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Top gardening trends

2014 is all about big planting schemes, perennials doubling up as annuals and falling in love with shrubs again. Here are our top gardening trends…Begonia ‘Lotto Mixed’BIG plantingLots of gardeners are starting to get wise with their planting schemes and choosing plants that give…

Getting the best from your fuchsias – Thompson & Morgan growing secrets revealed

Fuchsias will put on a good show with minimal care throughout the season, but for the best displays it pays to learn a few simple tricks and tips.For a fantastic fuchsia display this summer follow our secrets for success:Growing conditions:Plant in fertile, moist but well-drained soil, with shelter…

How To Landscape Your Garden and Backyard Like A Professional

How To Landscape Your Garden and Backyard Like A ProfessionalOutside, the temperatures are dropping. In New York, it has started snowing on a regular basis and residents are getting used to bundling up and trekking through snow and slush. But while the winds outside are gusting and homeowners are…

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…

Plants on trial at Driftwood

Since writing my last blog for Thompson & Morgan about the plants on trial at driftwood earlier in the year, the garden has moved on at a pace and a half! We have already had 2 public open days, one for the National Gardens Scheme and one for a local trail which I organise for the local Mayor.…

Fairytale Foxgloves

Image: Canva There has long been an association between fairies and foxgloves. Folklore says that fairies gave the flowers to foxes to wear on their paws so they could tread silently when hunting. There is certainly something magical about their slender spires and they make excellent border plants,…

Favourite garden memory of 2012

With excitement and well drawn plans of the new year, I began 2012 with aspirations of extending my vegetable growing knowledge and growing some good crops at home in my small garden. Still a beginner and only in my second year of anything garden related… ever, I wanted to have another go at…

Weaving the Garden Tapestry

There can be much more to a beautiful garden than masses of flowers. Although a 'sea of colour' border is spectacular it may be fleeting in beauty, and can lack definition through the seasons if it has no underlying form or structure. Putting together the shape and outline of different types of…

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…

The Suffolk Show 2014

The Suffolk Show 2014 will be taking place on May 28th and 29th at Trinity Park, Ipswich. The Suffolk Show has become the county’s largest 2 day pop-up family event and the organisers, Suffolk Agricultural Association, like to ensure that it is one of the best family events in the UK.For the…

Make a change to your plant choices – 2

In my second ‘make a change to your plant choices’ article I’ll be showing you some superb varieties that have the edge of other plants and vegetables in our range.Runner Bean Moonlight – self-fertile beansGrow Runner Bean Moonlight, not Lady DiWhy?Bad weather and…

£80 billion spent on UK gardens

T&M customer trial member Doug Upson’s gardenWe’ve just read on the Telegraph website that UK gardeners have invested a massive £80 billion in their gardens, with the average household spending £1,790. But the article also said that many homeowners say that their gardens have…

Beyond the Pail

Seriously? It's April already? How did that happen! (If that's rhetorical, does it need a question mark?) It's all systems go here. David and I are Going For It big time: NEW sculpture focal point, NEW rill feature, NEW rose arch. And NEW hanging baskets - no more wicker, gone off rustic - and in…

Guest blogger – Stephanie Donaldson

Guest blogger Stephanie Donaldson’s post on tender plants.It’s time to go undercover…The weather forecasters have been issuing dire warnings all week about the arrival of winter temperatures, so yesterday I decided I could delay no longer -  it was time to bring the tender plants…

Overwintering, indoors mainly

I've been off for a bit, from the garden that is. Don't suppose I'm the only one either. I mean - ugh - just look at it out there. The cold, grey months of Winter are here, still hanging around like overstaying party guests who can't take the hint. I've tried tapping my watch, breezily declaring…

Our vote for the best plant of the century

Plant experts at Thompson & Morgan have been reviewing the list of plants short-listed for the best plant of the century by the Royal Horticultural Society, and we thought you might like to hear our number one vote….Buy Geranium ‘Rozanne’ from Thompson & MorganPaul…

