Hi everyone!
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
