Longacres Blog

Some say that Christmas would not be complete without the presence of the Poinsettia. So how did this festive brassica become such a symbol of the yuletide calendar? The poinsettia is native to Mexico where they are known as ‘La flor de la Nochebuena’ or ‘Flower of Christmas eve’. Apparently the ancient Aztecs prized the poinsettia as a symbol of purity and centuries later, Mexico’s early Christians adopted the plant as their prized Christmas Eve flower. The Mexican legend tells of a child who could not afford a gift to offer Christ on Christmas Eve, so he picked some weeds at the side of a road. The child was told that a humble gift, if given in love, would be acceptable in God's eyes. When brought into the church the weeds bloomed red and green flowers and the congregation felt that they had witnessed a Christmas miracle. The poinsettia was born. The plant is actually named after former US ambassador to Mexico Dr Joel R Poinsett, who was responsible for introducing the plant to the USA and from there on it has reached a global presence at Christmas. Not the easiest plant to care for, but these few careful pointers should ensure your Poinsettia looks good throughout the festive season. They require sunlight for at least 5 hours a day so make sure you have it placed in an area of good natural light. Temperature must be maintained at a constant level They must be situated where there are no draughts They are a sub-tropical plant so at night ensure the temperature does not drop below 10 degrees cent Keep the soil moist, but well drained It’s a shame but I would suspect that most of us dispense with the plant once Christmas has passed as it does require some effort to encourage re-flowering, but if you are so inclined, prompting the slogan ‘a poinsettia is not just for Christmas’ the plant requires long periods of uninterrupted light free nights… about 2 months to be precise. Even a sudden, tiny exposure to light during this time could prevent re-flowering. So good luck with that one. For the rest of us..enjoy the poinsettia in its prime this time of year and be assured that the presence of the bright red brassica in store spells that Christmas has definitely arrived. This Longacres blog post was contributed by Jo from our plants department

Imagine this: the birds are singing, the sun is shining, the children are playing and you're taking a barefooted walk across your freshly mown garden whilst the Summer breeze blows through your hair; bliss right?! Now allow us to recreate that feeling for you! ...Okay, so we might not be able to recreate an ACTUAL outdoor Summer's day - but what we can give you is that feeling of walking on cut grass with the revolutionary flip flops that are KUSA Flip Flops. KUSA Flip Flops are your typical flip-flops with a twist; they have added quality synthetic turf for super comfort. Over time the turf bed will conform to the shape of your feet - the ultimate pleasure for your tootsies! Inspiration and Development So where did KUSA Flip Flops come from? They've travelled right across the world from where they were launched in 2011 by a small family company based on the Central New South Wales Coast in Australia. Yashin Radhakrishnan - MD of KUSA Flip Flops: "I am an Industrial Designer based in Sydney. During the course of my work I am exposed to many and varied design briefs, manufacturing processes, materials, consumer information and insights, brands and visions of the future. First and foremost in any designers mind must be innovation and change. Not just for the sake of it but with the open intention to "Surprise and Delight" the end user. One particularly project we worked on involved synthetic grass (as project which never came to fruition). Talk in the design office inevitably went to the extreme thought... why don't we carpet the office in this stuff! I was all for this, being the type of person who removes his shoes as soon as he sits down at his desk. The idea grew and I thought "what if I could walk barefoot on grass anywhere, anytime". Who doesn't like that? I made a single pair of grass flip flops. Just for myself at first. I wore them to work and the reaction there and on public transport was stunning. It took a few months of wearing them to decide that I had an idea worth marketing. Another six months of design and development, sourcing the right type of grass, patents, manufacturing research, samples after samples and they were finally ready for market. KUSA Grass Flip Flops were released in the first week of January 2012. I sent images to 2 blogs. 1 ran with the images. The rest, as they say..." At £17.99 these flip flops are perfect as a gift or as a treat for yourself. You can choose from a selection of four different colours (Blue, Mustard, Orange and Pink), and from three different sizes (Small (2-5), Medium (5-9) and Large (9-12)), so you are sure to find a pair that's just right. Best to check out their size chart to make sure your pair are the right fit for you! Don't panic if they feel too tight for your feet at first - after a bit of toe-wriggling your KUSA's will conform to your feet. One last reminder: Do not mow - the grass won't grow back!

