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Wild flowers – all you need to know

Wildflower (or Wild Flower) simply means that the plant was not intentially planted or seeded.Wild flowers are important in supporting our native insects and animals. Not only do they encourage high biodiversity, they also make a pretty and colourful addition to the garden. A quintessential part of…

Top ten wildflowers

Ox-eye daisies are easy to grow and very popular with pollinatorsImage: Ox-Eye Daisy from Thompson & Morgan Wildflowers are a low-maintenance and long-lasting addition to any garden. Often planted as annual or perennial meadows, they make a wildlife-friendly alternative to lawns or a quick and…

Autumn Plants Teaser

Our autumn plants range boasts spectacular spring bedding plants, shrubs and perennial plants and with such a huge variety available you will be spoilt for choice. We asked our gardening guru Michael Perry for his top 10 plants from our autumn range, so that we can bring you our autumn plants…

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…

A year in the greenhouse – Amanda

Hello everyone, my name is Amanda and this is the first of what I hope will be one of my many blogs for Thompson & Morgan. I live in Pembrokeshire with my fiancé and our garden is approximately 116 meters square. It’s situated at the top of a hill and literally a five minute walk from the…

A busy summer at Driftwood

Well, since I wrote my first blog back in March this year it’s been a very busy summer at Driftwood, both from a visitor and from a Thompson & Morgan trial perspective! We have opened the garden 17 times this summer, 10 garden openings and 7 for a local art festival, Artwave! During that…

Much to do before festive break

December 2013Well I can’t believe that the festive season is nearly here but there are still a few jobs to do in the garden before the end of the year, weather permitting.I have tidied the shrubs and perennial borders, old perennial stalk pruned back and, where required, shrubs pruned to…

An update from the Greenhouse

Hello everyone!Firstly can I please say a big “Thank you” to everyone who has read my blog and given feedback. I must say I was really worried that no one apart from my mum would read my blog so it’s really nice to hear from everyone.In this month’s blog, I am enclosing some…

Tips for growing flowers in your garden

The successful combination of shape, colour, texture and height makes this border singImage: Paul Wishart Flowers bring colour, texture and scent to our gardens and provide a welcome source of food for pollinators. With a little patience you can grow many flowers cost-effectively from seed. Short…

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…

The Colour Purple

Well, technically it's not 'the colour purple' but rather Pantone Ultra Violet 18-3838, that's predicted to be the colour of the year - but that doesn't exactly roll off the tongue now, does it? Whilst purple is supposed to suggest the mysteries of the cosmos, intrigue and ingenuity, I am more…

All Things Bright and Beautiful

Begonia Non-stop Mocca' adds a splash of colour to any garden Copyright: Benary After a busy week with barely a peep outside, I went into the garden this morning and felt a none-too-subtle shift from high summer towards early autumn. There I was last Sunday extolling the virtues of planting for…

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…

Plants with a split personality

Plants with a split personalityDid you know that there are a few plants out there with some surprising properties, many of which you’d have no idea about at first glance!Name:French MarigoldsDescription:Want to know the secret of growing bumper crops of tomatoes? Well, by growing African or…

Winter hanging baskets - planting ideas

Red berries look glorious against a variegated silver leaf for the winter seasonImage: dogwooddays Once the last of summer's flowers have faded, it's tempting to discard the plants, store the baskets behind the shed, and give up until spring. But that would be to miss out on the colour, texture and…

Gardening with grasses

Hakonechloa macra and Ophiopogon combine to create this stunning borderImage: dogwooddays Do your borders lack colour, height and movement throughout the year? Professional garden designer Nic Wilson of dogwooddays recently redesigned the beds in her own back garden to striking effect. Her secret…

Prepare your garden for winter

Winter is coming and autumn is the perfect time to start preparing your garden for winter weather. Your garden doesn’t need to be dull and colourless just because the weather is kicking up a fuss. There are many jobs for you to do in the garden in October to prepare your winter garden, so…

Not Quite Spring

Hello As I write this it's the beginning of March and we've had a lovely warm spell but are now experiencing some wetter, cooler weather, and today it is blowing a gale here in mid-Wales. Rain is never a bad thing to be honest, it's good to have rain sometimes, if not for the fact that the water…

The Ice Age ends at Henly's Corner

So during the barren winter months one has to find other distractions to amuse oneself, such as eating and talking. At a recent lunch party (ooh, get her!) I found myself sitting with a retired geography teacher discussing the advantages and disadvantages of London clay in horticulture. (Cor,…

It takes two - Fuchsia planting partners

Discover your fuchsia's perfect planting partners in our guideImage: Fuchsia Colour Collection (hardy) from Thompson & Morgan The world's your oyster when it comes to choosing the best companion plants to complement your fuchsias. Seasonal tender fuchsias blend so well with other summer bedding…

