Houseplant Doctor : Answers to Top Houseplant Questions

A stethoscope, pencil and notepad and some leaves on a table

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From crispy leaves to soggy succulents, our Houseplant Doctor gives expert answers to your top houseplant questions.

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Fun Houseplants for Children (& Grown Ups!)

Three cacti decorated with specs and lips

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From meat-eating plant monsters like the Venus Fly Trap to collectible cacti, there’s a houseplant out there to spark the interest of every child plus a host of creative ways to display them which will engage their imaginations. Houseplants can be a way for children to express their individuality and enjoy a sense of accomplishment in owning, learning about and caring for, their own unique plant collections.

Of course, kids don’t have to have all the fun! The plants below also make great gifts for curious grown-ups who’ll appreciate something a bit more unusual on their kitchen windowsill! (more…)

Best flowering hedges

White lace-cap flowers of Guelder Rose (Hedging) from Thompson & Morgan

Guelder Rose hedging has beautiful flowers in the spring, and vibrant red berries in the autumn
Image: Guelder Rose (Hedging) from Thompson & Morgan

Hedges are generally viewed as practical but dull garden workhorses, marking boundaries and screening ugly vistas or providing a plain backdrop to more colourful planting. But hedges don’t have to be boring, and there is a place in the garden for more flamboyant hedging choices. 

There are many hedging shrubs which offer flowers, including some practical evergreens which still perform as dense screens. Smaller flowering shrubs provide opportunities for pretty path edges or to divide up areas. Flowering hedges can provide a lift to an otherwise plain and predictable landscape, enlivening an ordinary boundary hedge with a seasonal surprise of colour.

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The Best Hedges for Chalky Soil

Cross section of chalky soil

Chalky soil can be tricky to work with
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Chalky soils can be challenging. But, with the correct soil preparation and care, there are a host of suitable hedging plants which will happily cope with these conditions. Here is an introduction to some of the best, plus an A-Z list of other species to choose from.

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The Best Hedges for Clay Soil

Red berries on a viburnum shrub

Viburnum is just one of many shrubs which thrive in moist clay soil and which make excellent candidates for hedging
Image: Viburnum opulus from Thompson & Morgan

If you are selecting hedges for clay soil, here is an introduction to some of the best available, plus an A-Z list of other species to choose from.

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