by Annelise Brilli | Mar 4, 2022 | Gardening Posts, House plants
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From crispy leaves to soggy succulents, our Houseplant Doctor gives expert answers to your top houseplant questions.
How often should I water my houseplant?
Image: Thompson & Morgan
There is no fixed rule because how often you need to water your houseplant depends on a host of environmental factors (light, temperature, time of year) and the individual species. Bear in mind that overwatering is often more fatal than underwatering as most plants have natural strategies to cope with short periods of drought but are less able to survive flooding. If you find watering a chore there are plenty of dry loving plants which cope well with neglect. For more information on watering see our Houseplant Watering Guide.
Why have the leaves of my houseplant gone yellow?
Leaf yellowing can often be caused by overwatering
Image: Dracaena from Thompson and Morgan
Observe whether it is the leaves at the top or bottom which are showing signs of yellowing.
The lower leaves of your plant may occasionally go yellow and drop and this is quite a normal part of the plant growth process. However, if a lot of the leaves are affected then environmental factors are to blame. Often, lower leaf yellowing is a sign of incorrect watering, most frequently overwatering. Tip your plant out of its pot and check the root ball. If necessary, dry it out thoroughly by standing it on a bed of newspaper.
When the upper leaves of a houseplant go yellow this can be an indication of nutrient deficiency caused by watering with hard water or by lack of nitrogen in the compost. Nutrient deficiencies are often indicated by a distinct pattern of discolouration known as ‘interveinal chlorosis.’ This means that the leaf veins remain dark green whilst the tissue between the veins yellows or becomes pale. Treat your houseplant to a liquid feed and see if the problem improves.
If the leaves have gone yellow on the side which is away from the window, then lack of light could be the issue. Turn your plants regularly or find them a brighter spot.
How do I choose the right plant?
There are so many different houseplants to choose from it can be difficult to know where to start
Image: Thompson & Morgan
Firstly, decide on where you are going to put your houseplant. If you have a bright room which is south or west facing, then your choice is unrestricted. But if you want a plant for a north-facing room which doesn’t get direct sunlight, you will need to be more careful and choose plants which can cope with lower light levels. For more information see our Houseplant Lighting Guide.
Secondly, make a realistic assessment of your level of gardening experience and how much time you have. There are a vast number of easy to maintain plants, see our Top Ten Easiest Houseplants. Once you have decided on the environment and level of maintenance then you can get creative about decorating with plants.
Should I water my plant from above or below?
There are some houseplants which are much happier with bottom watering. This includes dry loving species which are prone to root and stem rots such as cacti and succulents. Other plants do not like water on their leaves or crowns including Saintpaulia (African Violet), Gloxinia (Sinninga speciosa) and Cyclamen.
With these plants you should always seat the pot in a saucer. After filling the saucer with water leave the plant for about half an hour to absorb the water. Don’t leave them to sit in water for long periods and allow the plant to drain fully after watering.
The majority of other houseplants are fine with watering from above.
Which houseplant can I put in a dark room?
Aspidistra are able to cope with low light levels
Image: Thompson & Morgan
Plants can’t survive without light but Aspidistra elatior (Cast Iron Plant) is especially tolerant of low light levels as its natural habitat is the deep, dry shade of the forest floor. Low light levels will slow down plant growth so you can compensate for this by treating your plant to a lighter spot for at least some of the growing season.
What are the easiest houseplants to grow?
The three top bombproof houseplants are Aspidistra elatior (Cast Iron Plant), Sansevieria (Mother in Law’s Tongue) and Zamioculcas zamiifolia (ZZ plant). All of these will tolerate a substantial amount of neglect and you can read more about them and other low maintenance plants in my Top 10 Easiest Houseplants.
7. How do I know if a plant needs repotting?
Image: Thompson & Morgan
It’s important not to repot your houseplant unnecessarily as it could result in plants becoming overwatered. Generally, houseplants enjoy being quite snug in their pots. Be especially careful with dry loving species such as cacti and succulents and plants which have naturally shallow root systems. If your plant is growing happily, leave it alone!
When repotting is needed, it will become difficult to water your plant. The root ball will be so congested that water and liquid fertiliser fails to penetrate. Roots will also poke out of the drainage holes which might make it difficult for you to release the plant from its pot. Growth is slowed down or halted.
Tip your plant out of its pot and examine the root ball. The plant is pot bound if the root ball is very dense, with roots circling round and round the pot so that there is little compost visible in the bottom third.
