I hope you’re all doing well and enjoying your gardens, whatever the weather’s been doing where you are. It’s been really windy where I am and quite dull, but I’ve been pottering around nonetheless.

I’ve had a really really busy couple of weeks as I’ve been overseas with the QVC plant buyers. We’ve been visiting about 25 different companies as they’ve been putting on a showcase with all the new plant varieties that are coming up to 2023, and beyond! I’ve been teasing a few on social media, but here I’ll be teasing even more…

I think it’s really important that we keep our viewers and customers in the loop when we’re looking at new plants. We don’t want to be guessing what you want, we want to be asking you directly, through the channels we have, especially our busy and very friendly Facebook group.

I’ve got high hopes for the range of angel pelargoniums. These are great for the windowsill inside or outside on a tabletop. Look at how many flowers there are, you can barely see the foliage or the pot. I assure you it’s in a pot though LOL! Legend has it the fragrance of the foliage also deters mosquitoes from the patio.

And for something exotic, there’s sundaville! You might be used to seeing these type of flowers on holiday, but they can actually be grown very easily in the UK and bloom for months and months. They do like to be kept on the dry side, which is great news for anybody that’s worried about them being high maintenance. Lots of different colours, mostly across the pink and red palette, and they also work as a houseplant in the winter months.

There is one plant that we viewed, but we probably won’t be allowed to buy. That’s because it is reserved exclusively for the cut flower market, so you might need to look out for it at the florists. But I can’t resist showing you, it’s a double flowered form of the Peruvian lily, alstroemeria. It has an extra layer of petals, which makes it look just like a rose – absolutely phenomenal. I actually shrieked when I saw it for the first time!

We also found a range of different hydrangeas, including the brand-new variety Switch, which is launching on QVC this weekend. You can see that we moved very quickly with some of the most exciting products. Eeek! This hydrangea only grows about a foot and a half in height, and the flowers change colour from green through rustic shades. I think this is a winner, don’t you agree?

We also spotted some brand-new colours of a plant you already love; it’s the strawflower “gran via”. I’ll season, we brought you the yellow, but now there is a full colour range of five different shades, and it’s set to take the gardening world by storm. The flowers are incredibly long lasting, and actually dry on the plant, which means they pretty much last forever. You probably remember these from the 80s, but these are new varieties, with even more vigour!

There’s so much more I could tell you about, but I might wait until next time. I think there’s more than enough to get your appetite whetted! Before I go, I need to show you the most perfect red begonia though, which can be grown indoors or outdoors, and also tolerates full sun. It needs a name though, any ideas?

Until next month, see you!

Michael x

The post A showcase of new plants coming to QVC! appeared first on Stories.

How are you doing? It’s been another busy month, but as I write this summer has arrived, it’s really warm and I feel good. I have finally tidied up my garden and I feel better for it. I don’t know why, but it always gets so messy then I have a massive blitz! Is it just me?

Earlier in the month, I had a great time in Holland around the Keukenhof bulb gardens, where we were super lucky to interview the team for our podcast. I also got the chance to go in the flower auction which was a real eye-opener. I had to get up at five a.m. though! I’m not bothered really… it was totally worth it and I saw so many unique cut flowers – it really got me thinking.

I rounded off the trip with a visit to a plant breeder and we walked around his daffodil beds. I recognised a few new plants, I can almost see them from a distance – I think I have a good eye for it hehe! Some amazing new double flowered types, star-shaped types, and of course those pinks that I’m in love with!

Also this month, I had a magazine come and shoot in my garden. So, that meant a mad Sunday evening, running around weeding. I had a crisis of confidence as I pulled out the nettles. I wanted to leave them, but I wasn’t sure what the magazine would think. However, I wish I had now, and I was the pioneer for leaving pollinator-friendly “weeds” in my borders… maybe next time!

I am feeling quite proud of my front garden recently, and I really am pleased that I planted the fennel, it has a lovely feathery vibe!

I have also had a brilliant time at the Malvern show, and was very excited to meet many QVC viewers as well. I was hosting and speaking on the main stages and doing various other activities, basically hobnobbing around the place. I was doing some talks with my friend and colleague Ellen, and we used the rotating composter as a tombola machine. The audience could win prizes and I think they quite enjoyed that!

