Gifts by Post Have Arrived!

We want gifting to your friends and family to be super easy this year and at a click of a finger. The best surprises come in small packages and we can have them wrapped, personalised and delivered all for you!

Are you wondering what to gift friends and family this Christmas? Or in two minds about a well-deserved treat for yourself? Whatever you’re searching for, a pick-me-up, to pamper a friend, a present for a loved one’s birthday or to celebrate Christmas with a pal from a distance, we have a gift by post for everyone and every occasion.

Your Gifts by Post Options

We have hunted high and low and produced a whole range of wonderful gifts by post for you to choose from. There’s something to suit everyone, like a treat for an avid gardener, a fancy wine taster, an exciting day out for you and friend or a gift voucher to spend at home. We can help you with our variety of thoughtful gestures that pass on that special feeling of receiving a gift by post and brighten up that lucky recipient’s day.

Get Your Trees by Post 

Give a Gift boxed Bay, Olive, Fig or Kiwi!

With a choice of four tree-mendous trees to choose from and all delivered straight to the door, treat a loved one this Christmas. All these wonderful Trees by Post come gift-wrapped, gift boxed and with a personalised message, providing elegant packaging at the highest quality with a special touch.

Bay Tree Gift

Bring elegance and style to your garden or patio with this stunning Bay Tree Gift! This variety can be clipped into a formal architectural specimen, providing structure and interest for 12 months of the year, for many years to come! Style into a circle or pyramid or other delightful shapes, the bay tree is a versatile tree for you to cut and prune to your liking. 

Kiwi Plant Gift

Give the gift of an exotic kiwi plant! If you or someone you know loves to grow fruit, then this is the perfect gift. Kiwi fruits are attractive climbers that are surprisingly easy to grow and hardy too. Grow up a trellis, arch or pergola in a warm spot or on a south-facing wall and prune to your desired size.

Issai is an unusual kiwi which, unlike its more well-known cousins, boasts fruit with smooth, edible skin! The little kiwis are delicious oval fruits and are produced in abundance – 1000 kiwis per year is not unusual!

Olive Tree Gift

Treat yourself or someone special to the Olive Tree Gift, and add some extra style to their home or garden. Traditionally used as a symbol of peace and friendship, olive trees make amazing gifts and are famed for their longevity.

It doesn’t get any better than having a garden or patio which demonstrates style and sophistication. The olive trees evergreen leaves will do just the trick and can be trained and clipped into formal architectural specimens. Fancy more, a matching pair either side of a doorway or garden entrance will always create the ‘wow!’ factor.

Fig Tree Gift

Fancy a treat for yourself or someone you know? Then the Fig Tree Gift with Free Sticky Fig Jam is the perfect gift for you. Our Brown Turkey fig tree is the most reliable fig for the UK climate, producing a heavy crop of purple-brown fruits with sweet red flesh in late August to mid-September. Just harvest and enjoy all it has to offer!

Figs will bring a Mediterranean flavour to your garden, combining beautiful foliage with a tasty and bountiful harvest. 

Vines and Wines

It’s Pop and Pour Time!

Flame Grape Vine and Bottle of Red Wine

If you like fine wine and fancy growing your own, try our vine and wine gifts by post. Our Grape Vine with a bottle of red wine is a luxurious gift and turns your backyard into a vineyard. This is one of the most popular varieties of grape, which tastes even better picked straight from the vine.

It’s suitable for outdoor and greenhouse/conservatory growing, is early ripening and disease resistant, and is supplied as a grafted plant in 2 litre pot. It’s best to choose a sunny spot for your plant, and it will provide you with attractive vines, a bountiful crop of delicious grapes and enjoy an excellent bottle of wine while you await your first harvest.

Perlette Grape Vine with White Wine

The best dessert comes with grape vines and wine!

Seedless white grape producing very large bunches of golden-green, delicious dessert grapes. They are vigorous and heavy cropping, and suitable for greenhouses and conservatories. Supplied as a grafted plant in 2 litre pot.

Early ripening and disease-resistant plants. Our varieties will provide you with attractive vines and a bountiful crop of delicious grapes! And they come complete with a lovely bottle of wine too!

