This list of Thompson & Morgan’s top 10 best-selling plants is quite a mix – from cottage garden favourites to new and unusual flowers – and shows that customers really do like variety when it comes to their gardens!
Apple Cox’s Orange Pippin
1. Apple Cox’s Orange Pippin
Regarded to be the finest tasting dessert apple, the rich aromatic flavour and crisp, juicy texture set this apple apart from other varieties. Apple ‘Cox’s Orange Pippin’ produces medium sized, orange-red fruits with thin skins. Although not considered to be the easiest variety to grow, it is well suited to the temperate UK climate. It will produce a good crop that can be harvested from September for immediate use and store for a short period too.
Busy Lizzie ‘Divine’
2. Busy Lizzie ‘Divine’ (New Guinea)
Unlike ‘traditional’ busy lizzies, ‘Divine’ is resistant to downy mildew, so you’ll have a constant disply of colour from June to November! The strong, spreading plants are perfect in pots, beds and borders, quickly filling empty spaces. Also available from seed.
Begonia ‘Organdy Mixed’ F1 Hybrid
3. Begonia semperflorens ‘Organdy Mixed’ F1 Hybrid
Half-hardy Annual
Best in class for begonia semperflorens
A striking combination of a range of flower colours and contrasting rounded foliage in bronze and green. Begonia ‘Organdy’ Mixed F1 creates a fantastic array of blooms for a perfect display in the garden. These fabulous Begonia plants are drought and wet tolerant, thriving in all weather conditions. Superb in Flower Pouches® baskets, beds and containers. Height and spread: 20cm (8″).
Foxglove ‘Illumination Pink’
4. Foxglove ‘Illumination Pink’
The superstar of 2012 in our eyes, ‘Illumination Pink’ is the plant that shouldn’t have been. Experts thought that it couldn’t possibly be produced, but our plant breeders proved them wrong – and the plants won the coveted RHS Chelsea Show Plant of the Year 2012 award! This rare perennial foxglove, from Thompson & Morgan’s own breeding gives an exotic display of densely packed blooms on sturdy stems and looks stunning in summer borders.
Tree Lily Collection
5. Tree Lily Collection
Tree lilies are the breathtaking result of years of painstaking breeding; these incredible varieties of oriental lily can grow as tall as 2.5m (8ft) in as little as two years. One single Tree Lily bulb can produce up to thirty 20cm (8”) trumpet blooms and will take on a shrub-like appearance over the years.
Petunia ‘Easy Wave Union Jack Mix’
6. Petunia ‘Easy Wave Union Jack Mix’
Create a spectacular, patriotic display for your hanging baskets, Flower Pouches™, window boxes and patio pots. Vigorous Petunia ‘Easy Wave Union Jack Mixed’ is great value – you can even use it for ground cover. These fast-growing Petunia plants tolerate both heat and cooler conditions, blooming freely without the need for cutting back.
Begonia ‘Apricot Shades Improved’ F1 Hybrid
7. Begonia x tuberhybrida ‘Apricot Shades Improved’ F1 Hybrid
Begonia ‘Apricot Shades’ is as versatile as it is beautiful! Large, cascading double blooms in sunshine shades of apricot and lemon will pour from your containers from July to October. These tuberous begonias will perform whatever the weather, in sun or semi shade.
Fuchsia ‘Giants Collection A’
8. Fuchsia ‘Giants Collection A’
Turbo-charged trailing fuchsias, that are guaranteed to give a stunning display. Giant frilled flowers of up to 10cm (4″) across are produced throughout summer. The enormous blooms will leave your baskets, window boxes, Flower Pouches™ and containers literally dripping in a carnival of colour.
Buddleja ‘Buzz’™ Collection
9. Buddleja ‘Buzz’™ Collection
A new twist on a much-loved garden favourite, ‘Buzz’™ is the world’s first patio buddleja! These attractive, compact plants are loved by bees and butterflies, but won’t take over your garden. Buddleja ‘Buzz’™ is easy to grow and perfectly proportioned for patio pots and smaller gardens.
Dianthus ‘Strawberry Cream’
10. Dianthus ‘Strawberry Cream’
These look good enough to eat – in fact you can! White petals swirled with strawberry pink centres form double flowers which make a delightful addition to the front of cottage garden borders. The spectacular blooms of Dianthus ‘Strawberry Cream’ indulge the senses with their deliciously sweet fragrance, and make superb cut flowers.
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.
I too am very impressed with my begonia inferno that arrived on Saturday. have already potted on because I don’t want to loose them. cant wait for summer to see full effect. thank u very much.
Despite usually good plants and service in the past,I am sad to say my purchase of “foxglove
illumination pink” was a huge let down.They did not grow this year as expected and despite two e-mails to T& M I have not received any reply regarding their poor performance.
I was very impressed with the quality of the 10 begonias (inferno) which arrived this morning.
They were quite large jumbo plants and were very well packaged. Many thanks T and M.
Thank you Heather.
Hi Amanda,You can grow herbs very easily in crentinaos, and if you have a balcony that really gives you loads more room for a lot more herbs than you’d think! You can grow herbs in pots, and there are also railing planters that hook onto the balcony (sort of like window boxes, but they attach to railings),Anyway, I’m not sure how much sun you actually have. Constant direct sun all day can actually not be best. Full sun is a little different than searing heat all day long. (I’ve given you a website below that will help with all this stuff there’s a site search button, so you can learn about sunlight requirements, as well as how to grow over 20 herbs.).As for herbs that do well in partial shade, you might try chamomile, chives, cilantro, lemon balm, and mint. Most other herbs like more sun, but again, not morning, noon, and afternoons full of strong sun. You’ll be watering a lot, too, if this were the case.Anyway, check out the source below for lots more info. about growing herbs and lots more about container gardening in general.Have fun!Virginia
Love the tree lilies just ordered some to try this year. I’m not usually a patient gardener so bulbs usually not my thing however the tree lilies look so nice so going to give them a bash!
Amazed by the top 10 plants. Nothing that I really like, but glad we all have different and varied tastes.