L to R: Peter Freeman, Paul Masters, Charles Valin, Colin Randel

With 140 years of horticultural experience between them, our newly formed new product development team is able to boast a rich diversity of expert horticultural knowledge.

True to our tradition of providing gardeners with the newest, most interesting and best quality flower and vegetable varieties, our new product development team is pulling out all the stops. The first catalogue since the team’s formation is due out between Christmas and New Year and information on exclusive new products and innovations that are in development will be released over the next few weeks.

Paul Masters, who heads up our horticultural team said:

“I’m really excited about the range that we’re planning for next season. Our plant breeding team, led by Charles Valin, has been working overtime and the new varieties that we’re going to be offering are phenomenal! Some of them are completely revolutionary in the gardening world.”

 Paul brings over 36 years of horticultural and gardening expertise to the team. He started his career as an apprentice at Notcutts, rising to the position of production director and has travelled extensively in Europe and North America in his search for new and interesting plant varieties to offer to UK gardeners.

Colin Randel is widely known in the horticultural business as an authority on vegetables, and in particular, potatoes. Affectionately known as ‘Spud’ here at T&M, his experience of growing vegetables and developing varieties to bring to the gardening public extends to almost 50 years. Colin was Chair of the RHS Wisley vegetable trials subcommittee for 8 years from 2006 to 2013.

Peter Freeman is the most widely travelled member of the team having visited the Far East and India as well as many European countries looking for new products to enhance our plant and seed range. Over his 38 years’ in the horticultural business, he has worked in nurseries and garden centres, as well as in buying and management. Peter has a particular passion for herbaceous perennials!

The impressive line-up of our horticultural team is soon to be further boosted by the return of Kris Collins to the T&M fold. Kris takes up his new role as quality control manager on the horticultural team in mid-December and brings with him a veritable mine of knowledge and experience gained from his almost 20 years in professional horticulture.

Our latest catalogue, the Spring 2018 edition, will be out just after Christmas.

Sonia Mermagen

Sonia works at Thompson & Morgan in the role of press and communications officer. She is a self-proclaimed ‘reluctant’ gardener and is generally amazed if anything flourishes in her garden. Sonia has a ‘hands off’ approach to gardening and believes that this helps to encourage bees, butterflies and other wildlife. (That’s her excuse anyway!)