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Strawberry mojito

Strawberry mojitoThompson & MorganCreate a refreshing strawberry mojito to enjoy in your own garden paradise. This fruity cocktail is perfect for barbecues, parties with friends or as a summer treat for yourself. Print Recipe Pin Recipe Prep Time 5 minsTotal Time 5 mins Course Drinks Servings…

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…

Customer trial panel member profile – Harry Cook

Customer trial panel member Harry Cook has many years of gardening experience, winning several awards for his own garden displays. He made the news last year when he stopped thieves from taking his award-winning petunias!Harry CookMy name is Harry Cook. I stared gardening at a young age when I…

NVS Judging Blog

It was June and I was preparing for my first major show as Show Secretary of my local horticultural society. Our judge for our Summer Show was Peter Cranfield. Over lunch I told Peter that I was in training to be a judge with the Essex Guild of Horticultural Judges. He suggested that I should enter…

Confessions of a Chilliholic

The Grow Diary of a Chilliholic – January 2015My name’s Kris and I’m a Chilliholic. It’s been nearly a year since I last opened a seed packet, and I’m about to fall off the wagon!I go through it every January. With the dust settled after an active Christmas, and the…

Strawberry Cupcakes

Strawberry cupcakesThompson & MorganBeautiful vanilla cupakes topped with vibrant pink icing and fresh strawberries picked from your allotment. Print Recipe Pin Recipe Prep Time 20 minsCook Time 30 minsTotal Time 50 mins Course Dessert Servings 12 cupcakesCalories 387 kcal Ingredients 1x2x3x120…

World’s first electricity-generating sunflower!

Thompson & Morgan’s horticultural innovators who won the Plant of the Year at the Chelsea Flower Show 2012 and introduced the amazing TomTato® have done it again!They have now developed a brand new strain of sunflower which generates its own electricity from the central stem.The…

Making a willow dome seating area

On a resent visit to Foxton Locks near Market Harborough, I saw a dome made up of willow with a seat. I was so impressed with it, I thought it would be nice to make a willow dome for the green belt park area where we live. I am involved in the RHS It’s Your Neighbourhood and Loughborough in…

Heavenly Hydrangeas!

If there's one genus that I am utterly in love with then it's Hydrangeas! Every year as we head into 'Hydrangea season' I begin muttering eulogies to these beauties... 'What a stunner!' 'Isn't it gorgeous?' 'Wow, look at the flowers on that!!!' I don't really know when my love for Hydrangeas began.…

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…

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…

Gardening talk at The Roof Gardens

On one of the first real days of spring, I was extremely lucky to be giving my ‘New, different and unusual plants’ gardening talk to a garden club set in a very unusual location.The Roof Gardens, LondonStunning viewsLocated one hundred feet above Kensington High Street in central…

Therapeutic Gardening – How has it helped Melanie ?

Here Thrive, the UK charity that uses therapeutic gardening to change lives, shows how it has made a difference to Melanie’s life.Two years ago when Melanie came to Thrive just after her father died, she was, in her own words, a different person. Losing both parents (her mother had died some…

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…

August Flowers in Bloom

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…

Thompson & Morgan Takes Third With Agapanthus ÔÇÿFireworks'

Agapanthus Fireworks We're so pleased to announce that its Plant of the Year entry Agapanthus 'Fireworks' has been placed third today at RHS Chelsea Flower Show. It was one of six plants that we heard this morning were on the final shortlist of 20 entrants. Agapanthus 'Fireworks' is a world first…

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…

Watering your garden when you’re on holiday

Summer is here and correct me if I’m wrong, but the weather is being quite well-behaved so far. The occasional storm is actually a positive for the plants, giving them a good soak. The rain will encourage leafy growth, meaning you get even bushier plants, with the potential for more blooms!…

Water, water, water keeps the garden rosy

I love to see the sun as much as anybody and it certainly makes the plants grow, but they could also do with a shower of rain from time to time.Unfortunately we have not had a drop of rain for weeks, so my main job every evening is watering. In the garden its best to use the water accumulated in…

Pumpkin Pressure- another record breaker?

