Gardening Posts Archives | Page 2 of 123

Winter bedding plants masterclass: best expert content

by Sophie Essex | Oct 10, 2024 | Gardening Masterclasses, Gardening Posts, Winter gardening | 0 Comments

Winter bedding brings colour to the garden when you need it most
Image: Bellis perennis ‘Rose’ from T&M

Winter bedding is an easy way to introduce colour to your garden in the coldest months of the year. With so many vibrant colours and forms to choose from, these hardy plants are sure to cheer you up on even the shortest of days. Check out these top tips and tricks from expert bloggers, Instagrammers and YouTube gardeners and fill your outside space with modern, colourful and creative displays.

Browse our full selection of quality winter bedding plants for more ideas.

Sophie Essex

Sophie Essex is a freelance garden writer with a passion for horticulture and environmental conservation. With a BSc in Botany/Plant Biology from the University of Plymouth, she further honed her expertise through a Masters of Science in Biodiversity and Taxonomy of Plants from The University of Edinburgh.

Sophie has also worked as a professional gardener and landscaper, showcasing her practical skills by transforming outdoor spaces. Her commitment to fieldwork is further evident in her acquisition of a Certificate in Field Botany from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, and over the years, she has interned at the Eden Project, Cornwall, the National Trust for Scotland and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Find more information about Sophie over at LinkedIn.

Grow your own onion sets and save money

by Kris Collins | Sep 30, 2024 | Gardening Posts, Vegetables | 0 Comments

Grow your own onions to help save money
Image: Onion ‘Sturon’ (Spring Planting) from Thompson & Morgan

There’s never been a better time to plant your own onion sets. Easy-to-grow and full of flavour, home-grown onions are often bigger than those in the shops and they store exceptionally well too. Best of all, they’re great value for money.

Depending on the time of year, you’ll need to choose from autumn-planting or spring-planting onion sets. Here’s a quick summary of each…

Best autumn-planting onion sets

A mixed collection of autumn-planting onions gives you a good selection
Image: Onion Mixed Red, White & Brown (Autumn Planting) from Thompson & Morgan

Thompson & Morgan’s autumn-planting onion sets are hardy varieties that have been bred for overwintering in UK conditions. Best planted out in September and October while the soil is still warm, they’ll be ready to harvest from June, two months earlier than spring-planted sets.

If you have limited space and want to keep your veg patch as productive as possible, autumn-planting onions can be harvested as soon as you need to make room for other crops.

I like to order several types of autumn-planting onion sets and get a head start on next year’s growing season. Onion ‘Senshyu’ is a reliable Japanese variety, while onion ‘Snowball’ is a bright white bulb that stores well. If you’re looking for a red onion, ‘Electric‘ is an excellent choice.

Best spring-planting onion sets

This popular variety is chosen for excellent flavour
Image: Onion ‘Stuttgarter Giant’ (Spring Planting) from Thompson & Morgan

Thompson & Morgan’s spring-planting onion sets have been specially heat-treated for 20 weeks to help prevent summer bolting and extend their growth period, leading to bigger yields and bigger bulbs at the end of the season. Planted out in March and April, they’re usually ready to harvest from August.

Onions harvested in late summer can be prepared for storage and used right through the winter. If small, expensive supermarket onions won’t cut it for you this season, try a large variety like ‘Stuttgarter Giant’ (yellow) for its uniform bulb shape, full flavour and long storage qualities. The sweet flavour and aroma of onion ‘Keravel Pink’ is a great addition to the mix and, if you want to add a more vivid flash of colour to salads and stir fries, ‘Red Baron’ is a good choice.

For more information about growing onions, take a look at our onion, garlic and shallot advice hub where you’ll find articles, videos and lots of top tips. And if you want to learn how to grow onions from seeds, read our helpful guide.

Kris Collins

Kris Collins works as Thompson & Morgan’s quality control manager, making sure customers new and old are kept up to date on the latest plant developments and company news via a wide range of media sources. He trained in London’s Royal Parks and has spent more than a decade writing for UK gardening publications before joining the team at Thompson & Morgan.

The ultimate guide to preserving fresh produce

by Thompson & Morgan | Sep 16, 2024 | Blogs we love, Gardening Posts | 0 Comments

Collection of preserved vegetables and fruits

Everything you need to know to preserve fresh produce for your freezer and pantry
Image: Shutterstock

What better way to deal with a glut, eat healthy food, and be more self-sufficient than by preserving your seasonal harvests? Here we take a look at five different ways to make the most of your fruit and vegetable plants by preserving the surplus for future use.

From freezing to pickling, and drying to bottling, we give you the basics of each method. We’ve also asked some of our favourite bloggers to share their handy hints – preserving is easy, fun and guaranteed to make winter meals way more tasty.

Thompson & Morgan

The Thompson & Morgan horticultural team produces a wealth of content around gardening and food production. Since the first seed catalogue was published in 1855, Thompson & Morgan has grown to become one of the UK’s largest Mail Order Seed and Plant companies. Through the publication of our catalogues and the operation of our award-winning website, Thompson & Morgan is able to provide home gardeners with the very best quality products money can buy.

