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 - 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...
Read More
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...
Read More
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...
Read More
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...
Read More
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...
Read More
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...
Read More
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...
Read More
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...
Read More
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...
Read More
Plant profile - Helenium

Plant profile - Helenium
A stalwart of the Genus summer garden, Helenium are herbaceous perennial plants native to the Americas.  They love a sunny spot and thrive in a wide range of soils, seeming...
Read More
Modern heroes of horticulture - Adrian Bloom

Modern heroes of horticulture - Adrian Bloom
Adrian Bloom has been gardening at the Bressingham gardens near Diss in Norfolk for over 50 years.  Alan Bloom, his father (1906-2005), was the founder of Bloom’s Nurseries, and began...
Read More
Plant folklore - house leeks

Plant folklore - house leeks
Sempervivum, commonly known as houseleeks, have been a subject of fascination and superstition in English folklore for centuries.  These hardy succulents, with their rosette-shaped clusters of fleshy leaves, have been...
Read More
Wildlife in the garden - swifts

Wildlife in the garden - swifts
Swifts (Apus apus) a Red-Listed species of ‘most concern and requiring urgent action’ are iconic summer visitors to the UK, arriving in May and departing by August.  Their incredible migration...
Read More
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...
Read More
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...
Read More
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...
Read More
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)...
Read More
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),...
Read More
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...
Read More
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...
Read More
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. ...
Read More