Sweet Treats

Personalised Cakes

Reindeer Chocolate Smash Cake

Chocolate lovers please line up! The Reindeer Cake is made with a delicious Belgian chocolate shell, filled inside with all the favourites! Maltesers, Smarties and Chocolate Buttons. Decorated with a cute reindeer face, what isn’t to love! Smash open and enjoy.

Personalised message written in Belgian white chocolate, this cake stays fresh up to 4 months if stored in original packaging.

Terry’s Chocolate Orange Christmas Pudding

This Terry’s Chocolate Orange® is topped with Belgian white chocolate and an edible holly leaf. personalisation with a lovely message or name up to 12 characters and it stays fresh for up to 4 months if stored in original packaging.

Sweet Trees

The perfect treat for someone with a sweet tooth! Satisfy their taste buds with our stunning personalised trees. Whatever they prefer, we have chewy fruity sweets or indulge in rich cholocate. There’s a naughty evening snack for everyone.

Personalised Liquorice Allsorts Tree

Personalised Liquorice Allsorts Tree, a colourful sweet gift beautifully presented in the style of a tree. The vase base can be personalised with a name or wish.

Gin O’Clock!

For someone who loves a tipple of Gin!

Gin Time Clock

Tick tock it’s gin o’clock. The perfect tonic for a hard day, the Gin Time Clock Set makes a great gift for those that enjoy a refreshing G & T no matter what hour of the day.

With gin-related slogans for every hour, this clock gives a whole new meaning to drinking hours and ensures you’ll never be early or late for your G & T – you’ll be bang on time. Easy to assemble, this freestanding clock comes complete with 12 x 5cl bottles of gins – including flavoured and pink varieties.

Experience Days

Our experience days are perfect for those occasions that call for something extra special. There’s something magical about picking a unique experience and making memories together, and our selection has something for everyone.

Take your pick, from a day at visit to Kew Gardens complete with a river cruise, or become a gardener for a day at The Alnwick Garden, and so much more. This is the opportunity to tick one of those items off their bucket list with a gift they’ll never forget!

Gift Vouchers

A great alternative to buying a physical gift!

If you know someone who loves to shop with us, or a friend who is gardening enthusiast, then treat them to one of our special gift vouchers to spend at home.

Dobies have exclusively designed a contemporary and traditional style gift voucher card, especially for that perfect present.

With different options available, choose either our digital eVoucher or a physical Gift Card to spend online on our website, over the phone or by post.

For more information, check out our Gift Vouchers here.

We hope you find the perfect surprise for a loved one with something special in the post, or a fancy gift for you. If you try our gifts by post this Christmas, we will have it all done for you and make this festive season a time to sit back and relax without the shopping stress.

This year’s events have created a new wave of interest in gardening and for the second lockdown, it’s time to get a step ahead with those put off gardening tasks and get busy outdoors. 

This is a great opportunity to continuing the gardening spirit and make the most of every space around. Whether you have large garden, patio, balcony or a window with room for a pot, there are all kinds of gardening activities that can be done anywhere and everywhere.

We have put together a range of handy tips to inspire you through your gardening journey this month, with a list of lockdown jobs, seeds to sow now, indoor growing options, space-saving tricks for small space gardens and much more. It is also a great time to start your outdoor Christmas decorations, so we’ve got a variety of ways to make your own winter wonderland at home this year.

Garden Lockdown Jobs

If you’re unsure of where to start in the garden, there’s always some put-off garden tasks which can be done first. This way, you can start off with a fresh clean canvas before you plan, plant and produce a knockout garden display.

Our very own Rob Smith has been providing you with some excellent garden lockdown jobs to start right now. Here’s a few to get you going:

• Pick and dry your herbs to use throughout winter.

• Cut back your Chilli plants to try and overwinter in the shed for a head start next year.

• Keep your Kale healthy by removing rotten leaves.

• Save your Geraniums and see if you can overwinter them to use next year.

Follow Rob on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with the best tips and tricks in the business!

More to Grow and Sow Now

There are still plenty of flower and veg seeds to sow this lockdown but you just need to decide which ones you want to grow.