We also did a floral challenge with Jonathan Moseley and I won, although I did steal various sprigs from the surrounding display… but I see that as being creative!

And if that wasn’t enough, I had a last-minute call to go down to Cornwall to film at Heligan, the Lost Gardens, for Steph’s Packed Lunch. They even got me weeding in the lake – it was a really fun day, and I also learnt how to grow pineapples in our country!

A little bit of downtime this month, as Lorna dragged me to Syon Park, where apparently they film Bridgerton. I’m not a fan, so I wasn’t sure. But before I knew it, I was dancing around a conservatory!

Finally, I made an interesting piece of content for a brand this week, and it was all around sharing your gardening love with your neighbours. Do you do that? I must admit, I sometimes have spare plants, and leave them on the wall out by the front of my house for my neighbour, so she hardly ever has to go to the garden centre. LOL.

Until next month, keep gardening and stay safe

Michael x

The post What I’ve been up to this May appeared first on Stories.

Gardening season is upon us, and doesn’t it feel good! My plant addiction is back with a bang – as if it ever went away… I even snapped up a few Nemesia on QVC, from last week’s Garden ReLeaf Day for Greenfingers.

Now, don’t be too fooled by spring. As I write this it’s summery, but alas frosts are still very much a thing. Even though we are braving shorts and legs during the day, it’s still like zero degrees at night. Don’t fall for the “fool’s spring!”

I’ve been busy with the telly this month, not just at QVC but also with Steph’s Packed Lunch on Channel 4. We got behind the scenes at Kew Gardens to cover their orchid festival and find out a few extra tips and tricks for growing these home beauties. Now I know exactly where to cut the dead flowers off – and what a resting period really means.

At home, I’ve been playing as usual. I recently brought some of the lovely Belarina Primroses inside as a houseplant. It lasted twice as long as a bunch of cut flowers, I’ll tell you that. I actually took a trip to the breeders behind the plant this month too – the Kerley family – where I spotted a few new colours (and a few that I can’t show you!) Amazing plants are on their way. There’s also trailing frilly pansies, it was like a sweet shop, and I was a kid in it!

We’ve had a few Today’s Special Value offers this month too, the most fun of which was the faux trellis with my dear friend Lorna. She doesn’t half make me laugh. We created some super content to promote the offer, and it turned out to be a very successful day. If you watched, you’ll also have seen the other fun and games we did, such as the “guess the garden” game…

For the first time in two years, the garden press event was on in London. It’s always a hot bed for new plants and gardening accessories, and I was particularly taken with the rubber seed trays. Never buy a seed tray again!

Back home, I was experimenting again with some tropical coloured pots, oh and a gorgeous black and white one. I do enjoy creating pots, it’s possibly one of my favourite tasks. Although, I did need to clear up my garage, so my weekend off was spent doing just that. It took ages, but at least now I feel more Zen and I finally have a work space. As soon as it was cleared, I was trying out a few kokedama – trying to get right – but I’m happy with my results.

The month rounded up with a little northern trip. I was sent to a daffodil field near Lincoln, filming a live segment for Steph’s Packed Lunch. It was brilliant, and we even “delivered” a bunch back to Steph in the studio! Later that week I was in the studio building rockeries on tables.

And as I write this blog, I’m catching up on my emails in London and preparing for the hottest plant Today’s Special Value offer of the month. It’s the amazing miniature fuchsias… hope you snap a pack up!

See you next month,

Michael x

The post Gardening season is upon us! appeared first on Stories.

Good to see you again!

I’ve had a busy month, which actually started off in Denmark, in the city of Copenhagen. We popped over for three or four days, and of course I made sure we saw lots of botany too. I can really recommend the Botanic Gardens, they are a treasure trove of unique and unusual plants. I was also feeling quite inspired by the plants on the market; they use a lot of pastels and baby blue, as you’ll see from the photos.

Once I got home, I couldn’t resist assembling a few of those colours, as you’ll see in my shelving unit that I’ve now moved outdoors!

No sooner was I back, but I was up to Leeds to teach Steph McGovern and Anton du Beke how to build a terrarium. I have to say, they both did pretty well. Anton made a display that looked like the Seychelles with some lovely big rocks, and Steph’s was like a forest floor. I hope they took them home and will be caring for them!

