by Rebecca Tute | Feb 9, 2014 | Gardening News
Exciting career opportunities within Thompson & Morgan
Thompson & Morgan, which has been based in Ipswich since 1855, has grown to become one of the UK’s most successful horticultural seed and plant companies. Through the publication of its catalogues, the operation of its award-winning website, and presence in leading garden centres, Thompson & Morgan is able to provide home gardeners with the very best quality products money can buy. The company’s success is due to its hard-working, loyal and committed staff, many of whom have been with them for over 10 years. Careers can and do start here!
Michael Perry and Hannah Ashwell both came to Thompson & Morgan from Otley College after studying a National Diploma in Horticulture.
Michael is now our new product development manager and searches the globe for new, exciting and innovative products. He can also be seen as a presenter on the home shopping channels. If you would like to be involved in the behind the scenes preparation for the shows why not apply for the role of TV show assistant?
Hannah joined the nursery as a trainee horticulturalist where the growing, breeding, trials and plant production takes place.
Having studied for her NVQ and ILM qualifications in management training, Hannah has progressed to the position of assistant nursery and site manager.
Hannah said, “Since I first started, I have always been encouraged to develop myself”.
If you have a background in horticulture plus an enthusiasm to learn, Thompson & Morgan is offering a rare opportunity to join Hannah’s team as a trainee.
But you don’t have to be a garden expert to start your career with them; Chloe Farmer joined Thompson & Morgan packing seeds in the warehouse at the age of 17. She was then given the opportunity to move into the print department and now heads up the design team, as design manager, producing
some 20 plant and seed catalogues each year. If you are looking for a career in this area, and have some practical experience using InDesign, then the mail order design assistant could be the job for you.
“T&M is most certainly a family-friendly company”, says Chief Executive, John May “When so many of our staff recommend working here to their family members, we know we are doing something right! Our staff are loyal and a real credit to the company”.
Here is a brief outline of Thompson & Morgan’s job opportunities. For a full description visit https://www.thompson-morgan.com/jobvacancies
IT Systems Administrator (IT-0214)
Responsible for the support of company networks, servers & databases, system availability and management reporting.
Trainee IT Systems Administrator (ITT-0214)
To support the systems administrator. Good opportunity for someone wishing to start a career in IT.
Copywriter and Communications Officer (PR-0214)
Responsible for copy-writing across a range of media, including press releases, catalogues, social media and internal communications.
TV Show Assistant (TV-0214)
Co-ordination of all products and horticultural materials required for the TV set.
Mail Order Design Assistant (MO-0214)
Assisting in the design and co-ordination of all mail order catalogues and direct mail marketing materials.
E-Commerce Marketing Assistant (EC-0214)
This role includes new website content, merchandising, Google analytics and email marketing.
Trainee Horticulturalist (TH-0214)
Working with a wide range of plants for exhibition, trials and plant material, within our award-winning breeding programme.
Please contact Natalie Durrant at Thompson & Morgan, Poplar Lane, Ipswich, IP8 3BU, email ndurrant@thompson-morgan.com or visit www.thompson-morgan.com/jobvacancies for a full description. Closing date for applications 28th February 2014.
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.
by Rebecca Tute | Feb 6, 2014 | Customer Trial Panel
2013 was a very successful year for gardener Geoff Stonebanks and his garden, Driftwood!
The back garden
It saw his garden related charity fundraising top the £32,000 mark in just 4 years, for which he became a finalist in the BBC Sussex Community Heroes Awards last December. Even in the depths of winter and the bad weather we have been experiencing, his back garden still seems to look better than most.
Charities that Geoff supports
You may recall that last year was his first year as a member of the Thompson & Morgan Customer Trials Panel, something he will be reprising in 2014, having just been invited to take part again. Geoff was thrilled to be invited for a second year. The subject of being involved was a much talked about point with visitors last summer.
He says that by far the most successful plant he trialed, by virtue of comments received from his 2000 visitors, was the Peruvian Tree Lily Alstroemeria Collection, which he took delivery of last April. The plants flowered profusely right up to early December as the picture shows although a little burnt by the wind around the petal edges! Amazingly, these stunning plants have seen off the dreadful winter weather on the south coast, which has seen gale force winds straight off the sea and never ending rain, but are already showing strong signs of growth in early February.
