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.

Wildlife in the garden - the tawny owl

Wildlife in the garden - the tawny owl
The tawny owl (Strix aluco), is a medium-sized owl species widely distributed across Europe and western Siberia.  It’s a common sight in woodlands and has successfully adapted to urban environments...
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Gardeners' notes - what to do in November

Gardeners' notes - what to do in November
Clearing Borders   With many plants now beyond their best it’s time to consider clearing your borders.  Although an operation that many are choosing to leave until the spring, we...
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Plant folklore - blackthorn

Plant folklore - blackthorn
The blackthorn or sloe, scientifically known as Prunus spinosa, is a well known countryside plant and appears frequently in Celtic folklore and mythology.  This thorny shrub is intrinsically linked with...
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Exceptional trees - Isaac Newton's apple

Exceptional trees - Isaac Newton's apple
Isaac Newton's 370-year-old apple tree at Woolsthorpe Manor has been a symbol of scientific inspiration for over three centuries.  While the exact details of his famous epiphany are hard to...
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Modern heroes of horticulture - Roy Lancaster

Modern heroes of horticulture - Roy Lancaster
Roy Lancaster, born in 1937, is one of British horticultures most recognised figures.  Growing up in Bolton, Lancashire, he embarked on a journey that would take him around the world...
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Plants around us - rubber

Plants around us - rubber
Rubber is a versatile material with ancient roots first utilised by indigenous cultures like the Olmecs, Maya, and Aztecs who discovered natural latex from the Hevea tree, using it in...
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Plant profile - Ginkgo biloba

Plant profile - Ginkgo biloba
Ginkgo biloba, commonly known as ginkgo or maidenhair tree, is a unique species, native to East Asia, and is the last survivor of the Ginkgoales order of plants, which first...
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Exceptional trees - Savernake Forest's Big Belly Oak

Exceptional trees - Savernake Forest's Big Belly Oak
Located in Wiltshire’s Savernake Forest, The Big Belly Oak, a millennium-old giant, really is a living witness to English history.  This sessile oak, Quercus petraea, was named among 50 Great...
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The plants around us - bamboo

The plants around us - bamboo
From fishing rods, to cooking utensils, sunglasses to flooring, bamboo has a multitude of uses.  In recent years bamboo products have been appearing in shops offering a sustainable alternative to...
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Modern heroes of horticulture - Harriet Rycroft

Modern heroes of horticulture - Harriet Rycroft
Harriet Rycroft is best known for being the Queen of Pots.  Her position as head gardener at the Warwickshire based Whichford pottery gave her the chance to hone her skills...
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Gardeners' notes - what to do in October

Gardeners' notes - what to do in October
Sow sweet peas Sweet peas sown towards the end of October will be well developed by next spring and ready to plant out giving a nice early display.  We sow...
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Plant profile - Miscanthus

Plant profile - Miscanthus
Often known commonly as silver grass, the versatile Miscanthus is a tall grass that has been gracing our gardens for generations, evolving from a Victorian favourite to a modern landscape...
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Wildlife in the garden - spiders

Wildlife in the garden - spiders
With over 650 species of spider in the UK it’s surprising we don’t see a wider range of species when out and about in the garden.  Of course, autumn is...
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Plant folklore - blackberries

Plant folklore - blackberries
Brambles, or blackberries, call them what you will, are steeped in fascinating folklore.  One common tale warns against eating the fruit after Michaelmas Day, the feast of Saint Michael that...
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Modern heroes of horticulture - Advolly Richmond

Modern heroes of horticulture - Advolly Richmond
Advolly Richmond is a familiar face to viewers of Gardeners World.  A garden historian, her slots on the popular BBC show cover subjects ranging from lawns, to Japanese gardens, famous...
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Gardeners' notes - what to do in September

Gardeners' notes - what to do in September
Sow hardy annuals directly for spring colour Early autumn presents an ideal opportunity for gardeners to sow a wide range of hardy annuals directly into the garden soil.  This approach...
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The plants around us - teak

The plants around us - teak
Tectona grandis, commonly known as teak, is a prized tropical hardwood tree belonging to the Lamiaceae, the family that surprisingly also contains, mint, thyme, and dead-nettles.  Growing up to 40...
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Plant folklore - corn dollies

Plant folklore - corn dollies
An appropriate piece of folklore for September, corn dollies, ancient symbols of harvest and fertility date back to 7th century Flanders where they were believed to house the spirit of...
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Wildlife in the garden - the Comma butterfly

Wildlife in the garden - the Comma butterfly
Often unnoticed in gardens due to its clever use of camouflage, the Comma butterfly has become a familiar sight across England and Wales.  When at rest, the Comma becomes almost...
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Plant profile - Helianthus 'Lemon Queen'

Plant profile - Helianthus 'Lemon Queen'
Sunflowers are popular garden plants perhaps better known as annuals of exceptional stature.  Helianthus x laetiflorus ‘Lemon Queen’, to give it its full name, is a hardy perennial and reaches a...
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Exceptional trees - Britain's oldest wisteria

Exceptional trees - Britain's oldest wisteria
Not a tree but we couldn’t resist squeezing in a twining climber of truly arboreal proportions.  Britains oldest wisteria located in the borough of Chiswick, West London, grows against a...
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