Churchtown Nurseries

We are a small nursery situated in the far west of Cornwall over looking Mount’s Bay, mild yes, but also very wet and windy during the winter.

My name is Chris Osborne and I have run the nursery with my mum Fay since 1989. We have slowly built up a good local trade and growing an ever increasing range of perennials, grasses, shrubs, camellia’s and my speciality Restio’s.

I started exhibiting plants at local shows at first and gradually went further a field until in May 2002 I got a phone call asking if I could stage a display at Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. Seven weeks of panic and stress ensued and I had my first Royal Horticultural Society medal, bronze. I’ve not looked back since and won my first R.H.S gold medal at the March show at St Vincent Square in 2006.
The plants I exhibit are mainly Restio’s – evergreen grass-like plants mostly from South Africa, along with an increasing range of plants growing naturally alongside in a type of vegetation called ‘Fynbos’. This includes the Protea and Erica families, the three dominant plant families found in Fynbos vegetation.

Being a small nursery we do not produce huge quantities of any one species. Our emphasis is on quality – something we are frequently complimented on by both the public and fellow professionals. Selling on-line is totally new to us so please be patient, I am a nurseryman growing and propagating plants and this can not be done by sitting at a computer.

What are restios?

Restio – plants of the restionaceae family.
This is a family of evergreen, rush-like plants endemic to the Southern Hemisphere. The majority are found growing in Africa and most of these in the Western Cape. The plants normally have a tufted or clumping growth form and can range in size from as little as 10cm and up to 4 meters.

Restio’s do not produce the striking flowers of their Protea and Erica neighbours, but are sought after for there sculptural form and attractive long lasting seed heads. They are found growing naturally in poor soils from near Sea level to high above the snow line, from seasonally moist to seasonally dry soils, they seem to tolerate and thrive in extremes.

Cultivation

The main requirements for success with Restios are full sun, well drained soil and plenty of air movement. Dig a hole twice as big as the container the plant is growing in. The soil that is removed from the hole should be mixed with compost before filling around the root ball ensuring the plants are at the same level as they were in the pots. Do not add fertilizer at planting as this may burn the roots. Keep well watered for the next six weeks (or until established). Restios do not like root disturbance and do not like to be plated in small holes in lawns. However, they are robust and do not succumb to pests or diseases. Restios will respond well to regular feeding once established provided nutrient levels are kept low, such as slow release granules or liquid seaweed appears good.

Restios respond to watering by producing lush growth. Most species will, how ever tolerate periods of drought, as they are adapted to a long dry summer season in their native South Africa.

A good mulch of milled pine bark is beneficial in keeping roots cool, reducing water evaporation and suppressing weeds.

Hardiness

Most species seem to be able to withstand overnight frosts, some as low as minus 8 degrees C given good air drainage. Some species may lose their top growth and become herbaceous if to cold, re sprouting in the spring provided a good mulch has been provided.
Planted in the right positions Restios are tough long lived plants, ideal for low maintenance gardening and water wise gardens. The variety in growth in growth form, texture and colour of Restios makes this an exciting group of plants that are only now becoming available due to previous problems in germinating the seeds.

Seed Germination and Smoke

The seeds of most species are dormant and will not germinate easily unless dormancy is broken by treatment with smoke derived from burning plant material. To achieve this seeds may be pre treated by soaking them in “Kirstenbosch Smoke Plus” seed primer for 24 hours before sowing. The seed primer contains smoke derivatives that break seed dormancy and maximise germination. Another cue for seed germination is the fluctuation between day and night temperature, cool nights of 8-10 C and warm days of twenty to twenty five degrees. Germination should take 4-6 weeks.