Reasons to LOVE February

Whatever the month, nature always provides us with reasons to be cheerful. By now you may have seen some early blossom on the trees – I have and it lifts your heart, doesn’t it? The white blackthorn or cherry plum flowers are usually seen first in the UK. If you like the idea of a cherry blossom but also want it to bear fruit, cherry plum is a good pick for your garden and we take a look at this below.

We also focus on some new places to combine the pleasures of winter – like a crisp walk outside – with the cosy delights of a scrumptious dinner or a de-stressing workout in a garden temple. There is always some new place, activity or sight to be experienced so we hope you like our ideas. For help with garden projects you know where we are …

Happy February!

Chris & all the Bushy team

We love violets

With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, a lovely flower for February is the violet, as its leaves are often heart-shaped and its fragrant, purple, blue or white flowers bloom in late winter and early spring.

Cherry ripe!

Cherry plum is a popular choice if you want a fruit tree that blossoms early – or you can get a fruiting hedge. Both are popular with birds and pollinating insects. The fruit of a cherry plum can be a little sour but you can sweeten it up or use it in jam or wine-making. Bear in mind that some varieties don’t self-pollinate so you may need to plant it near another tree to get fruit – do talk to us about that.

Favourite prunus cerasifera varieties include ‘Nigra’ – which has dark red foliage and pink flowers and dark red fruits that ripen from August. White-flowering varieties include Trailblazer’/’Hollywood’ that produces large red fruits that ripen in September – and another September fruiter, ‘Zloty Oblok’, which is a smaller tree (4-6m) and provides sweeter fruit, which is yellow.

All-weather garden havens

If you enjoy a little yoga, pilates, meditation or just like to spend time in your garden to relax, why not have your own ‘mindfulness’ garden retreat? Being able to hear the birds singing while exercising indoors on a cold or wet day is lovely. One of the nearest providers is Crown Pavilions, based at Longacres in Bagshot, Surrey but there are many more online.

Devilish plans

If you’re looking for a variety of walks, the Devil’s Punch Bowl near Hindhead (owned by the National Trust) is wonderful. Start at the car park and choose your level of walk/hike. The Sailor’s Stroll takes you to the summit of Gibbet Hill for a great view. After your walk there’s a café on-site – or the ‘Hound and Heather’ gastro-pub inside the Devil’s Punchbowl Hotel offers everything from a fish finger sandwich to a roast dinner – and it’s dog-friendly!

Bushy Beverage

The Ivy Asia in Guildford is serving a Valentine’s menu from 9 – 15 February and offers some delicious cocktails with a cherry blossom theme, like a martini with Grey Goose, Sakura Vermouth, cherry blossom, lime and lychee – and the ‘Dreams of Cherry Blossom’ non-alcoholic version with Everleaf Mountain, cherry blossom, cranberry, lychee and lemon. Definitely makes for a special occasion!

Until next time!

Maybe you want help turning an area in your garden into a Zen zone, or perhaps you want a complete re-design. Whatever you want – or even if you’re not sure what you want – you can book a FREE garden appraisal with us to talk things through. We’d love to hear from you!