Winter shrubs masterclass: best expert content

by Sophie Essex | Jul 30, 2024 | Blogs we love, Gardening Masterclasses, Gardening Posts | 0 Comments

Winter shrubs like Hamamelis flower happily in cold temperatures
Image: Hamamelis × intermedia ‘Böhlje’s Feuerzauber’ from Thompson & Morgan

Is your garden short of winter colour? Take inspiration from these expert independent gardeners and find out how to enjoy heady floral scent, garlands of berries, colourful stems and interesting foliage throughout the coldest and darkest months of the year.

If you’re planning a new scheme with wildlife in mind, browse our online collection of shrubs with winter berries. Our winter flowering shrubs brighten the gloomiest of days, and for a powerful, structural statement, take a look at our fiery range of cornus shrubs.

This article was reviewed by T&M’s horticultural team and updated on 30th July 2024.

Sophie Essex

Sophie Essex is a freelance garden writer with a passion for horticulture and environmental conservation. With a BSc in Botany/Plant Biology from the University of Plymouth, she further honed her expertise through a Masters of Science in Biodiversity and Taxonomy of Plants from The University of Edinburgh.

Sophie has also worked as a professional gardener and landscaper, showcasing her practical skills by transforming outdoor spaces. Her commitment to fieldwork is further evident in her acquisition of a Certificate in Field Botany from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, and over the years, she has interned at the Eden Project, Cornwall, the National Trust for Scotland and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Find more information about Sophie over at LinkedIn.

Shrubs masterclass: best expert content

by Sophie Essex | Jul 25, 2024 | Blogs we love, Gardening Masterclasses, Gardening Posts | 0 Comments

Award-winning Hydrangea ‘Runaway Bride’ is the perfect flowering shrub for a container
Image: Hydrangea RUNAWAY BRIDE® SNOW WHITE (‘USHYD0405’) (PBR) from Thompson & Morgan

If you’re looking for ways to add low-maintenance interest to your garden, shrubs are ideal. And if you need help to choose the perfect varieties, this collection of expert articles, Instagram posts and videos is the perfect place to start. Whether you want evergreen structure, winter colour or container shrubs to liven up your patio, here’s everything you need to help you choose, plant, prune and care for your shrubs.

For more inspiration, browse our wide range of online shrub plants including winter-flowering, climbing, scented, evergreen shrubs, and many more…

This article was reviewed by T&M’s horticultural team and updated on 25th July 2024.

Sophie Essex

Sophie Essex is a freelance garden writer with a passion for horticulture and environmental conservation. With a BSc in Botany/Plant Biology from the University of Plymouth, she further honed her expertise through a Masters of Science in Biodiversity and Taxonomy of Plants from The University of Edinburgh.

Sophie has also worked as a professional gardener and landscaper, showcasing her practical skills by transforming outdoor spaces. Her commitment to fieldwork is further evident in her acquisition of a Certificate in Field Botany from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, and over the years, she has interned at the Eden Project, Cornwall, the National Trust for Scotland and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Find more information about Sophie over at LinkedIn.

Cucumber pickle recipe

by Thompson & Morgan | Jul 10, 2024 | Gardening Posts, Recipes | 0 Comments

Cucumber pickle recipe

Elizabeth McMahon from Ayrshire has sent in this cucumber pickle, which is great for using up a glut of cucumbers. Elizabeth says "It is very easy to make and delicious served with cold chicken any cold meat and salad - any left over juice can be used as a dressing for your salad. Also the cider vinegar is good for arthritic problems."

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups sliced or cubed cucumber
5 medium onions thinly sliced
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
3 garlic cloves (optional)
2 cups wine or cider vinegar
5 cups white sugar
1 ½ tsp turmeric
1 ½ tsp celery seed
2 tbsp mustard seed

Instructions

Put cucumber, onions, peppers and garlic into a bowl layered with salt. Cover and put into the fridge for 2 hours. Drain and wash out salt well.
Put sugar, spices and vinegar into a pan and slowly bring to the boil. Boil for 5 mins. Add vegetables and slowly bring to boiling point, but do not boil. Pot and cover.

Notes

Find helpful cucumber growing tips & variety advice at our dedicated cucumber hub page.

Lead image: Cucumber 'Diva' from Thompson & Morgan

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Thompson & Morgan

The Thompson & Morgan horticultural team produces a wealth of content around gardening and food production. Since the first seed catalogue was published in 1855, Thompson & Morgan has grown to become one of the UK’s largest Mail Order Seed and Plant companies. Through the publication of our catalogues and the operation of our award-winning website, Thompson & Morgan is able to provide home gardeners with the very best quality products money can buy.

How to grow hibiscus

by Sara Taylor | Jun 20, 2024 | Flowers, Gardening Posts, House plants | 3 Comments

Pink hibiscus with red centre and white stamen

Hibiscus flowers add a tropical dimension to any planting scheme
Image: Hibiscus syriacus ‘Pink Giant’ from Thompson & Morgan

Hibiscus shrubs produce huge, beautiful flowers that make a real statement in any planting scheme. Whether you opt for a hardy garden variety or a tender house plant, these exotic-looking shrubs usually reach about 2-3m tall in the UK and deliver a distinctly tropical feel to your space. In this article we share planting and care tips along with five of the best varieties to start your new obsession!

