by Terri Overett | Sep 14, 2015 | Gardening Posts, Vegetables
A gardener’s work is never done, so why shouldn’t we be rewarded with tasty crops all year round? When I think ahead, I think of cosy nights in front of the log burner with a cup of delicious hot chocolate topped with perfectly whipped cream, feet up and scouring the Thompson & Morgan (slightly biased) catalogue with pure delight and excitement. But what better way to top that than being able to harvest your own winter veg?
Whilst there are plenty of vegetables you can harvest over winter, you will need to be organised late spring/summer and already planting your winter vegetables outdoors. There are crops that you can sow and grow over winter for a much earlier crop than spring plantings, but I will come onto that in a bit.
Over winter you can harvest mouth-watering parsnips, carrots, savoy cabbage and the vegetable that splits the nation, brussels sprouts! Parsnips will need to be sown from mid-spring to early summer as soon as the ground is workable. Carrots can be direct sown between March and July depending on your variety. Top Tip: If growing carrots, make sowings of mint or spring onion nearby this will deter carrot fly. If you haven’t already thought about your winter harvest then make note now so that next year you can be showing off your home grown veg at Christmas dinner.
What can you sow in winter?
Most winter vegetable plants are fully hardy and will cope well with cold winter weather, but if hard frosts threaten then you can always throw some fleece across them to provide some extra protection. Most can be planted or sown directly outdoors to ensure that your winter vegetable garden is fully stocked.
Garlic – Growing garlic couldn’t be easier and there are lots of varieties to choose from for autumn planting. Like onions, they have a long growing season and won’t be ready to harvest until next summer, but it is well worth the wait!
Spring Onion – Winter hardy varieties of Spring onion make a tasty accompaniment to winter salads. They are a fairly quick growing crop and early autumn sowings should be ready to harvest by early spring. Spring Onion ‘White Lisbon’ is a popular and reliable winter hardy variety.
Asparagus – If you have plenty of space then why not plant a permanent asparagus bed this autumn. Although asparagus beds take several years to establish, each asparagus crown can produce up to 25 spears per year and will continue cropping for 25 years. You will need to be patient with this crop as it will be 2 years before you can harvest them properly.
Wasabi rocket – This exclusive variety is perfect for windowsill growing. Wasabi Rocket can be harvested as a baby leaf within weeks of sowing or left to mature into a full leaf alongside your cut and come again salad varieties
Terri works in the e-commerce marketing department assisting the busy web team. Terri manages our blog and social media pages here at Thompson & Morgan and is dedicated to providing useful advice to our gardeners. Terri is new to gardening and keen to develop her horticultural knowledge.
by Terri Overett | Sep 10, 2015 | Gardening Posts
Whilst our garden favourites take centre stage in our beds and borders, plants are much like people, they need companionship! Garden space fillers are a great way to add further interest to your garden, without taking away from your star performers. Buy low growing ground cover varieties such as Heuchera or Wallflowers to fill in those spaces. And who likes bare soil? Bare soil is not only unattractive but will also lose moisture in weather come wind, rain or shine, so they will also offer some protection.
Rudbeckia ‘Early Bird Gold’
Late flowering perennials will help fill in those gaps and add colour right through to the first frosts. Rudbeckia ‘Early Bird Gold’ erupts into bloom weeks earlier than other perennial varieties. Their long-lasting colour will add interest to herbaceous borders and will attract beneficial pollinating insects to your garden! You don’t want to squish those tall, flamboyant perennials together either, so why not mix it up and add some annuals such as Clematis ‘Freckles’ that will flower from December to February.
Clematis ‘Freckles’
You may be wondering what you should do for added interest when your blooms start to fade? Autumn foliage space fillers! Heuchera is our top pick. When your flowers come to an end, the foliage will provide spectacular colour and performance throughout autumn until the first sign of frosts. ‘Patchwork mix’ will add a distinctive splash of colour to the front of borders, or even brightening your winter containers. Their airy blooms attract bees and are also useful as cut flowers.
Heuchera ‘Patchwork Mix’
We’ll soon be despatching winter and spring bedding: pansies, primroses, violas, bellis and wallflowers! These are the perfect winter space fillers. They will cover bare soils right through winter, giving a flush of colour in late autumn and again in spring. Wallflower ‘Sugar Rush’ offers fragrant flower spikes in shades of cream, yellow, red and purple not only in the spring, but throughout the autumn too, blooming in just 6 weeks from an August planting! Available as garden ready plants, these customer favourites will be delivered at the right time for planting. Wallflower ‘Winter Party’ is an evergreen hybrid that is so undemanding it can even cope in the poorest of soils!