The pressure is on as we are set for another world record breaker! Each year we have the pleasure of sponsoring Autumn Pumpkin Festival taking place in Southampton on 11th October 2014. If the UK world record is broken, we offer the winning grower a £1,000 award! But, if they break a World record,…

More Awards for T&M's Sunflower SunBelievableÔäó ÔÇÿBrown Eyed Girl'

Following its success at RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May, our fantastic in-house-bred sunflower, SunBelievable™ 'Brown Eyed Girl' has won even more awards and accolades. Proving hugely popular in the US, the new sunflower was awarded the Retailers' Choice Award at the FARWEST Show in Portland,…

Don’t blame gardeners for potato blight

The potato plants on the left show the devastation caused by blight. The plants on the right are Sárpo.Farmers should grow blight-resistant Sárpo potatoesGardeners and allotment growers can fight back against today’s accusations that they have ‘fuelled a national potato…

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…

Turnip chutney recipe

Turnip chutneyAllotment Garden Print Recipe Pin Recipe Ingredients 2 lb turnips1 lb apples1 lb onions8 oz sultanas or dates8 oz sugar¢ oz turmeric1 tsp dry mustard1 oz salt1 pinch cayenne or black pepper1 pint vinegarNotesIf you find yourself with an unexpected glut of something unusual, join John…

Strawberry smoothie

Strawberry smoothieThompson & MorganA very quick, healthy smoothie that utilises your strawberry crops. Find out how to get bumper crops from your home grown strawberries at our strawberry hub page. Gluten free and vegan friendly too. A perfect morning drink to get you off to a great start to…

Daphne ‘Eternal Fragrance’ wins gold award

Daphne ‘Eternal Fragrance’ won a gold award in the ‘New Plant’ category of the Salon du Végétal trade show in Angers, France in February this year.Gold for Daphne ‘Eternal Fragrance’This delightful plant was one of 25 entered into the ‘Innovert’…

Your local allotment needs you!

What can we do to ensure that our allotments are getting the love that they deserve? Locally to me in Hertfordshire, there are some sites which have been threatened with closure, due to planned developments – the people who grow on the sites are understandably battling hard to try to keep…

Why is Sustainable Gardening so Important These Days?

In essence, sustainable gardening is not a new term, but the practice has started gaining traction recently. What gardening sustainably means, what does the process involve, and what makes it so important today? What is Sustainable Gardening? It is vital to make one crucial distinction. Cultivating…

QVC Italy

Want to take a peek behind the scenes at QVC Italy? Now you can!A few weeks ago, we treated Italian customers to an amazing offer on our professional grade, xxl strawberry plants… it’s quite an epic trip to Italy, as we need to drive all the product across in our trusty white van!Track…

Thrive – the benefits of gardening

Thrive is the leading charity in the UK that uses gardening to bring about positive changes in the lives of people who are living with disabilities or ill health, or are isolated, disadvantaged or vulnerable.This process is known as social and therapeutic horticulture (STH). It uses plants and…

My spring garden

It’s been a busy few months and I thought I’d share a few pictures from my own spring garden with you…A premium selection of daffodils I’m trialling.Carnation-flowered daffodilsThese carnation-flowered daffs have big, voluptuous blooms with a fragrance to match!Amazing…

Tulip ‘Cupcakes’ christened online

Tulip ‘Cupcakes’ christened onlineTweeter names world exclusive collectionTulip ‘Cupcakes’A chance arrangement of tulips has led to the launch of an exclusive new mix by the UK’s most successful horticultural mail order company.When Sarah King, one of Thompson &…

Christmas advent calendar 2014

There is nothing more exciting than rushing downstairs to open the door of your Christmas advent calendar for your tasty treat, even when you are told to eat your breakfast first. Young or old this tradition is enjoyed by all, but why stop at chocolate?Between 1st and 25th December we’re…

TomTato®

We were extremely happy to be selected as a TomTato® trialler for Thompson & Morgan. To grow an innovative and inspiring plant is such a great opportunity and I am here to share the journey with you. When our TomTato® arrived safe and sound I was incredibly excited to begin the growing process.…

Potato Setanta is voted ‘Best Roastie’

Potato Setanta – voted best roastieTasty red-skinned potato comes out on topWhen certain employees at Thompson & Morgan received an internal email from Paul Hansord, managing director, asking them to meet him in the staff canteen, they were unsure of what to expect.Surprised to be greeted…