I also attended an utterly fab day at RHS Wisley, as part of the Young Horticultural Movement. I’m an ambassador not a member, hehe! I made a speech about Weird and Wacky Plants, and we all got tours of the grounds, which were looking all wintery and sparkly.

It’s been a busy month on the podcast too, as we managed to land an interview with the Executive Producer of the Green Planet Series on BBC. What an honour! We got lots of behind-the-scenes gossip, and I couldn’t resist asking about David Attenborough and, of course, the plants. Putting this down as a career highlight.

I’ve also had a bit of a Primrose month, creating tonnes of fun content for these rainbow beauties. Lots of amazing colours coming through which we hope to bring you at QVC. I’m also testing out a few as houseplants indoors, which is brilliant. They last twice as long as cut flowers and I’m totally backing this trend. In fact, I’m obsessed with mixing things up, and I’ve even brought a few aconites indoors to enjoy on the table recently.

Lastly, I’ve been doing something I haven’t done since I was eighteen. Pollinating flowers… this was one of my first jobs when I joined Thompson and Morgan and I got to try it again after all those years. It was brilliant, and you can see the video on my Instagram page.

Busy month at QVC coming up. This week I’m involved in two Today Special Value offers, so I’ll need a few coffees for that! But I love it, and I love bringing you fantastic gardening products and cool new plants.

See you next month!

Michael

The post A busy February! appeared first on Stories.

Do you believe in New Year’s resolutions? I really don’t to be honest. I think you should be able to start behaving better at any time of the year. But if you were to ask me about resolutions this year, I’d say to be a bit quicker with what I do in my garden… I always seem to be running late on everything, but you know, I’m a busy guy!

Ah, January has been really busy. Somehow the first few days were very quiet but it’s just exploded since. I’ve been busy at QVC, and also up north on Steph’s Packed Lunch, plus I’m also putting the finishing touches to my book!

But I did fit in a few days to start a couple of new hobbies – knitting and making cappuccinos! You can see the pictures here. Yes I know, I dropped a stitch, and my froth is too fluffy. But I’m learning…

When in London, I like to go out and explore, try new foods and see new places. At the moment the winter containers are looking super fit, especially the ones in Mayfair, with no expense spared of course.

Check out the amazing Christmas rose displays. I was also overjoyed to find the tiny parks – these are old London underground ticket booths that have been filled with plants. Here’s a photo of one at Kilburn Park.

I’m very excited about the snowdrops, they should be coming through soon. I spotted a couple the other day in a graveyard near my home. When snowdrops start, we really know the year is starting.

Have you seen the BBC show Green Planet yet? I am transfixed every Sunday evening. There’s so much to learn, I need a notepad!

I’ve been super lucky to see some of those plants in the wild too, such as the Rafflesia flower in Borneo. I bet you can guess what my book is about right?

Just before Christmas, I did sneak in a little visit to the Eden Project, almost in preparation for the Green Planet. It’s always humbling to see what goes towards making the every day things that we eat and drink, such as coffee trees, and the pods that chocolate are made from.

I rounded off the month with some videos and photos too. I had another photo shoot at a new local flower shop in Chiswick, with Capri from the backstage team. It was fun, and she has made me look really rough and ready – I love it! I’ve also been filming new content for QVC. We recently did composting with our new rotating composter – very fun and educational. And lastly, I’ve been convinced to do my first Reel on Instagram, which is like TikTok – check out the dancing!

This month at QVC, you should be looking out for summer flowering plants. I know that sounds crazy, but it’s a good time to order them, so we can get you to the front of the guest list. This way, you know you’re getting just the ones you want, and they’ll be sent at the right time for planting out.

You also still have plenty of time to plant bare root plants, such as perennials, fruit bushes, and roses. It’s a really economical way of filling your garden, and winter is the perfect time while they’re dormant!

Till next month.

Michael x

The post What I’ve been up to this January appeared first on Stories.

By the time you read this we’ll be in the new year, and I always love this time. Fair enough, the bulbs aren’t coming through the ground yet, but the promise is there. It will soon be time for the rainbow of primroses and pansies which I unashamedly love.

