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Customer trial panel member Geoff Stonebanks

In this gardening blog post Geoff Stonebanks writes about his gardening experiences on the south coast of England and becoming a member of Thompson & Morgan’s customer trial panel.I’m Geoff Stonebanks, fast approaching my 60th birthday and retired now with my garden in Sussex for 9…

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…

RHS Chelsea Flower Show – 100-year gnome ban lifted

The RHS has announced that its 100-year ban on garden gnomes is to be lifted!Gnomes welcome at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show… but only this yearTo mark the centenary of the Chelsea Flower Show, celebrities have been invited to decorate and paint gnomes, which will feature in the show before…

Grafted veg - The advantages of going that extra step

Freshly grafted plants Last year we at Thompson & Morgan started to sell grafted vegetable plants such as tomatoes and cucumbers; this year we have extended the range to include melons and watermelons too! Too much trouble? So why graft a plant that's only going to be around for a season or two…

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…

Win prizes in our Big Spring Giveaway

Every day in February we’re offering you the chance to win some fabulous prizes in the Big Spring Giveaway!Prizes include a backstage experience at Gardeners’ Question Time, membership to the RHS for a year, a place on a ‘Grow your own cut flowers course’ and many more.For…

2013 photo competition winners

The winners of Thompson & Morgan’s 2013 competition winners have been announced! There were 8 categories to enter this year and the judges had a very tough time deciding on the final winner in each one.Top prizes were £100 or £250 in Thompson & Morgan vouchers and runners-up each won…

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…

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…

Move over marigolds.. ..new bedding plants fly in the face of tradition

It’s time for those traditional bedding favourites such as marigolds, salvias and petunias to step aside. There are some new kids in town and they’re about to show they mean business.Penstemon ‘Wedding Bells’ MixedAlready a top-seller within weeks of the launch of Thompson…

Photo competition winners 2014

This is our favourite time of year, when we get to judge all the stunning entries to our competitions. However, this year we decided to do things a little differently and we asked you to help us pick the winning photos.Michael Perry short listed each category down to his six favourites of which we…

Suffolk Show 2013 – setting up the T&M stand

T&M’s Sonia Mermagen has been helping long-time vegetable exhibitor Arthur Davies set up Thompson & Morgan’s stand at this year’s Suffolk Show.Breaking news: Arthur and Mary’s display won the Notcutt Trophy for Best Exhibit in the flower tent and a gold…

Rewilding the lawn

This white tailed bumble bee is enjoying selfheal flowers which have spontaneously popped up in an unmown lawn Image: Plantlife Which would you choose? A barren desert wasteland? Or a tapestry of wild flowers teaming with insects, mammals and birds? Lawns are great for leisure and as a foil to…

Share your story on our blog

Write for Thompson & Morgan’s blogWe’d like to invite you to be part of our social community – the Thompson & Morgan gardening blog. We’re looking for bloggers to write posts about gardening-related topics.We will consider publishing well-written, informative…

Richard Mulcahy

Guest blogger Richard Mulcahy has a shady plot in Co. Antrim and writes here about his allotment and growing early rhubarb.Shady plotsIn the winter months, I get a chance to think and reflect upon my plot. Leaning on the allotment fence today, I thought back two years to when I first got the…

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.…

We Love Chillies!

Dearest reader, Harrison (left), William (right). How do you do? Indeed, well. . . ! We are William and Harrison Scowsill, (28, 27). Perhaps like us, you also ogle and dream of acquiring interesting and rare varieties of plants and seeds from all corners of the globe whilst enjoying the catharsis…

Top 10 Houseplants : The Best of the Bunch and How to Grow Them

Image: Shutterstock From Monkey Leaves to Mother-in-Law's Tongue, houseplants offer a dazzling variety of leaf shapes, forms, and colours. And from bright, warm window sills, to cool humid bathrooms, they each have their own preferences for where and how they like to live. In case you are feeling…

Plants for Pets: A Guide to Pet-Friendly Houseplants

Pets and plants don't always go together. My 'Border Terrorists', Ogmore and Dylan, are notorious for chomping foliage. Whilst they mainly graze on Dog Mercury and other outdoor weeds, they have also unleashed their rasping tongues on my once elegant Bamboo Palm ( Dypsis lutescens),leaving it…

