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.

Gardeners' notes - what to do in August!

Gardeners' notes - what to do in August!
Prune rambling roses Opinions vary on when rambling roses should be pruned.  Some like to start pruning immediately after flowering, some will prune now, and others will wait until more...
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Exceptional trees - record-breaking yew hedge

Exceptional trees - record-breaking yew hedge
Our local town of Cirencester in Gloucestershire was once the second largest Roman town in Britain after London - quite a record for what is now a relatively small market...
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The plants around us - chestnut and willow

The plants around us - chestnut and willow
The Sussex trug, an emblem of British craftsmanship, is a perfect example of sustainable local production.  Crafted from coppiced chestnut and willow offcuts from cricket bat manufacturing, these baskets make...
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The plants around us - hops

The plants around us - hops
When you take a sip of your next pint, pause to appreciate the humble hop, a plant that gives your beer its distinctive bitterness and aroma.  The hop (Humulus lupulus)...
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Plant folklore - foxglove

Plant folklore - foxglove
Foxgloves have been associated with the folklore of the British Isles for centuries, the plant (Digitalis) having been known by many names.  Tracing its roots back to Edward III (1327-1377),...
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Wildlife in the garden - slow worms

Wildlife in the garden - slow worms
It’s always a joy to discover slow worms (Anguis fragilis) in the garden.  These cold-blooded and legless lizards, distinct from snakes due to their notched tongue, and blinking eyes (snakes...
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Exceptional trees - Sycamore Gap

Exceptional trees - Sycamore Gap
The much maligned sycamore tree (Acer pseudoplatanus) has never received much admiration since its introduction to England in the fifteenth century.  Even before it became widely distributed, gardener, writer, and...
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Plant profile - Pelargonium australe

Plant profile - Pelargonium australe
Rosie Hardy of Hardy's Cottage Garden Plants in Hampshire recently came to help out with a photoshoot at Genus HQ.  She surprised us with a small plant as a gift. ...
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Modern heroes of horticulture - Guy Grieve

Modern heroes of horticulture - Guy Grieve
Guy Grieve is an adventurer whose journey has led him into the world of horticulture via Alaska, the Caribbean and the Isle of Mull.  His exploits are well documented in...
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Gardeners' notes - what to do in July

Gardeners' notes - what to do in July
Clean greenhouse glass It’s a job often carried out over winter but greenhouses located around and near trees often become coated in a sticky sap excreted by aphids living on...
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Wildlife in the garden - helix lucorum

Wildlife in the garden - helix lucorum
Snails aren’t eveyone's cup of tea when it comes to a creature to be welcomed into the garden, but their role in the environment shouldn’t be underestimated.  As consumers of...
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Gardeners' notes - what to do in June!

Gardeners' notes - what to do in June!
Gardeners are great optimists and will already be starting to think about next year.  For us that means sowing biennial seeds to provide flowers for the spring and early summer. ...
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Modern heroes of horticulture - Alan Down

Modern heroes of horticulture - Alan Down
Alan Down’s life in horticulture is not only an example of hard work and dedication but also one of pure passion.  Currently President of the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA), Alan’s...
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Plant profile - delphinium

Plant profile - delphinium
What traditional cottage border isn’t complete without the addition of towering delphiniums, their flowers a magnet for bees, insects, and humans alike.  Their statuesque stems rise up in early summer...
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Exceptional trees - birch

Exceptional trees - birch
We’ve always been fans of birch trees at Genus HQ and on moving here over a decade ago we immediately planted several, including the beautiful white stemmed Betula utilis var....
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Plant folklore - black poplar

Plant folklore - black poplar
The black poplar, Populus nigra, has been an iconic tree in Britain's woodlands and wetland areas for centuries.  Believed to be one of the few species native to the UK...
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The plants around us - biofuels

The plants around us - biofuels
It might seem strange but the use of plants within the global fuel industry could become an important sector within horticulture.  Bio-fuels, an alternative to the fossil fuel that we...
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Body, soul and gardening - the joy of gardening with others

Body, soul and gardening - the joy of gardening with others
Much as I love gardening alone, there’s something particularly good for the soul about gardening with others.  It’s great to be with like-minded people who share your horticultural passion.  And...
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Wildlife in the garden - Otters

Wildlife in the garden - Otters
Twenty years ago we would never have thought that otters (Lutra lutra) could be an occasional, if not common, visitor to gardens in the UK.  Once on the decline due...
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Modern heroes of horticulture - Mike Palmer

Modern heroes of horticulture - Mike Palmer
Mike Palmer has become a familiar face to keen gardeners in recent years.  His live ‘Sunday Morning Stroll’, something he started on Instagram during lockdown, has garnered a loyal following...
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Gardeners' notes - what to do in May

Gardeners' notes - what to do in May
Lawn care With soil temperatures now reliably into double figures, it's a good time to carry out any renovation work on your lawn.  Rake out any moss and scatter fresh...
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