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.

Competition - Gardening in the Era of Lockdown

Competition - Gardening in the Era of Lockdown
Last month in our Potpourri magazine we ran a competition: write 200 words on the theme of Gardening in the Era of Lockdown and win a £100 Genus gift voucher. ...
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Gardening tip - heal your lawn

Gardening tip - heal your lawn
If you you’ve noticed any bald patches in your lawn, there’s still time to reseed them.  Rough up the area with a rake adding a bit of sharp sand for...
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The Unexpected Gardener - Helen Mirren

The Unexpected Gardener - Helen Mirren
The Oscar-winning actress is a great believer in the power of gardening and has mentioned its benefits in various interviews over the years. She recently spoke about how it soothes...
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Seasonal veg - nettle soup

Seasonal veg - nettle soup
The next time you weed a bed of nettles, crop them instead, well the tips anyway – they’re a surprisingly tasty, free and vitamin-packed fresh vegetable.  They’re also excellent for...
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Garden trends - Cooking al fresco

Garden trends - Cooking al fresco
Outdoor kitchens and firepits are big news in garden design.  And this chimes with the current situation where we’re spending time at home, eating with the family.  We were eating...
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Body, soul and gardening - All in the detail

Body, soul and gardening - All in the detail
Having to stay home is forcing us to stop and appreciate nature instead of hurrying by.  And while we can’t all get out into expansive landscapes, we can get close...
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Technology in the garden - Eco twine

Technology in the garden - Eco twine
Gardeners use a lot of twine at this time of year for making pea and bean wigwams, tying in young stems and marking out lines for seed sowing.  If you...
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Our vlog pick - Charles Dowding, no dig gardening

Our vlog pick - Charles Dowding, no dig gardening
If you’re interested in growing vegetables with a no dig approach, this YouTube channel is an excellent resource.  Charles Dowding is an expert in the subject, having pioneered the no-dig...
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Keeping busy during the coronavirus crisis

Keeping busy during the coronavirus crisis
Normally, this slot in our magazine features gardens to visit around the country, but now with everything closed, we all need to focus exclusively on our own gardens.  There is...
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Gardening tip - Don't give up on your daffodils

Gardening tip - Don't give up on your daffodils
Don’t give up on daffodils that didn’t flower this year.  Instead try splitting them to give them more space as it’s possible that they’ve become congested.  Follow with a feed...
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The unexpected gardener - Zoe Ball

The unexpected gardener - Zoe Ball
Radio 2 presenter, Zoe Ball is enjoying her beautiful new garden having moved from Brighton to a village in the Sussex countryside.  She proudly posted on Instagram an image of...
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Seasonal veg - baby turnips and carrots

Seasonal veg - baby turnips and carrots
We may all be in lockdown at home, but this Easter Sunday you can still treat your family to a delicious navarin, a French stew made with seasonal veg.Along with spring...
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Garden trends - get into the blue

Garden trends - get into the blue
The colour of the year for 2020, according to Pantone is Classic Blue.  This is a strong hue, which the colour company describes as a restful colour, which ‘brings a...
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Our podcast pick - The Garden Podcast

Our podcast pick - The Garden Podcast
I really enjoyed listening to this informative monthly podcast presented by Chris Young, editor of The Garden magazines.  Designed to complement the print content, it goes deeper into topics covered,...
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Technology in the garden - Tripod ladder knowhow

Technology in the garden - Tripod ladder knowhow
If your yew hedge is getting out of control and you’re looking for a safe way to prune it this Easter Bank Holiday, you may want to invest in a...
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Garden trends - A fashion for foliage

Garden trends - A fashion for foliage
Garden designers have been busy predicting trends for 2020 with large leafed plants and bolder colours anticipated to become increasingly popular.  We asked leading Garden Designer Barbara Samitier (MSGD) for...
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Body, soul and gardening - Beat the winter blues with mindful gardening

Body, soul and gardening - Beat the winter blues with mindful gardening
Mindfulness – which put simply means living fully in the present, rather than worrying about the past or future - has huge benefits including stress relief and better focus. Gardening is...
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Why do you garden? competition - Winning entries

Why do you garden? competition - Winning entries
In April we ran a competition in our magazine inviting subscribers to send in no more than 100 words in answer to the question: Why do you garden?"  The prize was...
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Memories of Gardening with my Mother

Memories of Gardening with my Mother
In our March newsletter Potpourri 2, we ran a competition asking people to send us a short piece entitled "Memories of Gardening with my Mother".  The prizes are a pair of...
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