One allotment, two children and a caravan

Hello. I’m Urvashi and I have an allotment in Enfield. I waited a while for it and had almost given up hope when the phone rang and the ever so lovely membership chap said I had three plots to choose from.I went for the one with the tree and the caravan. I knew my girls would love both.…

Win up to £250 in our photo competitions

Win up to £250 in our photo competitionsIf you are proud of your plants and would like to show us what you have accomplished, Thompson & Morgan runs photo competitions throughout the year.We’ve added some new categories this year and competitions are open to everyone, so whether you have…

Growing your own cut flowers

Who doesn’t love a jug of flowers on the kitchen table?When students arrive I pop warm muffins and a pot of fresh Fairtrade coffee on the kitchen table next to a jug of flowers. It makes people feel welcome and there are always comments on how lovely the flowers are.  But when it comes to…

What to grow on the allotment this season

With all the crocus and daffodils popping their little heads through the soil, it gets me thinking about my plan on what to grow in the coming season on the allotment. Even though this plan changes and develops beyond recognition, as the year goes on I still use it as my rough guide.When I first…

Plan your garden for a stunning display

Don’t get caught out with a dull garden next spring… just a bit of planning now could mean you have a display to be proud of!Pansy ‘Matrix Mixed’We offer a huge range of young plants which can’t be found elsewhere; selected for garden performance, and unique and often…

Top 10 Easiest Houseplants

A group of easy to grow houseplants including Zamioculcas (back left) Sanseviera (far left), Aspidistra (second right) and Spathiphyllum (far right). Image: ShutterstockWould you love to have some lush greenery in your home but don't feel that you have the expertise? Let's face it - we have all…

Tomatoes masterclass: best expert content

Try Tomato Gourmandia' F1 Hybrid for gorgeous texture and flavour, perfect for slicing onto sandwiches Image: Tomato Gourmandia' F1 Hybrid from Thompson & MorganDo you want to grow your own fresh tomatoes? Here's a collection of the best online content to get you started and refine your…

Vibrant veg growing blogs

Take some tips from these amazing bloggers about growing veg!Image: Shutterstock If growing veg is your thing, you'll love our selection of some of the best vibrant veg growing blogs around. From ingenious folk who garden the smallest of plots, to budding self-sufficiency enthusiasts and…

How to Grow Tomatoes

You can’t deny the flavour of fresh home-grown tomato straight from the vine. Their taste is far superior to the bland tomatoes offered in the supermarkets making them perfect for tomato soup and they’re really easy to grow.Growing tomatoes from seedGrowing tomato plants from seed is a…

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…

Under the Weather

‘Under the Weather’As I sit here at noon on a Wednesday, my home has been enveloped by a huge dark cloud once again and the rain is misting out the houses across the street. It is utterly miserable and I am going to have to turn the daylight stimulation bulb on any minute before I give…

Expert gardening tips for beginners

Gardening is a lifelong learning curve based on shared knowledge, trial and error. Image source: Rawpixel. com If you're just getting into gardening and could do with some help and advice to set you on your way, we've got just what you need: handy tips from gardeners from across the blogosphere.…

Customer trials – update from Caroline Broome

Customer trials – update from Caroline BroomeCaroline has been sending us regular updates with photos of her trial products, but as we’re a little late adding them to the blog, please note that references to planting out times may be a bit out of date. We do apologise and will add…

The history of the petunia

Surfinia petunias are a popular choice for hanging basketsImage: Petunia 'Surfinia Star Burgundy' from Thompson & Morgan There's always a plant that, like Marmite, you love or loathe, and through the ages the petunia has often divided opinion. In fact, during the 1500s people believed that…

Customer trial panel member profile – Shirley Reynolds

The latest Thompson & Morgan customer trial panel member to join the blogging team is Shirley Reynolds.Shirley ReynoldsGardening is my every day pleasure. I just love to see the daily changes of bare soil being hidden by wonderful coloured flowers.I tend my small garden like a mother does her…

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…

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…

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