Veg seeds to Sow in November

Flower Seeds To Sow in November

Plant these hardy flowers now for a stunning display next year!

Treat Yourself to a New Set of Gardening Tools

This selection of gardening tools is going to help you clear away any pesky weeds, give you a hand when it comes to planting seeds and be your new best friend when you get digging.

Grow Your Own Houseplants and Herbs

There are ways to plant all year round and we have lined up some fantastic ways to get growing indoors which bring your home to life and offer a great option for small space gardens.

Lava Plant Punctatum Green Flame

Once upon a time, it emerged red hot – 700°C – from a volcano. Now there is a plant growing on the volcanic lava! A special natural combination. The plant ’embraces’ the lava with its roots. The lava stone provides support, moisture and nutrients. And of course, it’s a very decorative item to have at home.

Terrarium Bottle & Starter Kit

Start your terrarium growing experience on the right foot with our stunning purpose-designed terrarium bottles. The terrarium kit contains a bottle with cork as well as a telescopic shovel and rake so you can easily adjust the soil and plants through the narrow neck of the bottle to construct your own ecosystem.

It might be cold and frosty outside, but you can still produce your own herbs, salads, veggies and houseplants inside!

Bring Wildlife to Your Garden

Attract all kinds of wildlife to your garden and provide some major benefits to those who call it their home. It doesn’t take much to add a few animal-friendly additions to your garden and they can add charming features next to the pond or flowerbed or be a subtle safe haven tucked away amongst the bushes.

Hedgehog House

One of the greatest ways in which you can help out the hedgehog population is by placing a Hedgehog House in your garden. This provides a place for our nocturnal friends to escape from any outside dangers and cold weather, and to hibernate safely and comfortably. All you need to do is add leaves/straws to keep them warm and they will be very grateful for their new place to sleep, eat and bring up their hoglets. In return, you can watch their way of life which can be an entertaining and educational experience for all the family. 

Say hello to the birds, bees, insects, hedgehogs, frogs and more!

Small Space Gardening

Step away from the four indoor walls and give your outside space some tlc no matter its size or shape. The opportunities are endless when it comes to outdoor decor and gardening equipment, whether you have a large garden, courtyard or garden wall, we have something which fits all.

You can get a little creative outdoors because modern features and quirky ornaments can make small spaces feel big and display a variety of your beloved flowers and tasty vegetables, flaunting your outside space at its best.

Plant Stands & Theatres 

Plant stands and theatres can be be easily tucked away in a corner or be a knockout addition to your garden. Fill them up with your favourite plant collection and add some elegance to your outdoor space.

Corner Plant Stand

The Modern Corner Plant Stand is a contemporary and sophisticated way to display your much-loved plant collection or herb garden. This is a very versatile stand and can display more than just plants. If using indoors, it can be a fancy storage unit holding books, photo frames and interior ornaments. However, it will remain a striking feature wherever it goes and sits comfortably anywhere from a small patio, balcony or terrace, to the hallway, bedroom or bathroom. 

Stone Ornaments 

Check out these fantastic faces for all outdoor spaces!

Robins Nest

Feeling something fun and quirky in the garden? The Robin’s Nest decorative wall plaque will do just the trick! This smiling face with a lovely bird nest beard will make a fun addition to the garden wall or greenhouse. Treat yourself or someone special to this one-of-a-kind bearded wall plaque and transform your garden with charm and a smile. Full of personality and character, he might even make the robin’s take a second look!

Gold Garden Gnome

These cheeky fellas can’t wait to find new homes, let it be your garden! Place these fun gnomes out to watch your veg patch or pond or gift a gardener the greatest golden present of them all.

VegTrug and Grow Tables 

Easy ways to get growing, even in tight spaces!

Grow Table

Create your own edible or floral garden, even with limited space, using the innovative Grow Table. Fill with compost and sow seeds, or transplant seedlings and plants, then pop on the Grow Table Lid (available separately) to create the ideal growing conditions for your plants.

VegTrug Home Farm Kit

Space-saving growing solution. The VegTrug raised bed planter offers a stylish way to grow delicious salads and nutritious fresh vegetables on your patio, or in the garden.

