Potpourri Magazine

If you love gardening, our magazine will inspire you. It's a real magazine, not just a newsletter, and it's packed full of interesting articles written by professional gardening journalists. It's totally free and arrives once a month by email. Here is a selection of recent articles.

Jessica Evans- Head Gardener at Knightshayes

Jessica Evans- Head Gardener at Knightshayes
We interviewed Jessica Evans, head gardener at Knightshayes Court, a National Trust garden in Tiverton. What do you love about the garden at Knightshayes? I was drawn by the plant...
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The secret gardener - Julie Walters

The secret gardener - Julie Walters
Julie Walters is one of our best-loved actresses, but she is just as happy pottering about in the garden as treading the boards these days.  She even celebrated being made...
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Gardening tip - saving seed

Gardening tip - saving seed
Autumn is a good time save seed.  Leave a few flowerheads on your favourite plants after they've finished blooming to allow the seeds to ripen – aster seeds are attached...
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Seasonal produce - pumpkins and pumpkin pie

Seasonal produce - pumpkins and pumpkin pie
With Halloween and Thanksgiving upon us, now is a great time to get creative with pumpkins.  These huge striking orange fruit look almost surreal growing on the earth connected by...
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Garden trends - cosying up in the middle of winter

Garden trends - cosying up in the middle of winter
As the temperatures drop, instead of packing up the garden for the winter months, why not embrace the Scandi ‘hygge’ way of life?  This advocates wrapping up and enjoying the...
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Body,soul and gardening - gardens that bond us

Body,soul and gardening - gardens that bond us
One of the great joys of plants is being able to give and share them.  A garden filled with flowers that remind you of your favourite people appeals on an...
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Body, soul and gardening - beating air pollution

Body, soul and gardening - beating air pollution
As well as being beautiful and relaxing, gardens can also shield us against air pollution from fossil fuels and petrol that damage our health.  According to the World Health Organisation, 90%...
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Seasonal produce - sloe gin

Seasonal produce - sloe gin
The hedgerows are brimming with sloes, so remember to take a pot with you next time you go on a nice autumn walk and gather enough to make some sloe...
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Garden trends - ornamental grasses

Garden trends - ornamental grasses
The fashion for naturalistic planting continues, and key to this soft, unstructured look is using ornamental grasses.  When planted amongst perennials and loosely pruned shrubs, they give the garden wonderful...
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The secret gardener - Emilia Fox

The secret gardener - Emilia Fox
The actress, famed for her role in the BBC drama Silent Witness, loves to unwind in her garden.  ‘I’m a big gardener, I love gardening’ she says, recently telling Woman...
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Gardening tip - Winter violas

Gardening tip - Winter violas
Winter violas are wonderful hardy little gems that will flower on through the coldest months.  Try sowing some seeds now to flower in a few months’ time.  Sow seeds thinly and evenly in...
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All about apples

All about apples
Homegrown apples are a world apart from supermarket-bought ones.  An apple tree, with its gorgeous spring blossom and autumn fruit makes an attractive and wildlife friendly addition to any garden,...
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Technology in the garden - easy top fruit pickers

Technology in the garden - easy top fruit pickers
The season of mists and mellow fruitfulness is upon us.  But if your apple and pear trees have grown so tall you can’t reach the fruit at the top of...
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Our vlog pick - Huw Richards: Grow Food Organically

Our vlog pick - Huw Richards: Grow Food Organically
Huw is only in his early twenties, but he has been creating YouTube videos on veg growing since he was 12 and is incredibly enthusiastic and knowledgeable.  His hands-on advice...
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Technology in the garden - the chair to save the oceans

Technology in the garden - the chair to save the oceans
If you’re in the market for some more garden furniture and are wanting to do something about the environment, the DuraOcean could be the answer.  This ground breaking chair, designed...
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The joys of lavender

The joys of lavender
Drifts of lilac-coloured lavender, humming with bees against a blue sky is a wonderful summer sight.  As well as being beautiful, lavender can also be dried – hanging the sprigs upside-down...
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Our vlog pick - The Garden Ninja

Our vlog pick - The Garden Ninja
The Garden Ninja, aka Lee Burkhill, is a garden designer from the north of England whose YouTube videos give clear, practical advice on design and gardening, helping people avoid common...
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Monty Don - 5 things you didn't know

Monty Don - 5 things you didn't know
The much-loved gardening broadcaster and writer was born in Germany in 1955 – the youngest of five siblings - and christened Montagu Denis Wyatt Don.  He is married to Sarah...
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Your August gardening to-do list

Your August gardening to-do list
Everything is growing very fast now, with plenty of harvesting, deadheading and seed-collecting to be done.  Here’s how to keep the garden looking good into autumn. Keep deadheading annuals, perennials and...
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Seasonal produce - what to do with plums

Seasonal produce - what to do with plums
Plums are a delicious tangy fruit, great eaten raw but also great for stewing or making jams, crumbles and tarts.  ‘Victoria’ is a well-known variety and ‘Blue Tit’ and ‘Opal’ are...
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Garden trends - zones to make the most of your space

Garden trends - zones to make the most of your space
Gardens are working harder than ever as people spend more time in them and appreciate their potential.  Designers are increasingly creating separate zones with different purposes to maximise the use...
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