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Gluten-free tomato pizza

Gluten-free pizza Print Recipe Pin Recipe Prep Time 45 minsCook Time 10 minsTotal Time 55 mins Servings 4Calories 740 kcal Ingredients 1x2x3xPizza base ingredients2 tsp gluten-free baking powder2 tsp (heaped) golden caster sugar400 g gluten-free bread flower5 tbsp olive oil1 tsp salt1 tsp (heaped)…

Holly and Ivy – what is there to know?

Holly trees can be self-fertile, male or female; so some bushes may need a partner to ensure they can pollinate and produce berries. This is not usually a problem in home gardens though, as Holly trees are quite common in other gardens as well as in the wild, so there should always be a pollinator…

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…

5 things you need to know about tomatoes

Tomatoes come in all shapes, colours and sizesImage source: Tomato 'Gigantomo' F1 Hybrid from T&M Is there anything more satisfying than a perfectly ripe, homegrown tomato, freshly picked and warm from the sun? Tomato seeds are easy to grow and a couple of tomato plants will produce hundreds of…

Gardening news – Great British Garden Revival

Michael Perry and Christine WalkdenGreat British Garden RevivalThompson & Morgan is due to feature in a new BBC show that aims to reignite a passion for gardening by showing viewers how to fill their gardens with flowers, plants and trees. The Great British Garden Revival starts on Monday 9th…

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…

Exotic Fruit

Can I grow exotic fruit in my own garden? The answer’s yes! Do you find ‘exotic’ fruit expensive in the supermarket? If that’s the case, then why not have a look at these tropical-looking fruits that you can grow in your own garden? Here are 3 of the best!First up,…

Anthurium Plant Care Guide

Anthurium is tropical species that we are lucky enough to be able to cultivate in our homes. This plant stands out with large, dark green, heart-shaped leaves. It is an evergreen plant that can bloom for months without excessive care. Some of the more popular species are Anthurium Crystallinum,…

Pinching out Fuchsias

Let’s start at the beginning – your fuchsia plugs will be with you in the next few weeks and you will want to grow the best plants that you can whether they are for your patio or to enter in a local show! In my blogs I will be concentrating on how to grow fuchsias to get the maximum…

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…

Pea Alexandra – huge plants, bumper crops!

Hello all you happy gardeners!Well we’ve all had some fab weather and doesn’t it show in the gardens? The flowers and veg like to feel the warmth on them.I just had to tell you all about the pea Alexandra I have grown as part of the Thompson & Morgan trials.I only have a small…

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…

How to prepare your garden for a holiday

Plan ahead to help your garden survive your summer holidayImage: Africa Studio You've invested blood, sweat and tears into your garden, so it's perfectly natural to worry about leaving your plants while you enjoy a break from the day-to-day routine. We asked garden designer, Nic Wilson of…

The Rough Guide to Beans by Real Men Sow

The Rough Guide to BeansAre you an allotment beginner, getting ready for your first season as a veg grower?Well, let me recommend starting with beans. Beans were the biggest success of my first season, and I’ve loved growing them ever since.They’re easy to grow, very healthy and one of…

Overwintering Edibles

As I write this first post we're entering Autumn. There is a noticeable shift in the seasons as the mornings are a little nippy now but, thankfully, we still have some bright days to enjoy working outside. Things are still battling on outside including my dwarf beans, variety Ferrari, swede even…

It’s your neighbourhood – community gardening

My wife Pat and I are involved in ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ along with 37 other groups, we are known as Forest Road Greenbelt Garden’s. This competition was set up to encourage the improvement of our community gardening through innovative use of trees, plants and shrubs.Our…

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…

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…

Raspberry ‘Ruby Beauty’™ – knocking out traditional varieties

Raspberry ‘Ruby Beauty’™ is an innovative concept that allows you to grow raspberries on your patio. This space saving raspberry retains its sweet flavour, which we’ve come to expect from modern varieties, but you no longer need a big garden to accommodate rows of towering…

Thompson & Morgan donates plants to local schools

Left: Children from Chelmondiston Primary School holding plants donated by Thompson & Morgan. Right: Children from Thomas Wolsey Ormiston Academy with a trolley of donated plants. Photo credits: Thompson & Morgan Last week we donated over 1,500 plants to two local schools. The PTA of…

