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A week in the life of Thompson & Morgan’s new product development manager

It’s a busy time for us at Thompson & Morgan, here’s a taster of a typical week at work for me!MondayAfter a few days off, it’s back in fresh and early for a varied week of meetings, product research and catalogue preparations.Today I meet with Sarah, our trials manager, to…

Lets get this growing year started!

Hoorah, my seed potatoes have arrived and are safely set out in egg boxes on the window sill. I have just used the last of last years crop which kept beautifully in the frost free shed. The onions from last season are still going well with no sign of any shooting or rot as are the Shallots and…

How to plant an easy fill hanging basket for winter

Sometimes our gardens can be slightly depressing and dull in winter, but why should our gardens suffer? You can create beautiful hanging basket displays for your garden this winter in 10 easy steps. Let our expert, Michael Perry (our Product Development Manager) guide you with his helpful video and…

Tree lily® challenge for Thompson & Morgan staff

Staff at Thompson & Morgan have been set the challenge to grow the best tree lily®!The race is on to grow the best tree lily!Those of us who have signed up have been given 3 tree lily® bulbs to plant, nurture and photograph over the coming months.Tree lilies® are amazing plants to grow. A…

Gardening Adventure – Gardening Beginner!

Gardening Adventure – Gardening Beginner!My beginner’s garden is still very much that. I still don’t seem to know what I am doing but I think it’s coming together. Though I do know that I am not dedicating enough time to it. Still, I spent a sunny day back in April (that…

From Rake To Bake - Leek Muffins

Welcome to February's 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. February is perfect for making Leek Muffins. Have you ever wondered why Welsh fans carry inflatable leeks to Rugby or Football matches?…

Wet start to the year – unruley weather

Despite the wet start to this year I have still managed to finish my winter digging. Despite the allotment site being clay soil, my plots have had so much organic matter added to it over the years that it makes digging easy. I hardly have to put my foot on the spade to get it into the soil.The last…

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…

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…

Tomato Soup Recipe

Tomato SoupThompson & Morgan Print Recipe Pin Recipe Prep Time 15 mins Cook Time 45 mins Total Time 1 hr Course Soup Servings 4 Calories 123 kcal Ingredients 1x2x3x2 bay leaves1 carrot1 celery stick1 medium onion1 kg fresh tomatoes2 tbsp olive oilPinch of sugar2 tsp tomato purée1. 2 litres hot…

Expert tips to make your garden wildlife-friendly

A small garden pond gives this song thrush somewhere to bathe and drink. Image source: Ondrej Prosicky By making just a few small changes to the way you garden, you'll really help native wildlife to thrive. To get you started, here's some expert advice courtesy of some of the best gardeners and…

What soil type do I have?

It is really important for any gardener to spend time finding out what soil type they have in their garden. There is no point investing in plants and trying to grow specific varieties that simply won’t grow in your soil conditions.  Finding out what soil type you have is actually quite easy,…

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…

Harry Cook – wildflower planting in our area

Update 30th July – see photos at the end of this post!Harry Cook, Thompson & Morgan trial panel member, and his wife Pat are members of It’s Your Neighbourhood with Loughborough in Bloom and look after the area called ‘The Green Belt’ around their house. Here Harry…

Spring flower fashion

Selecting new plants and flowers isn’t so unlike the fashion world you know..!Our autumn catalogue range has been launched, and the first of the new varieties has begun to strutt its stuff on the catwalk..!First up, let’s talk bulbs. I often think they’re a great place for a…

Christmas gifts for her

Finding the perfect Christmas gifts for her is easy with Thompson & Morgan’s  new Christmas gifts range for 2014. There is a great selection of gardening gifts, indoor plant gifts, outdoor plant gifts and gardening hampers to make her Christmas special.My favourite is the Amaryllis…

Ellen Mary's Top 5 Houseplants

Houseplants are bang on trend at the moment and rightly so because not only are they aesthetically pleasing and a great way to soften interiors but they are unbelievably good for us to have around. Many house plants remove large amounts of common toxins from the air around us. My own house is full…

Moving house in the middle of the growing season

Moving house in the middle of the growing season isn’t ideal timing for a keen gardener! Knowing back in March that I’d be relocating in June, I reluctantly held back on my usual flurry of spring seed sowing, concentrating only on small batches of those plants that I just couldn’t…

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…

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…

Alison Levey

Guest blogger Alison Levey writes about her vegetable eating and growing experiences and the satisfaction of growing sweetcorn from seed…The joy of sweetcornI have to begin this post with a confession, there are far more vegetables I do not like than I actually do.  In terms of vegetables it…

Begonia trial - new obsession?

