by Annelise Brilli | May 4, 2022 | Gardening Posts, Spring gardening
Lupins and alliums are classic cottage garden plants for May – their contrasting shapes work beautifully together
Image: Shutterstock
May is a fabulous time in the garden – fresh spring foliage is injected with colour from early herbaceous perennials, tulips give way to alliums and iris, whilst numerous flowering shrubs such as rhododendrons, viburnum and weigela launch into bloom and the air is perfumed with lilacs. At the end of the month the world’s greatest flower show returns at Chelsea, inspiring gardeners for another busy season.
To keep up with your garden tasks, turn to my jobs to do in May blog . But before you roll you sleeves up and get stuck in, let’s have a look at some of this month’s best plants!
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Annelise Brilli is the Horticultural Copywriter for Thompson and Morgan. Annelise caught the gardening bug from her mother, whose tiny backyard was crammed with a huge collection of plants. As an adult, she had a career change into horticulture, gaining a training apprenticeship with the National Trust at Powis Castle Garden in Welshpool. She went on to work in a range of private and public gardens, later running a garden design and maintenance business. She is passionate about sustainable gardening and has developed her own wildlife-friendly garden which she has opened as part of Macmillan Coastal Garden Trail.
by Annelise Brilli | Apr 28, 2022 | Gardening Posts, Spring gardening
Zinnia varieties come in deliciously fruity shades
Image: Canva
I’m an unabashed lover of zinnias. There is something about the luminosity of their colours and their unique shape – a ruff of stiff petals surrounding a central cone which is crowned with star-shaped golden florets – which I find irresistible. But when I mention zinnias so many people shake their heads and say they have no end of trouble growing them from seed. But they’re actually easy. All you need to do is observe one simple rule!
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Annelise Brilli is the Horticultural Copywriter for Thompson and Morgan. Annelise caught the gardening bug from her mother, whose tiny backyard was crammed with a huge collection of plants. As an adult, she had a career change into horticulture, gaining a training apprenticeship with the National Trust at Powis Castle Garden in Welshpool. She went on to work in a range of private and public gardens, later running a garden design and maintenance business. She is passionate about sustainable gardening and has developed her own wildlife-friendly garden which she has opened as part of Macmillan Coastal Garden Trail.
by Annelise Brilli | Apr 27, 2022 | Gardening Posts, Spring gardening
Image: Canva
The garden is really racing ahead and it’s a job to keep up with it. Getting on with tasks now will enhance your summer displays, but don’t forget to give yourself some time to relax outside and just enjoy it!
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Annelise Brilli is the Horticultural Copywriter for Thompson and Morgan. Annelise caught the gardening bug from her mother, whose tiny backyard was crammed with a huge collection of plants. As an adult, she had a career change into horticulture, gaining a training apprenticeship with the National Trust at Powis Castle Garden in Welshpool. She went on to work in a range of private and public gardens, later running a garden design and maintenance business. She is passionate about sustainable gardening and has developed her own wildlife-friendly garden which she has opened as part of Macmillan Coastal Garden Trail.
by Annelise Brilli | Apr 7, 2022 | Gardening Posts, Pests & Diseases
Image: Canva
The sight of tender shoots pushing through warming spring soil lifts the heart of every gardener. After weeks of anticipation the garden is finally moving. We rush to the greenhouse and start frantically sowing, gleefully admiring trays brimming with new seedlings. Hoes and rakes are joyfully unleashed from dark sheds, the soil is tilled, seeds are scattered. At the end of the day, as sunlight rakes across our tired but satisfied brows, visions of perfect lettuces, juicy peas and drifts of flowering annuals dance before our eyes. Spring – the season of optimism!
But behind that optimism is a hidden anxiety. There is something nasty lurking under the leaf litter at the back of your mind. And suddenly, in one damp night, swathes of innocent baby seedlings are ruthlessly massacred, eager buds nipped off in their prime, precious young shoots ripped to shreds. Yes! Those monstrous molluscs have returned: Slugs and snails.
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Annelise Brilli is the Horticultural Copywriter for Thompson and Morgan. Annelise caught the gardening bug from her mother, whose tiny backyard was crammed with a huge collection of plants. As an adult, she had a career change into horticulture, gaining a training apprenticeship with the National Trust at Powis Castle Garden in Welshpool. She went on to work in a range of private and public gardens, later running a garden design and maintenance business. She is passionate about sustainable gardening and has developed her own wildlife-friendly garden which she has opened as part of Macmillan Coastal Garden Trail.
by Annelise Brilli | Mar 21, 2022 | Gardening Posts
Cossetted within their velveteen coats, the buds of magnolia trees are just beginning to unfurl their voluptuous, vase-like blooms and wow crowds with a spectacular spring performance. If you’ve ever gasped in awe at a magnolia in full bloom but dismissed them as too difficult to grow yourself, then think again. Modern cultivars are increasingly versatile and reliable, with many being suitable for smaller gardens and even container growing.
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Annelise Brilli is the Horticultural Copywriter for Thompson and Morgan. Annelise caught the gardening bug from her mother, whose tiny backyard was crammed with a huge collection of plants. As an adult, she had a career change into horticulture, gaining a training apprenticeship with the National Trust at Powis Castle Garden in Welshpool. She went on to work in a range of private and public gardens, later running a garden design and maintenance business. She is passionate about sustainable gardening and has developed her own wildlife-friendly garden which she has opened as part of Macmillan Coastal Garden Trail.
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