Sue’s (Very Unscientific) Potato Trials

Sue’s (Very Unscientific) Potato TrialsHarvesting potatoes is my second favourite garden task, beaten only by lifting parsnips! You can feel your excitement building as you lift each tuber from the ground, gently rub it clean of soil, and watch your hoard of spuds grow minute by minute.  In…

A Beginners Guide to Growing a Veg Garden

A Beginners Guide to Growing a Veg GardenWhy grow veg? For me it’s ultimately about cooking, with the added incentive of being in nature in a way that I find enjoyable. It’s also better value, seasonal, greener and gives me a feeling of history, past and legacy. It’s about that…

Life of a young gardener – Jack Shilley

Hi There! My name is Jack Shilley; I’m 19 years old and i have an incredible passion for horticulture and growing your own. This is my first blog for Thompson & Morgan so I thought I’d take this opportunity to share with you my horticultural story – so that you get to know me…

History of fuchsias

Charles Plumier (1646-1704), a French monk & botanist, discovered and named many plants in honour of fellow botanists during his 3 plant hunting trips to the Caribbean’s and South America. Some of his most famous discoveries are Begonia, Fuchsia, Lobelia and Magnolia. In 1695, during his…

Sweet Hot Chilli and Tomato Chutney Recipe

Tonight on BBC Two, we watch the remaining 7 pairs of allotmenteers make their own chutney. Cooking is the perfect way to make use of any left over produce in your garden or allotment. Belinda Estell brings us her sweet hot chilli and tomato chutney recipe, a fabulous recipe to use up a glut of…

Chillies and sweet peppers masterclass: best expert content

Chillies and sweet peppers both pack a colourful flavour punchImage: Chilli Pepper Fresno Mix' F1 Seeds from Thompson & Morgan If you want to grow your own chilli and sweet pepper plants indoors on a sunny windowsill or outdoors in the garden, here's the best advice from some of our favourite…

Green tomato and chilli chutney

Do you have a glut of green tomatoes? Then why not have a go at this simple recipe and make a delicious Green tomato and chilli chutney that will go perfect alongside cold Christmas meats. Recipe kindly provided by our pumpkin expert and e-commerce marketing assistant John Ingredients:820g Green…

How to encourage butterflies into your garden

Whatever size your garden is, there are lots of flowers you can plant to encourage butterflies.Encouraging butterflies into your gardenThe recent ‘State of Nature’ report showed that common garden butterfly populations have declined by 24% in the last 10 years. In the last century, 4…

Primrose – the queen of spring!

Primrose ‘Husky’ MixedHello,Just a few minutes planning now can make your outdoor space the envy of all once spring arrives! And this is all thanks to the queen of spring, the primrose!When you think the garden has given up the ghost and you’re cranking up the central heating…

Fruit masterclass: best expert content

Try growing Raspberry 'Little Sweet Sister' in containers on the balcony for early crops of deliciously sweet fruitImage: Raspberry Little Sweet Sister' from Thompson & MorganDo you want to grow fresh fruit in your garden, allotment or balcony? We've brought together a wealth of expert videos…

Garden centres to stop selling neonicotinoid pesticides

Honeybee populations at risk from neonicotinoid pesticidesNeonicotinoid pesticides taken off the shelves…Bee numbers have been in serious decline for some time now and neonicotinoid pesticides are thought to have contributed to the worldwide fall in numbers.According to recent news reports, 5…

From Rake To Bake - Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Welcome to my 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. April is perfect for making Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Cabbage. It's one of those leafy green vegetables that are often overlooked Cabbage doesn't…

Amaryllis – flamboyant and never understated

Commonly known as amaryllis, hippeastrum bulbs are hugely popular gifts for Christmas. There really is no question as to why increasing numbers are choosing the amaryllis as a Christmas gift, as their magnificent and showy blooms flower year after year, making fantastic houseplants.Growing…

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…

Ducks, B-sides and Blackadder

® Alison Hooper We're in that slow part of the year when not much appears to be happening. Leaves have fallen, fruit and veg long since picked. It's all a bit grey and samey, like the turgid mid-section of an album's B-side. You love that album, but frankly there are eight tracks to get through…

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…

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