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Alstroemeria
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Alstroemeria foliage
Another of the trial plants from 2013 was the Foxglove ‘Dalmatian Peach’, which although they took a long time to establish, arriving March and flowering in August have withstood the winter so far and they too, are showing good signs of growth in February as you can see. The dreadful gales and torrential rain have been the worse that Geoff has experienced in the 10 years he has been living and gardening on the south coast! At times he says he has lain in bed thinking the roof would blow off the house, yet the garden seems to have come through the whole thing unscathed, apart from 2 new fence posts that were needed in the back garden, along with the propping up of an old apple tree, in danger of falling down in waterlogged ground.
Foxglove ‘Dalmatian peach’
His front garden directly faces the sea between Brighton and Eastbourne as you can see. This picture was taken during one of the recent storms, yet the structure of the garden, designed to cope with the strong winds, stood firm. Geoff has used the rowing boat in the centre, along with the upturned sections of railway sleepers and some original beach groynes to create an arc of protection for the plants that are thriving in their shadow. The full force of the SW winds from the Atlantic blow up the Channel and hit the garden full on.
The front garden
One of these plants is another from last year’s trial, Rose ‘Garden Party’, and several of the other plants are already showing signs of growth again. Geoff also received many bulbs as part of the trial last Autumn, that have yet to show their faces in his garden, Tulip ‘Silver Parrot’, the Iris ensata Collection and Tulip “Ice Cream”, all of which will look quite stunning once they start to grow this spring, “that is if we ever get one!” says Geoff, who promises pictures once they have flowered!
Rose ‘Garden Party’
Other late arrivals were a range of hardy geraniums, the Hardy Doubles Collection comprising Southcombe Double, warm pink flowers, Plenum, ruffled purple/pink flowers, Double Jewel, white star shaped and Summer Skies, tightly frilled mauve/pink flowers. All will look wonderful, newly planted around the pond area in the back garden. Back in September Geoff also took delivery of Golden Lysimachia, which he chose to hang on to and plant out this spring. They are already showing signs of new growth in the greenhouse!
Golden lysimachia
Three plants he bought himself last year from Thompson & Morgan were Buddleja ‘Buzz’ compact varieties, perfect for pots on the patio! They did well and have already shown significant growth in 2014!
Buddleja ‘Buzz’
The final plants to be delivered in 2013 were a collection of Osteospermum, African Daisies. These were planted out in late September and have survived the winter well so far, as you can see.
Osteospermum
We have already advised Geoff of the plants he can expect to receive in 2014 so we will look forward to his updates on how they are progressing, once established.
Geoff has a busy year ahead, writing a monthly article about his garden for the Magazine, Garden News, fulfilling his volunteer role as an Assistant County Organiser and Publicity Officer for the National Gardens Scheme in East & Mid Sussex and preparing for his own 16 garden openings in 2014. In addition to the specific web page he records details of the Thompson & Morgan trial, you can read more of his garden at www.driftwoodbysea.co.uk
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.
by Rebecca Tute | Jan 6, 2014 | Gardening News
What to plant in 2014 – Thompson & Morgan’s New Year’s Honours List
With 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 1st place – the real ‘must have’ plant for 2014 is Thompson & Morgan’s breeding phenomenon, the fabulous TomTato®. Interest in this amazing innovation has been immense – it’s been featured in the press all around the world. Orders are coming in thick and fast for this fabulous plant which produces tomatoes above ground and potatoes below!
Also featuring significantly in both of Thompson & Morgan’s New Year’s Honours Lists are gardeners’ favourites – begonias. The Big Begonia Revival gets off to a great start with ‘Fragrant Falls Improved’, ‘Lotto Mixed’, Begonia ‘Raspberry Cream’ and ‘Apricot Shades’ all making an appearance in the horticultural honours list.
Thompson & Morgan is predicting a revolution in hanging baskets this summer. Cascading begonias will be leading the way, followed closely by the fabulous petunias ‘Surfinia’, ‘Crazytunia’ and ‘Frills & Spills’. Patio pots and FlowerPouches™ will be in for a treat too; Lobelia ‘T&M’s Choice’, a new and improved mix, exclusive to Thompson & Morgan is so versatile – it works just as well in containers as it does in borders. Gardeners looking for a clematis that really delivers in terms of flower power, should consider Clematis ‘Top to Bottom’. No more bare lower stems with this variety; as the name suggests, it produces flowers all the way up the plant!