Winter Wonderland

You can make your own winter wonderland in the garden this year and bring Christmas cheer all around your home. Our festive garden decorations will spread the Christmas spirit and can be brought outside year after year, giving you a magical Christmas garden to show off to the neighbours.

It‘s Time To Get Festive!

Pair of Robins

Add a splash of warmth and charm to brighten up your garden or bring the outdoors in with this plump pair of robins. These two chaps are a very realistic alternative to real robins visiting the garden, but these ones won’t fly away! Admire their kind and friendly nature up close and perch them on the window sill or tabletop, and be assured they won’t cause any hassle at all.

Giant Metal Bauble with Star Design

This giant rustic ringing metal bauble will bring a touch of traditional Christmas style to your home or garden during the festive season. Choose from four different colours and display along the garden bushes, at your front door or along the patio wall.

Add a festive touch to your garden with our range of Christmas garlands and large ringing bells! Whatever outdoor space you have, create a warm and ambient tone anywhere from your window and porch to your garden bushes and patios.

Sparkling New Wreath

LED Wreath

A delightful tradition across our homes, add some magic and joy to your front door with a LED Wreath. With warm white light producing a soft subtle glow, this makes the perfect welcome to the home at Christmas.

We hope this will inspire you to keep gardening and get busy outdoors this month!

Take the stress out of buying a gift for the gardener in your life with Dobies guide to the Top Ten Gifts For Gardeners.

Finding the perfect gardening gift can be a difficult job! No two gardens are the same and neither are two gardeners! To help guide you down the right garden path, we’ve picked the top ten gardening gifts from our 2020 Gift For Gardeners catalogue.

From Alice in Wonderland inspired outdoor games, friendly faces to add to your outdoor space to experience days and trees delivered straight to your door! Browse our carefully selected gifts for gardeners below as we help you find just the right present.

1. Fantastic Faces for Outdoor Places

Garden stone ornaments that will make a statement! Need to find a way to spruce up your garden? Our hanging stone Greenman tealight holder will age beautifully and transform your garden with charm and a natural candlelit glow. With an antique finish carved into Greenman’s detail and character, this masterpiece has been designed by British sculptors and springs to life when a tealight’s inside. Greenman Height 27cm. Weight 1.55kg. Green lady Height 28cm. Weight 1.7kg.

2. Eye-catching House Plants

There’s something magical about the beauty of brightly coloured flowers in your home in winter and our gorgeous amaryllis bulbs make it easy. Specially prepared to put on an outstanding show in your home, your amaryllis will be delivered in time to flower for the festive season! Your plant should flower year after year, giving you a splash of colour in your home during winter and spring.

3. Wildlife Habitats

The perfect gift for those wildlife lovers. Whether it be bird feeders, bird boxes or state-of-the-art wildlife camera kits, these gifts are perfect for the wildlife enthusiast and organic gardener alike. From Hedgehog houses to Frog Ponds and Ladybird Lodges, we have something for everyone!

4. High-Quality Garden Tools!

Don’t dig around looking for clues on what to give the green-fingered gardener in your life. Choose a Sneeboer garden tool every time – they will never disappoint! High quality, stainless steel and hand-forged, built to last these make a gift all gardeners will appreciate for years to come.

5. Trees by Post!

With a choice of four tree-mendous trees to choose between and all delivered straight to the door of your loved one! All these fantastic Trees by Post come gift-wrapped and gift boxed.

Traditionally used as a symbol of peace and friendship, olive trees make fantastic gifts and are famed for their longevity. This Olive Tree Gift will add a touch of the Mediterranean to gardens or patios and may produce fruit in some milder regions of the UK.

The olive can be grown outdoors during the summer and in all but the milder areas of the country will need the protection of a greenhouse or conservatory from autumn to spring. Height 80-90cm. Supplied in a 2-4 Litre pot.

Bring style and sophistication to your garden or patio with beautiful Bay Tree! This variety can be clipped into a formal architectural specimen, providing structure and interest for 12 months of the year, for many years to come!

The dark green leaves of this Sweet Bay are great for cooking! Supplied as an established standard tree with a 40cm stem and full head. Total height 70cm. Supplied in a 3 litre pot.