Also, by the time you read this, we will have started the gardening season at QVC. We’re kicking things off with a Today’s Special Value offer at 9pm on New Year’s Eve no less. Although I’m not working on that shift, I’ll be there at 9am on New Year’s Day. We’ll have a special offer on Richard Jackson’s bird food which is better than ever. It even comes in lovely packaging, so if you’ve forgotten to buy someone a Christmas present this year, here’s your chance to get a late one in the door!

I’ve got something quite special for you in this blog, and it’s a little bit of an informal QVC Gardening Customers Awards Ceremony! I’ve put a few posts up on our Facebook group during December, and you guys contributed some lovely photos. Well, here are the results of the jury.

Perfect Patio 

Winner – Anne Mattingley

Runner Up – Michelle Sweeney

Runner Up – Hope Danvers

Tastiest harvest 

Winner – Michelle Sweeney

Runner Up – Peppers

Happiest houseplant 

Winner – Carol Allcorn

Showiest Plant 

Winner – Diana Eastwood

Runner Up – Julie Barker

Runner Up – Annette Hearn-Gibson

Longest bloomer 

Winner – Denise Farrar

Runner Up – Diana Eastwood

We have such a lovely group of QVC gardening customers, and I love seeing the pictures and hearing the comments. I recently had a meeting with the buyers at QVC, and there are so many exciting products to come. New plants, useful tools and a few surprises, too!

I’m wondering what the weather will be like in the first week of January. I must confess I’ve still got a few bulbs to plant. As long as the soil isn’t frozen, I should be just about fine. It’s difficult to keep gardening when you’re also on the road a lot of the time working! Does anyone want to be my gardening apprentice?

So, please keep up with me on QVC in the New Year, but look out for me on other channels too. I’ll be doing more gardening tips and having a lot of fun on Steph’s packed lunch on Channel 4, which is on every lunchtime.

Keep up with me here, and also on my website for the latest gardening news and useful tips.

Until February!

X

The post New Year and my gardening awards ceremony! appeared first on Stories.

Another super fun month, and I still haven’t cut down my perennials! Ah well – the birds and the insect life will be enjoying it!

I’ve been busy in the north with my mate Steph again. First up we tested umbrellas, and we had our own wind machine to get the job done. We just so happened to spray water into them – really fun; but with a serious edge, as we wanted to see which were the strongest. To my amazement, the little handbag-style folding umbrellas were some of the strongest!

More recently, I’ve been up to a Christmas tree farm to do a live link with the studio, as we talked about the different types of trees and how to get the best out of them. I was quite taken with the Serbian spruce with its iridescent needles – might’ve even inspired me to get a Christmas tree myself! We spoke about the need to give trees plenty of water, how lemonade can pep them up, and why you should give your central heating a miss to keep them happy.

I was also super excited to work with a coffee brand – filming a few clever reels which made use of coffee grounds and old tea bags. Did you know, the acidy coffee grounds can perk up heathers, and refresh orchids? And tea bags emptied around houseplants is said to deter pests. Worth a go. Especially if you’re a big tea drinker!

I had a mini, mini weekend away too and we popped to Cambridge. I persuaded my other half to come to the botanic garden too, so that was a result! The glasshouses were looking resplendent, and the winter walk was just about coming into its own. I can’t wait to come back in January when the snowdrops will have started adding their little sparks of joy! Not long now…

Well, while I’m not the biggest fan of Christmas, I am partial to an odd poinsettia! I’ll soon be creating special content with a breeding company who have two very new poinsettia to release soon. If you do choose one, remember to keep them warm on the way back from the shops though – take a blanket if need be! They’re Mexican plants, so they aren’t keen on the English cold.

I’ve been up to my friend Ellen’s allotment again for the final harvest of the year, but her experiment with chickpeas didn’t quite work. The pods just weren’t full enough, so I only came away with kale and a few small sprouts.

Gosh – another piece of fun this month was filming at the Alnwick Poison Garden. I learnt so much, and it’s a good thing we all brush up on that knowledge every so often. The host Dean told us a few horror stories, eeeeek!

Not toooo much garden advice to impart this month. I bet you’ve still got petunia blooming too, it’s been so mild! I wonder when Jack Frost will get a hold of them…

See you next month for our Christmas get together. I might even put something festive on!

