Fighting Thrips the Natural Way 🌿 If you’ve ever noticed silvery patches on leaves, distorted flowers, or tiny little critters hiding inside blooms – chances are you’ve met thrips. These tiny sap-sucking insects might be small (less than 2 mm long!) but they can cause a lot of damage in the garden, especially when numbers…
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If you’ve been following RhodoDirect for a while, you’ll know we’re always looking for ways to grow (pun fully intended). This year has brought one of our biggest turning points yet — the moment we stepped into the world of wholesale. Earlier in the year, we had the chance to take on the wholesale side…
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There’s something magical about the very first rhododendron flowers of the season. When the mornings are frosty, the air still has that winter bite, and most of the garden is quietly biding its time, these early bloomers jump the gun and deliver splashes of colour long before spring officially arrives. Here at RhodoDirect, the hard…
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When it comes to winter, some plants hunker down and hope for the best — but not rhododendrons. These hardy shrubs have evolved with some clever cold-weather coping strategies that make them true connoisseurs of chilly conditions. You’ve probably noticed the droop. Rhododendron leaves curl and hang in the cold — and it’s not out…
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If you haven’t already popped your spring bulbs in the ground… don’t panic, but now’s the time to get moving. I just found a rogue bucket of forgotten daffodils in my shed (whoops), and some of mine were so eager they actually flowered in May. Nature’s definitely having a bit of a laugh this season!…
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If you’ve ever dreamed of having vibrant rhododendron blooms but don’t have the perfect garden soil—or any garden space at all—you’re in luck. Rhododendrons are surprisingly happy in containers, making them perfect for patios, balconies, courtyards, and even rental properties. Whether you’re dealing with clay-heavy ground or just want to add colour and structure to…
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Why Are My Rhododendron Leaves Yellowing? Don’t Panic – It’s Nature Doing Its Thing! Isn’t the weather just wild lately? I don’t know about you, but my poor hens thought it was winter and stopped laying — then, out of the blue, the sun came out, temperatures lifted for a week, and voilà … eggs again!…
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🍄 Behind the Scenes – Truffle Trouble and Treasure! If you’ve ever visited the nursery, you’ve probably noticed the hedged rows of pines on one side and the neat rows of hazelnuts on the other. What you might not realise is that under those very trees, something quite special is going on… there’s a whole…
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🍂 Let the Leaves Fall Where They May… and Then Put Them to Work! It’s been a slow start to leaf-fall this year, hasn’t it? But with the recent cold snap, the trees have finally given in — and the leaves are tumbling down like confetti in the wind. If your garden is starting to…
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Oh my goodness, I don’t think any of us need any tips on growing weeds this year! It has been, without a doubt, the worst 12 months for keeping on top of those unwanted plants that just seem to pop up everywhere. As our daughter Samantha wisely said, “Mum, you realise that if you leave…
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