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3 simple ways to combine ornamental and edible planting
This ornamental garden consists of flowers and leafy vegetables. Image: Arjuna Kodisinghe Picking your own fruit, vegetables and herbs is one of the highlights of the gardening year, but you don't have to turn your garden into an allotment in order to grow and harvest your own food. There are many…
Christmas Colour: The 10 Best Plants for Christmas Gifts and Decorations
Add some festive colour to the dark winter months this Christmas. Our winter-flowering houseplants make growing gifts which everyone will love. A gift of brightly coloured flowers raises Christmas spirits and what's more, green gifts are not just for Christmas, but continue to give pleasure through…
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…
Raspberry surprise – a little bit of help in the garden
Raspberry ‘Ruby Beauty’ ™ is a dwarf variety that is claimed to grow to just 120cm (36”) – the perfect size for a patio pot, or a sunny place in even the smallest veggie plot. I’ve decided to put this to the test and see just how well they get on when planted in…
The day has come – Chelsea Flower Show 2013
The day has come.After more than a year of planning, the most prestigious gardening event of the year has finally opened its doors. The show isn’t yet open to the public, but I’ve been lucky enough to get a sneak preview!Preparing for the day aheadPutting the finishing touches to the…
How to grow Heuchera
Cultivate heuchera to spice up the darker corners of your gardenFeatured Image: Heuchera Patchwork' Mix from Thompson & Morgan If 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 native of North…
Favourite scented plants, voted by RHS members
The RHS conducted a survey in spring 2013, in which it asked its members for their favourite scented plants.Traditional flowers such as sweet peas, hyacinths and honeysuckle topped the list, which consisted mainly of spring-flowering plants. We’ve selected one of our own best-selling plants…
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…
Top 5 flower and vegetable seeds recommended by our experts
Sue Sanderson and Colin Randel, two of Thompson & Morgan’s experts give their top 5 flower and vegetable seeds for the new season…FlowersSue Sanderson is Thompson & Morgan’s Horticulturist and has 11 years of gardening experience.Rudbeckia ‘Cherry Brandy’When…
Gardening Tips – Tower Pots
Our decorative pot and support frame is specially designed to train plants into pillars of colour. It can be used as a half frame, for supporting plants to use as cut flowers, or as full frame for showy climbers such as Clematis. The Tower Pot is so versatile! Here are our gardening tips to get you…
Lockdown at Driftwood!
2020 so far has been a bit of a blur on many levels at Driftwood. Back in February, having not long had a new dog, Chester, he escaped from the house and I had to chase up the road after him pulling the ligaments in my left leg into the bargain!®Geoff Stonebanks - Chester relaxing in the garden!To…
Dahlia Dreaming
Dahlias blaze into colour just as other flowers are going over. Image source: Shutterstock After weeks of hot summer days, the grass is brown and withered, the summer raspberries have shrivelled into dessicated husks and the roses have gone over, but my dahlias are only just beginning. We've had…
Horticultural Etiquette
Is there a code of horticultural etiquette? Since the recent RHS poll which revealed that one-fifth of gardeners discard of their snails by putting them over their neighbours fence, we have been thinking of other rules and regulations in the gardening world. 78% of those polled by the RHS said they…
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…
Messy Job, This Gardening Lark
Autumn colour came late this year, and puff, it was gone, leaving chaos and disorder in its wake. Now I'm a bit fussy about tidiness, not the best character trait for a gardener. And I'm not a fan of formal or minimalist gardens, preferring the organised chaos of more naturalistic schemes. This…
Summer’s over, what next? Michael Perry asks
Tulip Everlasting MixtureI think it has happened.When leaving the house today; the feeling of autumn seemed to have descended. Although bright and sunny, the temperature was cooler and there were misty windows. Darn, I’ll have to start wearing socks again!So what do we do now summer’s…
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…
What to do when your plugs arrive
We're so pleased to see so many photos on social media of the plug plants that you're receiving in the post. Some customers - perhaps those of you who are turning to your gardens during this time of social distancing and self isolation - are asking us about what to do with their plug plants when…
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…
Growing a fuchsia standard
Standard fuchsias such as Angela' adds height & colour to your garden. Image: Thompson & Morgan Growing a fuchsia standard is a great way to show off these elegant, jewel-coloured flowers while adding height and colour to your border. Also ideal for containers, standard fuchsias make a…