One of the most difficult things to do in a garden is to provide for a long season of interest, so that when you look out of the window, or walk in the garden, there is always something that is "strutting its’ stuff", capturing your attention so you enjoy the plants in your private kingdom. The first thing that most people look for from a plant is flowers. The following collection of shrubs are all suited to what is termed ‘background’ planting. They have their period in the limelight when in flower, and provide a pleasing backdrop to other plants the rest of the year. These shrubs are generally quite tall and could be placed near the boundaries of your garden so smaller plants can be placed in front of them. They might be positioned round a seating area which you decorate with pots of annuals for the summer, or they might edge a lawn. All these plants can grow in any reasonable soil that is well drained or moisture retentive, and all but one takes both sunny or partly shaded positions. The shrubs Choisya x dewitteana 'Aztec Pearl' is the cornerstone of the selection. This is a rounded shrub with slender leaves and white flowers that come from pink buds. It flowers in April and May and will eventually reach a height of 2 metres. Deutzia crenata 'Pride of Rochester' follows on with masses of double white flowers, also coming from pink buds. It flowers in June and July and stands around 3 metres in height (it can be pruned to a shorter height). It has chestnut brown stems and the bark peels attractively – a feature in winter. This is the shrub that needs a sunny position. Rosa Avon = 'Poulmulti' is a semi-double white rose, the flowers again coming from pink buds. It should flower from the end of May all through summer providing you deadhead (remove the dead flowers). This stands around 1.5 metres in height. Abelia x grandiflora 'Hopleys' is an attractive variegated plant with an arching growth habit and delicate pink flowers from July, and is still flowering in September. This stands around 1.5 metres in height when mature. Euonymus grandiflora is grown for its foliage. It makes a large shrub or a small tree, reaching 4 metres in height. It is glorious in the autumn when its leaves turn rich shades of red and purple; they are accompanied by interesting green fruits. Viburnum farreri reaches around 3 metres in height. It comes into flower as early as November and may still be in flower in March. The flowers are white, from pink buds again, and enticingly scented – so place near a pathway. And that pretty much wraps round the year. Enjoy making the most of your garden. This Longacres Blog post was contributed by Susan A. Tindall

For those of you who missed out on the Bagshot Christmas Open Evening or live closer to the Shepperton store, the Shepperton Christmas Open Evening is being held this Thursday 20th November. The evening kicks off at 5.30PM and will include a variety of festive events and promotions! Santa will be making an extra special appearance and will hand out sweets and treats to all the good girls and boys. This is a great opportunity to spot Santa before he takes up residence in the grotto at our Bagshot store - opening Saturday 22nd November. Learn how to tie the perfect bow, gain some wreath decorating inspiration and get some gift-wrapping techniques at the Gift Wrap and Wreath demonstrations from 6-8pm. To get the festive spirit really under way the Choir of St James' School in Ashford will be singing some of your favourite Christmas Carols. Come along and taste a variety of foods, or just grab yourself a mince pie and wine! Try your luck at winning a fabulous prize by taking part in the raffle on the night. To thank all our customers we will be offering a 10% discount on purchases made between 5.30pm and 8.00pm on the evening (excludes gift vouchers and sheds - sorry!).

