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Planting Bare Root Peonies
What a lovely day, a day out of the office and back to the Private Estate where I work as a Gardener. I have been here for about fourteen years and have seen the garden develop, hedges have been removed, planting changed, refreshed and new borders developed. It has been an unseasonable day for…
The 10 Best Plants for April
Chaenomeles x superba 'Pink Lady' Image: Canva April is an exciting time and there is plenty to do in borders:As perennials emerge, look out for losses and gaps and plan how you are going to fill them. Get new perennials in as soon as you can and sow drifts of hardy annuals into warm soil. Hoick…
Plug plants – which size is best for you?
Plug plants – which size is best for you?It’s all-go in the garden now that the sun has finally decided to make an appearance, but knowing which plug plants to buy can be a bit confusing. They all need different levels of care and, if you’re not sure what you’re buying, you…
Top 10 perennial plants
Top 10 Perennial PlantsPerennial flowers add colour and seasonal interest to the garden from April to November, often attracting bees and butterflies to their blooms, and making great cut flowers too. They are incredibly versatile and can be used as fillers between shrubs, planted as groundcover…
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…
Jobs to do in the garden in June
In June the garden is at its freshest. It's time to sit back and enjoy long summer evenings surrounded by abundant flowers and lush foliage whilst surveying the results of all your work earlier in the year. If you worked hard in May, you should already have crossed many of June's jobs off your…
Grow Your Own - Colourful Salads
By Sasha Ivanova at London Plantology Swiss Chard 'Bright Light'Image source: London Plantology Your greens no longer have to be green! Recent research indicates that some of the healthiest 'greens' are actually purple, red and yellow. With new varieties of tasty salads and vegetables increasingly…
Begonias masterclass: best expert content
Try Funky Pink' begonias for masses of large, unusually-shaped, double flowersImage: Begonia 'Funky Pink' from Thompson & MorganHere you'll find the best begonia-related articles, videos, and Instagram stories from across the web - in fact, everything you need to know to help you grow your own…
Plants for Wildlife
Plants for wildlifeThere are so many benefits to attracting wildlife into your garden. Apart from saving the decline of our native species, garden wildlife also acts as a natural pest control, preventing the need to spray harmful chemicals all over your garden. If you grow fruit and vegetables,…
History of fuchsias
Charles Plumier (1646-1704), a French monk & botanist, discovered and named many plants in honour of fellow botanists during his 3 plant hunting trips to the Caribbean’s and South America. Some of his most famous discoveries are Begonia, Fuchsia, Lobelia and Magnolia. In 1695, during his…
Top 10 evergreen shrubs
Top 10 Evergreen ShrubsEvergreen shrubs provide permanent structure in the garden and all-year-round interest. Some have beautiful flower displays or are highly scented in winter when little else is growing, and some have variegated or colourful foliage which is a perfect foil for summer perennials…
New plants arrived, but the weather’s too bad to plant them up!
My new strawberry runners (Flamenco, chosen by my 7-year old daughter) arrived at the end of last week and I had hoped to get out into the garden to plant them. Ha! No such luck – a few inches of snow put paid to that idea. We got off quite lightly snow-wise compared to other parts of the…
Best Drought-Resistant Plants
Drought-resistant planting at RHS Garden Harlow Carr. Image: Olivia Drake Spring and summer droughts are becoming increasingly common across many parts of the UK. With temperatures rising and rainfall becoming less consistent, drought-resistant plants have never been more important to gardeners. A…
New to buying plants by mail order?
New to buying plants by mail order?Buddleja ‘Buzz’™ CollectionWhen I’m on my business travels, or even socializing at a BBQ, some people I speak to often don’t realise you can buy plants through the post. But for those in the know, it’s the only way to buy, as…
Jobs to do in the garden in May
Image: Canva The garden is really racing ahead and it's a job to keep up with it. Getting on with tasks now will enhance your summer displays, but don't forget to give yourself some time to relax outside and just enjoy it!BeddingSummer bedding is perfect for plugging gaps in bordersImage:…
Small border planting ideas with high impact
Use height, structure and colour to create stunning borders in small gardensImage: photographee. eu The average length of a UK garden is just 15 metres long, but limited space doesn't prevent you from having gorgeous borders filled with show-stopping plants and shrubs. We asked Lee Burkhill, the…
A Pembrokshire March
Dear Gardeners, Well if I thought February was dramatic, March can only be described as chaotic! I wanted to celebrate St David's day, in my childhood home of St Davids, but The Beast from the East, arrived, along with his friend storm Emma, and between them they spoiled my plans. It snowed. A lot.…
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…
Pond plants masterclass: best expert content
Water lilies are quintessential deep water pond plantsImage: Water Lily (White) from Thompson & Morgan Whether you want to attract wildlife to your garden or create a unique focal point, a pond is a great way to introduce a whole new range of plants to your outdoor space. Here are some of the…
Gardening news – Fraxinus game, bees, travelling plants
It’s been quite a week for gardening news, read our update here…New Facebook game aims to get to the bottom of ash diebackNew Facebook game aims to protect ash trees from ash diebackA new Facebook game has just been launched, in which players have to match coloured leaves that…
Zany Zinnias!
