Harrods Outdoor

26/04/2025

Ficus carica — A Fruitful Choice for UK Gardens

Figs may feel Mediterranean at heart, but Ficus carica is remarkably well-suited to UK gardens — especially in the warmer, more sheltered pockets of the country. Hardy, architectural, and highly productive when given the right conditions, this species offers more than just ornamental value.

In the UK climate, success with figs comes down to site selection and a little strategic restraint. They thrive in full sun, preferably against a south-facing wall where warmth and shelter encourage reliable ripening. Their roots prefer to be restricted — whether in pots, raised beds, or bordered planting pits — which encourages fruiting over excessive leafy growth.

Once established, most varieties will produce two crops a year: a smaller spring crop and a more substantial late summer harvest. The trick? Leave the tiny embryonic figs that form in autumn on the tree over winter — these will become your first ripe fruit of the year.

Ficus carica adds a textural, sculptural quality to garden spaces, with large palmate leaves and a spreading, architectural form. Whether used as a feature plant in a gravel garden, trained fan-like against a wall, or kept compact in a courtyard pot, it's a choice that delivers both presence and produce.

For clients seeking beauty with utility, figs offer both — with a touch of the unexpected.

For availability, planting advice, or container growing options, get in touch.
www.harrodsoutdoor.com | [email protected] | 01603 327269

24/04/2025

Washingtonia robusta: The Tallest Statement in the Garden

Also known as the Mexican Fan Palm, Washingtonia robusta is one of the most iconic architectural palms — prized for its incredible height, slender trunk, and fan-shaped foliage that rustles dramatically in the breeze.

Originally native to northwestern Mexico, this species is now widely used in Mediterranean and subtropical-style landscapes across the globe — including the UK, when used wisely.

📚 Key Facts:
✔️ Height Potential: Up to 20–30m in ideal conditions (UK-grown specimens typically reach 4–8m)
✔️ Growth Habit: Fast-growing, columnar, with a clean trunk and dense crown
✔️ Hardiness: Down to approx. -6°C — best suited to mild coastal gardens, urban microclimates, or grown in containers for winter protection
✔️ Soil & Sun: Thrives in well-drained soil and full sun. Avoid wet or heavy clay.
✔️ Maintenance: Prune old fronds in spring to maintain the classic tall “waisted” trunk silhouette

🏡 Where to Use It:
– Statement tree in large planters
– Focal point in Mediterranean or modern gardens
– Tropical-style borders and poolside areas
– Urban courtyards with protection from harsh winds

While not suitable for every site, Washingtonia robusta offers instant vertical drama and a holiday feel that's hard to beat. When planted in the right spot — and protected during harsh winters — it can be a long-lived, attention-grabbing centrepiece.

22/04/2025

Wisteria sinensis — Trained to Perfection, Draped in Bloom 🌸

When trained as a standard, Wisteria sinensis transforms from vigorous climber into a show-stopping umbrella-shaped canopy, ideal for patios, walkways, or focal points in formal planting schemes.

This style — often called a parasol or umbrella form — is the result of expert training over several seasons:
🔹 A strong central stem is selected and staked
🔹 Side shoots are carefully pruned and guided outward
🔹 The canopy is shaped like a flat-topped dome, allowing those iconic flowers to cascade down like chandeliers in late spring

💡 Why choose Wisteria sinensis in this form?
– It creates height and shade with visual softness
– Offers scent and bloom above eye level — ideal for seating areas
– Makes a feature out of pruning and structure, not just flowering
– It’s perfect for formal gardens, courtyards, and luxury landscapes

This is Wisteria with intention — romantic, refined, and absolutely unforgettable when in bloom.

21/04/2025

Sustainable Planting Is No Longer a Trend — It’s the New Normal

With warmer months on the horizon and water-conscious gardening gaining ground, more of our clients — both trade and residential — are planning landscapes that look great, perform well, and require less intervention.

