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Magnificent Magnolias
Get out into gardens now and enjoy the spring performance of magnolias in full bloom Image: magicflute002/Canva Cossetted within their velveteen coats, the buds of magnolia trees are just beginning to unfurl their voluptuous, vase-like blooms and wow crowds with a spectacular spring performance. If…
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…
Tips for growing flowers in your garden
The successful combination of shape, colour, texture and height makes this border singImage: Paul Wishart Flowers bring colour, texture and scent to our gardens and provide a welcome source of food for pollinators. With a little patience you can grow many flowers cost-effectively from seed. Short…
Much to do before festive break
December 2013Well I can’t believe that the festive season is nearly here but there are still a few jobs to do in the garden before the end of the year, weather permitting.I have tidied the shrubs and perennial borders, old perennial stalk pruned back and, where required, shrubs pruned to…
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…
Best flowering hedges
Guelder Rose hedging has beautiful flowers in the spring, and vibrant red berries in the autumn Image: Guelder Rose (Hedging) from Thompson & Morgan Hedges are generally viewed as practical but dull garden workhorses, marking boundaries and screening ugly vistas or providing a plain backdrop to…
Grow your own meals - these 11 Instagrammers will show you how
These Instagrammers provide plenty of new serving suggestions for homegrown produceImage: Markus Spiske on Unsplash Food delivered straight from plot to plate is the freshest, healthiest and most delicious food you'll ever eat. With an allotment, veg patch, or even just a couple of window boxes,…
The Good Life in Practice
I am a 24 year old attempting to live more eco-friendly. I first lived in Suffolk but now live in a small flat in a village in Switzerland. I have been living in the Berner Oberland canton since April 2012 (so just over a year!) since getting a job here. My boyfriend Michael and I have been trying…
Spring spruce up begins in Church Lane
Customer trial panel member Caroline Broome has had a busy weekend, getting ready for spring.At last we have had a fine weekend and I’ve been making the most of it in spades, literally! Everything is coming into leaf, notably tree peony Hong Xia, and some plants like bog sage never died down.…
Top 5 flower and vegetable seeds recommended by our experts
Sue Sanderson and Colin Randel, two of Thompson & Morgan’s experts give their top 5 flower and vegetable seeds for the new season…FlowersSue Sanderson is Thompson & Morgan’s Horticulturist and has 11 years of gardening experience.Rudbeckia ‘Cherry Brandy’When…
Fun Houseplants for Children (& Grown Ups!)
Image: ShutterstockFrom meat-eating plant monsters like the Venus Fly Trap to collectible cacti, there's a houseplant out there to spark the interest of every child plus a host of creative ways to display them which will engage their imaginations. Houseplants can be a way for children to express…
Plot to plate recipes for National Vegetarian Week
Celebrate National Vegetarian Week with delicious recipes from gardening bloggers around the UKImage: monticello At Thompson & Morgan, we're passionate about growing our own food. But sowing, growing and nurturing delicious produce is only half of the story. Harvesting, preparing and eating…
Top 10 Fuchsia Plants
Fuchsias are extremely versatile with a variety on the market suitable for most situations. Few other plants perform so well in the garden with so little upkeep, even the tender types can make it through winter with minimal protection. Fuchsia plants are easy to grow, long-lasting and make the…
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…
A February full of drama
Hi Everyone, February might be the shortest month, but boy has it been packed with drama - at least for me anyway. First we had the wicked west winds so bitter they could have given an expresso a run for its money. These annoying gusts meant for several days we couldn't go in the greenhouses for…
Growing with kids: Mr Men and Little Miss seeds
Tomatoes are one of the easiest things to grow with childrenImage source: dogwooddays Children love watching plants grow - from that miraculous moment when a tiny seed's first leaves emerge from the ground - to enjoying the flowers and fruits that appear later in the season. Professional garden…
Best plants for low hedges
Low box hedging surrounding parterre beds at National Trust Wimpole Estate. Image: Canva There are many situations that call for a low hedge. It could be a formal edging to a border or path, a way to divide up a small garden into separate areas without cramping the space, a structural backdrop to…
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…
What to do in the garden in August
