Blog
Colour in the Cold: 5 Wildflowers for Winter Gardens
Winter is often regarded as a quiet time for flowering. However in mild winters we may see many stunning, vibrant plants begin to flower as early as December. An unexpected eruption of colour sprouting out from an otherwise bleak garden has the ability to lift anyone with winter dampened spirits.…
Top tips for your garden in winter
Top tips for your garden in winterIt might be cold outside, but here are our top tips to keep your garden ticking over in winter. There’s plenty to do and, come spring, you’ll be thankful that you took the time to do these jobs!Insulate outdoor tapsOutdoor taps are prone to freezing…
Petunias – customer trial panel update
I love petunias but with last year’s awful weather I was reluctant to grow them this year – I did not want to have another year of soggy flowers.As usual when the T&M plants catalogue came in spring there were so many new and unusual petunias I just could not resist giving them…
The history of the petunia
There is always a plant that, like Marmite, you either love or loathe, and it appears that through theages the petunia has been this plant. As part of the Solanaceae family, it is closely related to the tobacco, cape gooseberry, tomato, potato, chilli pepper and deadly nightshade.In the early…
Plants for winter colour
Let’s not be shy about this, ensuring winter colour in your garden will take a little bit of planning. In the harshest winter months, it’s only the odd turbo-charged pansy that has enough energy to push through a blanket of snow and ice. You need to guarantee yourself some winter colour every year…
December
Hello Gardeners,Season’s Greetings, I hope you are happy and healthy. Soon 2017 will draw to a close, and the growing cycle will begin again.Every year I am grateful to the fantastic Thompson and Morgan team for allowing me to write a monthly customer blog, but what I value most from them is the…
Customer Trial Member Profile – Steve Woodward
You may already be familiar with Steve Woodward’s previous posts on our blog. He is also a member of our customer trial panel, here is his profile…Collecting some produce for a warming stewHi, I am Steve and I live in the East Midlands Derbyshire town of Ilkeston, roughly equal in…
Spread The Love
I’m really not a fan of the aforementioned festive season, but I’ve suddenly realised that I lurve January! The inclement weather gives me the perfect excuse to be bone idle guilt free. Mind you, some things can’t wait, especially when you are up against the horticultural prowess of Diane, she of…
Trouble Shooting your Geranium growing problems
As we have all been basking in this glorious sunshine our geraniums have been enjoying it too – it’s their perfect weather conditions, hot and dry. Whilst tempting at times to have exclaimed “it’s too hot!” I very much appreciate the burst of warmth because this year we have…
Plants for hanging baskets
There are so many beautiful plants for hanging baskets out there, from trailing plants to your annuals and evergreens. But how do you pick the right ones?For me, it depends on what kind of ‘look’ I am going for. In spring I tend to go for a big, bright and bold display so I fill my baskets with…
Top 10 winter bedding plants
Top 10 winter bedding plantsAs summer draws to an end it’s an ideal time to be thinking about winter bedding plants for cheerful colour during the coldest months of the year! Winter bedding plants are biennial or perennial plants which are planted in the autumn, some flowering throughout the winter…
We Love Chillies!
Dearest reader,Harrison (left), William (right).How do you do? Indeed, well…! We are William and Harrison Scowsill, (28, 27). Perhaps like us, you also ogle and dream of acquiring interesting and rare varieties of plantsOur interest in gardening started after returning from a mind-blowing…
Get the inside story on 2 new varieties for 2013
Here’s a sneak peek of some new varieties for 2013 – get the inside story here first!Lisianthus ‘Summer Blue Rose’Summer Blue RosesAs the world battles to create the perfect blue rose, we’ve been a bit cheeky and devised the new blue summer rose!This gorgeous…
A blog from Driftwood with a difference!
Most of my blogs are usually about the plants that DriftwoodFor those not familiar with Driftwood, it’s located between Seaford and Newhaven on the south coast, not that far from Brighton. It’s in the bay you can see, looking out to sea and there is the view from our bedroom window across the…
Beautiful botanical crafts on Instagram
Check out these crafty creatives inspired by mother natureImage: Marisa MortonNature has always provided inspiration to artists – whether writers or musicians, poets or makers. If an afternoon in your garden or a walk in the woods leaves you energised and buzzing with creativity, why not take up a…
Thompson & Morgan Triallist’s Blog – May 2017
FIVE SWEETPEAS AND A CUCUMBERLike a fine wine I don’t travel well so I have only ventured abroad twice in 20 years (that’s if you don’t count Jersey). However a promise is a promise: We have just returned from a visit to Cyprus, home of my oldest friend Naomi, to celebrate her 60th birthday. (I bet…
Clematis – how, when and where?
ClematisHow to plant clematis Clematis thrives in a well drained and fertile soil in full sun or partial shade. It is beneficial to place a mulch around the base of your plant with pebbles. Incorporating some well rotted manure or compost into the soil before planting will help aid fertility and…
Growing Mistletoe
It was a few years ago when this particular time of year gave me an idea on attempting to grow a particular plant! Seeing bunches of Mistletoe (Viscum album) in various shops and market stalls I got to thinking on how to go about growing your own and what is involved in this. I did have some idea…
January….
