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Another Plant of the Year award for T&M?
Chelsea Flower Show entries – another Plant of the Year award for Thompson & Morgan?After last year’s exciting win at RHS Chelsea Flower Show with the spectacular foxglove ‘Illumination Pink’, Thompson & Morgan announces its contenders for this year’s Plant of…
Gardening with grasses
Hakonechloa macra and Ophiopogon combine to create this stunning borderImage: dogwooddays Do your borders lack colour, height and movement throughout the year? Professional garden designer Nic Wilson of dogwooddays recently redesigned the beds in her own back garden to striking effect. Her secret…
Grow your own summer drinks recipes
Enjoy sharing homegrown food and drinks this summer Image: Jack Frog There's nothing more satisfying than sharing fresh, homegrown produce with friends and family on a warm summer evening. Except, perhaps, relaxing with a cool sundowner to properly enjoy the garden you've spent all year working on!…
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…
Top 10 summer bedding plants
Summer bedding plants don’t all have to be petunias and marigolds! As well as the more common bedding plants there are a huge range of annual bedding plants you can grow for height, scent and colour, from cornflowers and sweet peas to rudbeckia and zinnias. Some, such as petunias and…
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…
Is it ripe yet?
Growing your own crops is so satisfying, not forgetting about all the health benefits of eating fresh vegetables too. We spend a lot of time caring for our crops, protecting them from frosts, fighting off pests and disease and generally nurturing them until they are ready to harvest. However,…
T&M's top 10 trends for 2019
In an ever changing gardening world, everyone is looking for both short term and long term drivers which we use to shape the way that we British gardeners use our outdoor spaces. We took a look at what we at T&M thought would be the top 10 trends for 2019:1. Hot colours and cold hardinessOur…
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…
Favourite scented plants, voted by RHS members
The RHS conducted a survey in spring 2013, in which it asked its members for their favourite scented plants.Traditional flowers such as sweet peas, hyacinths and honeysuckle topped the list, which consisted mainly of spring-flowering plants. We’ve selected one of our own best-selling plants…
DIY Dahlia Festival
It always intrigues me how different plants come in and out of fashion. Dahlias are one such plant that has ridden the roller coaster of popularity over the last century - but right now, they are definitely on the up! ®Sue Sanderson, Thompson & Morgan - Dahlias at Anglesey Abbey,…
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…
Top 10 Hardy Perennial Herbs to Plant Once and Harvest for Years
Herbs are incredibly useful for culinary and medicinal purposes. Perennial herbs get to spread their roots for many years, so they're great at looking after themselves. They'll provide you with harvest after harvest, thriving on little to no TLC. There's no need to re-plant them every year, saving…
3 simple ways to combine ornamental and edible planting
This ornamental garden consists of flowers and leafy vegetables. Image: Arjuna Kodisinghe Picking your own fruit, vegetables and herbs is one of the highlights of the gardening year, but you don't have to turn your garden into an allotment in order to grow and harvest your own food. There are many…
Hedges for Wildlife
Go native and plant the ultimate wildlife hotel! Winter is the perfect time for hedge planting, and if you seriously want to put conservation into action, planting a native hedge is an easy and effective way to help some of our most threatened UK species. For most of us, large trees and woodland…
Roses masterclass: best expert content
Roses are quintessential English country garden plants Image: Rose 'Belle du Jour' from Thompson & Morgan Delve into these gems of expert knowledge to help you grow fabulous roses in your garden. We've scoured the internet to find the best planting, propagating and pruning advice from a wide…
Thompson & Morgan Announces RHS Chelsea Flower Show Entries
Following our success at RHS Chelsea Flower Show last year, we are proud to present our entries for Plant of the Year 2019. Clematis Kokonoe', Nepeta Neptune' and Ajuga Princess Nadia' Clematis 'Kokonoe' - Uniquely changing flower shape; flowers open as single blooms and develop into flamboyant…
Perfect gardens: tips for growing veg
Growing your own fresh fruit and veg is hugely rewardingImage: Wollertz Decided to try to grow your own? Growing veg in your garden takes less effort than you might think and is a cost-effective way to enjoy delicious herbs, fruit and vegetables. To help you take your first steps, some of our…