There are always things to do in the garden whether it is planting, pruning or watering. So we have highlighted some what to do in the garden in august guidance to help you.In the flower gardenDead-head lilies for a better flower display next year.Mow meadows now to help scatter wild flower…
Top 10 best-selling plants of 2012
This list of Thompson & Morgan’s top 10 best-selling plants is quite a mix – from cottage garden favourites to new and unusual flowers – and shows that customers really do like variety when it comes to their gardens!Apple Cox’s Orange Pippin1. Apple Cox’s Orange…
Starting a culinary herb garden
Grow herbs to add to your garden and kitchen. Image: DarwelShots Anyone can start a herb garden, no matter how little space they have available. Some people create bespoke culinary herb gardens, while others tuck these flavour-packed plants into any empty space they can find. See all the ways you…
Veg growing tips from the experts
Keep your veg plot brimming over with delicious produce with these handy tips!Image: Steffi Pereira From one man who likes his veg Tudor style to another who loves to grow Tomatillos, and on to other green fingered folk with handy hints to share, here we bring you awesome veg growing tips from…
Crops for a cool climate
Crops for a Cool ClimateOver the years in which climate change has been discussed in the media, there have been continual suggestions that it will be of benefit to gardeners – allowing us to grow fruit and vegetable crops that enjoy the continental climate, but fail to thrive in a traditional…
Therapeutic Gardening? My nerves are in tatters!
Thompson and Morgan Triallist's Blog - June 2018 I have this fantasy image of myself in diaphanous summer dress, wandering around my garden with a woven willow trug and floral secateurs, in the hazy lazy afternoon sunshine, listening to the soporific buzzing of the bees, whilst gently snipping…
Flaming June in Pembrokeshire
Hello Gardening Friends, For the first time in many years Pembrokeshire is experiencing an actual "Flaming June!" With temperatures exceeding 25c most days and sticky 18c nights, it's been mostly impossible to garden. The water butt has been emptied days ago, and for now we are using our "Grey…
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 to create beautiful displays with annual flowers
Nigella damascena provides a beautiful display all summer longImage source: Shutterstock Once March arrives, Nic Wilson's potting shed is launched into action as her annual flower seeds come out. Here, the experienced gardener behind dogwooddays talks to us about the many roles that annual flowers…
Winter hanging baskets - planting ideas
Red berries look glorious against a variegated silver leaf for the winter seasonImage: dogwooddays Once the last of summer's flowers have faded, it's tempting to discard the plants, store the baskets behind the shed, and give up until spring. But that would be to miss out on the colour, texture and…
Some like it hot
A summer heatwave is ideal for chilliesImage source: Nic Wilson It's been a hot year in the greenhouse and the chillies have enjoyed every sweltering second. Sown in early January, they developed into sturdy seedlings by March and were ready to go out in the greenhouse by late May. I chose fewer…
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…
Gardening memories of 2012
Gardening memories of 20122012 was full of gardening memories, not least because of the almost never-ending rain and lack of sunshine. A while ago we asked our Twitter followers and Facebook fans to tweet and post their most memorable moments and got some great comments. We thought we’d turn…
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.…
Bedding plants – a revival
Michael Perry and Christine WalkdenIf you watched the Great British Garden Revival last night then you will have seen Christine Walkden’s passion for ornamental bedding plants and her campaign for their revival. The magnificent displays of Waddesdon Manor and much-loved seaside displays at…
Pass Me My WW1 Trenching Tool
Oh but wasn't I right - as the nights draw in we wistfully reminisce about the long hot summer of 2018. Get over it! Time to move on! And move on we have; half the garden is enjoying the extrovert opulence of autumn and half, well, the other half has been dug up! The prospect of a year out of…
Top 10 best-selling plants of 2018
This pretty hydrangea won the nation's hearts and Chelsea's Plant of the Year 2018Image: Hydrangea Runaway Bride' by Thompson & Morgan Are you looking for some garden inspiration? Or just curious about which plants were gardeners' favourites last year? Here are our ten best-selling plants of…
GYO & BYO: Grow Your Own & Blitz Your Own
Green smoothies are packed with leafy greens that offer a range of health benefits, including being full of antioxidants and vitamins, boosting your immune system and helping to improve digestion. Many of the most popular ingredients of healthy green smoothies are vegetables and herbs that can be…
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