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Thompson & Morgan Launches New 2019/20 Retail Seed Range

Zinnia Queeny Mixed', Watermelon Mini Love F1, Cosmos Apricot Lemonade' and Tomato Gourmandia F1 We're delighted to announce the launch of our new retail seed range for 2019/20 which will be available in garden centres from early July 2019. With continued focus on innovation and exciting new…

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…

Zany Zinnias!

Zinnia varieties come in deliciously fruity shades Image: Canva I'm an unabashed lover of zinnias. There is something about the luminosity of their colours and their unique shape - a ruff of stiff petals surrounding a central cone which is crowned with star-shaped golden florets - which I find…

2015 seed preview

We share a gardeners pride and joy in growing flowers and vegetables from seed. There is something slightly satisfying in watching the growth of something you planted and seeing the result after months, even years, of nurturing. Certain flowers and vegetables are only available to grow from seed so…

Indoor plants are the perfect Christmas gifts

It is said that as you get older the excitement over Christmas slowly goes. Is it because we know that our purses will be seeing more action than ever? Or because we know we are going to get the same generic Christmas present? I know that each year I will get perfume, pyjamas, chocolates and a…

T&M’s plant breeder scoops RHS award in recognition of his creative work

Charles Valin at Thompson & Morgan’s plant breeding grounds near IpswichCharles Valin, Thompson & Morgan’s plant breeder has been awarded the 2013 Reginald Cory Memorial Cup by the Royal Horticultural Society.This prestigious award is given to encourage and reward the production…

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…

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…

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,…

Top 5 favourite hedges

Hedges are a great way to partition different areas of your gardenImage: Stephanie Braconnier/Shutterstock A hedge is an integral part of any garden, providing privacy and security while supplying wildlife with food and shelter too. A practical way to partition your outside space without the need…

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…

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…

Staff tree lily competition results

A few months ago staff at Thompson & Morgan were invited to take part in the company’s tree lily® competition. Each entrant was given 3 tree lily® bulbs to grow, nurture and photograph throughout the year. The winner was announced earlier today…Rita with her winning tree…

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…

Sunshine and sowing seeds

I made the most of the sunshine on Sunday morning, busy sowing my tomato and chilli seeds, I love this time of year when it gets busy with seed selection and seed sowing. The up cycled table that my husband Ian repaired last year comes in handy for potting seeds (but it is the dog grooming table!)I…

Customer Trial Member Profile – Steve Woodward

You may already be familiar with Steve Woodward’s previous posts on our blog. He is also a member of our customer trial panel, here is his profile…Collecting some produce for a warming stewHi, I am Steve and I live in the East Midlands Derbyshire town of Ilkeston, roughly equal in…

Hanging baskets masterclass: best expert content

Hanging baskets are easy to maintain and growImage: Nurseryman's Choice Hanging Basket Mixed Collection from Thompson & Morgan Here's all the advice you need to help you enjoy the best hanging baskets you've ever created. Packed with useful articles, videos and Instagram posts - these gardeners…

Blackcurrant bushes

Blackcurrants add an exceptional flavour to many culinary dishes and are common ingredients in jams, yoghurt’s, sorbets, summer puddings and many more. If you have any blackcurrant recipes we would love to see them!TOP TIP: Net your bushes during the summer to protect the fruits from…

Rose ‘Sweet Spot® Calypso’

Rose ‘Sweet Spot® Calypso’ is not a Hybrid Tea, or floribunda, climber, or any other type you may be familiar with. It is so unique it is set to change the way roses are used in UK gardens.Coined the Decorator Rose, ‘Sweet Spot® Calypso’ has been developed to offer distinct…

Bedding plant masterclass: best expert content

Plant Petunia 'Easy Wave Ultimate Mixed' for bright splashes of colourImage: Petunia 'Easy Wave Ultimate Mixed' from Thompson & MorganDo you want a spectacular display of bedding plants in your garden, pots and hanging baskets? We've searched the internet to find the best independent expert…

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…

Hydrangea Miss Saori – RHS Chelsea Flower Show Plant of the Year 2014

Hydrangea Miss Saori – RHS Chelsea Flower Show Plant of the Year 2014. Available for sale now, buy yours here.The most prestige horticultural event is in full swing and there is no doubt that the winner of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show Plant of the Year 2014 has taken over gardening headlines.…

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…

A rose by any other name

Something appears to have happened in my garden. All of a sudden, it is full to bursting with roses – some of which are just in bud, some in full bloom, and some, which have got to the painful point of just bursting.Gorgeous pinkAs I stood taking photographs of the roses in my garden on…

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…

How green is your pond?

Ponds are great way to attract wildlife to your garden. Image source: Svetlana Foote A pond will attract a variety of wildlife into the garden such as frogs, damselflies, dragonflies, water boatman and pond skaters. Many different types of birds will visit for a bath and a dip; I even had a…

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…

Spring-summer customer trials update – Caroline Broome

Caroline Broome has been busy growing dahlias, petunias, fuchsias and many other plants as part of our customer trial panel. Read on for her latest update.In an email to Thompson & Morgan’s customer trials co-ordinator, she wrote “I know I keep on about the dahlias from 2012 but…

What grew in the garden

Looking for something new to try in your garden next year?Image: Shelli Jensen This spring, we asked five of our favourite garden bloggers if they were planning anything new and exciting over the summer. Their responses varied from experiments with onions to enticing a hedgehog into their garden,…

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…

Top tips for your garden in winter

Top tips for your garden in winterIt might be cold outside, but here are our top tips to keep your garden ticking over in winter. There’s plenty to do and, come spring, you’ll be thankful that you took the time to do these jobs!Insulate outdoor tapsOutdoor taps are prone to freezing…

Another Plant of the Year award for T&M?

Chelsea Flower Show entries – another Plant of the Year award for Thompson & Morgan?After last year’s exciting win at RHS Chelsea Flower Show with the spectacular foxglove ‘Illumination Pink’, Thompson & Morgan announces its contenders for this year’s Plant of…

How to Plant a Bareroot Hedge

Now is the time to plant your bareroot hedge. Don't leave it too late! The bareroot planting season is from November to March, when plants are dormant, and the sooner you get them in before bud burst the better. Getting out into the garden in the winter can be a challenge but planting a hedge is a…

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…

Introducing a Low Calorie/ Low Carb/ High Fibre Alternative to Potato

We are launching two intriguing new winter squash varieties. Intriguing because when cooked, they taste just like mashed and baked potatoes whilst offering fewer calories, along with lower carbohydrate and higher fibre content. With today's trends towards healthy eating, plant-based diets and…

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…

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