The Sun’s Peter Seabrook presenting the award for Best Online/Mail Order Retailer to Paul Hansord, Thompson & Morgan’s horticultural director.
At the annual Garden Retail Awards, held last Tuesday, 5th November at the Grosvenor Hotel on London’s Park Lane, Thompson & Morgan won the online/mail order category of The Sun’s ‘Britain’s Best Plant Retailer’ competition.
This is the second year that The Sun has run its competition in conjunction with the Garden Retail Awards, but this is the first time that the separate category of Best Online/Mail Order Retailer has been introduced.
Peter Seabrook, The Sun’s gardening editor travelled to Thompson & Morgan’s headquarters in Ipswich to present horticultural director, Paul Hansord, with a specially engraved spade.
‘We’re so pleased to have won this award’, Paul said, ‘and particularly because it’s been voted for by the gardening public. Competition is tough in online and mail order plant retailing, so we’re very proud to be placed first in this category’.
Last summer The Sun decided to celebrate the work of garden centres, retail nurseries and mail order firms who serve the gardeners of the UK through difficult times and adverse weather conditions. Sun readers were asked to vote for the company they believe is Britain’s top garden centre, retail nursery, online retailer or mail order company.
The award – a specially engraved spade.
When launching the competition in August, Peter Seabrook said in his gardening column in The Sun, ‘We are looking for the company that always offers a great range of topquality plants that represent good value – and which also gives sound and free advice and proper service.’
Recognising that for many gardeners, shopping for plants online and via mail order has become the norm, readers were encouraged this year to also vote for their favourite online and mail order plant retailers.
Whilst at Thompson & Morgan to present the award, Peter said, ‘We know how difficult it is for retailers to maintain the high quality of their plants – we had a long cold spring, scorching summer and then, more recently, we’ve had high winds and rain, so we felt it was right to celebrate the best garden retailers out there.’
Rebecca works in the Marketing department as part of the busy web team, focusing on updating the UK news and blog pages and Thompson & Morgan’s international website. Rebecca enjoys gardening and learning about flowers and growing vegetables with her young daughter.
Hyacinths are a popular spring bulb grown for their showy, colourful and highly fragrant flowers. Hyacinth bulbs can be planted in borders, containers and window boxes, looking most impressive when planted in groups. They naturally flower in the spring but they can also be forced indoors for a Christmas display. Read on to learn how to grow hyacinths successfully in your home and garden!
Hyacinth ‘Berries and Cream Mixture’
Planting hyacinth bulbs
Hyacinths are best planted in the autumn, and as with most bulbs, need a well-drained, fertile soil in full sun. Make sure the area you are planting has been cleared of weeds, and incorporate some organic matter such as well-rotted manure, recycled green waste or compost into the soil. This will help improve light or very heavy soils and provide some nutrients. Wear gloves when planting as the bulbs can be a skin irritant. Plant hyacinth bulbs at a depth of 10cm (4″), spacing them 8cm (3″) apart. Cover them with soil and lightly firm in – avoid treading them in as this may damage the growing tips. They shouldn’t need watering in if the soil is moist.
Hyacinths in pots
Hyacinths make fantastic pot plants due to their neat and compact habit, and growing them in containers allows you to enjoy the scent up close. Any compost can be used for growing hyacinths in containers – for short term displays use multi-purpose compost and for longer term displays use soil-based compost such as John Innes No.2. Lightly work some slow-release bulb fertiliser into the compost surface in early spring to help feed your bulbs for next year’s flowers. For short term displays bulbs can be planted closer together than usual for a fuller effect, spacing them 5cm (2″) apart. Once planted, ensure the compost remains moist to help them establish.
Growing hyacinth bulbs indoors
Hyacinths can be ‘forced’ for wonderfully fragrant Christmas gifts or simply to brighten up your own home! Look out for prepared hyacinth bulbs in garden centres, which have been heat-treated to initiate earlier flowering.
