Potpourri Magazine

With many British gardens often characterised by muted tones and traditional cottage garden designs, Manoj Malde is undoubtedly a breath of fresh air in the world of garden design.  His...

We’ve planted hundreds of snake's head fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris) over the years.  A member of the Lily family, they’re distinguished by their uniquely patterned cup-shaped flowers and wiry stems.  A...

Discovering a toad in the garden is always a moment to celebrate.  It’s almost impossible to spot one and not recount the tale over the dining table that evening.  Who...

Saffron is a popular spice in Britain where it’s enjoyed in buns, cakes, and rice dishes.  The source of the spice, famously more expensive than gold, is the saffron crocus...

Quietly thriving in the churchyard of Fortingall village in Perthshire, Scotland is the U.K.’s oldest yew tree.  The Fortingall Yew has witnessed thousands of years of human history, with experts...

The appearance of daffodils is often the first sign of the changing seasons.  These flowers have long been associated with fertility and new life, and a gift of daffodils is...

Take a little bit of Gerald Durrell, a pinch of Felicity Kendall from the Good Life, and a slice of Mini the Minx, and you’ll have a good idea of...

It’s surprising for a plant that has become so entrenched in folklore that snowdrops are not actually indigenous to Britain.  While the precise date of their introduction remains a subject...

We always celebrate the arrival of our spring and summer migrants such as swallows, swifts, cuckoos and nightingales.  Less celebrated and often creeping in under the radar are our winter...

When is a tree not a tree and does it need to be a living specimen to feature as one of our exceptional trees?  In the case of  the Great...

A favourite houseplant in the winter months especially around Christmas, Cyclamen are also wonderful, long-lived garden plants.  A native to Europe, the Mediterranean, and parts of Iran and Somalia, they...

Plant-based insulation is emerging as a leading choice for environmentally-conscious homeowners and as an alternative, not only providing good thermal efficiency but also meeting eco-friendly living requirements and practices.  With...

Most of us were affected by the Covid lockdown of 2020.  None more so than Sophie van Gerwen whose contraction of the disease and the subsequent debilitating effects of long-covid...

Thirty years ago the sight of an egret in the UK wasn’t unheard of, but it was certainly a rare event.  Move on to the 2020s and sightings of these...

Robin's pincushions, sometimes referred to as bedeguars (from the Middle French bedegard, and Persian bādāward) are distinctive galls that form on wild roses when the gall wasp, Diplolepis rosae, lays...

The Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis) is probably one of the most exciting botanical discoveries of the 20th century.  Endemic to Australia this conifer was unknown to science until 1994, when...

Snowdrops, Galanthus nivalis (meaning ‘milk flower of the snow’), originated across Central and Southern Europe.  Botanical historians believe the Romans may have introduced the plant.  The first documented cultivation is...

We’ve previously written about the traditional production of rubber from plantations of the Amazonian rubber tree Hevea brasiliensis.  It may come as a surprise that rubber is also produced commercially...

Lee Connelly, better known to some as The Skinny Jean Gardener, came to prominence as CBBC’s Blue Peter Gardener, appearances on BBC ‘Teach’, and BBC Radio One.  His theatre tour...

Prune climbing roses December can be a good time to deal with any climbing roses you have on the cottage or garden walls.  We always try to keep everything tight,...

Every year, December visitors to Trafalgar Square in London get to enjoy a  Christmas tree that stands as a symbol of friendship between Norway and Britain.  It’s a tradition that began...