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Essential Tips for Growing Indoor Bonsai Trees

The ancient art of bonsai has long been revered for its ability to draw inner peace, centre the mind, and cultivate a deep connection with the natural world. What's more, if you're keeping an indoor bonsai tree, science tells us they also help to purify the air we breathe in addition to serving as…

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…

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…

Whiffery in the borders

Whiffery in the bordersMy children get sick of me rushing off into the undergrowth with a cry of “What’s that smell?” as I try to track down the source of beautiful perfumes drifting from nearby plantings.In my current incarnation as a cutting garden gardener, I’m always on…

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…

The difference between onions and shallots

Shallots are an underappreciated cousin of the onionImage: Shallot 'Griselle' from Thompson & Morgan. If you normally grow onions, have you considered planting shallots alongside them? These oval alliums offer a unique flavour profile, prized in French and Asian cuisine. Here we explain the…

Was buying a house called ‘Brambles’ an omen? (Part three)

Was buying a house called “Brambles” an omen? (Part three)“Every snow drift has a silver lining?” or “Is it true that gardeners are the world’s greatest optimists?”If you are inclined to classify yourself as British on those forms we all have to complete…

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…

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…

Spring is on its way

After all the horrendous rain, gales and floods I think I can at last say I believe spring is on its way. The heavy rains have stopped here in Bournemouth although we are still getting heavy showers, but in between we have had sunshine with reasonable temperatures. We have to repair a couple of…

How to get the most from your petunias

Petunia Pegasus Wine Splash' petals are attractively flecked with burgundyImage: Petunia 'Pegasus Wine Splash' from Thompson & Morgan Petunias are hugely popular bedding plants that you can order as plugs or garden-ready plants. Alternatively, you can sow your own petunia seeds as a…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Tomatoes masterclass: best expert content

Try Tomato Gourmandia' F1 Hybrid for gorgeous texture and flavour, perfect for slicing onto sandwiches Image: Tomato Gourmandia' F1 Hybrid from Thompson & MorganDo you want to grow your own fresh tomatoes? Here's a collection of the best online content to get you started and refine your…

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…

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…

A new season at my allotment

A new season in a new growing year. Spring, my favourite time of year.This will be my sixth season at my allotment in Southampton. It is eleven rods long, quite a big plot. I decided to section everything up with raised beds; it has no grass but wood chip paths. After the storms and wet weather the…

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…

Spring? Blink and You've Missed It!

So on Thursday 19th April we went away for The Long Weekend (more of that later). 27°c. Evidence of new shoots emerging in garden at last. Daffodils coming into bloom. Last minute seed sowing completed. Fast forward to Sunday 22nd, 24°c, daffs gone over, tulips out already! Fern coils,…

Petunia masterclass: best expert content

This climbing petunia has been trained up an obelisk to create a spectacular focal point Image: Petunia 'Tidal Wave Improved' from T&MHere you'll find the best expert content on raising petunia seeds or growing petunia plug plants. We've scoured the web to bring you insights from the experts…

Hanging basket habits revealed

A vibrant display of hanging baskets can make your garden in summer pop!Image: Nurserymans Choice Hanging Basket Mixed Collection from T&M A recent Thompson & Morgan survey has revealed some surprising habits, when it comes to summer hanging baskets. Love them or loathe them, nothing sets…

Clematis – how, when and where?

Clematis is such a versatile plant and can be grown in containers, borders and even trained up walls. You should now be thinking about planting clematis in early autumn, for flowers next winter and late summer.  Autumn is the perfect time for planting clematis as the weather is cooler and the soil…

10 professional gardeners show how it's done

There's more to pro gardening than just secateursImage: shutterstock Looking for a bit of gardening inspiration? It's always nice to know that the hints and tips your favourite garden bloggers pass on are backed up by some verifiable gardening know how. We've scoured the web to bring you the…

An Amazing May

Hi Everyone, What an amazing May, so hot and dry! Hope this isn't our summer. I have a confession to make - I've not done half as much in the greenhouses as I would usually do. Don't get me wrong, I love being in them, or in my garden, but with limited energy, mobility and dexterity I have not been…

Announcing our Plant of the Year nominees

Announcing our Plant of the Year nominees for The RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022 World-renowned, inspirational and quintessentially British, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show is an unforgettable experience for gardening enthusiasts and the jewel in the crown for growers hoping to win the prestigious Plant…

Geraniums masterclass: best expert content

Ideal for borders, pots, baskets and window boxes, geraniums fill your garden with colourImage: Geranium 'Tall Dark and Handsome Hot Pink' from Thompson & MorganIf you love geraniums (pelargoniums) and want to grow your own from seed, cuttings or plug plants, we've scoured the internet to find…

Herbs masterclass: best expert content

Herbs like feverfew attract pollinators and provide an edible cropImage: Feverfew from Thompson & Morgan Here's everything you need to know to grow your own herbs. Hugely versatile, herbs are great for adding flavour to food, making fresh tea and even feeding to other plants. Take a look…

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…

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…

Onions are not shallot

Onions are grown by a large number of gardeners and used in multiple culinary dishes. It really is surprising that so many people grow onions but don’t grow and have never tried growing shallots. Both onions and shallots are easy to grow and they make the perfect beginner crop for new…

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…

£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…

July - Anyone for Blackberry Jam?

So here we are in early August, it's 33c outside, and I'm making blackberry jam! What on earth is going on? No sooner had the strawberries finished fruiting than the blackberries were ripe for picking! Is it me or has there been a worldwide conspiracy perpetuating the mysteries of jam making? 10…

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