Start by placing a layer of damp compost into your chosen container – there is no need to add any fertiliser
Set the hyacinth bulbs on the compost, close together but not touching each other or the sides of the container
Fill around the bulbs with more compost, leaving space between the container rim and compost surface to allow for watering. The top of the bulbs should just show at the compost surface
After this, indoor hyacinth bulbs need a cold dark period, preferably around 9°C, in a shed, garage or cellar for up to 10 weeks. Cover the pots with black bin liners to stop light getting through and check them regularly, watering them sparingly if the compost feels dry
Once shoots have appeared a few inches above the compost surface, bring them indoors and place in a bright, cool position, taking care not to place them above a radiator
Water regularly when the compost dries out and they should start flowering within 3 weeks.
The perfect Christmas gift
Hyacinth aftercare
Hyacinths in pots should be watered with care, avoiding over-wetting the compost or allowing it to dry out completely. After flowering, indoor hyacinths can be planted outdoors where they will bloom the following spring.
Hyacinths grown in the ground require very little maintenance. As soon as hyacinth flowers have faded they can be removed, but do make sure you let the leaves die back naturally to feed the bulb for next year. Hyacinths often have large, dense flower spikes in their first year as they are subjected to various treatments in the nursery, but will produce fewer flowers per stem in their second year under normal growing conditions.
Find out more about growing your hyacinth bulbs both indoors and out, as well as how to grow tulips, crocus, and more fabulous bulbs at our dedicated spring flowering bulb hub page.
Rebecca works in the Marketing department as part of the busy web team, focusing on updating the UK news and blog pages and Thompson & Morgan’s international website. Rebecca enjoys gardening and learning about flowers and growing vegetables with her young daughter.
Christmas shopping can be stressful, so we’ve put together a list of our top 10 best-selling Christmas plant gifts for you! Whether you’re looking for presents for Mum, Christmas flowers, hyacinths or indoor bulbs for Christmas, you’ll find a range of great gardening Christmas gifts right here. Look out for our special offers too, helping you save money this Christmas.
We’ll send the gifts straight to your loved ones in time for Christmas and you’ll only pay one P&P charge, however many gifts you send. If you spend over £60, P&P is free!
Hibiscus ‘Festive Flair’ and ‘Pearl’
With pretty ‘candle’ buds that erupt into the most sumptuous blooms, these hibiscus plants make perfect gifts for Christmas. Each 15cm (6in) bloom lasts for 4-6 days and the plants will rebloom several times throughout the year. They can even be planted outside in a sheltered spot in the summer.
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Hyacinth Scented Pink Basket
Hyacinths for Christmas? You bet! These bright pink hyacinths have been specially coaxed to flower at Christmastime, giving your loved ones a delightful display of stylish blooms with an exquisite fragrance. The bulbs are planted into a hand-woven basket and sent just as they are sprouting to ensure that your friends and family get the most joy from their beautiful Christmas gift.
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Narcissus Tête à Tête
Packed full of dainty daffodil bulbs, this unusual Christmas gift brings a little springtime magic indoors! The bulbs will burst into bloom over Christmas and can be planted in the garden, ready for another flush of flowers in spring.
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Hyacinth ‘White Pearl Basket’
The snowy white petals make hyacinth ‘White Pearl’ the perfect Christmas indoor plant, with the added bonus of being able to plant the bulbs outdoors in spring! They come in a pretty holly basket and will flower 2-3 weeks receipt.
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Crocus in a Pot
Presented in a gorgeous zinc pot, this unique Christmas gift just keeps on giving! The crocus bulbs burst into life in cool white and warm purple tones, giving a spring-like feel to the dark days of winter. Plant them outside after flowering for more blooms the following spring.
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Princettia®
The ultimate in Christmas flowers, Princettia® flowers its heart out for up to 6 months in the colder months of the year! With its strong stems and pink flowers that cover the whole plant, it adds a wonderful touch of brightness to any room. It’ll even tolerate draughts and central heating!
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Surprise Gift
If you’re really stuck for Christmas gift ideas or on a tight budget, we’ve got the perfect solution. For just £9.99 you can send your loved ones a gift worth at least £12.99, or for £14.99 they’ll receive a gift worth at least £18.99.