Terri works in the e-commerce marketing department assisting the busy web team. Terri manages our blog and social media pages here at Thompson & Morgan and is dedicated to providing useful advice to our gardeners. Terri is new to gardening and keen to develop her horticultural knowledge.
by Terri Overett | Aug 11, 2015 | Gardening Posts, Pests & Diseases
Ground cover plants are useful in the garden for covering bare patches of soil beneath trees or shrubs or for covering steep banks where access is difficult. Their roots also help to stabilise soil on steep slopes. Ground cover plants brighten up otherwise dull areas and will suppress weeds, making them ideal for a low-maintenance garden. We’ve put together a list of some of the best ground cover plants, which are fast-growing and make an effective dense covering.
Ground cover plants for shade
From foliage to flowers there are plenty of colourful ground cover plants to light up a shady spot in your garden. Even vigorous plants may grow more slowly in heavier shade so don’t be too concerned if they are taking their time to spread. You may need to be more vigilant in weeding whilst these plants become established as the soil will be bare for some time. Once they do establish however, they will form an impenetrable mat.
Bergenia ‘Dragonfly Sakura’
Bergenia ‘Dragonfly Sakura’ is a hardy evergreen ground cover plant with incredible winter colour! The pretty blooms provide invaluable food for pollinating insects early in the year, and make dainty cut flowers too. Plant Elephant’s Ears in any well-drained soil in sun or dappled shade.
Heuchera ‘Patchwork’
Heuchera ‘Patchwork’ Mix are prized for their colourful leaves, these versatile semi-evergreen perennials make excellent drifts of ground cover, adding a distinctive splash of colour to the front of borders, or even brightening winter containers.
Lily of the Valley
Lily of the Valley is a scented ground cover plant. Each delicate arching stem carries a flurry of snow-white, bell shaped blooms with a powerful, timeless fragrance. Set against of a carpet of lush green foliage, the exquisite blooms of Convallaria majalis make a wonderful cut flower for scented, springtime posies.
Ground cover plants full sun
From annual to evergreen ground cover plants, there are plenty of options for a sunny spot in the garden. Plants growing in full sun benefit from mulching in their first year to help retain moisture at their roots. If the weather is very hot and dry make sure you water your new plants regularly to help them establish. It’s also essential to keep on top of weeds so there is no competition for nutrients and water.
Delosperma ‘Hardy Mixed’
Delosperma ‘Hardy Mixed‘, Hardy ice plant, is fantastic for those hot, dry problem areas where many other plants would fail to establish.
Lily ‘Colour Carpet™ Mixture’
Lily ‘Colour Carpet™ Mixture’ is the only ground cover Lily that will flower within 10 weeks. These short stemmed dwarf lilies are a ‘must have’ for creating vibrant ground cover in exotic gardens, or edging paths and borders.
For more information take a look at our ground cover plants guide. Find plenty more shade growing tips at our dedicated plants for shade hub page.
Terri works in the e-commerce marketing department assisting the busy web team. Terri manages our blog and social media pages here at Thompson & Morgan and is dedicated to providing useful advice to our gardeners. Terri is new to gardening and keen to develop her horticultural knowledge.
by Terri Overett | Jul 15, 2015 | Gardening News, Gardening Posts
Yes, it is that time again and we cannot believe how quickly it has come back around. Not that we are complaining we love National Allotment Week (August 10th – 16th )! This year the focus is on a plot for all ages. No matter your age or gender, allotments bring a wealth of benefits and by highlighting them we can value our plots and preserve them for future generations.
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Terri works in the e-commerce marketing department assisting the busy web team. Terri manages our blog and social media pages here at Thompson & Morgan and is dedicated to providing useful advice to our gardeners. Terri is new to gardening and keen to develop her horticultural knowledge.
by Terri Overett | Jul 7, 2015 | Gardening Posts
There are some plants that we tend to take for granted or largely ignore; this is because we are simply so used to seeing them. But these plants that are given the backseat are great performers and are our gardens most faithful planting companions.
Have you ever noticed how car parks and other heavy use landscape areas use many of the same plants? Well, there is a good reason for this; they are tough as old boots. They will grow with minimum attention, many of them positively thriving on neglect and even when our busy lives divert our attention away from them, they will still flourish.
Who are these stalwarts of the plant world?
Many of them are reliable shrubs such as Cotoneaster, Vinca, Viburnum, Dogwood, Sambucus, Ceanothus and Pyracantha. Shrubby Dogwoods, otherwise known as Cornus, aren’t fussy about their soil conditions and will thrive in particularly damp soil where other shrubs may not.
What makes them suitable for these environments?
These shrubs are tough, resilient, low maintenance and can withstand trampling by children and animals. Once established they can cope without any irrigation and even though they need virtually no pruning, they will still look great throughout the year. Many of these plant varieties will provide evergreen groundcover, summer flowers and winter berries for a full years worth of colour and interest. What more could you want?
These plants are the perfect choices if you are a beginner gardener and if you have little time to spare but still like your outdoor spaces to look fantastic.
Terri works in the e-commerce marketing department assisting the busy web team. Terri manages our blog and social media pages here at Thompson & Morgan and is dedicated to providing useful advice to our gardeners. Terri is new to gardening and keen to develop her horticultural knowledge.