Give the gift of an exotic kiwi plant! Kiwi fruits are attractive climbers that are surprisingly easy to grow and hardy too. Grow up a trellis, arch or pergola in a warm spot or on a south-facing wall and prune to your desired size.

Issai is an unusual kiwi which, unlike its more well-known cousins, boasts fruit with a smooth, edible skin! The little kiwis are quite delicious and are produced in abundance – 1000 kiwis per year is not unusual!

Our Brown Turkey Fig Tree is the most reliable fig for the UK climate, producing a heavy crop of purple-brown fruits with sweet red flesh in late August to mid-September – harvest and enjoy! Each plant comes with a jar of sticky fig jam. Supplied as a 3 litre potted plant.

Figs will bring a Mediterranean flavour to your garden, combining handsome foliage with a tasty and bountiful harvest.

6. Fun Garden Games

Head outdoors as a family and go on a bug hunt, try bird watching or tumble down a rabbit hole to a world where anything is possible! Kids of all ages – including big kids! – will love our Alice-inspired Wonderland games, including The White Rabbit’s Scavenger Hunt, Queen’s Guards Giant Playing Cards, Queen of Hearts Flamingo Croquet and Alice’s Party Games Mat. We’ve everything you need to bring this topsy-turvy storybook to life! silly and whimsical fun.

7. Experience Days

There’s something magical about picking a unique experience and making memories together, and our selection has something for everyone. Choose from a day at Anne Hathaway’s beautiful cottage, a visit to Kew Gardens complete with a river cruise, or an urban beekeeping experience with craft beer tasting sessions. This is the opportunity to tick one of those items off their bucket list with a gift they’ll never forget! Click here, to shop Experience Days.

8. Charming Characters For The Garden

Decorative additions don’t have to just be for inside the home, there’s plenty of fun to have outside in the garden too! Why not have a bit of fun and get your loved one a cheeky garden gnome. Dobies has a selection of quirky characters including golden gnomes, fishing gnomes and LED solar gnomes!

9. Weather Gifts

From terrific thermometers to wonderful weather sticks, our range of weather gifts has something for everyone! The Prince Frog Thermometer is suitable for indoor and outdoor use. You’ll find his grin is contagious! Handcast in stone and with delightful detail and a patina finish, this robust piece can stand alone or hang on a wall.

Wind Chimes have ancient origins and they have traditionally been used to protect crops from birds to ward off evil spirits and to create a calming, meditative atmosphere in outside spaces. Our stunning Colourful Solar Spinners make beautiful garden features. Not only that, they store solar power during the day so that at night they bathe your garden in light.

10. Spring Bulbs

Get a garden in a box with our pre-planted bulb trays! They’re the 100% biodegradable way to make spring bulb planting easy. Each of the egg-box-like sections contains a bulb – simply make a space, drop in the tray, cover with soil and water it for stunning spring colour. Perfect for balcony boxes, patio pots or in your borders, these make fantastic gifts for flower lovers.

Dobies gifts for gardeners makes present shopping easy and stress free, provide all round smiles to bring togetherness wherever you are. So, sit back and start ticking off all those on your Christmas list today.

Dull November brings the blast, then the leaves are whirling fast.

~ Sara Coleridge

The focus for the November garden is protection. Cold weather has arrived, and tender plants need to be snug in the greenhouse with those too large to move being cloaked in protective fleece. Move containers to shelter against house walls and make sure that any staked plants are nice and secure against the wind. Use fleece and cloches to protect veg plants such as chard and swede against frost and possible snow.

Continue harvesting autumn crops of kale, spinach, chard, cabbage, leeks and celeriac. Parsnips and brussels sprouts are best left until they’ve been well and truly frosted as this will sweeten them. Any remaining root vegetables such as carrots and beetroot need to be lifted and stored before the soil becomes waterlogged or frozen.

November is also the perfect time for reflection of what did well in the garden (and what didn’t) and the ideal month to start making plans for next year… Our Seed Catalogue mailing is going out next week so lookout for a copy landing on your doormat from next Wednesday.