This spring/summer, we’re seeing a major shift toward:
✔️ Low-maintenance structure
✔️ Drought resilience
✔️ Multi-season planting
✔️ Wildlife-friendly design
✔️ Less lawn, more layered planting

Our top-requested plants for this kind of scheme include:

🌾 Grasses:
– Stipa tenuifolia (feathery movement)
– Miscanthus sinensis (height & structure)
– Pennisetum alopecuroides (soft form + late interest)

🌿 Evergreen Backbone:
– Cherry Laurel
– Elaeagnus ebbingei (tough, reflective foliage)
– Semi-evergreen Privet
– Osmanthus burkwoodii (scent + screening)

🌸 Architectural & Mediterranean Stars:
– Lagerstroemia indica ‘Rosea’
– Olea europaea (Olives!)
– Photinia Red Robin
– Nerium oleander (for the adventurous)

🦋 Pollinator-Friendly Fillers:
– Lavender
– Rosemary
– Nepeta (Catmint)
– Perovskia (Russian Sage)

Whether it's a reimagined front garden, a sun-drenched border, or a full-scale landscaping project, the future of garden design lies in planting that does more with less — and still delivers wow factor.

Need help building your plant list?
We’re here to support designers, trade buyers, and homeowners alike.

20/04/2025

The Art of Vase-Shaping Lagerstroemia indica 'Rosea'
(And why it thrives, even after crossing borders.)

Crape Myrtle — or Lagerstroemia indica 'Rosea' — is known for its cloud-like summer flowers and beautifully sculptural form. But what makes our trees special is how they’re meticulously trained into vase-like shapes from a young age — not here, but under the warmth of the Italian sun.

🌿 Why Italy?
In Northern Italy, growers have just the right balance of long summers and soft winters to encourage strong, upright stem development in a short time. With expert pruning and spacing, young Lagerstroemia trees are:

Selectively limbed up to encourage open, vase-like structure

Rotated and spaced to ensure symmetry and even light access

Winter-pruned to define clear stems and multi-arm branching above 1m

This climate speeds up structural training — giving us a well-shaped framework 2–3 years faster than if grown here in the UK.

🌧 How Do They Adjust to the UK?
Once planted here, Lagerstroemia adapts well to the British climate — especially in sunny, sheltered spots with free-draining soil. Here's why:

They're fully dormant during delivery and planting season (spring), reducing shock

The established vase framework helps them catch light even on cooler days

Once rooted, they continue to flower reliably from late July into September

With annual winter pruning, you can maintain this elegant silhouette for decades — making it ideal for courtyards, driveways, and feature planting.

📍 Tip from our growers: Mulch in spring, avoid waterlogging, and prune only during dormancy. You'll be rewarded with years of structure, shade, and stunning bloom.

Ready to shape something extraordinary this summer?

📞 01603 327269
📧 [email protected]
🌐 www.harrodsoutdoor.com

19/04/2025

Rootball and bare root season is wrapping up for another year — and if you’ve been on the fence about planting, this is your "grab it before it’s gone" moment.

We're sending off the season with a little love:
15% off all bare root and rootball stock with code ROOTINGFORYOU 🌱

Whether you're filling gaps, finishing a hedge, or planning a privacy project — this is the last call for unbeatable value on the biggest plants we lift all year.

🗓 Final orders by 24th April
⚠️ Offer can’t be combined with other deals or used on sale items.

📞 01603 327269
📧 [email protected]
🌐 www.harrodsoutdoor.com

18/04/2025

Stipa tenuifolia – the plant that whispers summer is coming.

As spring winds down and summer heat rolls in, this graceful grass comes into its own. Drought-tolerant, soft-textured, and endlessly elegant, it thrives where others fade — making it a favourite for Mediterranean-style planting schemes and low-maintenance borders.

You’ll often see it swaying in dry gardens, coastal landscapes, and designer spaces where movement, texture, and light matter more than bold colour.

💡 Why choose Stipa?
✔️ Perfect for gravel gardens and sun-drenched spots
✔️ Pairs beautifully with lavender, rosemary, or clipped evergreens
✔️ No fuss: just a light comb-through in spring to remove old growth

As the rootball season ends and pot-grown planting begins, now’s the ideal time to blend structure with softness — and Stipa’s the natural choice.

📞 01603 327269
📧 [email protected]
🌐 www.harrodsoutdoor.com

17/04/2025

Rootball Season Is Ending – Here's What Most People Don't Know

We’re coming to the final stretch of rootball season — a golden window in the gardening calendar that quietly closes each year, often without many people realizing what they’re missing.

If you're planning a hedge, privacy screen, or large planting project, here's why this matters right now — and why some seasoned growers wait all year for these few short months.

🪴 What Exactly Is Rootball Stock?

Rootball plants are field-grown shrubs and trees lifted while dormant, their roots wrapped in hessian (not in a pot). They're available late autumn through early spring — roughly November to April, depending on weather.