Do any potting up early in the growing season when your plant is in active growth and will have time to expand into its new pot long before winter dormancy. Bear in mind that potting up will cause your plant to grow larger. If this isn’t wanted, then lightly trim the bottom of the roots instead. When you do pot up don’t reach for an extra-large pot. Choose a container which is only 1-2cm in diameter larger than the existing pot. Moderate your watering regime afterwards as until the plant roots have expanded into their new pot they will be surrounded by a layer of wet compost. Be sure to use the correct compost for your plant type; most houseplants enjoy a free-draining medium.
Why has my houseplant grown tall and spindly?
This is most likely a problem with lack of light. Other tell-tale signs are uneven growth, with the plant stretching towards the light and small pale leaves. It is a common problem in the winter when your home remains warm due to central heating which encourages active growth at a time when there isn’t enough light to support it.
Where possible, move your plant into a lighter position. In the winter, you can encourage your plant to go into a resting phase by watering it less and keeping it in a cool spot. For more answers to houseplant questions on lighting see our Houseplant Lighting Guide.
Why have are the leaves of my houseplant gone brown at the edges?
Image: Thompson & Morgan
If just the edges or tips of the leaves have gone brown, this is normally a problem with dry air or draughts. Move your plants away from radiators and mist them regularly or stand them on a bed of pebbles in a tray full of water.
Also check for any watering issues. See Overwatering or Underwatering below.
Why is my houseplant suddenly dropping leaves?
Ficus benjamina can sometimes drop their leaves
Image: Ficus benjamina from Thompson & Morgan
This quite often happens when you bring a new houseplant home or when you move a plant from one room to another. Ficus benjamina are especially prone to leaf drop.
It indicates a sudden change of conditions, the most common being variations in watering, light and temperature.
Overwatering or Underwatering
Firstly, check the potting compost and if necessary, tip the root ball out of its pot to have a good look at it. Feel the compost and assess the moisture level. If the root ball is soggy then you have overwatered, it. Quickly remedy this by standing the bare root ball on some newspapers. Keep refreshing the damp newspaper until the root ball has sufficiently dried out. Unfortunately, overwatering can cause irreversible damage. In future, avoid leaving your plant to sit in water. Take care to ease off watering during the winter months when the plant is not actively growing.
If the root ball is very dry it may be that you have underwatered it. Try to maintain a consistent level of water during the growing season whilst allowing the top few centimetres of compost to dry out between waterings.
Changes in Light
Too little light can cause the lower leaves to drop and is a common cause of leaf drop in Ficus benjamina. Try to provide as much light for your plant as possible, particularly during the winter. For more answers to houseplant questions on lighting, see our Houseplant Lighting Guide.
Changes in Temperature
A change in position, room, seasons or temperature can cause leaf drop. This frequently happens with new plants which have transferred from a warm and humid greenhouse environment to a cool, dry home. Other stressors include turning on the heating in winter, placing plants near radiators or in drafts.
Try to find a position for your houseplants where the environment is consistent. Newly bought plants may take a while to acclimatise and should gradually recover by themselves providing their other needs are met.
Why has my succulent/cacti gone rotten at the base and keeled over?
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This is normally caused by overwatering. Unfortunately, it indicates that the roots have rotten and the damage is irreversible. However, with succulents you may be able to trim the stem back to healthy material and repot it to grow new roots.
Vine weevil grub
Image from Thompson & Morgan
Another frequent cause of this problem with succulents is vine weevil grubs – particularly if you have left your plants to stand outside in the summer months and then brought them back under cover for the winter. These grubs eat all the roots leaving a hollow stem and the whole rosette becomes detached from the soil. When you remove the rosette, you should be able to spot C shaped, creamy bugs about 10mm long with brown heads. As above, trim off all the dead and damaged parts and a few of the leaves so you have enough of a stem to re-anchor the plant and pot it up into a new container. The rosette will grow new roots. If vine weevil is a frequent problem, avoid the use of pesticides and treat your plants with biological nematodes which parasitise the vine weevil grubs.
We hope we have answered your houseplant questions, if you would like more information on houseplant care, view our other Houseplant Blogs.
To find the perfect houseplant for your space, and plenty of top growing advice, head over to our houseplant hub page.
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 | Feb 21, 2022 | Gardening Posts
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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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 | Feb 17, 2022 | Gardening Posts
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.
Chalky soils tend to be shallow, deficient in minerals and prone to summer drought. In these conditions plants may exhibit weak growth and develop ‘chlorosis’ – this is when leaves become yellow or pale due to nutrient deficiencies. They may also suffer from water stress. If the top soil is very thin, with a hard chalk layer inhibiting root growth, these problems will be worsened by a small, shallow root ball.