Begonia Apricot Shades Improved' F1 Hybrid adds colour & dimension to every part of your gardenImage: Thompson & Morgan As part of a regular series, award-winning gardener Jean Willis explains her latest obsession with begonias and shares an honest account of the recent successes and…

Climbing fuchsias

Pop along to any garden centre and you’ll probably see the same few climbers; there’ll be some straggly honeysuckle, quite a few large-flowered, dull clematis, thugs like Virginia Creeper, and so on… Surely it’s about time there was a plant that’s a bit classier, a…

Tulip bulbs – Never too late for Tulips!

Some garden centres will try and sell you tulip bulbs in August, because they soon want to make space for the (too early) sales of Christmas decorations. That’s way too early for tulips though! You should reserve your bulbs by mail order, to ensure later delivery, to coincide with the best…

Top tips to attract wildlife to your garden

A few changes to your garden can make it a paradise for wildlifeImage: Coatesy The best way to attract more wildlife to your garden is to provide a habitat complete with food and forage sources, shelter for a wide variety of creatures, and an accessible water source. We asked some of our favourite…

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…

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…

National Garden Scheme – It started as a hobby

It all started as a hobby 30 years ago and now we’re opening our garden for the National Garden Scheme for the 5th year running! The garden behind the house was once a scrap yard, so we started by clearing it to make a garden for our young family. Next door were once allotments, we watched…

Beautiful botanical crafts on Instagram

Check out these crafty creatives inspired by mother natureImage: Marisa Morton / Unsplash Nature has always provided inspiration to artists - whether writers or musicians, poets or makers. If an afternoon in your garden or a walk in the woods leaves you energised and buzzing with creativity, why…

Win plants in our new prize draw

Win Petunia ‘Purple Tower’ plants and a climbing frame worth £20.98 in our new prize draw!Win Petunia ‘Purple Tower’ plants in our new prize drawThis competition is now closed. Please visit our main competitions page for more chances to win prizes.This week we’re…

Tops Tips for Styling Your Garden 2020

We are looking for new ways to adapt during COVID-19 Pandemic. Our gardens can be an extension of our indoor space - you may want to enjoy the ambience of sitting in your garden with your family, or to grow your vegetables and herbs for health benefits . You can make the most of your garden during…

Making a start on your plot

So you’re now the proud tenant of your new plot. You look, you scratch your head, you stand and survey. The fact of the matter is, there is only one way to get a plot up and running and that’s hard work. I started with cutting through the bramble jungle, once cut down to ground level…

Top soil care tips from the experts

Look after your soil and reap good quality produce. Image source: LedyX Take care of your soil as though your yield depends on it - because it does. To help you keep your garden hale and hearty, here we bring you some of our favourite gardening bloggers' tips for keeping your soil in top condition.…

Cucumbers masterclass: best expert content

Cucumbers are prolific in the right conditionsImage: Cucumber Carmen' F1 Hybrid Grafted from Thompson & Morgan Here's a collection of the best independent content to help you grow your own crunchy cucumbers. These videos, articles and Instagram posts feature everything from sowing these popular…

My visit to Chelsea Flower Show

It’s the day after my visit to Chelsea Flower Show! My feet are still aching, and my mind is still spinning with new plants and fresh garden designs. The whole of the gardening world tends to be at Chelsea too, so it can be difficult to walk a few feet without seeing someone you know! I think…

Guide to pet-friendly house plants

Plants and pets are two things that we adore in life. Unfortunately, many common plants are toxic to cats and dogs. Since some plants are poisonous, once eaten, they cause convulsions, tremors, and even death. Even the most well-behaved pets are sure to nibble a houseplant at a particular moment.…

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