by Terri Overett | Mar 18, 2015 | Gardening News, Gardening Posts
Summer is traditionally seen as the season for fragrance in our gardens. However with careful planning, you can enjoy wonderful scented flowers in your garden from spring, through summer and autumn and on into winter with our selection of plants for fragrance.
In spring, many bulbs produce beautifully fragrant flowers, the scents which herald the new season and a new year in your garden. By summer, borders, beds and containers will be bursting with colour as plants flourish and bloom. If you plant fragrant varieties, this is when you’ll enjoy scent in your garden the most. Come autumn and winter shrubs become the scented stars of the garden, adding much needed sensory element to the space when there is less colour and texture to catch the eye.
‘Perfume Princess’
Many plants will release their perfume when touched, so it’s always a good idea to plant these by pathways or steps. Alternatively, try creating a archway by planting scented climbers so that they clamber up a framework of canes. The possibilities are endless, but let us inspire you with some of our ideas.
Daphne ‘Perfume Princess’ is the world’s most fragrant shrub. Traditionally used as a winter pick-me-up, bringing scent and colour when little else is in growth Daphne is a must have.
Pot up Daphne plants and grow them on in frost free conditions. When plants are well grown and all risk of frost has passed, gradually acclimatise to outdoor conditions for a period of 7 to 10 days prior to planting in their final positions. Transplant Daphne plants into borders and containers outdoors in moist, fertile, well drained soil that is rich in organic matter. Choose a position in sun or semi shade.
We are proud to offer you our six months of fragrance collection. We have specially selected seven perfectly perfumed planting partners to bring you an extra long season of scent and colour. Our collection includes;
Clematis ‘New Love’
Clematis Montana ‘Mayleen’ (Flowers April-June)
‘Carolina Allspice’ (Flowers June –August)
Yellow Summer Jasmine (Flowers May – August)
Creeping Plox Collection (Flowers June-September)
Clematis ‘New Love’ (Flowers June-September)
Pinks ‘Dwarf Doris’ (Flowers July-September)
Abelia ‘Kaleidoscope’(Flowers July – October)
Rose Lily ‘China Girl’ will provide your garden with a much more subtle fragrance. Their blooms are also pollen-free, so there is less risk of allergy and wont stain your clothes.
So why not try growing our plants for fragrance this year and fill your garden with wonderful scents.
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 | Feb 26, 2015 | Gardening News, Gardening Posts
Gardening is, without question, one of the most active and rewarding hobbies. To get the most out of your garden it is best to plan all year round and create your own gardening calendar to keep you on track. You have to think about which flowers and vegetables you are going to grow, when is the right time to plant them and how to care for them. When everything falls into place and you get it right, you get such a sense of satisfaction and achievement from raising your seeds to maturity.
However, sometimes reality can creep up on us and we run out of time, leaving our gardens taking a back seat. Occasionally something more immediate is called for when we lack time or even space to grow plants from seed. With modern innovation, creating a beautiful garden does not need to take up much time. That is why we introduced our instant gardening range.
Our range of larger shrubs and plants have a proven track record for hardiness, ease of care and garden performance and includes instant-impact shrubs and herbaceous perennials. The best part is, they are established on the nursery grounds and delivered straight to your door, ready to be planted in your garden.
Take a look at Lavender ‘Hidcote’. This hardy English lavender is perfect for pots and borders. Mid-height ‘Hidcote’ is ideal for an informal low hedge along paths, where its evergreen foliage can be appreciated. Flowers July – Sep. Supplied as 1 x 3.5 litre potted plant.
For the full selection of our larger plants click here.
You can also now buy garden ready plants online. Unlike shop bought plants that have been grown to look good in store, our garden ready plants are sent out in prime time for planting out in your garden or containers. Our garden ready plants are sent to you ‘green’ ahead of flowering which means the plants will establish quickly and as their energy goes into producing roots, they will be producing more flowers throughout the season.
Our garden ready Busy Lizzie ‘Divine Mixed’ has received a 5 star customer rating for their spectacular colour spectrum and ease of planting. No potting on is required and they can be planted straight into your garden.
‘These plants arrived in fantastic condition and truly were ‘garden ready’. No potting on required, they’ve been planted in their final position and in only a few days look well established’ – Natalie, online customer.
To see our full range of garden ready plants click here.
Why not try our instant gardening and garden ready ranges this year, we promise it will be worth it! We would love to see how you get on so please post or tweet us your pictures.
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 | Feb 17, 2015 | Gardening News, Gardening Posts
Here at Thompson & Morgan we strive to excel in customer service, to be able to provide you with top quality products, expert advice and a no fuss approach to gardening. That being said, we know that there is always room for improvement and this year we have made a few changes and added new lines to help you create your dream gardens.
Quality control is better than ever this year. We have appointed Peter as our Quality control Manager and plants are being triple checked before they are posted to you in our new and improved packaging. So, what do we look for?
1. Size
2. Healthy foliage
3. Strong root system
4. Moisture levels
Most importantly we ask ourselves ‘Would I be happy to receive this plant?’ If the answer is no then the plant is rejected.
How your plants are packed.
We understand that when you order plants online, there is always some hesitation as you cannot see, feel and pick your own plants. That is why we use specially designed containers to prevent dehydration and protect your plants from any bruises. Before your plants leave, our dedicated staff check to ensure optimal levels of moisture for the plants journey.
