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Winter Wildlife Garden

Guest blogger Michelle Storm writes a regular blog on increasing wild flower meadows in UK gardens and public spaces.A winter wildlife gardenIn mid November a carpet of leaves covered the garden. The stalks of summer perennials were brown and shriveled and the seed heads of Hollyhocks, Lavender and…

Gardening New Year Resolutions

It’s that time of year where we start to make commitments to join the gym, stop smoking, or to tick something else off our bucket list. But, what we want to know are your gardening New Year resolutions. Is there anything you did wrong last year that you will not repeat this year? Do you want…

The Best Hedges for Chalky Soil

Chalky soil can be tricky to work withImage: Shutterstock Chalky soils can be challenging. But, with the correct soil preparation and care, there are a host of suitable hedging plants which will happily cope with these conditions. Here is an introduction to some of the best, plus an A-Z list of…

Evergreen Shrubs

Evergreen shrubs form the backbone of the garden. They provide structure and colour even in the depths of winter when other plants are dormant and bare.Evergreens offer more than just foliage. Many have attractive flowers such as Rhododendron and Camellia. In fact some even flower during the…

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!…

Hyacinths masterclass: best expert content

Hyacinths create fabulous colour displays with powerful scentImage: Hyacinth 'T&M Mix' from Thompson & MorganIf you want to force hyacinth bulbs indoors to enjoy their flower, scent and colour over the winter, here's a selection of expert advice from our favourite bloggers, YouTubers and…

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…

Thompson & Morgan gives RHS Young School Gardener the gardening bug

Lucas Hatch with his runner bean crops11-year old Lucas Hatch from Woodbridge in Suffolk first got into gardening 4 years ago after writing to Thompson & Morgan asking for a donation of seeds for his primary school.This year he won the RHS Young School Gardener of the Year 2012 after wowing the…

Gardening news – bees, badger culls & hybrid grass

Gardening news – read our summary of the latest news in the gardening world hereEU votes on neonicotinoid banBees – pesticidesEU states are due to vote today on a 2-year ban on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides, which threaten the survival of bees and other pollinators. Should the ban…

8 great gardening podcasts

Get inspiration in the garden with these eight horticultural podcastsImage: PavelKant Gardening podcasts are a fabulous source of horticultural entertainment and inspiration. They make perfect rainy-day listening and can also get you through the most mundane of gardening tasks. So pop in your…

Grow Your Own - Colourful Salads

By Sasha Ivanova at London Plantology Swiss Chard 'Bright Light'Image source: London Plantology Your greens no longer have to be green! Recent research indicates that some of the healthiest 'greens' are actually purple, red and yellow. With new varieties of tasty salads and vegetables increasingly…

Advice for the new allotment holder

Advice for the new allotment holderThis short post is all about string. The string-thing is aimed at new allotment plot holders. As they, like me, may be daunted by the large slab of ground they have just taken on annual rent from the local council.Where to begin with plotting, sowing, portioning…

Fuchsias

It’s the beginning of Thompson & Morgan’s Fuchsia Festival; and we think you’re heading for a long, colourful and care-free summer!In the UK, we know fuchsias quite well. Even if you’re a non-gardener, I bet you’ll have had a grandma or uncle who grew fuchsias of…

Oca

Guest blogger Phillippa Lambert writes about growing Oca – a versatile and tasty vegetable.OcaA new vegetable crop for me this year is Oca (Oxalis tuberosa), along with Yacon, (a treat for next growing season), Oca is one of the ‘lost crops’ of the Incas, and a staple crop in…

Geoff Stonebanks Driftwood Garden Update

I saw this posted on social media recently! 'Gardening is an art that uses ´¼éowers and plants as paint, and the soil and sky as canvas'. It was credited to Elizabeth Murray. It really tugged at my own perception of how I garden myself. As someone who has no formal background in gardening of any…

Gardening news – acute oak decline, slugs devouring wildflowers

Snippets from this week’s gardening news stories…Big Butterfly CountBig Butterfly CountButterflies’ dwindling numbers have been in the news a lot recently and we also posted a few articles on how to encourage butterflies into your garden. This week sees the start of the Big…

Hydrangea ‘Schloss Wackerbarth’ is a huge hit

Enjoying a significant rise in shrub sales in general, T&M is thrilled that its customers are so enamoured with the amazing Hydrangea ‘Schloss Wackerbarth’. It has become the best-selling item from the Cottage Garden range and promises to be one of this year’s shrub successes.…

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…

Spring is on its way!