Zinnia varieties come in deliciously fruity shades Image: Canva I'm an unabashed lover of zinnias. There is something about the luminosity of their colours and their unique shape - a ruff of stiff petals surrounding a central cone which is crowned with star-shaped golden florets - which I find…
Plants for Pets: A Guide to Pet-Friendly Houseplants
Pets and plants don't always go together. My 'Border Terrorists', Ogmore and Dylan, are notorious for chomping foliage. Whilst they mainly graze on Dog Mercury and other outdoor weeds, they have also unleashed their rasping tongues on my once elegant Bamboo Palm ( Dypsis lutescens),leaving it…
Pea Alexandra – huge plants, bumper crops!
Hello all you happy gardeners!Well we’ve all had some fab weather and doesn’t it show in the gardens? The flowers and veg like to feel the warmth on them.I just had to tell you all about the pea Alexandra I have grown as part of the Thompson & Morgan trials.I only have a small…
Pass Me My WW1 Trenching Tool
Oh but wasn't I right - as the nights draw in we wistfully reminisce about the long hot summer of 2018. Get over it! Time to move on! And move on we have; half the garden is enjoying the extrovert opulence of autumn and half, well, the other half has been dug up! The prospect of a year out of…
Grafted veg - The advantages of going that extra step
Freshly grafted plants Last year we at Thompson & Morgan started to sell grafted vegetable plants such as tomatoes and cucumbers; this year we have extended the range to include melons and watermelons too! Too much trouble? So why graft a plant that's only going to be around for a season or two…
Best plants for shady gardens
Brighten up dark corners with shade-loving plantsImage: Elena Elisseeva Does your garden have a Cinderella spot? A part that doesn't get the same love and attention as the rest? Chances are, says Mandy Bradshaw of The Chatty Gardener, it's a shady area. Sunny borders might seem more interesting and…
Magnificent Magnolias
Get out into gardens now and enjoy the spring performance of magnolias in full bloom Image: magicflute002/Canva Cossetted within their velveteen coats, the buds of magnolia trees are just beginning to unfurl their voluptuous, vase-like blooms and wow crowds with a spectacular spring performance. If…
Thompson & Morgan donates plants to local schools
Left: Children from Chelmondiston Primary School holding plants donated by Thompson & Morgan. Right: Children from Thomas Wolsey Ormiston Academy with a trolley of donated plants. Photo credits: Thompson & Morgan Last week we donated over 1,500 plants to two local schools. The PTA of…
Drought tolerant plants
Drought tolerant plants look good and are low maintenanceImage: Peter Betts There are lots of good reasons to grow drought tolerant plants. During hot summers the need for frequent watering is time consuming. Not to mention costly to the environment and your pocket too, should rainfall in your area…
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…
You say potato, we definitely said TomTato®
No doubt you’ve seen Thompson & Morgan’s latest news on the TomTato®; a unique grafted plant, which combines an extra sweet tomato with a delicious white potato!Now, the concept isn’t new and the phenomenon of grafting these 2 plants together has been known for almost 100…
Edible Flowers – useful in any garden
Edible flowers can make a useful and delightful addition to any garden – whether big, small and practical or pretty – they can help boost any garden in question. Edible flowers can be used in a variety of ways and grow easily and quickly for a fast harvest.I decided to use an old tin…
Customer trial panel member profile – Joy Gough
Joy Gough has just joined our blogging team of customer trial members and talks about her gardening experiences.Joy GoughMy name is Joy, I am totally new to this blogging, so please bear with me, just like gardening it is a process of learning as you go.Our garden started with 2 bought tomato…
Make a change to your plant choices – 3
Next in my ‘Make a change to your plant choices’ theme are some hard-working plants for beds, baskets and borders.Laurentia ‘Indigo Stars’If your bedding and basket plants don’t usually last beyond August, then try this…Laurentia ‘Indigo Stars’This…
Clematis masterclass: best expert content
Clematis 'Elizabeth' brings colour and scent to your gardenImage: Clematis 'Elizabeth' from Thompson & Morgan Find all you need to grow spectacular clematis plants here. Whether you love rambling evergreens or compact types for patio containers, these independent articles, videos and Instagram…
Best plants for low hedges
Low box hedging surrounding parterre beds at National Trust Wimpole Estate. Image: Canva There are many situations that call for a low hedge. It could be a formal edging to a border or path, a way to divide up a small garden into separate areas without cramping the space, a structural backdrop to…
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