Potpourri Magazine

The Secret Gardener - Deborah Meaden of Dragon's Den
The star of BBC’S Dragon Den is a highly successful business woman, but she also gets some of her greatest fulfilment from her garden and surrounding land in rural Somerset....
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Q&A with Errol Fernandes, Head Gardener at London's Horniman Museum
Tell us about your route into horticulture?I initially studied fine art and earned my living from art for about ten years before training to become a psychotherapist.  But gardening and the...
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YouTube channel - Suttons
Once you’ve chosen the seeds from the catalogue, it’s useful to watch the seed company’s selection of videos representing their various ranges.  Rob Smith demonstrates everything from how to grow...
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Technology in the garden - Turning composter
There are so many benefits of composting such as improving your carbon footprint by recycling your kitchen and garden waste and producing your own compost to enrich your soil and...
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Q&A with herb expert, Jekka McVicar
Tell us about your journey into horticulture?  My love of herbs came from my mother, who was a wonderful cook and always cooked with fresh herbs and vegetables from her garden. ...
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Body, soul and gardening - mycorrhizal fungi for healthy plants and people
Healthy plants and edibles grown in soil that’s in the best possible condition will ensure that they – as well as us who eat them – thrive.  And the more...
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Garden trends - pleached trees
Trees trained into architectural shapes such as pleached trees have been used in large formal gardens since the 17th Century.  In recent years they’ve become increasingly popular with contemporary designers...
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Plant of the month - geraniums
Hardy perennial geraniums are the quiet doers of the garden.  They’re reliable, tough and incredibly useful at filling gaps, especially around the woody stems of shrubs like roses and smothering...
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Podcast - The Scottish Garden Podcast
Scotland, with its temperate climate and clear air, makes for stunning gardens and in this podcast, Julianne Robertson explores Scottish gardens, nurseries and horticultural events, talking to a host of...
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Technology in the garden - eco-friendly seed trays
Seed sowing season is here in earnest – which means you’ll need something to germinate them in.  Hundreds of millions of the plastic seed trays sold every year are sent...
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Plant of the month - Clematis
Clematis are fabulous for clambering through roses, up fences, walls and over shrubs and pergolas.   There’s one for every month - the more the merrier we say!  For spring, March...
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Body, soul and gardening - successional planting to stimulate the senses
One of the most obvious ways of creating a garden that stimulates the senses is with long-season, layered planting that keeps the colour and interest going all year. Bulbs are...
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Garden trends - natural swimming ponds
With our summers getting hotter, a dip in your own beautiful and chemical free-swimming pond is becoming an increasingly popular idea. Unlike bright blue, artificial looking rectangular shaped traditional swimming...
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Gardening hero - Nicki Chapman
The RHS Chelsea Flower Show presenter, who has a passion for gardening, enjoys pottering around her newly re-designed garden in Chiswick, London, that she shares with her husband, record company...
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Q&A with Mark Brent, Curator of Oxford Botanic Gardens
What about your journey into horticulture?My father was a (progressive) farm manager and conservationist, so nature was unavoidable growing up.  Seeing  tree ferns and palm trees in gardens in  South...
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Technology in the garden - new generation robot mowers
If you’ve been tempted by robot mowers but not yet taken the plunge, now might be a good time, as a new generation of robot mowers have seen major changes...
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Vlog: The Enduring Gardener
Daniel Carruthers has created a garden in Chester from scratch, charting his adventures on his YouTube channel, The Enduring Gardener, where he shares his journey trying new planting combinations and...
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Plant of the month - ferns
Ferns provide elegant soft green foliage in shady areas of the garden.  They’re wonderful when planted under trees  with other shade-tolerant perennials such as white astrantia and which work best...
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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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