The days are beginning to pull out, lighter mornings and also evenings too. Yippee! Washbrook Church I love getting wrapped up and walking over the fields in our village with the kids and hubby this time of the year. We love to visit St Mary's Church in Washbrook which is in an isolated position…

Gardening gifts for christmas

Our Christmas gifts for gardeners range is new for 2014 to bring you some added inspiration to find that perfect Christmas gift. Christmas is the perfect time to buy your loved one something they need, would like or don’t know they need! As a gardener there is always something that can come…

T&M Nominees Shortlisted For RHS Chelsea Flower Show

T&M Nominees Shortlisted For RHS Chelsea Flower Show 'Plant of the Year' Award 2021!T&M is delighted to announce that four of their flower introductions have been shortlisted for the illustrious RHS Chelsea Flower Show 'Plant of the Year' Award 2021. This much sought-after award recognises…

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…

Gardening news – why broccoli is so good for you

A new reason to eat your greens!Eating broccoli may help to slow the progress of arthritisAccording to new research, the first study into the effect of sulforaphane, a compound found in cruciferous vegetables, on joint health shows that eating broccoli may reduce cartilage damage and…

Futuristic foxgloves

Futuristic foxglovesFoxglove ‘Illumination Pink’Thompson & Morgan are like magicians when it comes to plants.. we breed our own!So, if we see a plant that is short-changing gardeners, perhaps only flowering for a fleeting moment, then we can step in and make some slight…

Dahlias masterclass: best expert content

Dahlias come in a range of colours and stylesImage: Dahlia 'Sunset Shades' from Thompson & Morgan Here's a masterclass on growing dahlias courtesy of some of our favourite gardening bloggers, YouTubers, and Instagrammers. When it comes to dahlias, not only do these growers know their stuff, but…

Hydrangea Glam Rock – colour changes in different soils

Hydrangea ‘Glam Rock’ – colour changes in different soilsThe ever-changing colours of hydrangea ‘Glam Rock’One of our fastest selling shrubs ever, hydrangea ‘Glam Rock’ (sometimes also known by the tongue-twister name of ‘Schloss Wackerbarth’)…

New Spring Catalogue is ‘one-stop shop’ for gardeners

New look Spring Catalogue is ‘one-stop shop’ for gardenersThe Spring Catalogue 2013Biggest and Best YetThompson & Morgan’s Spring Catalogue has had a makeover! The new format promises to give customers a much wider choice than in previous catalogues.‘We’ve really…

Winners of The Alan Titchmarsh Show competition

Winners of The Alan Titchmarsh Show competition visit ITV studiosWinners of The Alan Titchmarsh Show competitionOn Tuesday 12th March, the lucky winners of our Alan Titchmarsh Show competition claimed their prize and spent the afternoon watching the live show.We first advertised the competition in…

Garden redesign - Geoff Stonebanks at Driftwood

Geoff Stonebanks shares his exciting garden redesign Image: Geoff Stonebanks Catch up with one of our favourite bloggers, Geoff Stonebanks, creator and keeper of the award-winning Driftwood garden. Here he gives us an exclusive insight to the creation of his brand new Mediterranean themed area, and…

Bumper crops and fabulous flowers

What a fabulous year I’ve had with T&M plants, as you might be aware we open for the National Garden Scheme and by appointment anytime between May and September, which keeps us on our toes, meeting likewise gardeners and having time for tea and cake.A lot of the visitors have commented on…

Ideas to keep children occupied outside

I’ve been coming up with ideas to keep children occupied outside for the last ten years. And let’s be totally honest here – it has been a somewhat selfish act. The thing is I love gardening – it is both my hobby and profession – and I realised that I would have much…

Greenfingers Charity – T&M £50,000 donation

Thompson & Morgan are extremely proud to announce that they have raised over £50,000 for the Greenfingers charity.Their customers and staff rose to the challenge to raise £50,000 through numerous sponsored events such as cake sales and donations through plant sales. This has not been an easy…

Japanese garden adventure

We have all seen Japanese gardens in the UK, haven’t we? They were all the rage back in the early 90′s!But, have you seen the other way around, an English garden in Japan? Well, Barakura was the brainchild of fashion designer, Kay Yamada, and after 20 years, represents the most…

Garden Retail ‘Best New Plant’ 2012 Award goes to

It’s a Hat trick for ‘Illumination Pink’.Thompson & Morgan is thrilled to have won the 2012 Garden Retail ‘Best New Plant’ award for its exclusive and unique foxglove, ‘Illumination Pink’.This highly-regarded award is now the third prestigious accolade…

Beating Blue Monday

Beating Blue Monday in the gardenBeating Blue MondayToday is Blue Monday, apparently the most depressing day of the year. According to research, people working in horticulture are less likely to be affected (see our recent post ‘Gardening best for job satisfaction for more info). With this in…

Customer trial panel member profile – Lucas Hatch

We’d like to introduce you to some members of our customer trial panel – our trusty team of gardeners who test Thompson & Morgan’s plants in real gardens. They’ll be writing blog posts for us in the next few months to give you updates on what’s happening in their…

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