When planting on chalky soil, thoroughly prepare and improve the ground by taking the following steps:
- On very shallow ground, use a mattock to break up hard chalk layers so that your hedging plant has at least 45cm depth of friable ground to root into.
- Add plenty of organic matter, such as compost or farmyard manure, into your planting mixture.
- After planting, apply a thick mulch of around 3 inches (7.5cm) around the root zone of the plants but leave a gap between the mulch and the stem to avoid stem rot. Replace the mulch as often as you can.
- Pay close attention to watering.
- Look out for signs of any nutrient deficiency and apply a general purpose fertiliser in spring if required.
Beech
Beech is a timeless choice which lends itself to both traditional and contemporary gardens
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Undoubtedly my favourite hedging plant is the Common Beech, a species which grows extremely happily on chalk. Despite being a deciduous species, when grown as a hedge it makes an excellent alternative to evergreen hedging, providing all year-round screening and interest. This is due to a phenomenon called ‘marcescence,’ which means that it holds on to its foliage throughout the winter. The sight of its orange-brown foliage in the winter sun is one of the glories of the winter garden. In spring, the new leaves emerge early in May and are a fresh, bright green providing a classic backdrop to all styles of planting and architecture. Beech hedges grow happily in full sun and freely draining sites but are unsuited to wet or heavy soils in shade.
Beech hedges hold onto their leaves throughout winter providing colour and screening all year round
Image: Thompson & Morgan
Cotoneaster
The flowers of Cotoneaster are nectar rich and attract plenty of bees
Image: Thompson & Morgan
Cotoneaster is a hugely diverse genus ranging from ground-hugging shrubs to specimen trees and there is a place for one in every garden. Many make excellent hedging species with multiple ornamental qualities. From mid spring to late summer, they produce white to pinkish flowers borne from the previous year’s growth. These flowers are packed with nectar and much loved by bees. The flowers give way to fruits, which are often prolific and come in a variety of colours. Cotoneasters thrive in well-drained soils and have a particularly liking for chalk and limestone, coping well with poor, shallow soils. They are some of the most wind-hardy shrubs and are perfect for exposed gardens or coastal areas where they will comfortably cope with salt laden winds. They are also tolerant of atmospheric pollution, making them invaluable hedging plants for urban gardens to block out traffic noise and emissions. All of them are tolerant of pruning and easily maintained as hedges.
Cotoneaster franchetii
Cotoneaster franchetii provides dense semi-evergreen screening and colour in the form of bright red berries
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Cotoneaster franchetii makes an evergreen to semi-evergreen hedge with small grey-green leaves which are white beneath. Although it may lose some of its leaves in cold winters, this is a natural response and in spring new leaves will readily replace them. This cotoneaster bears slender arching branches which in early summer become clothed in clusters of pinkish-white flowers. Generous bunches of bright orange-red berries are produced from October to November providing a valuable food source for birds. Tolerant of sea winds and excellent for coastal gardens.
Cotoneaster lucidus
Cotoneaster lucidus has rich autumn foliage
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This deciduous Cotoneaster offers the benefit of fiery autumn colour turning through shades of yellow, deep pink and red. The small, shiny green leaves create a dense wall of foliage during the growing season and are followed by black fruits.
Euonymus
Use Euonymus ‘Ovatus Aureus’ for a brighter coloured hedge
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You can’t go wrong with a Euonymus hedge and there are so many varieties to choose from. The tough, low maintenance, evergreen varieties are infinitely adaptable, but happiest in freely draining soils including chalky ones.
Euonymus japonicus will grow into a large hedge of up to 4metres if allowed and has bright, glossy, plain green leaves. If you like the plain green but don’t need the height, ‘Green Spire’ and ‘Green Rocket’ make compact, medium hedges of around 1m tall. Their dense foliage is a good alternative to box and can be shaped into topiary balls.
The species Euonymus japonicus will grow into a very tall hedge if allowed, but there are plenty of cultivars which offer more dwarf forms and varied foliage colours
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Other Japonicus cultivars offer beautifully variegated leaves. Subtle cream and green cultivars include ‘Kathy’ and ‘President Gauthier’. There is also the smaller and unusual variety, ‘Himalaya’ which has creamy-white juvenile leaves giving a snowy effect. Himalaya is particularly dwarf, only growing to around a foot (30cm). If you would like to inject a bit more brightness, choose the golden tones of Euonymus japonicus ‘Aureomarginatus’ or ‘Ovatus Aureus’.
Euonymus japonicus Himalaya
Image: Plantipp / Visions BV, Netherlands
Amongst the deciduous Euonymus, Euonymus europaeus is the one to pick for hedging and deserves to be more widely grown.