We would like to say a huge thank you to all who got involved with and attended our Christmas Open Evening last Thursday evening; just a few mince pies and not a single drop of wine remained - definitely the sign of a successful evening! You helped us to raise a lot of money for the Breast Care Centre and Special Care Baby Unit at Frimley Park Hospital (exact amount soon to follow!). Big congratulations to those who won prizes. We hope that we helped you get into the festive spirit and that you enjoyed the evening as much as we did. Hopefully you didn't miss out on catching a glimpse of Santa! Here are just a few our of favourite snaps from the night: The Longacres team all got into the festive spirit Victor the theatre mouse from Aladdin made an extra special appearance! Santa had to take the weight off his feet after eating all those mince pies! The Salvation Army sang popular carols throughout the evening Lots of money was raised from the raffle for the Frimley Park Hospital Charity Jennifer Peters from Gisela Graham held a successful workshop on how to decorate your Christmas tree beautifully

Santa’s elves and our talented team of seasonal staff have been working tirelessly to get the Christmas grotto ready for Santa’s big arrival on Saturday 21st November at Longacres Garden Centre, Bagshot. Walk with your children on a magical journey through a Winter Wonderland before meeting the bearded man himself in the heart of his cosy Christmas grotto. Each visit costs just £5 and includes a present from Santa if they’ve been good this year - an ideal incentive to get them on their best behaviour!

We at Longacres love the Winter festivities, and now that we are in full Christmas mode we want to see your Xmas pics, festive fun and seasonal shenanigans! Take your photos in store then share on your Instagram and Twitter pages and tag us using #LongacresXmas. Try on some reindeer antlers? Strike a pose by the rocking penguin band? Stand like a giant next to the Lemax village? Try on one of our festive jumpers? Take a photo of whatever you want - so long as it's festive! Whilst you're at it, don't forget to follow @LongacresGC for all our updates and photos! You can also find us on Facebook, Google+, Pinterest and YouTube. We can't wait to see what photos you come up with. Merry Christmas from the social media team at Longacres!

We are pleased to announce that our fantastic range of living Christmas trees are now available to pre-order online from Longacres! Why wait until the last minute to purchase your tree when you are rushed off your feet with other Chrismas preparations? Relieve the unnecessary stress by pre-ordering between now and Monday 24th November and enjoy the luxury of deciding what date you receive it. Better yet, if you order a tree between now and midnight on Friday the 28th November, you will receive a 10% discount! We have a beautiful selection of trees in different heights to suit every need and price range: Potted Blue Spruce The blue spruces are well known for their unique silvery-blue tinted needles which are especially beautiful and pleasing to the eye. Suitable to be kept indoors or planted outdoors, these non-drop living trees come already potted and can even be planted outside after Christmas. Available in 7 sizes ranging from 1.5 - 7ft Norway Spruce These living Norway Spruce Cut Christmas Trees are wonderfully charming; perfect for those wanting a traditional Christmas Tree. The dark green needles of Norway Spruces are particularly strong, so are especially ideal for hanging your favourite tree ornaments from. Available in 2 sizes ranging from 6 - 8.5ft Nordmann Fir/Potted Nordmann Fir Nordmann Fir Cut Christmas Trees are amongst the most popular today, the main reason being because of the particularly strong, dark green 'no-drop' needles (provided they are kept well fed). Also well known for their symmetrical shapes, these trees have particularly dense branches to hang your much loved decorations from. Nordmann Fir available in 4 sizes ranging from 4 - 11ft Potted Nordmann Fir available in 2 sizes ranging from 3 - 5ft 

We are thrilled to welcome The Green Olive Firewood Company through our doors this Saturday (1st November) to host a series of demonstrations and tastings to show how their range of Firewoods can add fun and ambience to your Halloween and Bonfire parties. Between 10am and 4:30pm, The Green Olive Firewood Company will be featuring a range of products including: Swedish Torches (see video below) Olive Wood Chunks and Logs (see video below) Seasoned Hardwood Organic Fire Lighters Chimeneas Fire Pits/Bowls Weber Kettle BBQs Using a range of Gardecco Cooking Tools, there will also be demonstrations on how to cook popcorn, roasted chestnuts and waffles on their Chimeneas and Firepits. If that isn't enough to get your taste buds going - they will also be showing how to cook tasty sausages over Olive Wood to achieve a true authentic Mediterranean taste! It's free to attend the demonstrations and there will be offers on all of the products featured; so grab yourself a bargain and we look forward to seeing you here! [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn7F4rQmQv8[/embed] [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4W-BjbO7wk[/embed]