Begonia ‘Whopper’ Mixed
Always on the look-out for plants with bigger and better blooms, Thompson & Morgan brings a couple of ‘jumbo’ choices to gardeners looking for some big impact. Begonia ‘Whopper’ and spectacular Giant Flowered Fuchsia are conspicuous in their size compared to regular varieties. They’re also surprisingly good value.
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Begonia ‘Apricot Shades Improved’
Thompson & Morgan’s Hot Tips
New and exciting varieties everyone will want in their garden in 2014.
1. TomTato®
2. Begonia ‘Fragrant Falls Improved’
3. Petunia ‘Crazytunia’ Collection
4. Begonia ‘Raspberry Cream’
5. ‘Tasty Pansy F1’ Collection
6. Penstemon ‘Wedding Bells’
7. Begonia ‘Whopper’ Mixed
8. Clematis ‘Top to Bottom’
9. Begonia ‘Apricot Shades Patio Improved’
10. Petunia ‘Black Night’
Giant fuchsias
Thompson & Morgan’s Hall of Fame
Plants that consistently stand the test of time and are always featured amongst customers’ favourites.
1. Begonia ‘Apricot Shades Improved’
2. New Guinea Impatiens ‘Divine’
3. Giant Flowered Fuchsias
4. Trailing ‘Surfinia’ Petunia
5. Antirrhinum ‘Madame Butterfly’ F1
6. Begonia ‘Lotto Mixed’
7. Geranium ‘T&M’s Choice’
8. Lobelia ‘T&M’s Choice’
9. Petunia ‘Frills & Spills’
10. Tomato Sungold
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.
by Rebecca Tute | Dec 11, 2013 | Gardening News
In September, Thompson & Morgan received an invitation to Clarence House to celebrate 21 years of Duchy Originals, as a thank you for being involved in the organic business venture started by HRH The Prince of Wales.
A keen gardener himself, the Duke of Cornwall spent some time talking to the guests from Thompson & Morgan about various vegetables he likes to grow and eat, including Sarpo potatoes, stringless runner beans and purple carrots. Paul Hansord, horticultural director, said “He’s very knowledgeable and knows his stuff – and he knows what he likes, so I recommended some varieties for him try! Purple carrots are his favourite, he said they have the best flavour.”
Thompson & Morgan started selling Duchy Originals organic seeds in 2008 with a range of 51 varieties. The current range includes cucumbers, runner beans, tomatoes, leeks, carrots, onions and many more.
T&M guests l-r: Christine Wilcock, Neil Sharpe, Paul Hansord, John May
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.
by Rebecca Tute | Dec 9, 2013 | Gardening News
About a month ago we posted about the Great British Garden Revival, a new gardening show on BBC2 that aims to reignite the nation’s passion for gardens full of flowers, plants and trees. The 10-part series starts tonight at 7pm, with Monty Don and Joe Swift featuring in the first episode.
Michael Perry and Christine Walkden
Each episode is presented by two well-known gardeners, with each of them focusing on an aspect of gardening that they feel particularly passionate about. The series kicks off with wildflowers and front gardens, followed by programmes featuring topiary, cottage gardens, bedding plants, kitchen gardens, lawns, ponds and many more interesting topics.
In the summer, a film crew visited Thompson & Morgan’s trial grounds to record material for the episode on ornamental bedding, presented by Christine Walkden and scheduled for Monday 13th January.
The Great British Garden Revival aims to restore the nation’s love of gardens and gardening, by showing viewers just how easy gardening can be, with hands-on tips and practical advice on how to get the most from their gardens.
Britain has such a rich horticultural history, but there is a real decline in gardening – people simply don’t have the time or desire to spend time in their gardens. The need for low-maintenance gardens and parking spaces has meant that many front and back gardens have been paved over. As a result, a staggering 95% of rainwater in urban areas is classed as ‘run-off’, overwhelming drains and gutters and increasing the risk of flooding. Fewer green spaces have led to a decline in many species of wildlife, especially birds and butterflies.
Gardening with children
And you don’t even have to spend hours and hours toiling away to get your dream garden! It’s a great form of exercise, it clears the mind and is a great way to get children involved and interested in gardening and wildlife. We’d love to hear what you think about the series and whether it changes your opinion of gardening.
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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