With NEW vegetable seeds and plants, and yearly favourites, flowers, fruit, potatoes, equipment and more!

• Sow some herbs to grow on windowsills, you’ll need them to flavour all that scrumptious comfort food!
• Salad leaves can also be sown now. In fact, sow every 3 weeks throughout the year and you’ll never again need to buy salad leaves. At this time of year try our Winter Mix.
• Early in the month is still not too late to sow sweet peas in rootrainers or other deep pots. The result will be strong plants bearing early blooms.
•  After the first frosts leeks, parsnips and Brussels sprouts can start to be harvested.
• Continue raking up fallen leaves and turn them into valuable leaf mould. It is a superb soil conditioner and makes great potting compost. And its free!
• Soft fruit, including rhubarb, can be planted now. Choose an open, sunny spot and dig in plenty of garden compost.
• Secure glue bands around fruit trees to fend off the winter moth.
• It’s not too late to plant daffodils and other spring-flowering bulbs. Late planting just means later flowering.
• A wet November day is the perfect time to give pots and seed trays a good clean ready for next season’s sowings.
• Bonfire season starts now but please always remember to do a hedgehog check before lighting.

Veg Seeds To Sow in November

Get an early start on your beans with our autumn sowing varieties, including the nation’s favourite to grow – Aquadulce Claudia!

Broad Bean Aquadulce

A long podded, white-seeded tasty broad bean that’s early to mature, Aquadulce Claudia is recommended for autumn and winter sowings throughout the U.K. for the earliest crops the following spring and summer.

Broad Bean De Monica

This superb, early-maturing variety grows well in low daylight conditions, Broad Bean De Monica will produce bountiful crops of 15cm (6”) long pods filled with 5-7 tasty, creamy-coloured beans per pod.

Broad Bean Luz de Otono

Luz de Otono vigorous growing bean that shows good cold resistance for overwintering use. Produces long, high quality pods of tasty beans May-June. May also be sown in July for a November crop in mild areas. For autumn sowing.

Broad Bean The Sutton

The Sutton can be sown in succession March-July outdoors, and November-February under cloches to produce a very early crop.

Rob says: “A short broad bean, which can be grown amongst flowers or borders. It doesn’t need vast space like some others. The pods give 5-6 beans which are really tasty and freeze well. Or alternatively make them into a broad bean hummus, it’s gorgeous!”

Last Chance to Sow Sweet Peas

Last chance for Sweet Peas in the earlier weeks on November. The long growing period will enable strong root growth which will in turn produce vigorous top growth. Not only will autumn-sown sweet peas flower earlier than spring sown, the plants will be stronger, the flower stems longer and the blooms more abundant.

Why not look at our new sweet pea Fire & Ice. The seeds produce fantastic white, purple and pink flowers accompanied by a strong, yet sweet fragrance. This variety of sweet pea grows with longer stems making them perfect for container and patio pot displays. A Modern Grandiflora type that grows to a height of 151–200cm, you can train them to grow up decorative trellises, obelisks or even arches. Grow them in your flower beds and flower borders for a sweet-scented and colourful display.

Cupani

Cupani is a species introduced to Britain in 1699 by a monk: Brother Cupani. Bicoloured flowers, maroon upper petals with violet ‘wings’, making lovely cut flower posies with a beautiful deep scent. Scent 3. Flowers June-September. Height 1.8m (6′).

Jet Set

Don’t be put off by Jet Set’s smaller stature. What it lacks in height, it makes up for in appearance. Beautiful pastel shades of scarlet, crimson, blue, salmon, cerise and mauve look amazing in large terracotta pots, or climbing through your roses and shrubs. I used this mix several times on The Big Allotment Challenge. Height 90cm (3′). Easy to grow. HA – Hardy annual. Low growing variety.

Bluebell Carpet

Bluebell Carpet is a fragrant, rambling, groundcover variety. You’ll enjoy stunning plants with few tendrils, which can be tied to supports and will grow to around 130cm (4’) high.

Or, if you prefer to create a carpet of scented flowers, leave them to ramble across the ground, where masses of these pretty flowers will create the look of a ‘bluebell wood’. These strongly scented flowers are held above the foliage, so they’re perfect to cover a bank or open space. Flowers June-September.