The secret life of plants
The root structure of the date palm is a thing of beauty. Image source: The Hidden Half project, University of Nottingham Gardening could be described as bending nature to our will. It's the selection, planting, shaping, pruning, training, pollinating, pinching, grafting, thinning out and…
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…
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…
What to plant in 2014
What to plant in 2014 – Thompson & Morgan’s New Year’s Honours ListWith Christmas over and a new year beginning, Thompson & Morgan is looking forward to a bumper year in gardens up and down the country. So what are the hot tips for 2014 in the plant world?TomTato™In…
Beat the slugs
Protect your garden from these troublesome gastropods Image: Dmitri_ESTONIA_TALLINN/shutterstock Slugs are officially the gardener's No 1 enemy. Turn your back for a gardening moment, and these tough-skinned terrestrial molluscs will completely shred new shoots and tender lettuces. Given that they…
The difference between onions and shallots
Shallots are an underappreciated cousin of the onionImage: Shallot 'Griselle' from Thompson & Morgan. If you normally grow onions, have you considered planting shallots alongside them? These oval alliums offer a unique flavour profile, prized in French and Asian cuisine. Here we explain the…
Plants on trial – a sneaky peak
I have always been a fan of over the top, in your face bedding displays and every year I plant out hundreds of plants in beds, pots and baskets. Over the last few years, due to work commitments, I have been finding the up keep a bit difficult.Alstroemeria ‘Planet Mix’Last year I planted…
Perfect for pollinators
Give your garden a pollinator friendly makeoverImage: Dogwooddays Planting for pollinating insects has never been more important. As insect populations decline across the world, we need to find ways to help these essential invertebrates, for our future as well as theirs. Gardeners can play a vital…
Pollinator Plants
Bees, birds and butterflies are reducing in numbers and whilst the cold weather is contributing to their reduction, there are so many things we can do to help increase their numbers.By growing more pollinator friendly plants, you can provide food for our pollinating insects. Simple right? However,…
News update from Thompson & Morgan
Alstromeria Holiday Valley, Alstromeria Spring Valley' and Alstromeria Times Valley' Further 'reveals' from our new Spring RangeWe've just released details and images of a number of new products that will feature in our Spring 2020 range. All three of the striking varieties in the new Summer…
Hydrangea Glam Rock – colour changes in different soils
Hydrangea ‘Glam Rock’ – colour changes in different soilsThe ever-changing colours of hydrangea ‘Glam Rock’One of our fastest selling shrubs ever, hydrangea ‘Glam Rock’ (sometimes also known by the tongue-twister name of ‘Schloss Wackerbarth’)…
Spread The Love
I'm really not a fan of the aforementioned festive season, but I've suddenly realised that I lurve January! The inclement weather gives me the perfect excuse to be bone idle guilt free. Mind you, some things can't wait, especially when you are up against the horticultural prowess of Diane, she of…
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?…
How to improve clay or sandy soils with leafmould
How to improve clay or sandy soils with leafmouldLeafmould is the black gold of gardening. Ten or more years back, I worked in nursery on a rare hill on the Suffolk Essex border. We are talking small scale, husband and wife team, working all hours of day and days of year. The only time off was to…
Fantastic foliage: 18 plants to green your garden
Foliage adds structure, depth and interest to any garden planting schemeImage: Shutterstock Foliage gives your garden all year-round interest. Not only does it fill the gaps between flowers, it's a good way to add vibrancy to shady areas. We've chosen 18 of our favourite plants includingconifers,…
Easy crops to grow for beginners
Being a beginner gardener is exciting and refreshing, and there will always be something for you to do and learn about your garden. But where do you start? Which soil do you use? How to prune? When to Sow? How do you grow plants? The questions are endless! We have collated 10 easy crops to grow for…
Inspiring kids to love the garden
Discovering the wonder of nature is a lifelong journey. Image source: Oksana Kuzmina My own childhood memories of high summer are filled with light, scent and taste: my dad's mesembryanthemums with their candy-coloured faces following the sun, honeysuckle perfume saturating the evening air and…
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