Michael x

The post A super fun November appeared first on Stories.

It’s been a really lovely month, hasn’t it? The weather has been fairly calm, and I really appreciate the sun we’ve had. I think if the weather had been dull in early autumn, then we might have felt a bit cheated of a summer, but it came good in the end.

I was filming at RHS Harlow Carr recently, and the summer plants there are still looking amazing, you would almost think it was August as you walk through the gardens.

Lots of lovely flowers, paired up with the glory of autumn, it was quite a spectacle. I was filming a segment about autumn leaves for Steph’s Packed Lunch!

I’ve also been on the show in the last week, would you believe it, with a piece on waterproof clothes! It was really fun, and I got to soak a lot of the presenters with a hose of water…

So, I’ve just been looking back at my pictures, and seeing what I’ve been up to in October. It seemed to include a lot of food! We kicked off the month with a little weekend in London, where we tasted a lot of amazing food and really experimented. Although I always do that anyway.

I am particularly fond of Dulce de Leche cake, it’s like a kind of wet sponge, just melts in your mouth. I actually finished off the month with another foodie weekend, as it was my birthday!

I must admit, I have abandoned my garden a little bit in the last few weeks. It’s just hanging onto summer, so I’m letting it do its thing. Sometime soon, I do need to go out and have the autumn tidy-up though, but I can’t bear it yet… ouch! I will need to plant my autumn planting bulbs though, so I must get a date into the calendar!

I’ve been doing quite a bit of growing indoors, and have some new grow light, and I’ve managed to get some really interesting seeds to germinate, plus, the best thing ever, a spider walked into my Venus fly trap, no encouragement….! I have also been trying to take some cuttings of sunflowers, as a little experiment too.

I also took some time to review my garden over the last year, and I submitted some photos to a magazine that requested it. I’ve had a lot of success, but also a fair amount of failure. Even the experts can get it wrong! Have you seen my pitiful plateau of Salpiglossis for example? I think I used a cheap compost – totally my fault!

But, I did have success with my graft of tomato and potato. I managed to make my own TomTato. I was very late in the season, so the crop wasn’t very strong however. One tiny potato. But I proved the concept works!

So, as I’ve already mentioned, I need to get outside and plant my bulbs. Daffodils need to be in by November, but with tulips you can wait until November onwards, they are better planted when the soil is a little bit colder. I’m refreshing my autumn winter containers as well, including one of my favourite plants, heather. Plant snobs often don’t like heathers, but I’m a huge fan!

My sycamore tree will soon be dropping its leaves too, and I want to make sure I clean them up as soon as possible this year. I was too late last year, and I soon had lots of baby seedlings coming up, which were hard to manage!

Oh well, hehe! Hope your own gardens and outdoor spaces are looking fab, and we shall speak soon!

Michael xx

The post What I’ve been up to this October appeared first on Stories.

Good to see you again!

It’s not the best day today, it’s super windy and as I sit writing this blog, I can see my trees being blown around like crazy. It’s heart-breaking, but what can you do!? It’s not like I could move the trees in to the garage to protect them LOL.

It’s been a busy month, not just for me, but for the flowers. Some of the displays this year have been bountiful. Have you seen any beautiful wisteria for example?

I was fan-girling over some in Chiswick last week, then drove past an amazing display in Camden, check it out!

I also love the blossom time, but it’s always over too quickly. Just like my tulips. Although I can’t complain, the cold has kept them in bloom for longer this year, same applies to my daffodils.

We are now moving into that in between moment when spring finishes, and summer is yet to start. My alliums will hopefully fill that gap. Sunday’s (30th May) Today’s Special Value offer featured Alliums I wonder if there are any left?!

I actually had a mammoth planting out session yesterday and did a bit of weeding too. I have to say, by adding a mulch of plant matter to my borders, weeding is so much easier, and the soil looks super healthy, I met many worms during my gardening session!

So, I’ve managed to free up my windowsills a little bit, but I’ve lost track of what I’m growing, I’m not very good at labelling things. I do have the gorgeous Petunia Darcey Rosa though!

I’ve been up to Leeds this month too, doing a segment on growing edibles for Steph‘s Packed Lunch. It was really fun, and we got to show the Tomtato, a plant you may have heard of. It’s tomatoes and potatoes all on one plant!