Whether it's a big office party or a smaller gathering with friends and family, planning a Christmas party can be stressful and nerve-racking for many of us; especially when the competition to host the best party is tough. What better way to set the festive party mood and really wow your guests than to put on a show with a dazzling lighting projector? This year we are offering three of Premier Decorations' projectors ranging from £34.99-£44.99; the LED Snowflake Projector, the Laser Light Projector and the LED Crystal Ball Light Projector, all suitable for small events, stages and parties. Each of the projectors have sound recognition so the lights (and your guests!) can dance around the room in harmony to the party music. Each of the three projectors have different designs and features so you will be sure to find one that will be most suitable for your party/event this Winter: LED Snowflake Projector - £34.99 Possibly the most festive of them all, the LED Snowflake Projector will make a beautiful addition to any party this Winter. Projecting four different snowflake patterns onto walls and ceilings, you control how fast or how gently the snowflakes float around the room with the speed controller. This projector can be mounted onto walls or ceilings using the bracket, or left freestanding on a floor or surface. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsZDAwQsV-s[/embed] Laser Light Projector - £39.99 If you want more of a bright 'strobe' effect for your party, then the Laser Light Projector may be more suitable for your party! This laser-device is super compact and can be mounted to walls or ceilings, or left freestanding on the included tripod. Four different designs can be projected onto the surrounding walls and ceiling; snowflakes, starbursts, dots and stars making it ideal for parties all year round. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3ZFNXI4i08#t=29[/embed] LED Crystal Ball Light Projector - £39.99 The LED Crystal Ball is certainly a less conventional design of lighting projector! The compact dome beams flashing or static patterns in a mixture of red green and blue colours. You control the speed - handy for when it's time to turn the party up a notch or two (or down when the party is drawing to a close)! This projector can be connected to a DMX512 controller for larger scale events. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi4dfAHAtso[/embed] All three of these lighting projectors by Premier Decorations can be bought either instore or online from Longacres. To see the full range of Premier Decorations that we offer, click here. Please note that all projectors are suitable for indoor use only.

Great as a gift or to use in your own home, Shot2Go's range of festive 'Create Your Own' decorations mean you can really make your décor unique this Winter! All decorations hold 2 photos that can be cut to size using the included template. Photo Ornament - Star/Heart/Circle - £2.99 Three different shaped baubles to choose from to really jazz up the tree; a star, a heart or a circle. Christmas Photo Bauble - £3.49 Make your tree even more special by placing a photo of a memory, family member, friend or even a pet inside this bauble. Reindeer Photo Snowglobe - £4.99 Give this snowglobe a good shake to really add to the Winter effect! Come and grab these unique decorations instore now at Longacres!

Heading into winter is the time when the Helleborus (also known as 'Christmas Rose') will start to make a show for the garden. These are winter and spring perennials available in many forms and colours; they are almost an essential for any garden during winter months. There are many varieties of Hellebore and they are distributed widely across Europe and to as far as China and Syria. Identified by their leaves, their flowers are displayed in clusters which may be open and airy or tightly grouped. The flowers will show different forms from Anemone and centered to double, spotted or picotee. In the Helleborous flower, the true petals are modified into a ring of nectaries at the centre of the flower to attract pollinating insects, which make these great pollinator plants for your garden. Flowering time is late winter through to spring, and I find the way these delicate flowers withstand the harshest of weather really fascinating. Different varieties offer colours from purist white (Christmas Carol) to deep pink (Party Dress) and some will give a delicate two-tone colour (Helleborus ericsmithii). Most Helleborus will grow well in any reasonably fertile soil, but are happiest in lime and neutral soil and many enjoy a shady area, so for sun starved borders this is a real essential. For more open and sunny situations the more moisture they require. So for a fully hardy, delicate flowering perennial throughout winter, you will not go far wrong with the Christmas Rose. This Longacres blog post was contributed by Jo from our plants department