February 2014 – an update on plants surviving the winter
A short update regarding a couple of plants which are still surviving the winter now in to February.Geranium ‘T&M’s Choice Mixed’ F1 Hybrid & Petunia ‘Easy Wave’I have 2 plants which are still alive outside now into February. One is a zonal geranium…
Gardening memories of 2012
Gardening memories of 20122012 was full of gardening memories, not least because of the almost never-ending rain and lack of sunshine. A while ago we asked our Twitter followers and Facebook fans to tweet and post their most memorable moments and got some great comments. We thought we’d turn…
Blogs to inspire you to grow your own
Beginner or experienced veg grower? Sharing tips helps produce bumper cropsImage: Shutterstock Food you grow yourself is fresh, healthy, and nutritious, but if you're new to gardening, it's not always easy to know where to start. If you're wondering whether you have the space or the knowhow to grow…
My Top 5 from T&M at Driftwood in 2018
2018 has been our most successful season of all at Driftwood! We celebrated our 10th year of opening the garden and our 7th year of trialling products from Thompson & Morgan. There were a couple of trips to Buckingham Palace too, in recognition for the charity fundraising we have achieved, our…
How to Grow Hibiscus
Hibiscus flowers are one of the most beautiful flowers you can find. And guess what? They can be easily grown in your own home or garden. Let's discuss what are the most popular types of Hibiscus and what you can do to properly care for them, whether you opt for a hardy garden variety or a tender…
How to grow hyacinths
Hyacinths are a popular spring bulb grown for their showy, colourful and highly fragrant flowers. Hyacinth bulbs can be planted in borders, containers and window boxes, looking most impressive when planted in groups. They naturally flower in the spring but they can also be forced indoors for a…
Hydrangea
Walk around any neighbourhood during the summer and you’ll see plenty of glorious Hydrangeas. They’re one of the most tough and durable shrubs for a European climate. They’re also available in a huge range of colours… although, you wouldn’t know it, as most of the ones…
Formative Winter Pruning on Mature Apples and Pears
Hi all, If you read my last blog you'll know I was talking about the different types of gardeners we all are. Since then I've been doing some thinking and I've had my performance review at work and I'm now working towards becoming a fruit loop! I'd like to learn more about fruit growing, training…
£1000 offered for vintage Thompson & Morgan Seed Catalogues
In 2013 the RHS Chelsea Flower Show will be celebrating its centenary and it promises to be a very special show indeed…Thompson & Morgan’s 1912 Seed CataloguePeter Seabrook, writer, broadcaster and the Sun newspaper’s gardening editor is going to create 4 gardens at Chelsea…
Vibrant veg growing blogs
Take some tips from these amazing bloggers about growing veg!Image: Shutterstock If growing veg is your thing, you'll love our selection of some of the best vibrant veg growing blogs around. From ingenious folk who garden the smallest of plots, to budding self-sufficiency enthusiasts and…
What to do in the garden in May?
Gardening is an annual task, or hobby to most, and requires attention all year round. For me this is perfect because I do not have to find something else to do that will keep me occupied whilst my hobby is ‘not in season’. Of course there are down falls to this, for example when I am…
A Taste For The Tropics: Creating A Jungle Garden!
If summer holidays to far-off places feel out of reach right now, maybe it's time to plan for a holiday at home? Creating a tropical feel on your suburban patio isn't as far-fetched as it might sound. There are plenty of exotic beauties that will flourish in our cooler climate, but still create…
Sowing Sweet Peas
Whilst relaxing with a book I studied my garden, my book was slowly losing its appeal! I realised how bare my garden not only looked, but felt. It is strange to say that your garden has a feeling, but it certainly does. My garden didn’t encourage growth, innovation or adventure but plain,…
A Life in the Garden of....Suffolk businessman, Jeremy Scowsill
Ipswich-based property developer doubles as self-sufficient organic gardener Isn't it funny how, at a certain age, you realise that many of the people you've known for years have apparently 'suddenly' got into gardening? I'm not sure if it's actually an age thing - it clearly isn't as the growing…
Onions masterclass: best expert content
Homegrown onions ready for storageImage: Onion sets 'Troy' (Autumn planting) from Thompson & MorganFor the best independent advice on growing onions, we've found a selection of expert articles, videos and Instagram posts to help you raise a bumper crop. Whether you prefer to plant onion sets in…
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…
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