Lay of the Land

Bare Root compost Drought Ecology Enviroment Fruit Garden Care Gardening Grow Your Own Nursery Orchard organic peat-free Plants Pot Plants Trees Watering
hands in soil

Peat or Peat-free?

— James Lay
Tagged: compost Enviroment Garden Care Gardening Grow Your Own Nursery organic peat-free Plants

Peat-free compost isn’t the underdog it once was. Today’s blends don’t just match traditional peat — they give it a run for its money. Cleverly mixed for structure, moisture and happy roots, they’re built to grow brilliant plants.

How do we know? Because we use the very same peat-free compost we sell, every single day, to raise our nursery plants. If it wasn’t up to scratch, we’d spot it faster than a wilting petunia.

Switching away from peat isn’t about lowering your standards. It’s about backing a better option — with absolutely no compromise on results. 

Children's Gardening Week - May 24

Children's Gardening Week - May 24

— Peter Lay
This week is the HTA's 'National Children's Gardeing Week' and we will be running a series of seed sowing activities for the nippers. You can also pickup a free National Children's...
Drought Adaption Part 1 - Water Management

Drought Adaption Part 1 - Water Management

— Peter Lay
In our last blog we considered how we can reduce water usage in our gardens given recent weather conditions and imminent hosepipe ban. These tips and tricks were small changes that could be made quickly. However, as the climate continues to change, temperatures in this country will rise and heatwaves and drought conditions may become more common in the UK[1]; how can we better adapt and re-design our gardens to cope with dry periods in the future?
Drought-Essentials

10 ways to reduce water use in your garden.

— Peter Lay
Tagged: Drought Enviroment Garden Care Watering

At the time of writing, large areas of England have been declared as in drought, and it looks like Yorkshire may follow suit soon[1]. Yorkshire water has announced a ‘hosepipe’ ban at the end of the month (26th of August)[2]. What does that mean for gardeners? And what can we do about it?

Sage Advice for Bees

Sage Advice for Bees

— James Lay
The genus salvia is one of the widest in the plant family with over 900 species worldwide, and one species or another is native across almost two thirds of the planet, including here in the UK.  Salvia are also known as sages, with common sage, Salvia officinalis, being probably the best well known species through culinary uses, albeit many people wouldn’t know it as a salvia at all. 
We Are Hiring!

We Are Hiring!

— James Lay

Got an addiction to coffee and a passion for great food?

We are after an enthusiastic person to join our team on a part time basis. No experience is necessary, but a passion to serve our wonderful customers with great food and coffee is a must. On site training will be provided

tree-planting-essentials

Our Fledgling Orchard

— Andrew Lay
Tagged: Bare Root Fruit Gardening Grow Your Own Nursery Orchard Trees
Jimmie and I had a really good couple of days the other week, during a brief respite in the weather, planting some trees in our fledgling orchard.
'The best time to plant a tree'

'The best time to plant a tree'

— Andrew Lay
Tagged: Ecology Gardening Trees
Someone famous once said “the best time to plant a tree is 100 years ago.  The second best time is now.”
Cut Tree or Pot Grown?

Cut Tree or Pot Grown?

— Peter Lay
Cut tree or pot grown? Which should you choose?
 
The traditional Christmas tree choice has always been a cut tree, sliced off at the base and jammed in a stand for Christmas, only to face the tip come January, is their an alternative if you want a real tree? Yes, but it's not for everyone.
 
Here at Lay of the Land we have a large selection of 'pot grown' Christmas trees. Although more expensive than their cut brethren, they should survive happily through Christmas and for many years to come, provided they are looked after and re-potted as required.
Watering 101

Watering 101

— Peter Lay
Tagged: Garden Care Gardening Plants Pot Plants Watering
Watering's about the most basic and essential part of gardening, particularly when pots are involved. Dad shares some thoughts.
Jimmie what’s taking you so long?!? (café update)

Jimmie what’s taking you so long?!? (café update)

— Peter Lay
Some people have been wondering why our café didn’t open at the beginning of July when the folk in no 10 gave the all-clear, or in the weeks following like many other café’s. Hopefully, you’ll be pleased to know, we will be opening the café, for takeaway only, from this Friday, 7th of August.

We thought it would be good to offer some insight into our thoughts, and explain why we’re not opening more fully.
Supporting Independents

Supporting Independents

— Andrew Lay
Our café is still closed, but we just wanted to take a minute to put a word in for our fellow independent cafés & coffee shops, along with all the other independent hospitality, retail or service businesses that have been affected by the ongoing pandemic. This post is coffee biased, but the sentiment applies more widely