The striking pink seed heads of Euonymus europaeus open like little parcels, revealing orange ‘arils’ inside
Image: Thompson & Morgan
This native shrub or small tree becomes a blaze of colour in the autumn when the leaves turn a fiery red and are accompanied by pink fruit which open to reveal bright orange seeds. It makes a beautiful native hedge and is a great wildlife plant, providing food sources for moths and other insects.
Our native spindle takes on beautiful pink and yellow tints in the autumn
Image: Thompson & Morgan
Thuja plicata (Western Red Cedar)
The foliage sprays of Thuja plicata quickly create a dense screen
Image: Thompson & Morgan
For an evergreen, coniferous hedge in chalky gardens, you can’t go better than Thuja plicata or Western Red Cedar. Unlike the notorious Leylandii, Western Red Cedar is fast growing without being uncontrollable, and at a growth rate of 40-60cm per year it will quickly reach your chosen height.
Unlike Leylandii, it also doesn’t have the annoying habit of dying back if you try to cut into old wood, meaning that even neglected or overgrown hedges can be re-shaped. The dark green, scale-like leaves are held in sprays and release a pineapple aroma when crushed. This unfussy conifer will cope with sun or shade and quickly forms a wonderfully dense hedge which absorbs noise and traffic pollution as well as providing privacy. The most popular variety is Thuja plicata ‘Atrovirens’ which has a more slender and elegant form than the plain species. It can be kept at a hedge of about 1.5-6m high. If you are looking for a lower hedge for a smaller garden, then Thuja plicata ‘Can Can’ is a suitable semi-dwarf form.
A-Z List of Hedges for Chalk
Abelia
Beech
Berberis
Buxus
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana
Choisya
Cistus
Cotoneaster
Elder
Eleagnus
Euonymus
Fuchsia
Griselinia littoralis
Hazel
Hebe
Hypericum
Lavender
Ligustrum (Privet)
Lonicera nitida
Malus
Olearia
Philadelphus
Pittosporum
Potentilla fruticosa
Prunus
Pyrus communis
Quercus ilex (Holm oak)
Rosemary
Sorbus aucuparia (Rowan)
Spindle (Euonymus europaeus)
Spiraea
Thuja plicata
Viburnum lantana
Find hedging plants for other soil types, along with plenty of top planting and pruning advice, at our tree and hedge hub page.
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 | Feb 7, 2022 | Gardening Posts
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.
Clay soils demand tough plants which can cope with wet soil in winter and baked hard soils in the summer. But on the plus side, these soils are also nutrient rich. Choose the right plants and they will be strong-growing and long-lived.
Top Tips for Planting Hedges on Clay Soils
- Improve your soil with bulky organic matter which contains a good proportion of fibrous material, such as strawy manure, composted bark or recycled garden waste.
- Plant when the soil is moist but not saturated.
- Remedy any serious drainage problems before planting by installing drainage pipes.
- Avoid planting too deep on clay soils as this can cause stem rot. Slightly raised planting relieves this problem and assists drainage.
- Be vigilant about watering young plants especially during spring and summer. Clay soils can dry hard and become difficult to re-wet. If you are struggling, build up the soil to form a ‘watering basin’ and minimise run-off. When you water, give the plants a thorough soak.
Laurel
Prunus will quickly grow into a neat, dense hedge
Image: Prunus laurocerasus ‘Rotundifolia’ from Thompson & Morgan
Laurel is a popular hedging plant for good reason. It quickly grows into a dense evergreen hedge, providing screening and privacy as well as excellent cover for birds.
The Cherry Laurel, Prunus laurocerasus, is one of the fastest growing evergreens. Bearing large, glossy, oval leaves it quickly forms a hedge with a coarse texture and bright green colour. The fragrant blooms are a magnet for pollinating insects and are followed by decorative red/black berries. This tough performer is highly versatile, coping with sun or shade, coastal gardens and poor growing conditions.
Laurel produces attractive flowers which are a magnet for pollinating insects
Image: Prunus laurocerasus ‘Mount Vernon’ from Thompson & Morgan
There are various cultivars available. ‘Rotundifolia‘ is a particularly vigorous and handsome variety which is readily available. ‘Etna’ is unusual for its bronze-orange foliage when young which matures to the familiar glossy green. ‘Novita‘ is an exceptionally hardy and robust variety recommended for the most difficult planting situations. ‘Caucasica’ has narrower, longer and darker green leaves than the common Cherry Laurel.