I hope you’ve been joining us for the shows on QVC this month, you’ve probably seen our flower crowns, which we donned to celebrate Garden Day. Also, you might have seen me sitting on a plant. This plant was Lomandra White Sands, and I was proving how indestructible it really is!

Back at home, I’ve been doing a surprising amount of online seminars, and did one for an international bank this month too. An hour and a half, including a weird and wacky plant show, live demonstrations, and a miracle berry tasting session! Lots of fun!

So, once the wisteria and blossom faded, I had bluebells to keep me happy. I found an excellent, extensive wood of them locally.

I also have been indulging in the yellow brassica fields. I even took a few home to make a Japanese style tea with them!

Then, it finally happened. I have been filming for a footwear brand in my own garden! Gosh! I felt really excited and proud to be able to show off my outdoor space!

Rumour has it that QVC will be visiting at some point too. Can’t wait to show you all!

Michael

The post Getting ready for my summer garden appeared first on Stories.

It might be chilly outside, but you could always grab a sketch book and start planning your outside space… with a bit of cheeky QVC gardening on in the background, of course! I hope you’ve been enjoying our shows so far, and we might have tempted you with something lovely!

2020 season shows 

I’ve had a busy January so far, and our gardening season at QVC has got off to a great start! This season, we are planning on getting YOU involved more with our shows at QVC. Each week, we will be calling out for your questions and photos, and we will then be showing them and giving you as much advice as possible! You can paste your questions and photos any time onto my Facebook page.

It’s always a fast-moving show, but we will try and answer as many questions as possible! Don’t forget too about the QVC Hub on my website, as that’s where you can find out more about our whole QVC world. There’s extra gardening hints and tips, behind the scenes stories, and tonnes more!

Facebook Live

We are also changing the way we do Facebook Live too, and will be showing as many demos as we can! Did you see last week’s winter containers demo? If you have some suggestions for the type of demos you want to see, then let me know!

We are continuing to produce some video content for the QVC website too, so you can get advice and support even when we aren’t on air. I spent a whole day in Chiswick last week putting together some useful clips. The first one will demystify the sizing of the QVC plants, as we explain plugs, potted plants, bareroot plants and all that jazz! Some of you might know already, but we have lots of newbies too, and we want to make it as fun and easy as it can be!

A second video will be offering up the secrets to container success, as I show you how three key ingredients can make container growing a doddle! Use water more efficiently, enjoy longer term feeding and feed the roots, the power house of the plant! Boosh!

What’s going on outside?

When it’s cold you don’t have to be working outside, but on a sunnier day, you might choose to do a little bit of maintenance! Don’t be too quick to cut though… when we were filming on location, I was marvelling over some spectacular dead Hydrangeas, hehe! Most plants have such pretty seedheads that it’s often a shame to trim them off soon. In some cases, they may also provide feed for the birdies!

Some plants that really brave the cold are primroses! I walked past a colourful batch today, under a sheet of frost, yet they still seemed perfectly happy. Unlike Pansies, they won’t collapse under dustings of snow either. They really are my top tip for chilly weather! I adored the ‘Star Fever’ variety that we had on the show this weekend!

Spring does seem to be peeking around the corner though, and once the daffodils are available in the supermarkets, it feels ever more possible! Always a little bit ahead of home gardens, these golden beauties smell soooo sweet and spicy too! It’s still a little early for daffs outside though, but we do have oodles of Snowdrops to keep us happy! Have you spotted any yet??

What to look out for!

With a focus on sustainability this year, we are so pleased to have a peat-free compost in the range. Westland have introduced a top-performing mix, which is for containers, borders and general potting, with comparable results to peat-based composts.

And, super popular, we now have houseplants on the website, with one particular favourite! The Anthurium in water was a big hit, not just on the show, but also on social media afterwards!

We will be celebrating the world of Begonias during February, with the beautiful Giant Begonias. Oh my gosh, they are hands-down exhibition quality, but super easy to grow! Everything about these plants is super-sized with six inch blooms, and the plants are so strong and durable… and the secret: you can save the tubers for the next year too!

Happy Gardening!

Michael x

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