Browse our full collection of hibiscus shrubs for even more inspiration.

This article was reviewed by T&M’s horticultural team and updated on 20 June 2024.

Sara Taylor

Sara Elizabeth Taylor has been a lover of things that grow, and that love has been a major part of her life. She’s a biologist specialising in flora and is also a passionate indoor gardener. You can find her at @indoorgardennook.

Within her house, located in the middle of the bustling city, Sara hides her lush and beautiful indoor garden, full of both decorative plants and of various fruits and vegetables. Throughout the years she has amassed a lot of experience regarding gardening and is more than eager to share all of her knowledge and exchange tips and tricks with gardening enthusiasts both young and old.

“Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul.”

Roses masterclass: best expert content

by Sophie Essex | Jun 13, 2024 | Blogs we love, Gardening Masterclasses, Gardening Posts, Roses | 2 Comments

Roses are quintessential English country garden plants
Image: Rose ‘Peach Melba’ (Climbing) from Thompson & Morgan

Delve into these gems of expert knowledge to help you grow fabulous roses. We’ve scoured the internet to find the best planting, propagating and pruning advice available. Whether you’re caring for a single bush or planning an entire rose garden of bare root plants, these top tips will inspire and inform you every step of the way.

This article was reviewed by T&M’s horticultural team and updated on 13 June 2024.

Sophie Essex

Sophie Essex is a freelance garden writer with a passion for horticulture and environmental conservation. With a BSc in Botany/Plant Biology from the University of Plymouth, she further honed her expertise through a Masters of Science in Biodiversity and Taxonomy of Plants from The University of Edinburgh.

Sophie has also worked as a professional gardener and landscaper, showcasing her practical skills by transforming outdoor spaces. Her commitment to fieldwork is further evident in her acquisition of a Certificate in Field Botany from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, and over the years, she has interned at the Eden Project, Cornwall, the National Trust for Scotland and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Find more information about Sophie over at LinkedIn.

Garlic masterclass: best expert content

by Sophie Essex | May 31, 2024 | Blogs we love, Gardening Masterclasses, Gardening Posts | 0 Comments

Carcassonne Wight is one of the most successful garlic varieties for overwintering
Image: Garlic ‘Carcassonne Wight’ from Thompson & Morgan

If you love the taste of garlic and want to try growing your own garlic sets from scratch, here’s where you’ll find some of the best advice. These YouTubers and bloggers are garlic growing experts and will help you get the most from this tasty bulb. Here’s how to plant, care for, and store your own homegrown garlic…

This article was reviewed by T&M’s horticultural team and updated on 31st May 2024.

Sophie Essex

Sophie Essex is a freelance garden writer with a passion for horticulture and environmental conservation. With a BSc in Botany/Plant Biology from the University of Plymouth, she further honed her expertise through a Masters of Science in Biodiversity and Taxonomy of Plants from The University of Edinburgh.

Sophie has also worked as a professional gardener and landscaper, showcasing her practical skills by transforming outdoor spaces. Her commitment to fieldwork is further evident in her acquisition of a Certificate in Field Botany from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, and over the years, she has interned at the Eden Project, Cornwall, the National Trust for Scotland and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Find more information about Sophie over at LinkedIn.

Fruit masterclass: best expert content

by Sophie Essex | May 28, 2024 | Blogs we love, Gardening Masterclasses, Gardening Posts | 0 Comments

Try growing Raspberry ‘Little Sweet Sister’ in containers on the balcony for early crops of deliciously sweet fruit
Image: Raspberry ‘Little Sweet Sister’ from Thompson & Morgan

Do you want to grow fresh fruit in your garden, allotment or balcony? We’ve brought together a wealth of expert videos and articles to help you choose the best fruit plants for bumper crops of delicious produce. Everything you need to know to start growing fruit is here, whether it’s classic berries and currants or exotic melons and kiwi fruit.

This article was reviewed by T&M’s horticultural team and updated on 28th May 2024.

Sophie Essex

Sophie Essex is a freelance garden writer with a passion for horticulture and environmental conservation. With a BSc in Botany/Plant Biology from the University of Plymouth, she further honed her expertise through a Masters of Science in Biodiversity and Taxonomy of Plants from The University of Edinburgh.

Sophie has also worked as a professional gardener and landscaper, showcasing her practical skills by transforming outdoor spaces. Her commitment to fieldwork is further evident in her acquisition of a Certificate in Field Botany from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, and over the years, she has interned at the Eden Project, Cornwall, the National Trust for Scotland and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Find more information about Sophie over at LinkedIn.

Thompson & Morgan Gardening Blog

Winter bedding plants masterclass: best expert content

Grow your own onion sets and save money

Best autumn-planting onion sets

Best spring-planting onion sets

The ultimate guide to preserving fresh produce

Winter shrubs masterclass: best expert content

Shrubs masterclass: best expert content

Cucumber pickle recipe