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Customer trial panel member Geoff Stonebanks

In this gardening blog post Geoff Stonebanks writes about his gardening experiences on the south coast of England and becoming a member of Thompson & Morgan’s customer trial panel.I’m Geoff Stonebanks, fast approaching my 60th birthday and retired now with my garden in Sussex for 9…

RHS Award of Garden Merit Vegetables

Choose AGM winning vegetables for sturdy performanceImage: Swiss Chard 'Bright Lights' from Thompson & Morgan Royal Horticultural Society 'Award of Garden Merit' winning vegetable plants have earned a seal of approval for reliability. If you're looking for tried and tested fruit and veg to grow…

Move over marigolds.. ..new bedding plants fly in the face of tradition

It’s time for those traditional bedding favourites such as marigolds, salvias and petunias to step aside. There are some new kids in town and they’re about to show they mean business.Penstemon ‘Wedding Bells’ MixedAlready a top-seller within weeks of the launch of Thompson…

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…

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…

How many plants do I need in a hanging basket or container?

How many plants do I need in a hanging basket or container?It’s often difficult to judge how many plants to use per hanging basket or container. We’ve put together a table of our most popular bedding plants, showing how many you’ll need for the best display!Planting up a hanging…

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…

Five entries shortlisted for RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year

FIVE THOMPSON & MORGAN ENTRIES SHORTLISTED FOR RHS CHELSEA PLANT OF THE YEARWe're so proud to announce that FIVE of our seven entries into the prestigious RHS Chelsea Flower Show Plant of the Year competition have today been shortlisted. We were awarded this very distinguished accolade in 2012…

Garden past its best, time for composting

Some things in the garden are now past their best and will need composting or cutting back if I don’t need the seed heads.I normally have the greenhouses empty by now, but this year the tomatoes are still going strong, so leaving them a little longer.The patioThe other greenhouse is full of…

Not just any pumpkin seed – this is world record-breaking pumpkin seed

Thompson & Morgan’s giant pumpkin seed compared to a regular-sized pumpkin seedNot just any pumpkin seed – this is world record-breaking pumpkin seed!Update – February 19th, 2013Michael Perry, new product development manager, was interviewed on Anglia News last night about the…

British blackcurrants – the home-grown superfruit

Blackcurrants – easy to grow and extremely good for youLabelled as the ‘mini marvel’, British blackcurrants are possibly one of the healthiest fruits you can eat. They’re packed full of vitamins and minerals and have many health benefits. Modern breeding methods mean that…

Celebrating 21 years of Duchy Originals

In September, Thompson & Morgan received an invitation to Clarence House to celebrate 21 years of Duchy Originals, as a thank you for being involved in the organic business venture started by HRH The Prince of Wales.A keen gardener himself, the Duke of Cornwall spent some time talking to the…

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…

From Rake To Bake - Curried Cauliflower Crunch

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. March is perfect for making Curried Cauliflower Crunch. Cauliflower doesn't have to be boring, there are many different varieties to sow, grow,…

My visit to Chelsea Flower Show

It’s the day after my visit to Chelsea Flower Show! My feet are still aching, and my mind is still spinning with new plants and fresh garden designs. The whole of the gardening world tends to be at Chelsea too, so it can be difficult to walk a few feet without seeing someone you know! I think…

Make a change to your plant choices

Make a positive change to your plant choices this spring – new from Michael PerryPerhaps you’ve become used to growing the same plants each year, regardless of whether they perform well for you or not! You may even doubt your own gardening skills when those plants fail or succumb to…

Was Buying a House Called ‘Brambles’ an Omen? (Part Two)

Was Buying a House Called ‘Brambles’ an Omen? (Part Two)There is a famous quote by Thomas Fuller (English Churchman and historian) that goes “No garden is without its weeds”. Well, Mr Fuller was a very wise man and had he not been dead nigh on 350 years I would swear that he…

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…

How to stop cats using your garden for a toilet

Looking for ways to prevent unwanted cats visiting your garden? Image: lkoimages Fed up with neighbourhood cats fouling your flower beds, digging up seedlings, and damaging your plants? Potential solutions to the problem are many, but no one method is 100% successful, which is why it's best to…

