#productreview

Prize draw winner – Hansford Coil Spring Chair

/ karen / 1 Comment

Congratulations to Julie Skelton who has won a Hansford Coil Spring garden chair. Hansford’s James Samuels drew the name (out of a hat) at the Gardeners’ World Live Show where the garden furniture company staged a display.

I wrote a review of the chair here : https://bramblegarden.com/2019/05/31/product-review-hansford-coil-spring-chair/

Thank you to James for helping to organise the prize draw and supplying the chair.

Mine is perfect for relaxing after a long day in the garden. I particularly like the rocking element of the design, which is quite soothing if you suffer from a bad back. I’ve been sitting in mine while listening to the birds, watching the fledglings find their way around the wild garden. It’s been a joy this week. All the nests are now empty and I can report that the blackbirds who made precarious nests just 3ft off the ground, under the house windows, have successfully fledged their chicks.

Today, mum came to visit, and we planted out the rest of the dahlias grown from cuttings. We planted anything we could find in the greenhouse. I like taking cuttings, but I’m slow to move plants on. They languish in little pots. Eventually, I take pity on them, and plant the whole pot in a clump. More or less thrown into the ground. It’s amazing how resilent plants are. Mum goes home with two posies we cut from the garden; one of white flowers, and the other sweet williams, pinks, carnations and sweet peas.

The chair is light enough to carry around the garden. When I’ve finished working on the plot, I move it under a cascading New Dawn Rose. The evening scent is fabulous.

I never prune or spray this rose, it just looks after itself. Wonderful as the sun sets behind it and shines through delicate shell pink petals.

A lovely place to sit at the end of the day.

Links : https://hansfordfurniture.com/

Julie Skelton : https://www.julieskelton.com/category/garden/

Product Review – Hansford Coil Spring Chair

/ karen / 56 Comments

*Please leave a comment at the end of this review to be entered in a prize draw to win a Hansford Coil Spring Chair.

Gardening is hard work. By this time of the year, I’m starting to groan at the size of the brambles and painful stinging nettles. It’s a job to keep up with the weeds. So I really look forward to flopping down on a comfortable chair at the end of a gardening session.

I jumped at the chance to try out a Hansford Coil Spring Chair. I didn’t pay for this product. As usual, words and opinions are my own. By now, you’ll know I always give my honest view on books, products, composts, seeds, and plants that come to the potting shed for review.

My chair arrived three days after ordering. Email updates were reassuring and meant I was at home when the box arrived.

The chair arrived well packaged and undamaged. It took five minutes to assemble the chair which comes in two parts. Tools, a spanner and some screws, were included. I meant to take photos of the before and after, but it was so quick to put together, I got carried away.

The chair is light enough to carry about the garden and so I tried it out in various locations, under the sweet chestnut tree, in the wild flower border and in the orchard. I didn’t find it too difficult to move about.

I love the way the chair blends in to the planting, and doesn’t dominate the scene. It looks lovely set amongst cow parsley and pink campion. Which is just as well as 90 percent of my garden is cow parsley at the moment.

I have a black painted greenhouse and summerhouse, so I chose a black chair. Alternative colours are duck egg blue and green.

The mesh seat is comfortable in hot weather, and very lovely with lavender and rosemary poking through. I will probably have to buy another one to go with my review chair, as really a pair is needed. You could add cushions, but the chair is comfortable enough without them to be honest.

Information sheets that come with the chair say the product is powder coated and there’s a one year warranty. The web site states the chair is suitable for indoors, conservatories, and outdoors.

James, who set up Hansford Furniture with a friend is offering one chair as a prize draw win to readers of this blog and my instagram page. Please leave a comment below to be included in the draw. No purchase is necessary and Hansford are running this competition. James will randomly select (pull a name out of a hat) on 13 June at Gardeners World Live, where they have a stand this year. Please also say if you do not wish to be entered in the prize draw, which is also fine. Sorry, uk entries only, and there’s no cash alternative. Hansford decisions are final.

Information from the website:

*look in the comments below, James has sent a link for 15% off the price, for readers of bramblegarden.com. This discount is a promotion being offered by Hansford Furniture and I am simply passing on the information.

Links: https://hansfordfurniture.com/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/karengimson1/?hl=en

Twitter : https://mobile.twitter.com/kgimson?lang=en

Mastergrip Gloves on Trial.

/ karen / 15 Comments

Review and prize draw for gardening gloves.

I’m not keen on cold wet hands, so I always wear gloves in the garden. Town and Country sent me some new Mastergrip gloves to try out.

The problem with gloves is you’ve often got a choice of wearing gloves- or doing some gardening. They aren’t always very flexible. So I’m often taking them on and off- and losing them.

In the past, I’ve just worn kitchen rubber gloves, but they are not ideal. They get hot and uncomfortable, and are easily damaged. However, Mastergrip have the advantage of being flexible and breathable.

I used them for dead heading in the greenhouse.

Pricking out and transplanting the delicate cherry tomatoes.

Weeding around the pot marigolds. These are seedlings of last year’s Calendula Orange Fizz.

The gloves are flexible enough to pick out tiny weeds. I’m not using any chemicals, so trying to keep on top of weeds is important for me.