Nine wild plant lovers on Instagram

These Instagrammers will inspire you to get back to your roots and forage delicious food from the wilderness. Image source - Shutterstock If you love country walks, fine food, and communing with nature, give foraging a try. Whether you're hunting for wild food or wildflowers, there's plenty of…

End of season in the allotment

Another growing season draws to an end, well just about. I have been down the allotment this morning and I am still getting crops from beetroot, leeks, cauliflower, parsnips, chard, and turnip. The beetroot we have decided we like in a slightly different way, instead of cooking and pickling in jars…

From Rake To Bake - Mint ÔÇÿn' Chocolate Biscuits

Welcome to Baking Blog. Each month will feature an in-season fruit or vegetable dish to make with a little bit of grow-your-own information on the side. May is perfect for making Mint n' Chocolate Biscuits. Hands up who only uses the mint in their garden for savoury dishes? Yet, it is so much more…

Slug and Snail Control: The Ultimate Guide

Image: Canva The sight of tender shoots pushing through warming spring soil lifts the heart of every gardener. After weeks of anticipation the garden is finally moving. We rush to the greenhouse and start frantically sowing, gleefully admiring trays brimming with new seedlings. Hoes and rakes are…

Rewilding the lawn

This white tailed bumble bee is enjoying selfheal flowers which have spontaneously popped up in an unmown lawn Image: Plantlife Which would you choose? A barren desert wasteland? Or a tapestry of wild flowers teaming with insects, mammals and birds? Lawns are great for leisure and as a foil to…

Grow your own summer drinks recipes

Enjoy sharing homegrown food and drinks this summer Image: Jack Frog There's nothing more satisfying than sharing fresh, homegrown produce with friends and family on a warm summer evening. Except, perhaps, relaxing with a cool sundowner to properly enjoy the garden you've spent all year working on!…

Growing berries in pots and containers

Cranberry PilgrimImage source: London Plantology There are many ways to grow fruit plants & berries in small spaces - wild strawberries in window boxes, a vertical wall of cranberries, dwarf raspberries in hanging baskets or blueberries in pots on the patio. Plant your containers now and you'll…

Light up your garden with yellow: the colour of the year

Add a sunny pop of colour to your garden with yellow flowers Image: Arum Gold Label' from T&MThe colour of 2021, Pantone 'Illuminating' is a warm and vibrant yellow that brings with it the promise of better times. And what better way to celebrate our hope and optimism for the future than by…

Roses masterclass: best expert content

Roses are quintessential English country garden plants Image: Rose 'Belle du Jour' from Thompson & Morgan Delve into these gems of expert knowledge to help you grow fabulous roses in your garden. We've scoured the internet to find the best planting, propagating and pruning advice from a wide…

Get kids gardening with Mr Men & Little Miss seeds

Get kids gardening with Mr Men & Little Miss seedsImage: Mr Men & Little Miss Seeds Gardening is a healthy and inexpensive way for children to learn and have fun. It gets them out into the fresh air - and many will develop an interest in healthy eating if they grow their own fruit and veg.…

Gardening is a waiting game

Gardening isn’t one of those hobbies that we can just roll out of bed and do such as running or dancing. It requires a considerable amount of time to carefully plan what to sow and when. Therefore, gardening is a bit of a waiting game, and sometimes our patience is put to the test, but the…

What to plant in 2014

What to plant in 2014 – Thompson & Morgan’s New Year’s Honours ListWith Christmas over and a new year beginning, Thompson & Morgan is looking forward to a bumper year in gardens up and down the country. So what are the hot tips for 2014 in the plant world?TomTato™In…

How to Plant up Hanging Baskets

Create an amazing display with little effort!Image: Petunia Surfinia' Collection from Thompson & Morgan Hanging baskets are an easy way to add interest, scent and colour without much effort! Simply choose your colour scheme, order some hanging basket plants and follow the three easy steps…

Hedges masterclass: best expert content

Hedges provide shelter and privacy in the garden Image: Hornbeam (hedging) from Thompson & Morgan Here's everything you need to create a spectacular living boundary from hedging plants in your garden. We've pulled together wisdom from a whole host of independent gardeners and designers and…

News update from Thompson & Morgan

Alstromeria Holiday Valley, Alstromeria Spring Valley' and Alstromeria Times Valley' Further 'reveals' from our new Spring RangeWe've just released details and images of a number of new products that will feature in our Spring 2020 range. All three of the striking varieties in the new Summer…

Choosing the right plants for your garden

Selecting the right plants for your garden can be a daunting task, especially when there are so many to choose from.We’ve put together a few ‘top 10′ lists of our best-selling patio plants, hanging basket plants, evergreen shrubs and crops for pots.Fuchsia ‘Giants…

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