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.

Garden trends - fastigiate trees

Garden trends - fastigiate trees
Columnar or fastigiate trees that are naturally upright make striking vertical accents in gardens.  Varieties such as the upright Irish yew have traditionally been used in formal planting, either side...
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Secret gardener - Caroline Quentin

Secret gardener - Caroline Quentin
When she’s not acting, The Men Behaving Badly star’s big love is gardening.  This is lucky as having moved to a Devon farmhouse over a decade ago with her husband,...
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Plant of the month - sedum

Plant of the month - sedum
Sedums, or as the taller variety have been renamed, Hylotelephium, really come into their own at this time of year with their flat umbels of flowers slowly turning to deep...
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Podcast - Gardening with the RHS

Podcast - Gardening with the RHS
This informative podcast, presented by gardening guru Guy Barter, covers a wide range of topics, from practical episodes on how to grow particular flowers and vegetables to behind-the-scenes reports from...
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Technology in the garden - apple press

Technology in the garden - apple press
There is nothing more delicious than freshly-pressed apple juice.  You may be lucky enough to have a friend with a press or a shared community one – these can also...
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Body, soul and gardening - pond life

Body, soul and gardening - pond life
Sitting near a calm, glinting pond that’s teeming with wildlife is hugely relaxing and makes you feel closer to nature.  In fact, a well-designed wildlife pond is one of the...
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Garden trends - bulbs to naturalise

Garden trends - bulbs to naturalise
It’s bulb planting season, but with the rising popularity of naturalism, there’s an increasing movement towards planting bulbs not just in beds or in pots, but through lawns and meadows...
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Secret Gardener - Kate Moss

Secret Gardener - Kate Moss
The glamorous supermodel is tiring of partying and turning to more wholesome pursuits such as yoga and gardening.  After spending lockdown at her Cotswold home in Little Faringdon, she decided...
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Plant of the month - Eurybia divaricata

Plant of the month - Eurybia divaricata
Also known as a white wood aster, this plant is the star of the show in autumn gardens.  It has pretty clusters of tiny white daisy-like flowers on black stems...
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Q&A with Lottie Allen, HG Hidcote Manor

Q&A with Lottie Allen, HG Hidcote Manor
Tell us about your journey into horticulture? I knew I wanted to work outdoors (ironically, as these days I’m more often inside than out) and after working with a local...
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Podcast - Knepp Wildland

Podcast - Knepp Wildland
In this podcast, Knepp ecologist, Penny Green, gives us a behind-the-scenes insight into the pioneering Knepp Wildland project.  A 3,500 acre estate in West Sussex, once intensively farmed, it’s now...
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Technology in the garden - outdoor fireplaces

Technology in the garden - outdoor fireplaces
We’re increasingly using our gardens as an extra room and with chilly autumn nights upon us, installing an outdoor fireplace can really extend the season for sitting out in the...
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Q&A - Jodi Dickinson, HG, Barbara Hepworth Garden Museum

Q&A - Jodi Dickinson, HG, Barbara Hepworth Garden Museum
Tell us about your journey into horticulture. Growing up surfing the coastline of Cornwall nurtured my desire to be immersed in nature in my work, which naturally translated into horticulture, and I have...
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Technology in the garden - pizza ovens

Technology in the garden - pizza ovens
Sales of pizza ovens has soared.  They make crisp restaurant-quality pizza and are ideal for family meals, where everyone can get involved in the prep.  Home pizza ovens also make...
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Podcast: My Garden Podcast

Podcast: My Garden Podcast
Penny Haslam presents this down-to-earth gardening podcast from her own garden in Cheshire, north west summer. She calls herself a have-a-go gardener and the tone is jolly and personal as...
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Plant of the month - salvias

Plant of the month - salvias
Whatever your favourite colour, you can probably find a salvia in that hue as there’s such an array of colours and forms, flowering throughout the summer. Along with the culinary...
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Secret gardener - Miranda Hart

Secret gardener - Miranda Hart
The popular actress has grown up with gardening, as her mum, Dee, has opened her garden for the NGS for over 27 years. The three-acre Hampshire garden has a large...
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Garden trends - timber

Garden trends - timber
Timber isn’t a new material, but designers are opting for this timeless classic over other materials for its beauty, strength and sustainability.  ‘There’s a massive push for timber over wood...
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Body, soul and gardening - perennial vegetables

Body, soul and gardening - perennial vegetables
Perennial vegetables are a particularly sustainable way of growing produce.  You only need to plant them once and they live for years, saving on seed, potting compost, water and time....
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Q&A with Asa Gregers, Head Gardener at The Beth Chatto Gardens

Q&A with Asa Gregers, Head Gardener at The Beth Chatto Gardens
What led you to The Beth Chatto Gardens? My grandparents and parents were keen gardeners and I always enjoyed working outside, but after doing lots of different jobs, it wasn’t...
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Body, soul and gardening - the cooling power of plants

Body, soul and gardening - the cooling power of plants
With temperatures rising and heat waves more common, plant foliage could help temper the sun’s scorching rays.  While buildings and hard surfaces raise temperatures by absorbing and reflecting the day’s...
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