Rob’s Perfect Summer

Ranging from 1.5-2m (5-6’6”), in solo and bi-colours, with stripes and flecks, plus a stunning bright red, ‘Rob’s Perfect Summer’ is highly scented, conjuring the image of a quintessentially British summer and filling your garden with blooms. Try growing ‘Rob’s Perfect Summer’ through a rambling rose, or up the side of an evergreen bush to add colour and scent.” Height 1.5-2m (5-6’6”).

Winter Garden Interest

Autumn has taken hold and trees and shrubs are now providing the colour in our gardens. If you’re looking outside to empty borders and patios, you can easily add structure, colour and fragrance to your garden with a selection of beautiful potted shrubs.

Here are our favourites this season:

Best for Fragrance: Sarcococca Winter Gem

The best variety of this amazingly fragrant genus bred by the highly acclaimed British breeder Peter Moore.

Combining the best qualities from both its parents, ‘Winter Gem‘ produces larger than average dark, glossy, green leaves that emerge from the purple stems which during winter also hold a mass of the very attractive and highly fragrant flowers which fill the surrounding air with perfume. 

Best for Structure: Cornus Anny’s Winter Orange

Arguably one of the best Cornus for winter stem colour with its bright and vivid stems of orange and red that stand out in any situation. The colour of the stem changes as it goes up the stem from yellow at the base, through orange and then a bright red near the tips.

It looks stunning whether planted on its own or as a spectacle in groups. Other varieties produce similar colours but none seem to have the same vigour and intensity .as this one and often appear a little weak so this is sure one of the best. 

Best for Colour: Nandina Obsessed

This is by far the brightest coloured Nandina we have seen with vivid, bright red evergreen new foliage in spring, which then turns to a rich green colour for the summer before taking on attractive autumn colours. Flowers July. Height 60-70cm; spread 50-60cm. Supplied in a 3 litre pot.

A Garden Is Surely Not Complete Without Roses

Growing a rose garden is immensely satisfying! Their beautiful and fragrant blooms will lift your mood and are attractive to bees. Our roses are supplied as bare roots for the best quality plants at the best price. With roses due to be in short supply this year and the autumn being a great time to plant, now really is the best time to buy.

Our range features award winning varieties like the gorgeous Belle de Jour which has won the coveted title of RHS Rose Of The Year for 2021 and the Joie de Vivre which has been named a ‘Which? Best Buy’ AND was Rose Of The Year in 2011! With many years of breeding, trialling and judging, our selection this year really is the best of the best!

Roses possess an ancient history from fossilised findings millions of years old, to references 7000 years ago. Noted by Shakespeare and collected by Empress Josephine, a rose should be reliably by your side in any garden. Romantic and very English, although their origins lie in Asia, they provide years of pleasure, whether in the form of rose bushes or climbing rose plants entwined up walls. That’s why we’ve put together a fun 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Roses to celebrate!

And if you love cut flowers… Dobies have put together a Timeless Collection of international award-winning Hybrid Tea roses that are grown for cut flowers and not forgetting highly scented to fill your home with a beautiful fragrance.

WIN a Water Butt Bundle Worth Over £100!

WIN a Harcostar Water Butt complete with Rain Tap & Water Butt Treatment so that you can make the most of the water in your garden!

For your chance to WIN simply:

1. Go to our Facebook or Instagram page.
2. Follow our page.
3. Tag a friend and share to your gardening story in the comments.

 Entries close on 30th November. Good luck!

T&C’s Apply – The winner will be picked at random & entries must be submitted before the 30th November.

Read Our Latest Blog Posts

• Gifts by Post
• Lockdown Gardening
• Top Ten Gifts For Gardeners
• November Newsletter
• 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Roses

“If you love a rose, you have to love its thorns too.” – Matshona Dhliwayo

Roses possess an ancient history from fossilised findings millions of years old, to references 7000 years ago. Noted by Shakespeare and collected by Empress Josephine, a rose should be reliably by your side in any garden. Romantic and very English, although their origins lie in Asia, they provide years of pleasure, whether in the form of rose bushes or climbing rose plants entwined up walls.