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Topiary Plant Pets
If you’re looking for outdoor Christmas plants to send as a fun gift this year, our topiary plant pets may be just what you’re looking for. One of our best-selling Christmas gifts, you can choose from either the cat or squirrel. Each set comes with a cat or squirrel frame and one buxus (box) plant in a 9cm pot.
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Holly Tree ‘Golden King’
New to our range this Christmas, this handsome holly tree looks fabulous all year round with its glossy green and gold foliage, white spring flowers and red winter berries. Grow it in a pot on the patio or as a feature plant in the garden.
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Mini Azalea Trio
Perfect for the mantelpiece, windowsill or as a table decoration, these miniature plants make excellent gifts with their bright colours.
Rebecca works in the Marketing department as part of the busy web team, focusing on updating the UK news and blog pages and Thompson & Morgan’s international website. Rebecca enjoys gardening and learning about flowers and growing vegetables with her young daughter.
Great British Garden Revival
Thompson & 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 December on BBC Two and the series of 10 hour-long programmes includes episodes on wild flowers, shrubberies, front gardens, cottage gardens, ornamental bedding and lots more. Filming took place at Thompson & Morgan’s trial grounds in Suffolk for the ‘bedding’ episode – we don’t yet know when it will be aired, but we’ll keep you posted.
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Playing outside is really important
Project Wild Thing
According to recent research, children are very out of touch with nature, with many rarely going outside to play, even though many studies show that spending time outside increases their health, well-being and happiness. Project Wild Thing calls for everyone to ‘Swap screen time for wild time’ and get outdoors to reconnect with nature. If you’re stuck for ideas or pushed for time, an app is available to download to iOS and Android devices with loads of ideas, taking from mere minutes to hours and days – it’s up to you how much you do.
Rebecca works in the Marketing department as part of the busy web team, focusing on updating the UK news and blog pages and Thompson & Morgan’s international website. Rebecca enjoys gardening and learning about flowers and growing vegetables with her young daughter.
Eating broccoli may help to slow the progress of arthritis According to new research, the first study into the effect of sulforaphane, a compound found in cruciferous vegetables, on joint health shows that eating broccoli may reduce cartilage damage and osteoarthritis. So far tests have only been carried out on mice, human cartilage cells and cow cartilage tissue, but this new research shows that it could help to slow the progress of the disease which affects 8.5 million people in the UK. Scientists involved in the research are now keen to see how it works in humans. There is currently no pharmaceutical treatment for osteoarthritis and this may show that treatment through diet could be a safe alternative.
Record sightings of slugs
Keep an eye out for slugs Is the advice from the folks at slugwatch.co.uk. They’re asking members of the public to log sightings of slugs, especially large numbers of the slimy critters. They’re particularly interested in hearing about Spanish slugs, which were first spotted in the UK in 2012 and have the potential to be a problem. They reproduce in much larger numbers than native species and experts trying to find out whether the Spanish slugs have bred with our native species. If this is the case, it could mean that the new ‘hybrid’ slugs are able to tolerate different conditions, even frost tolerance. They’d also like to know if predators such as hedgehogs or birds are spotted eating them, as slug slime is often a deterrent.
Invasive beetle deals new blow to ash trees The Emerald Ash Borer beetle (EAB) is making its way across Europe from the Far East and poses a significant threat to ash trees. Already prolific in North America, where it has spread up to 25 miles each year and killed tens of millions of trees, it has also been in Moscow since 2007 and the population is spreading. In the UK, several biosecurity measures are already in place to prevent the accidental introduction of EAB.
To find out more about growing your own brassicas, head over to our brassica hub page for growers’ guides, recipe suggestions, and our own range of plants and seeds.
Rebecca works in the Marketing department as part of the busy web team, focusing on updating the UK news and blog pages and Thompson & Morgan’s international website. Rebecca enjoys gardening and learning about flowers and growing vegetables with her young daughter.
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