Usually, I have to take my gloves off to do fiddly jobs like tying in the sweet peas. Luckily these gloves were easy to wear and stayed on for the whole morning while I was working in the veg plot, cut flower patch and greenhouse.

The information that comes with them says the palm and fingers have a latex coating. The back of the gloves are made from a breathable material for comfort and flexibility.

Mastergrip gloves, for everyday tasks, costs £6.99. There’s also Mastergrip Pro for tougher tasks, A thermal version for winter warmth, and a Mastergrip Patterns version for lighter tasks. There’s also versions for children, which is great. I’m always keen to get youngsters involved in gardening. They don’t usually take much persuading.

Town and Country sent these gloves unconditionally for a trial. I didn’t pay for them. However, I’ve been delighted with them, and I’m happy to recommend them.

The company has offered one pair for a prize draw. Please leave a comment below to be included in the draw. No purchase is necessary; names will be randomly selected by the company, and their decision is final. There’s no cash alternative. The deadline is Sunday 12th May, 8pm. Please also say if you don’t want to be included in the draw as all comments are welcome here. Enjoy your weekend gardening.

Links : https://www.townandco.com/

Prize Draw Winner -Slot Planter

/ karen / 7 Comments

Last week I wrote about Slot Planters as an alternative to plastic. Company owners Kay and Colin kindly offered a planter for a prize draw. Names were put into a cheese dome, apparently. Kay and Colin didn’t have a hat! I couldn’t stop laughing, to be honest. Anyway, a name was randomly pulled out of the cheese dome and Creoscribe won the draw.

I am delighted with my planter and I wish Colin and Kay all the best with their new product. They are a lovely couple with lots of enthusiasm, and a sense of humour – which always helps! I like to support British companies, and although I’m not giving up my plastic trays, I’m trying not to buy any more if I can help it. The plastic I have here will be carefully used, washed and reused. But if I can think of alternatives I’ll try them out and report back on the blog. I’ll be buying several more planters in different sizes for the coming growing season.

I’m just about to transplant my edible peas into the veg plot. Peas are hardy, but it’s best to start them off indoors as they are a tasty treat for mice and pigeons. I’m going to use the Slot Planter for sweet peas now. Here’s what the cut flower patch looked like last summer. Gladioli came from Tee Gee Bulbs.

Sweet pea Wiltshire Ripple is a favourite. Flowers over a long period and is very pretty. Lasts well in a vase.

Thank you everyone who read the review, commented and took part in the prize draw. Please let me know if you have tried anything new in your garden. It’s good to share ideas.

Links: I wrote the review here : https://bramblegarden.com/2019/03/14/slot-planter-seed-tray-on-trial/

Slot Planter :https://slotplanter.co.uk/wooden-planter.html

Sweet peas : https://www.mr-fothergills.co.uk/Flower-Seed/Sweet-Pea-Seed/

Gee Tee Bulbs: https://www.gee-tee.co.uk/bulbs/gladioli

Slot Planter Seed Tray- On Trial

/ karen / 32 Comments

Searching for alternatives to plastic, I’ve come across a new product called a Slot Planter. And if you’d like to try it, there’s one available in my prize draw this week.

The Slot Planter is made from interlocking panels and comes flat packed through the post.

It’s well packaged with recyclable cardboard materials.

Opening the parcel, I find four panels that simply slot together. No screws, glue or fixings are needed.

Drainage holes are already drilled.

I filled mine with good quality compost. I use Dalefoot salad and vegetable peat-free compost made from sheeps wool and bracken. I sowed some Twinkle seeds from Suttons. These produce tasty pea shoots, and after three harvests, can be planted outside and allowed to grow on.

Grown in a greenhouse with the heater set at 5C, the pea shoots looked like this after three weeks. I’ve only watered the compost once.

After another couple of weeks, the pea shoots are ready to harvest. Just pinch out the top two or three inches, and the peas will branch out and grow back.

The Slot Planter has proved sturdy enough to be moved about from potting shed to greenhouse and outdoors for the photos to be taken. I’m delighted with it so far. It could also be used for sweet peas or broad beans. I’m going to try sweet corn and salads too.

It’s made from Medite Tricoya Extreme. The blurb that comes with the planter says this is a durable, sustainable, environmentally-friendly wood panel product with a 25 year guarantee against rot and decay. Planters are available in various sizes. The seed tray size above costs £12.99, or £35.99 for three. £3.50 postage per order.

I have one seed tray, as shown above, worth £12.99, to give away in a prize draw. Please leave a comment and let me know if you would like to be included in the draw. The owners Colin and Kay Thompson will pull a name out of hat. Winners are randomly selected and our decision is final. There’s no cash alternative. No purchase is necessary to take part. A winner will be selected on Sunday 17th March.

What products have you found, as alternatives to buying plastic for the garden? Let me know. We are all trying our hardest to recycle and reuse what plastic pots we have. It’s interesting to see alternative materials and products come on to the market, specially designed for gardeners.

Links for more information: slotplanter.co.uk Order online or telephone 01728 684433

https://slotplanter.co.uk/

Colin and Kay Thompson, from Tuddenham, Suffolk, also make beautiful wooden garden obelisks. https://woodengardenobelisk.co.uk/slot-planter-wooden-plant-pot.htm

Dalefoot compost https://www.dalefootcomposts.co.uk/

Sutton’s seeds https://www.suttons.co.uk/