Sometimes you may find yourself placing an order for a product that won’t be delivered for another couple of months, or maybe longer. This is because we deliver your plants in top condition and at the optimum time for planting or potting on. Until then, your plants are being carefully looked after by our plantsman until they are ready for despatch. If in doubt, you can always log in to our new my orders service where you can track your order.
New Varieties
With 160 years of horticultural and mail order know-how under our belts, we are now putting our skills to the test by offering you a great range of instant impact plants in larger containers for immediate effect in the garden. We are extremely proud to be able to provide you with a new range of larger plants, all with a track record for hardiness, ease of care and excellent garden performance.
Our range includes a mixture of shrubs and herbaceous perennials for added interest in your garden. Shrubs form the backbone of most garden designs and are used as a backdrop, screen or companions to other plant groups. Herbaceous perennials will return each spring and they require little help so are perfect for low maintenance gardens.
View full range here.
What makes us stand out?
No other UK mail order company can boast their own breeding programme, at Thompson & Morgan we are extremely proud to say we can. Past breeding successes include customer favourites, Foxglove ‘Illumination Pink’ and Cosmos ‘Cupcakes’. Not only that, they have won numerous prestigious awards worldwide too!
There is so much going on with Thompson & Morgan right now and a lot of exciting things to come so do join in the gardening community on our Facebook and Twitter pages and sign up to our email newsletters for special offers.
If you have any suggestions for us on how to improve our service we will be more than happy to hear them, help us help you!
Happy Gardening.
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 | Jan 26, 2015 | Gardening News, Gardening Posts, Vegetables
More and more people are keen to get their hands into trying home-grown fruit & veg in order to cut down the cost of their weekly shop. Combined with healthy eating campaigns such as Jamie Oliver in schools, the appetite to become more self-sufficient is higher than ever.
Growing your own fruit and veg is both satisfying and healthy. The best part is; it is a lot simpler than what you might think. You don’t even need an allotment or a big to garden to be able to grow your own. If you need a little more guidance on how to grow your own fruit and veg, we have a wide range guides to help you.
Gardening technology and innovation has also come on leaps and bounds, and this innovation has allowed us to become more savvy and smarter with our gardens. New concepts such as Raspberry ‘Ruby Beauty’® mean that you can have delicious raspberries straight from your balcony or patio without the use of invasive canes. So whether you have a huge garden or lack space, everyone can enjoy the benefits of home grown fruit and veg.
We want to know if our customers find one fruit & veg easier to grow than others and if our customers have a ‘favourite veg’. We took to our social media pages to find out. Topping the leader board for customer’s favourite vegetable is carrots!! Closely followed by; beans (runner and broad) potatoes and tomatoes.
Judith Allen on Twitter said ‘Carrots. Easy to grow and love them raw and cooked’.
Catherine Thomson on Facebook said ‘Carrots as they are so versatile and yummy’.
Are you crazy about carrots? Or do you have a different favourite veg? Then post your comment below.
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 | Jan 8, 2015 | Gardening News, Gardening Posts
I am not sure if it is a common perception but due to working within the horticultural industry, it is clear that here in Britain we are a nation of gardeners. With the development of the industrial sector and the new homes within our largest towns and city centres; space is now at a premium. However, new and innovative concepts such as an urban gardening, balcony growing, growing plants on your windowsill, and products such as our Tower Pot™, mean that space is no longer a required component to gardening.
Episode 1 of the Great British Garden Revival discussed the nation’s favourite flower, the rose. We live in a world that seeks new innovations, whether it is having the latest smart phone or fashion trend and I think this the same for our choice of flowers. We don’t like to feel that we are missing out on something and with our focus on new varieties, traditional varieties are taking a back-seat and we are at risk of losing them from our gardens forever.
So, roses. I have to admit I fall in love with roses every time I see them. There are over 1,000 cultivars of rose, from trailing to shrubs there is a variety to suit most requirements. The first episode featured traditional climbing rose varieties such as Crimson Glory. With deep crimson blooms, this older variety is beautiful and the fragrance is simply divine! However, even though older roses tend to have amazing fragrance, they can lack in vigour and good disease resistance. This is when we see the newer varieties take centre stage with the best of best of both worlds. Hardy rose variety Rose ‘The One and Only’ has flowers rich with crimson-red petals that give the appearance of an old-fashioned English rose. They are renowned for their scent, as this hybrid tea rose is like no other – fruity and indulgent. That being said, every rose has something to offer to the garden and we all have our own favourites. Have you got a favourite rose?
Episode 2 of the Great British Garden Revival focused on daffodils, blossom trees and shrubs. The history of daffodils dates back before the First World War, where fields were coated in a blaze of yellow. They were then cut and packed for the consumer market. The big affect on daffodil growing came after the Second World War when fields were taken over for the production of food. However, now we often see daffodils in front gardens and scattered along countryside lanes where they bring a smile to our faces as they are seen to resemble one of the first signs of Spring and the growing season ahead. I love the all time favourite Narcissus ‘Tete-a-tete’. This delightfully small variety is the perfect variety for cutting. Undemanding an easy to grow, they will make a beautiful addition to cottage gardens. What is your favourite daffodil?
On tonight’s episode James Wong attempts to revive a plant that has disappeared from our gardens, the rhododendron. Christine Walkden puts the case forward for the carnation, as she heads to a specialist nursery to recover some important facts.
Have you been watching? We would love to get your thoughts. Tell us if you prefer traditional or modern varieties and why.
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.
Recent Comments