If you like the look of laurel but want something less vigorous and low growing both Prunus laurocerasus ‘Otto Luyken’ and ‘Mount Vernon’ are dwarf varieties which are suitable for low hedging and make superb ground cover for tricky spots such as under trees and large shrubs. ‘Mount Vernon’ has slender, darker green leaves.
Portugal laurel has more elegant foliage and habit but is slower growing
Image: Prunus lusitanica from Thompson & Morgan
For a laurel hedge with a darker, finer texture, then opt for Portugal Laurel, Prunus lusitanica. This is slower growing than Prunus laurocerasus and therefore a little more expensive. But its smaller, and more slender pointed leaves of a rich deep green create a shrub with more elegance than Cherry Laurel. Prunus lusitanica ‘Angustifolia’ has won an RHS AGM for its neat, dense habit with conspicuously purple coloured young stems and leaves which are smaller and narrower than the species.
Elaeagnus
Elaeagnus makes a colourful hedge. ‘Eleador’ has yellow foliage which is ideal for brightening dark spots
Image: Elaeagnus x ebbingei ‘Eleador’ from Thompson & Morgan
If you are looking for an evergreen hedge which also offers colour then Elaeagnus is a great choice. This is another tough shrub which is excellent for difficult areas or coastal, exposed gardens. With a large range of cultivars offering different leaf variation, it offers equal interest to Holly but is much faster growing. As well as a splash of colour during the cold winter months it also produces tiny white flowers in the autumn which aren’t much to look at but have a fabulous fragrance.
The common species, Elaeagnus ebbingei, has grey-green leaves with a metallic sheen and makes a subtle backdrop. ‘Viveleg‘ and ‘Gilt Edge’ are similar in appearance with broad gold leaf margins contrasting with a darker green centre. ‘Eleador’ is an especially bright variety, with greenish yellow foliage merging into an irregular edge of darker green. It is useful for lighting up dark, drab areas.
All Elaegnus will happily cope with sun or partial shade and drought-prone soils.
Pyracantha
Thorny Pyracantha makes a good security hedge and comes in yellow, orange and red berried varieties
Image: Darby Nursery Stock Ltd
Forming a dense, thorny hedge whilst also providing flowers and colourful fruit, Pyracantha is both practical and highly ornamental. Birds will enjoy it too, as it offers excellent nesting sites and food sources. Burglars won’t admire it though – its big spines are very unfriendly and good gloves are required when trimming, although there are some less thorny varieties.
Fast growing, it will cope with partial shade, but the best berries are produced in full sun. Well-trimmed hedges produce lots of short, flowering side-shoots in spring which turn into ribbons of colour in the autumn. Choose from red berried cultivars ‘Red Column’ or the less thorny ‘Red Star’; orange-berried ‘Golden Charmer’ or ‘Orange Glow’ or the yellow-berried ‘Soleil d’Or’.
Viburnum
Viburnum tinus creates a tough evergreen screen with the added attraction of flowers from late winter to spring.
Image: Viburnum tinus ‘Lisarose’ from Thompson & Morgan
A viburnum exists for virtually every garden and enjoying moist soils they will readily adapt to heavy clays. They are not flashy plants, but have an understated dignity in their foliage, flowers and fruit which makes them perfect backdrops to other planting.
Both evergreen and deciduous hedging varieties are available. Viburnum tinus makes a decorative evergreen hedge which has neat, pointed, dark green leaves and fragrant white blossom in late winter until spring followed by blue-black berries. Although flowering is best in full sun, it will cope with full shade as well as salt spray and windy situations. Viburnum tinus ‘Eve Price’ is a compact form with smaller leaves than the species and attractive red buds and pink tinged flowers. ‘Spirit’ is another compact variety prized for its especially lush foliage and with red-purple flower buds opening to long-lasting white blossom. ‘Lisarose’ is distinguished by its striking deep red buds which emerge in early autumn opening to pink and white flowers from mid winter to mid spring.
With beautiful flowers, fruit and autumn colour, Viburnum opulus has much to offer as a hedging choice
Image: Viburnum opulus ‘Nanum’ from Thompson & Morgan
For relaxed, informal hedging our native Viburnum opulus is extremely adaptable to moist and wet sites which are its natural habitat. It is happy in acidic or alkaline soils. Viburnum opulus is an excellent choice for wildlife, with white spring blossom which is much loved by pollinators. The flat, white flowers are similar in appearance to lace-cap hydrangeas. The blossom is followed by especially glossy, bright red berries for the birds. The attractively lobed leaves develop red, yellow and purple hues in the autumn.
A-Z of Hedges for Clay Soil
Head over to our tree and hedge hub page for more top hedging tips and planting advice.
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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