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.

Garden trends - bright colours

We all need uplifting colour in our lives at the moment in particular, and people are increasingly drawn to planting with bold, vibrant hues to create spaces that are uplifting...
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Body, soul and gardening - the no dig method

Leaving your soil undisturbed not only saves you time and energy, but benefits the soil and creates healthier plants…so it’s a win, win. You simply cover your bed with a...
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Q&A with Greg Oven, Head Gardener at Pashley Manor

How did your love of plants came about?My love of plants came from spending a lot of time with my grandparents as a child.  They were keen vegetable growers and...
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Gardening hero - Jeremy Irons

Award-winning actor Jeremy Irons is just as at home in the garden as on the screen and stage.  He finds it grounds him, recalling getting back into the garden after...
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Podcast - Grow, Cook, Eat, Arrange

In this hugely engaging and informative podcast, Sarah Raven, Arthur Parkinson and guests discuss their favourite flowers and edibles of the season with masses of useful tips on how to...
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Technology in the garden - heated propagators

As the season warms up and our thoughts turn to sowing seeds, a heated propagator is a great asset as they create a consistently warm temperature to help nurture seeds...
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Body, soul and gardening - encouraging wildlife

The sight of birds, bees and butterflies in the garden is wonderfully uplifting and restorative – and research shows that connecting with nature makes us feel more relaxed and less...
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Garden trends - naturalistic garden design

There’s an increasing movement in garden design towards gardens that take their cue from nature.  If you’re ready to embrace your wild side, here are a few pointers. Don’t over...
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Plant of the month - Euphorbia

Euphorbias are fabulous foliage plants with many displaying brilliant lime green flowers in spring and summer.  Here’s a rundown of a few of our favourites. One of the biggest varieties...
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Gardening heroine - Jilly Cooper

The bubbly bonkbuster author has lived in her picturesque14th Century house in Bisley, Gloucestershire since 1982.  The large sprawling garden is idyllically situated with views across the valley and rolling...
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Q&A with Jonathan Webster, curator RHS Garden Rosemoor

Tell us about your career path so far. My grandmother passed on her passion for plants and gardening.  After leaving school, I started an apprenticeship at Ventnor Botanic Garden on...
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Podcast - Gardeners' Question Time

It’s comforting listening to Gardeners' Question Time on its long-standing Sunday afternoon slot.  But equally, the beauty of the GQT podcast is that it allows you to binge on this...
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Technology in the garden - smart irrigation

If you’re looking for an alternative to hand watering your garden, because it’s too time consuming or because you go away in the summer, a smart irrigation system could be...
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Garden trends - hot tubs

Gardens are working harder than ever, being designed with zones for different activities including exercise, relaxation and entertainment.  A growing trend is to take the well-being element a step further...
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Body soul and gardening - biophilia for well-being

Biophilic design, a popular interior trend that responds to our innate need to be close to the natural world, is said to create a calmer environment and generally make us...
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Plant of the month - Cyclamen coum

There’s something magical about the way cyclamen lie dormant in warm weather, appearing again when temperatures drop.  Despite their dainty appearance, they bloom through frost and snow and, in the...
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Gardening heroine - Elizabeth Hurley

Actress Elizabeth Hurley lives with her son Damian in a large country house in Herefordshire, with extensive grounds.  She’s long been a hands-on gardener; in fact she used to own...
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Vlog - Agents of Field

Sophie and Ade’s YouTube channel won the Garden Media Guild’s Vlog of the year  with the judges calling it entertaining, well presented and informative. Run from their kitchen garden in...
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Q&A with Debbie Roberts from Acres Wild

What are some of the highlights of the winter garden? Frost can create a magical effect on shrubs, grasses and those sturdy perennials able to retain their structure.  Low winter...
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Technology in the garden - nesting box cameras

A birdbox provides a safe place for garden birds such as blue tits, thrushes and sparrows to nest.  Installing a specialist bird box camera will give you a wonderful insight...
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Body, soul and gardening - winter scent to lift your mood

Scent has a powerful effect on our mood and this is particularly welcome as we move into the colder months.  Winter flowers tend to have a particularly powerful perfume as...
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