Autumn colour is coming

Autumn colour is coming…I am sitting looking out at the garden and there seems to be a funny tinge to the trees. They have a kind of lightness in their colour, but only here and there. Underneath one of the trees there is a scattering of leaves, the trees are shaking off the leaves from the…

Trouble shooting your Geranium growing problems

Healthy geraniums produce excellent, long-lasting flower displays Image: Geranium 'Balcon Mix' from Thompson & MorganIf you're looking for answers to your geranium and pelargonium troubleshooting questions, you've come to the right place. Here are some timely tips on everything from encouraging…

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…

All’s growing well in the garden

By the end of May, all the bedding plants were put in the borders and watered in for a few nights. Last weekend after some heavy rain I went around them all with a small 2 pronged claw and loosened the soil. This will let air in around the roots and create dry soil mulch, trapping some of the…

Top tips for family gardens

Get your kids digging in the dirtImage: Oksana Kuzmina Kids have a natural love of nature, but they're easily lured back indoors by screen time. If you'd like to get your children out in the garden for fresh air, learning and fun, we've compiled some great tips courtesy of our favourite family and…

A seed sown - setting out on a horticultural journey.

Gertrude Jekyll, the influential garden designer, plants woman and artist, once said that 'The love of gardening is a seed once sown that never dies. ' For myself, like many gardeners, this is profoundly true. Over the years, that love has almost become an obsession that shows no sign of abating.…

From Rake To Bake - Egg-cellent Potato Salad.

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. July is perfect for making Egg-cellent Potato Salad. With second-lates and main-crop potatoes in abundance grown either in sacks or the ground,…

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…

Veg growing tips from the experts

Keep your veg plot brimming over with delicious produce with these handy tips!Image: Steffi Pereira From one man who likes his veg Tudor style to another who loves to grow Tomatillos, and on to other green fingered folk with handy hints to share, here we bring you awesome veg growing tips from…

How to make a small garden feel more spacious

Clever design and expert planting will make your small garden feel beautifully spaciousImage: Toa55 Small gardens have to work harder than big ones. When your outdoor space is limited, you'll need clever design and innovative planting to make it feel roomier. We asked some of our favourite British…

Safety Precautions for Kids in Your Garden

Gardening is a useful and relaxing practice that most people enjoy doing. Not only is it fun and creative pastime activity, but it is also very educational for kids, so make sure you include your children and teach them about gardening as well. By joining you in nurturing and growing plants or…

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…

Winter Plants – Pretend it’s summer all through the winter

Don’t get caught out with empty pots and desolate borders this winter. Just a few minutes ordering some winter plants now will ensure your garden is a riot of colour this winter, just as it has been all summer!Pansies are a staple of the winter garden. They thrive in cold, icy weather, and if…

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…

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,…

Beat the slugs

Protect your garden from these troublesome gastropods Image: Dmitri_ESTONIA_TALLINN/shutterstock Slugs are officially the gardener's No 1 enemy. Turn your back for a gardening moment, and these tough-skinned terrestrial molluscs will completely shred new shoots and tender lettuces. Given that they…

13 superb soup recipes

Try out these delicious plot-to-bowl recipesImage: Chainupong Hiporn Homemade soup isn't just good for the soul - it's a healthy, wholesome and cost-effective meal that makes excellent use of homegrown veg. If you're taking part in this week's Big Soup Share, or you're looking for new ideas to fill…

Lessons learnt from a beginner gardener – 18 months on

In December 2012 I wrote my first blog for Thompson & Morgan, all about my first year as a grower of vegetables. Time has passed by rapidly and I have learnt so much in the past 18 months as a beginner gardener. I thought it was time to tell you more about what I have been up too.Season two…

All is growing in the garden

Because March was so mild everything in the garden is moving on at long last, but because the soil is still quite wet and cold below, night frosts are still around so it is important to take great care.So far on my allotment I have direct sowed onion sets, making sure I sow them into the driest…

Easy crops to grow for beginners

Being a beginner gardener is exciting and refreshing, and there will always be something for you to do and learn about your garden. But where do you start? Which soil do you use? How to prune? When to Sow? How do you grow plants? The questions are endless! We have collated 10 easy crops to grow for…

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