They're different from pot-grown plants because:

- They're grown in the ground, meaning stronger, more natural root systems
- They're dug and delivered during dormancy, which reduces transplant shock
- They’re great value for money, often bigger for the price than their pot-grown counterparts

⏳ Why the End of Rootball Season Matters
Once spring kicks into gear and plants break dormancy, lifting rootball stock becomes a no-go. Why? Because removing a growing plant from the field while it’s active can:

Cause severe root damage

Interrupt growth cycles

Risk plant loss or long-term setbacks

Most growers stop lifting by mid to late April, and many nurseries stop offering rootball plants even earlier. After that, it's pot-grown only until autumn rolls back around.

So if you're:

Laying long hedge runs

Planting large screening projects

Working on farm or estate landscaping..this is your last call to grab high-impact, cost-efficient plants at rootball prices.

💡 A Few Things You Might Not Know

✅ You can still plant in May – If you've already got your rootball plants, don’t panic. As long as the soil’s workable and you water thoroughly, planting in early May is still safe — especially with moisture-retaining mulch or compost.

✅ Rootballs establish faster – Because they're field-grown, they’re often more resilient once planted — especially if you prep your soil well.

✅ Storage time is limited – Don’t leave rootballs hanging around. They need to go in the ground ideally within a few days of delivery. Keep them shaded and moist in the meantime.

✅ Hessian stays on! – Don’t remove the fabric wrap around the roots. It’s biodegradable and protects the rootball during planting. Just loosen it a little once in the hole.

🔥 What’s Still Available?

We’ve got last-of-the-season stock on:

Photinia Red Robin (hero hedge of spring!)

Laurel & Cherry Laurel (great privacy hedges)

Semi-evergreen Privet & Hornbeam (for structure lovers)

Rootballed Yew and Box (classic, formal, long-lasting)

Beech, Hornbeam and many many more!

But quantities are tight — when they’re gone, they’re gone until autumn.

Ready to Make It Count?

If you’ve been waiting to pull the trigger on a planting project, now is the time. Whether it’s a few meters or a few hundred, we can help you finish the season strong.

📞 01603 327269
📧 [email protected]
🌐 www.harrodsoutdoor.com

16/04/2025

15/04/2025

The Star of the Show: Red Robin 🌟
But why is this beauty so popular in UK gardens?

Because it’s hard to beat when it comes to colour, structure, and versatility. The fiery red growth in spring makes it a standout in hedges, borders, or as a feature plant. It’s evergreen, fast-growing, easy to shape — and thrives in our British climate.

✨ Low-maintenance
🌿 All-year foliage
🔥 Spring red flush that turns deep green
✂️ Loves a tidy trim (perfect for shaping!)

No wonder it’s a top choice for designers, homeowners and trade buyers alike.

We’re stocking lush, UK-hardened Red Robin in sizes from 15cm all the way to several meters tall and unique showpieces. Hedging and Pleached trees are available to view and select by visiting our Norfolk showroom.

📞 01603 327269
📧 [email protected]
🌐 www.harrodsoutdoor.com

13/04/2025

B-GRADE CLEARANCE – UP TO 90% OFF! 🚨
We’ve opened up a section of the nursery and what’s inside? Silly-good savings. 😅
These plants might be a little quirky, misshapen, or in need of a tidy-up — but they’re still totally plantable and perfect for:

🌱 Budget garden makeovers
🌳 Trade projects on a tight margin
🌿 Big spaces that need lots of green

🎯 Up to 90% OFF
🛒 Now live on our website
📍 Also available for collection from our Norfolk nursery
📸 Need pics first? Just give us a shout

📞 01603 327269
📧 [email protected]
🌐 www.harrodsoutdoor.com

⚡ Stock’s limited and moving fast — grab a bargain while you can!

12/04/2025

🌺 Camellia Pleached Trees – Elegant Screening in Full Bloom!
Just shaped and already shining – our pleached Camellia trees are showing off with their spring flowers 🌸

These are ideal for anyone looking to add: ✅ Garden privacy without losing style
✅ Architectural structure to borders & driveways
✅ Instant impact for outdoor spaces

Perfect for formal gardens, screening, or just making a statement 🌳

🧑‍🌾 Field-grown in Europe
📦 Limited spring availability – act fast
🚛 Fast UK-wide delivery (10-14days and even faster + collection available same day)

📞 01603 327269
📧 [email protected]
🌐 www.harrodsoutdoor.com

📢 These won’t be around for long – call or email to secure yours now!