Greenshutters Garden Centre Newsletter August 2025

July has flown by! Although we did finally get a little rain, it was still overall another dry month. We are still watering our plants every day, sometimes twice a day, and now most of us are in holiday mood.

We still have colourful bedding plants like Petunias, French Marigolds, Coleus and Black-Eyed Susan (Thunbergia) to revitalise your pots and borders, which can start to look tired this time of year. We also have lots of new plants to choose from (see pictures below).

The Alstroemeria, especially Indian Summer with their hot red-and-yellow flowers, look like they are literally on fire and are one of the most dazzling plants in the nursery at the moment. Our David Austin roses still have months of flowering ahead of them and we still have a wide variety available.

If you are going on holiday and are concerned about your potted plants drying up, a good tip is to put saucers beneath them to collect water, then group all your pots together in a shady spot which helps them use less water. Then give all of them a good thorough watering before you leave and ask neighbours or friends to check them daily.

Don’t forget our Garden Club Members Only August Special Offer of One Plant Half Price! If you’re not already a member, you can sign up to our newsletter for free by entering your details on our Special Offers page.

Our friendly staff are always on hand to help so pop in to see our new selection of colourful plants. We hope to see you soon!

Black Diamonds Hydrangeas

Hydrangeas are one of the most popular and widely grown garden shrubs. They all look stunning this time of year, but we have had some new plants come in that standout from all other hydrangeas. These are a group of cultivars known as Black Diamonds Hydrangea, so named because of their distinctive dark green, sometimes almost black foliage.

Hydrangea ‘Midnight Pearl’ has pale creamy mophead flowers with dark pink margins. ‘Dark Angel Purple’ has magical deep reddish-purple lacecap flowers and ‘Dark Angel Red’ has brash scarlet-pink lacecap flowers. These colours set against the dark shadowy foliage produce some of the most dramatic shrubs in the garden.

The Black Diamonds series of Hydrangeas are compact in size, typically reaching a height and spread of 1-1.5m (3 to 5ft). Their flowers are long-lasting, often blooming from summer into autumn.

To care for these Hydrangeas, just treat them the way you would treat any other Hydrangea: keep them well-watered especially in our current dry spells. They will be happiest in part shade but will be happy in full sun as long as they stay sufficiently moist.

Looking good at Greenshutters

Our top picks, available now:

Special Offers for Garden Club Members Only

August 2025 Offer 1: Any One Plant HALF PRICE! Up to a maximum discount of £35 Exclude plants already on sale. One use per household only.

August 2025 Offer 2: 2 for £20 Echium pininana 3 litre (usually £14.99 each). One use per household only.