Hello Gardeners,I can’t quite believe this will be my fourth year writing for T&M. I have learned so much more about writing blogs as well as gardening over the years. I’ve shared my ups and downs with you, and formed many friendships with the blogging community. One of things I…
So many plants, so little space!
The greenhouse is packed to the gunnels with plugs-in-waiting and half hardysThe salviasThe sunroom is crammed with the cucamelons, courgettes De Nice A Fruit RondI did treat myself to some T & M perennials as well this summer. Brunnera Alexander’s Great are said to grow far bigger than Jack…
10 inspiring Instagramming urban gardeners
No need for acres of rolling allotments to grow flowers and produce!Image: Claire Gregory, Wikimedia CommonsYou don’t need a small holding, an allotment, or even a garden to grow your own fresh flowers and food these days. Enterprising urban gardeners are making the most of windowsills, balconies…
Totally Tulips
Tulips may not be on the top of everyone’s wish list but they certainly are on mine! With at least 100 species, they offer so much variety and when selected carefully, you can get blooms from March right through to May. Whilst tulips flower in spring, they flower at different times, so you can…
Incredi-range
Initial sales and customer feedback prove the incredi-range is a hit with UK gardeners.Launching a premium range in a crowded market brings risk, but Thompson & Morgan’s first move into the compost arena has paid off for the mail order specialist and its customers!Lugging hefty bags of…
Amanda’s April 2017 Blog…
Hello Everyone,What a completely manic month April has been! The clocks have gone forward, Easter has been and gone and I’m back to my normal self – My cancer is in remission and I can walk around the garden, go up the steps and lift little watering cans or pots of seedlings now.…
Tidy up
Today I’ve spent time sorting out the winter bedding from the greenhouse which are in need of transplanting into the herbaceous borders.The Stocks ‘Most scented mix’Our beds are plagued by Bindweed, this weed is a real pain, left to its own devices, it grows quickly, climbing up the nearest plant…
Plant 1 plant and grow 3 – best-selling 3-in-1 planting concept extended
Thompson & Morgan’s 3-in-1 concept now includes hebe and fuchsia.When does 1 ever equal 3? With Thompson & Morgan’s 3-in-1 concept now extended to include hebe and fuchsia, gardeners can effectively plant one plant and it’ll grow into 3! Following the success of its Buddleja ‘Buzz®…
Grow your own Monet masterpiece!
As a Royal Academy exhibition examines the role gardens have played in art history, with Monet masterpieces as the starting point, Thompson & Morgan reveals its historic link with the world famous artist, his gardens and paintings. Claude Monet Summer Garden Best known by the general public for…
Starting a culinary herb garden
Grow herbs to add to your garden and kitchen. Image: DarwelShotsAnyone can start a herb garden, no matter how little space they have available. Some people create bespoke culinary herb gardensWe asked The Sunday Gardener‘Herb’ is a generic term. It covers a wide group of plants that don’t…
Ellen Mary’s Top 5 Houseplants
HouseplantsAlways top of the list! Not only does Aloe look fantastic, but it’s super easy to look after and needs minimal watering. Not only that, but the gel inside those fleshy stems can be scraped out and used to ease numerous skin conditions, heal burns and many other common health complaints.…
Spring? Blink and You’ve Missed It!
So on Thursday 19th April we went away for The Long Weekend (more of that later). 27?c. Evidence of new shoots emerging in garden at last. Daffodils coming into bloom. Last minute seed sowing completed.Fast forward to Sunday 22nd, 24?c, daffs gone over, tulips out already! Fern coils, emerging from…
Amaryllis – flamboyant and never understated
Commonly known as amaryllis, hippeastrum bulbs are hugely popular gifts for Christmas. There really is no question as to why increasing numbers are choosing the amaryllis as a Christmas gift, as their magnificent and showy blooms flower year after year, making fantastic houseplants.Growing…
Evergreen Shrubs
Evergreen shrubs form the backbone of the garden. They provide structure and colour even in the depths of winter when other plants are dormant and bare.Evergreens offer more than just foliage. Many have attractive flowers such as Rhododendron and Camellia. In fact some even flower during the…
Thompson & Morgan Triallist’s Blog – June 2017
ANYONE FOR HOSTAS?Its 7.30am on a June Sunday morning and you wouldn’t want to see what I am wearing as I type this! But if I leave it until later and go into the garden, I know I won’t come in any time soon.Flaming June? I’ll say! Flaming nightmare more like. Working outside has felt like running…
Pot size matters
As we reach midsummer (where has the season gone!) chillies really take off, particularly in a warm conservatory like mine.The plants’ frameworks are nicely developed now and many of the varieties I’m growing are now starting to flower – in the case of ‘PadronIt’ll soon be time to start feeding…
How to grow Heuchera
Cultivate heuchera to spice up the darker corners of your gardenFeatured Image: Heuchera ‘Patchwork’ Mix from Thompson & MorganIf you’re looking for a wonderful shade plant to add colour and interest to the darker corners of your garden, look no further than heuchera. This hardy…
Daffodils – plant them now for the best blooms
Plant daffodils now for the best spring displaysNarcissus ‘Rainbow Butterflies Mixed’A colleague heard Alan Titchmarsh talking about planting daffodils in August on his radio show at the weekend and was a bit surprised. After all, August is hardly the usual time to be thinking about…
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