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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…

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…

Foxglove ‘Illumination Pink’ in award-winning Chelsea gardens

Foxglove ‘Illumination Pink’ is featured in two award-winning gardens at the Chelsea Flower Show!We were delighted to hear that two gardens featuring Thompson & Morgan’s Foxglove ‘Illumination Pink’ won awards at the Chelsea Flower Show this week.The BrandAlley…

T&M raises over £1000 for EACH charity

During November and December 2013 and January 2014, staff at Thompson & Morgan took part in the EACH £50 challenge – and raised over £1000!Julie Rush receives a £50 note from Vanessa Bell, Suffolk Fundraiser for EACHThe challenge itself was to turn £50 into as much money for the EACH…

Growing vertically

Growing verticallyBoth of us were staring at the same wall mounted moss collage in a corner of the Grand Marquee at the Chelsea Flower Show. We got chatting and I found that my new acquaintance was no less than Sue Fisher, the author of ‘Growing up the Wall’.Moss wallGreen walls have…

Young plants – taking the fuss out of gardening

Geranium ‘T&M’s Choice Mixed’Young plants – what’s all the fuss about?The world has changed so much over the last 20 years and we seem to have less and less leisure time. Thankfully, the gardening world has changed as well. And, now, customers looking for a…

Fuchsia Festival at Driftwood

It’s like a fuchsia festival every summer in my garden! I have been collecting them since inheriting 2 standard specimens from family members, one from my Aunt, Margaret Grindrod, in 2004 (plant pictured in 2005 on left) and one from my father, Ron Stonebanks, in 2007, (plant pictured in …

Different uses for a hedge

Hedges – they’re not just for protection and privacy! Read Catharine Howard’s guest blog on the best uses for the humble hedge.Different uses for a hedgeWHY does the word hedge always make me glaze over? Hedge, bush, shrub. There now, the awful trilogy of boredom has been spat…

Gardening news – T&M team raises money for Greenfingers charity

Here is our round-up of this week’s gardening news and happenings in the gardening world.The triumphant T&M teamT&M team raises over £1000 for Greenfingers charityT&M staff took part in the 10k Grand East Anglian Run in Kings Lynn on Sunday to raise funds for Greenfingers, the…

My Fuchsia Experience so far – by Lucas Hatch

Last year I bought the Thompson & Morgan Fuchsia ‘Giant Collection’. It included some of the biggest fuchsia flowers I had ever seen, Bella Rosella, Bicentennial, Quasar, Seventh Heaven and voodoo. It amazed me how quickly they grew and how well they flowered.Why I love fuchsias I…

The 12 Days of Christmas: A Horticultural Conundrum

As I continue to expand my knowledge of the world and what grows in it, some observations have caught me unawares. I, perhaps foolishly, have started to question basic concepts and precepts that have always been a part of my lived experience through this lens. Take Christmas carols for example. I…

The Big Allotment Challenge – What do you think?

The Big Allotment Challenge – what do you think? Now the series has come to an end we’d like to know what our gardeners thought. We have been watching week in week out and have really enjoyed it, and we have to give a massive congratulations to Alex and Ed who were crowned the best…

Hanging baskets – Getting it right!

Getting hanging baskets right doesn’t have to be a great effort. All too often I see such poor, forgotten hanging baskets outside people’s homes, which probably started off looking good, but then quickly went downhill, as people found them too much effort to care for. It doesn’t…

Messy Job, This Gardening Lark

Autumn colour came late this year, and puff, it was gone, leaving chaos and disorder in its wake. Now I'm a bit fussy about tidiness, not the best character trait for a gardener. And I'm not a fan of formal or minimalist gardens, preferring the organised chaos of more naturalistic schemes. This…

New Christmas gifts range now online

Our new Christmas gifts range is now online!Rose ‘Infinity’We’ve given our Christmas gifts website a revamp and now you’ll find a wide range of gifts at www.thompson-morgan.com/gifts-for-christmasEach gift is beautifully presented and packed by hand to arrive fresh and…

Fantastic foliage: 18 plants to green your garden

Foliage adds structure, depth and interest to any garden planting schemeImage: Shutterstock Foliage gives your garden all year-round interest. Not only does it fill the gaps between flowers, it's a good way to add vibrancy to shady areas. We've chosen 18 of our favourite plants includingconifers,…

January....

Hello Gardeners, I can't quite believe this will be my fourth year writing for T&M. I have learned so much more about writing blogs as well as gardening over the years. I've shared my ups and downs with you, and formed many friendships with the blogging community. One of things I love is your…

Clematis Revival

 A Montana for spring and a ‘Nelly Moser’ for summer used to be enough to satisfy most gardeners, but clematis are changing, and so too is their use in the garden. We have so many varieties for every location in the garden with the smaller varieties perfect for patio and container…

ITV and new trial plants – update from Driftwood

Since my last blog for Thompson & Morgan, back at the beginning of July, so much has happened in the garden! Not only have we seen over 2,200 visitors over the summer, but have raised over £16,000 for charity, this year alone! The icing on the cake came when ITV’s Good Morning Britain…

Potatoes masterclass: best expert content

Homegrown potatoes have a flavour unlike anything you can buy in a store Image source: Potato 'Picasso' from T&MIn this masterclass you'll find some of the very best advice on growing potatoes. It comes courtesy of gardeners who not only produce bumper crops at home or at their allotments, but…

Companion planting

Companion planting has been around for a long time and is a really good way of using Mother Nature to deter pests and improve pollination.MonocultureWe’ve put together a Companion Planting Guide which you can find on the Thompson & Morgan website and use to help you plan your vegetable…

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…

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…

Garden Jobs for June

There are always things to do in your gardens throughout the year, big or small; you can always be tending to your garden. One of the pleasures of gardening is that it isn’t just a seasonal hobby and it can be enjoyed all year whether sun or rain. We have put together a guide for you…

New to buying plants by mail order?

New to buying plants by mail order?Buddleja ‘Buzz’™ CollectionWhen I’m on my business travels, or even socializing at a BBQ, some people I speak to often don’t realise you can buy plants through the post. But for those in the know, it’s the only way to buy, as…

Green roofs: the only way is up

The top of Nic's green-roof bin store in all its glory. Image source: dogwooddays So your flowerbeds are full, the greenhouse is overflowing, there's no more room for pots on the patio and every vertical surface in the garden is covered in foliage. How do you find space for new plants and enjoy the…

Autumn news update from Thompson & Morgan

Left: T&M Flower of the Year Nasturtium 'Orchid Flame' Right: Beetroot Morello Photo credit: Thompson & Morgan New Season We're pleased to announce that we've seen a strong start to sales from our newly-launched 2019 mail order seed range. Flower of the Year, Nasturtium 'Orchid Flame', Beet…

Hardy Fuchsia

There are few plant groups that are as diverse as the fuchsia. There is a lovely range of hardy fuchsias in the market, many with different colour foliage and form.Fuchsia Genii is a more unusual fuchsia variety, with distinctive yellow foliage. The flowers have inky blue petals backed by magenta…

Grilled lemon and garlic courgette

Grilled lemon and garlic courgetteThompson & MorganA superb side dish that can be paired with almost any meal! Grilling courgettes gives them a great depth of flavour. Grill with fresh lemon and garlic for a delicious, flavourful dish. Print Recipe Pin Recipe Prep Time 10 minsCook Time 10…

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…

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