Green Policy

We are proud to have been awarded a Bronze Award for our environmental achievements.  We work hard to ensure that our activities support the environment and encourage wildlife.  We use materials carefully obtaining them as locally as possible and we re-use and recycle whenever we can.

Our carrier bags are biodegradable.  At the nursery, however, we are happy to re-use bags and cardboard boxes and would be willing to accept any donations.  We are also pleased when customers bring their own containers to transport any plants purchased.

Our Compost

We mix all our own compost.  We use a reduced peat mix which includes bark and grit to help the compost to drain well (a neccessity in the north even in the summer months over the last two years!).  The compost also contains slow release fertiliser.  We are investigating alternative composts which include less peat but have not yet found a suitable substitute.  We need to ensure that whatever we use not only allows us to grow our wide range of plants to the same high quality in the nursery as they do now but also that any plants bought by our customers will transplant and grow away as well in your gardens.

Growing and Propagation

We are proud to be called a nursery as we grow all our plants.  Many are propagated by us from seed, cuttings or division.  To be able to offer the newer recently introduced varieties however we do have to buy these plants in as young stock (liners) and grow them on.  Most of these plants you will see have initials such as PBR after their name which means that only legally registered growers have the right to propagate and sell these plants for a number of years.  Anyone found breaking this rule can be prosecuted! 

We try to grow our plants as naturally as possible.  Plants are grown without any heat or anything that will dwarf their growth habits.  The structures we have are used to try to keep young plants out of too much winter rain otherwise they would rot.  We do however use an insecticide against vine weevil in our compost and very occasionally use organic slug pellets just on certain plants until they grow large enough to withstand the slugs.

Wildlife

We enjoy all the birds that visit our nursery and feed them during the colder months with homemade fat balls.  We regularly see Robins, Wrens, Bluetits, Great-tits, Nuthatches, Goldfinches with Long Tailed Tits and a male and female Bullfinch being regular visitors.  Occasionally a Green or Greater Spotted Woodpecker is seen or heard as are buzzards flying overhead.

Butterflies, bees and other insects find lots to interest them in the wide variety of plants available in the nursery.  If you wish to encourage more wildlife in your garden then please ask for one of our free plant lists.