think. We will be doing a similar thing on our website so that when you come to buy herbs online you can pick out your own herbs for your favorite uses.

The display at the front was also really well received, called plants for your plate it just gave everyone an idea of plants that they could be growing for food right now.

Tidy Tent

2010-10-18T11:07:00.000+01:00

We have now reduced the price on TidyTents to 39.99. There is also an offer price of £45 that includes the anka point.

TidyTent is a simple, practical solution to modern day domestic storage needs.
The uses that the 'Tidy Tent' can be put to are limited only by the user's imagination...Bicycles,Wheeled Barbecue sets, Prams, Pushchairs, Wheelchairs, Lawnmowers, Scooters, Garden Furniture / Cushions, Bedding Plants, Childrens Garden Toys, Tools, Logs, Plant Pots.....the list goes on and on!

Hornet attacks bee

2010-09-17T09:39:00.000+01:00

Here is a rare image of a hornet attacking a bee on our premises yesterday. The poor bee was destroyed very quickly and didn’t stand a chance.

Violet Seed

2010-09-15T11:13:00.000+01:00

Groves are now delighted to offer Violet Seed produced at our Nurseries here in Bridport. There are 19 varieties to choose from.

Of course we still have our collection of over 100 Sweet Violets in plant form.

Our collection of violets has been gradually built over a period of 40 years and is the result of the enthusiasm of three generations of the Groves’ family. Now numbering in excess of 100 varieties of Sweet Violet, Parma Violet and other species our catalogue now holds National collection status and is one of the largest selections in the country.

Alexander Rose Pine Table

2010-09-07T09:33:00.001+01:00

For a very short time only, we have on offer a Alexander Rose FSC Pine Rectangular Farmers Table . This table is selling for only £199 reduced from £249!

Special Offers

2010-08-25T12:24:00.000+01:00

With Autumn approacing fast, we have added many new products on special offer on our offers page

New Products include Nortene Plant Protection Jackets , Yeoman Fruit Picker Attachment-Telescopic Pruner and Yeoman Telescopic Lopper & FREE Turbo Saw

Local Deliveries

2010-08-19T15:29:00.000+01:00

We have now setup an online facility for local customers to order bulky items such as fuel (including logs),animal feed and compost

Weber BBQ's

2010-08-19T09:14:00.000+01:00

There is still plenty of summer nights left to enjoy a BBQ so why not take advantage of our free cover offer with our Weber Premium range available in Ivory and Green. If you would prefer a top of the range Weber Gas BBQ, you can also take advantage of the free cover offer on all the Weber Summit Range.

Plug & Play Garden Lights

2010-08-06T10:11:00.000+01:00

Now the summer nights are drawing in, this is a good time to setup garden lighting. Our Techmar garden lighting range is a great new way to light up your garden. The lights are very low voltage and easy to setup with plug and play cables. If you would like your lights to come on automatically, add a dawn sensor/timer switch. Cables do not have to be dug into the ground and can be extended or adapted at any time. The product range contains a number of different transformers, main cables, extension cables and cable connectors.

Groves Produces own Manure

2010-08-03T14:37:00.000+01:00

Through organic methods and techniques, we are now pleased to sell online our very own Manure.

Groves Comfrey liquid manure is totally organic. Made on Groves premises it is a balanced fertilizer which is high in potash making it ideal for feeding tomatoes, peppers, flowers and fruit (including strawberries).

Herbs

2010-08-03T13:07:00.000+01:00

We now have an extensive range of herb plants and kits for sale now here at Groves and online. We have just added many new micro herbs to our range, these are great for the window or conservatory.

Grape Vines

2010-08-03T13:04:00.000+01:00

Our new stock of grape vines is now in and we have made it easy for you to choose the right grape for you. We have categorised them into Eating/ Dessert Grape Vines, Wine Making Grape Vines, Indoor Grape Vines , Outdoor Grape Vines and finally Grape Vine Sets.

Getting Hot

2010-05-21T22:27:00.000+01:00

Wow, it’s got really hot down here in Dorset today. It just seems to go from one extreme to the other!!

At least this should get a few seeds germinating now, just remember to keep things watered. Here at the garden centre in Bridport vegetable plants are still selling very well with Tomatoes topping the charts! We have still got a great variety of tomatoes on sale: Shirley, Moneymaker, Alicante, Sungold and Gardeners Delight to name just a few. We also have a great selection of tomato accessories to help you get the most from your crops this year. We have some great ring culture pots, from basic bottomless pots to more advanced tomato growpots. Our Tomorite growbags available from Bridport & Beaminster are giant sized planters that have loads of mushroom compost added to them for extra nutrients and better water retention. If you watched Gardeners World tonight then you might have seen those upside down tomato planters; we have got plenty of them both in our centres and online for just £9.99 if you want to give them a try.

Now the temperature is on the rise it is important to keeps watering and feeding those plants. We have managed to get a great deal with the makers of Miracle Gro whereby we are able to offer you the Miracle Gro Liquafeed starter kit, which includes the gun and bottle ad half the recommended retail price. So where it used to be £9.99 we can now offer Liquafeed for just £4.99. That’s an offer that is available both online and in both on our centres.

Finally don’t spend the whole weekend working in the garden, take time to enjoy the sun...we don’t get much of it so enjoy it whilst it lasts. Here at Groves we are proud to be stockist of Dorset Charcoal. This local sustainable charcoal contains 90% carbon compared to the usual 60% carbon found in the imported types so really does burn hotter with less smoke and less ash left behind. Not only that but the wood that is turned into charcoal is just a result of sustainable coppicing, an important technique in wildlife management. Anyway you can read more about it at the Dorset Charcoal website. We also have a large selection of Roses, Hybrid Tea Bush Roses, Half Standard Roses, Ground Cover Roses, Climbing Roses and Patio Roses

Welcome to Groves Nurseries Blog

2009-12-18T18:52:00.000Z

We have started this blog as it has been pointed out to us that we always have a lot to say.

We are currently designing the pages, so that it integrates well with our website.

We will let you know when we are live via our News and Events Section.

Until then....