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.

Plant folklore - oak

Plant folklore - oak
It’s not surprising that a native tree that has held such an important role in the British countryside has a wealth of folklore surrounding it. Oak trees have been considered...
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On the plot - autumn harvests

On the plot - autumn harvests
Pea shoots A great way to add a new flavour to your salads and to add that little touch of restaurant quality - try pea shoots.  They’re an easy addition...
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Modern heroes of horticulture - Katy Watson

Modern heroes of horticulture - Katy Watson
Has there ever been such a dramatic pivot in the search for a new career?  Just a few years ago, Katy Watson was performing solo to audiences of 2,000, her...
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Gardeners' notes - what to do in September.

Gardeners' notes - what to do in September.
Order bulbs There are several ways to purchase bulbs and I suspect like most gardeners we’ve done them all over the years. These are the options.  1. Take advice from...
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Plant profile - Aeonium

Plant profile - Aeonium
Aeoniums are an incredibly popular genus of succulent plants that are most often used in potted displays and brought inside during the colder months to keep them frost free.  Gardeners...
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Wildlife in the garden - moths

Wildlife in the garden - moths
There are over 2,500 species of moth in the UK.  Compare that to butterflies with 60 species and you can see the important role moths play in the ecology of...
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Gardening explained - thermogenesis

Gardening explained - thermogenesis
When you first hear of thermogenesis in plants, you think “Surely not!  How can a plant warm itself up?”  Well, the news is in, they can, and it’s happening in...
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Wildlife in the garden - collared doves

Wildlife in the garden - collared doves
We love collared doves. They’re often around the garden grazing under the bird feeders and the margins of the surrounding fields.  Barely known in the UK prior to the 1950s,...
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Modern heroes of horticulture - Adam Kirtland

Modern heroes of horticulture - Adam Kirtland
Adam Kirtland is a gardener who has surged onto the gardening scene in recent years with his informative, relatable, and often incredibly witty Instagram account that offers advice from making...
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Gardeners' notes - what to do in August

Gardeners' notes - what to do in August
Propagate clematis Many clematis will have flowered by now and you may have spotted a particularly good performer in your own or a friend’s garden.  Now is a good time...
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Plant folklore - elder

Plant folklore - elder
We have a number of elder trees dotted around the edges of the Genus garden and we have discovered that in earlier times elder trees were frequently planted near homes...
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On the plot - new plantings

On the plot - new plantings
Onion from seed - try Cipolla borretana  Most of us are used to growing onions from ‘sets’ -  ready grown baby onions.  Growing from seed though is very easy and...
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Plant Profile - Ficus carica

Plant Profile - Ficus carica
Figs make wonderful garden plants with green, deeply lobed leaves, and of course the potential to provide sweet golf ball sized fruit.  These figs are the edible fruit of Ficus...
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Gardening explained - etiolation

Gardening explained - etiolation
Anyone who frequents social media will have seen examples of etiolation, especially in the first few months of the year.  Ever keen to get started, new gardeners will often sow...
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On the plot - perennial veg

On the plot - perennial veg
If you have a busy life, time is short, or you just want to sample something new, why not try growing perennial vegetables?  It’s one way to avoid the annual...
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Gardeners' notes - what to do in July

Gardeners' notes - what to do in July
Clean greenhouse glass Last month we recommended different forms of shading for your greenhouse.  Whether painted on or draped over, it is only usually only required on the south side...
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Modern heroes of horticulture - Kathy Slack

Modern heroes of horticulture - Kathy Slack
Kathy Slack’s story is one of inspiration to anyone caught in a career trajectory spiralling out of control.  Trapped in the corporate world of advertising, her journey from burnout and...
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Plant folklore - meadowsweet

Plant folklore - meadowsweet
Meadowsweet, Filipendula ulmaria, is a beautifully scented perennial plant growing along river banks and in damp meadows and has been used in various ways for centuries wherever it appears.  As...
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Gardening explained - DNA analysis

Gardening explained - DNA analysis
You may have noticed in recent years that the scientific names of some plants have been changing. As an example, Sedum has become Hylotelephium. Michaelmas daisies, commonly referred to with...
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Plant profile - Dianthus carthusianorum

Plant profile - Dianthus carthusianorum
Dianthus as a genus contains around 340 species but one of our favourites in the Genus garden has to be Dianthus carthusianorum, the Carthusian Pink.  Named after an order of...
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Wildlife in the garden - swifts

Wildlife in the garden - swifts
A summer visitor, swifts screaming across the evening skies are a common sight in July but their visit to the airspace over our gardens is fleeting.  Arriving in May they...
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