Chance find becomes Thompson & Morgan’s Flower of the Year for 2013

Nasturtium ‘Crimson Emperor’ – Flower of the Year 2013“It’s amazing what you can find lying around in the nooks and crannies of the seed store!” Alan Sparks of Takii Seed.A lucky discovery in a back room has been exhibited at RHS Chelsea this year and is Thompson…

Cheese, Sage and Onion Savoury Scones

Cheese, Sage and Onion Savoury SconesI realise these scones sound a little odd and festive but they are really tasty! Good for a snack hot with salted butter or instead of a sandwich for a lunchbox – add a little chutney and cheese in-between and it makes lunch a little more…

Customer trial panel member profile – Stephen Hackett

Here is customer trial panel member Stephen Hackett’s profile – we’ll feature updates from his garden in the coming months.Stephen HackettInspirationsMy earliest gardening memories are of helping my dad in his big gumboots, of running wild in my great aunt’s huge (or so it…

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…

Fuchsia masterclass: best expert content

Standards like Fuchsia 'Angela' make a striking feature on doorsteps and patios. Image: NEW Fuchsia 'Angela' (Hardy) from Thompson & MorganIf you love fuchsias and want to fill your borders, hanging baskets, and patio containers with elegant flowers, we've scoured the internet to find the most…

The seedy side of rose growing

The seedy side of rose growingBy Jane ScorerRose ‘Garden Party’I’m rose-obsessed and I admit it! I love them all, from the teeny, weeny miniatures to the towering giants, and my intention is to cram as many as I can into my garden. So, how happy was I, last year, to see plug…

New Forest April Holiday and Pembrokeshire Greenhouses

Dear Gardeners, I'm afraid I have been an April Fool. We went on a much needed holiday to the New Forest the day after the Easter Bank holiday. My first holiday since the cancer and heart failure, the weather down in Hampshire wasn't the best, but the break was. I'd planned the timings of all the…

The quickest way to plant up a new garden

Are you planting up a new garden and don’t know where to start? I would recommend garden shrubs as a starting point. By selecting more compact varieties, and those which are easier to prune and tame, you can make life easier for yourself! A garden which only includes bedding plants is a blaze…

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…

Planting tips from wildlife gardening experts

Cotoneaster berries feed birds through even the bleakest winters. Image source: Artush If you'd love to encourage wildlife to visit your garden but aren't sure what plants to grow, this is the place for you. We asked some of our favourite wildlife gardening bloggers for their planting tips and…

Harry Cook – wildflower planting in our area

Update 30th July – see photos at the end of this post!Harry Cook, Thompson & Morgan trial panel member, and his wife Pat are members of It’s Your Neighbourhood with Loughborough in Bloom and look after the area called ‘The Green Belt’ around their house. Here Harry…

Chelsea Flower Show, the floral sweet shop

I’m like a kid in a sweet shop when it comes to plants.. Well, there’s no better sweet shop than the RHS Chelsea Flower Show! Even if you don’t know your tulip from your tropaeolum, it’s hard not to be enthralled by this prestigious show, which will be in its centenary year…

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…

Thompson & Morgan supplies flower bulbs for ‘Spruce up Sproughton’

Thompson & Morgan was recently contacted to provide a number of flower bulbs for ‘Spruce up Sproughton’, a local community project.The 6-month project to improve the safety and overall appearance of a Suffolk village underpass was completed this week, with help from the local police…

Competition – how many seeds in this pumpkin?

This giant pumpkin recently broke the UK record for the heaviest specimen at the Autumn Pumpkin Festival in Southampton. The ‘monster’ is now outside Thompson & Morgan’s offices in Ipswich, waiting to be smashed open for its seeds to be counted.Enter our competition and win…

Send in your potato recipes to win up to£25 in T&M vouchers!

Potato SaladAt the beginning of October we asked you to send in your favourite potato recipes for the chance to win some Thompson & Morgan vouchers. We’ve decided to extend the deadline to 11:59pm on Sunday 21st October, so you’ve got another week to send in your recipe. Please read…

Get growing in the garden this Easter!

The long Easter weekend conjures thoughts of Easter egg hunts, family roasts, and the promise of warmer weather. But Easter is also the beginning of the gardening year for many, as they make use of the bank holidays to get the garden sorted - before things really get out of hand! ®Sue Sanderson.…

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