Loved all over the world for their fragrance and beauty and its symbolic representation of love and romance. However, we think we might know this infamous floral but there’s much more than meets the eye. That’s why we’ve put together 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Roses!

Ten Things You Didn’t Know About Roses

What are the best roses to buy?

Now you know everything there is to know about roses you may be ready to start your very own rose garden or perhaps add a unique variety to an existing one. Below are some of our most popular bare-root roses with beautiful fragrant blooms that will lift your mood and attract those all-important pollinators to your garden!

The annual Rose of the Year Competition trials new roses from across the world, taking into account their performance on UK soil. Here at Dobies, we are thrilled to be able to offer the most current award winner – Rose of the Year 2021 – Belle de Jour. 

Belle de Jour

Rose of the Year 2021!

The Belle de Jour has an intense fragrance with hints of vanilla. Yellow buds with flashes of flame open to reveal golden-yellow blooms with masses of petals. Vigorous growing variety the Belle de Jour’s blooms can grow up to 7cm across. This rose variety will make a beautiful addition to borders or as a low hedge – With excellent disease resistance and a vigorous, upright habit. You can also create beautiful flower arrangements, as this variety will last really well when cut for the vase. Flowers June-October. Height 100-150cm; spread 90-100cm.

Precious Amber

RHS Award of Garden Merit

The Precious Amber will produce beautiful blooms of apricot, amber and orange shades that are lightly scented. Repeat flowering with colour from June-September. Height 60-70cm; spread 60-70cm. Precious Roses are award-winning varieties that rightly deserve their accolades. Boundless blooming, super healthy and also ideal for patio pots and filling gaps in beds and borders.

Timeless Purple

RHS Award of Garden Merit

A gorgeous regal purple variety, Timeless Purple is definitely one that catches your eye. These pinkish-purple blooms are richly perfumed and will put on a scrumptious display in any garden or patio containers. Perfect for homegrown cut flowers as new growth repeat flowers quickly after cutting. RHS Award of Garden Merit winner. Flowers June-September. Height 90-100cm; spread 90-100cm.

Hot Chocolate

Novelty Rose of the Year 2006!

Hot Chocolate is a really unique colour flower and definitely one to go for if you’re looking for something different. Popular amongst horticulturalists – it has glorious vintage coloured blooms. Petals are shades of orange tinged with red and dusky pinky brown. Very easy to grow and disease resistant. RHS Award of Garden Merit winner. Flowers June-October. Height 90-100cm; spread 80-90cm.

Super Trouper

RHS Award of Garden Merit winner

Super Trouper is a repeat flowering compact floribunda rose. Fruity mandarin orange blooms contrast with glossy green foliage. Flowers through summer and is a compact floribunda variety with a delicate fragrance. Vibrant blooms that are well-formed and freely borne on a neat bushy rose plant of medium height. Flowers June-September. Height 90-100; spread 90-100cm.

For Your Eyes Only

RHS Award of Garden Merit

For Your Eyes Only is a beautiful floribunda rose that will flower continuously throughout the summer. This rose plants unique flowers have a distinct darker centre and prominent bright yellow stems. It will fill your garden with a delicate light scent. For Your Eyes Only is the perfect rose plant for a patio and has excellent disease resistance. Flowers June-September. Height 90-100; spread 90-100cm.

Nostalgie

RHS Award of Garden Merit winner

Nostalgie is a stunning rose with gorgeous cream petals with a rose blush and edged with ruby red. Long stems hold beautiful small clusters. Sweet fragrance. Repeat flowering through the summer. They will make a beautiful addition to any rose garden or border. Flowers June-September. Height 90-100cm; spread 60-70cm.

We have many rose plants for sale, including the golden floribunda rose offers months of flowering and a delightful scent, perfect for a border or pot. Lucky is the ideal rose for growing at the back of a mixed herbaceous border, and may also be grown in a large container. 

If you like rose cut flowers, bring them indoors. Our Timeless Collection for the Home Florist is for you. You’ll also find a handy guide on creating your own floral arrangements. Browse our full collection below because a garden is not a garden without a rose.