Jobs in the Garden November

Now is the time to be stocking up on bird food for the coming months as stocks of natural foods such as (berries and seeds) may be getting low if the weather has been cold.

You can now plant out bare root trees and hedging plants as well as new raspberry canes.

It is still not too late to feed the lawn with an Autumn feed and remember to keep lawns and pathways clear of fallen leaves.

Introducing Mimi and Bo.....

Mimi and Bo is an online boutique based in Bathgate, West Lothian.


Owned by Maureen Weir, it has a very distinctive relaxed country style that takes inspiration from a mixture of Scandinavian and New England design.


Here at the Mill Garden Centre we are delighted to stock a selection of Mimi and Bo home wares range. You can expect to find products by many popular brands including Greengate and House Doctor from Denmark who are a regular feature in glossy magazines such as Country Living and Ideal Home.


Take a look at the GreenGate paisley storage tin at £9.99 (above) - not only practical but pretty, this tin would be a lovely way to present a home baked Christmas gift.

Other products include glass tea light holders, festive candlesticks and pretty plants pots.

Crab Apple Jelly......

In stock just now we have this delightful Malus Golden Hornet Crab Apple Tree.

Crab apples are great for making jelly as they are an excellent source of pectin. Jelly can be used to compliment meat and cheese dishes. Here's one we made earlier.......


Crab Apple and Mint Jelly

4kg crab apples
1kg caster sugar
Handful of chopped mint (try Indian trailing mint or Pineapple mint - both stocked at the Mill)
Juice of one lemon

Wash the fruit, discard any bruised or damaged fruit. Place in a pan, cover with water and bring to the boil or until the fruit is soft.

Place the cooked fruit inside several layers of muslin and allow to rest over a bowl or pan overnight. This will allow the juice to seep through the muslin cloth, you should be left with a lovely clear juice.

Add the caster sugar to the fruit liquid (10 parts liquid to 7 parts sugar), add the juice of one lemon.

Bring to the boil until all the sugar is dissolved.

Continue to boil the liquid with care for approx 40 minutes, skimming away the froth from the top at all times.

When the mixture has reached setting point, it will solidify on the back of a chilled spoon or on a plate. At this stage -add the finely chopped mint then pour into sterilised preserving jars and seal. Store in a cool dark space until ready to eat. Enjoy!

As an alternative, why not try substituting the mint for chopped red chilli?

Gingko biloba......

Introducing the Gingko biloba tree.......

We are proud to have grown this exceptional tree from seed here at the Mill Garden Centre as it has been give the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

These images were taken two weeks apart, the top image today where it shows stunning yellow leaves, the latter showing pretty mid green foliage intricately shaped.

Gingko Biloba can grow up to 25m high by 8m wide. Known as the Maidenhair tree, it is a suitable specimen tree for large gardens.