Green Policy and Modern Slavery Statement

 We work hard to ensure that our all our activities support the environment and encourage wildlife.

We use materials carefully obtaining them as locally as possible.

We re-use and recycle whenever we can. We recycle used cardboard boxes of various sizes that we collect from Levens Village shop daily that are suitable for using to pack plants for our customers to transport.  

 We are happy to re-use bags and cardboard boxes brought by our customers. We are also pleased when customers bring their own containers to transport any plants. We are happy to accept to re-use any plastic pots from plants that have been bought from us. We are unable to accept plastic pots from other sources as our plants are grown in batches & need to all be in the same pots for watering purposes.

Growing and Propagation

All our plants are grown in peat free compost. It has not been easy to find a suitable peat free compost that is suitable for the wide range of plants we grow. We now use Sinclair peat free compost & also have bags of this compost available for sale. Many peat free composts that we tried dried out so quickly that we struggled to keep plants watered sufficiently. This wasn't just the top layer of compost that had dried out as we could see the larger plants drooping! We are very happy with Sinclair peat free compost & can thoroughly recommend it for our customers.

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 & snails.

Wildlife

We enjoy all the birds that visit our nursery and feed them during the colder months. We regularly see Robins, Wrens, Blue-tits, Great-tits, Nuthatches, Goldfinches with Long Tailed Tits and a male and female Bullfinch being occasional visitors. Occasionally a Green or Greater Spotted Woodpecker is seen or heard as are buzzards flying overhead. Pigeons, Wrens & Robins have nested successfully this year also a duck which always nests on top of the back wall. It's amazing that the ducklings manage to reach the ground every year without any fatalities. However, we often have to help as the ducklings can land on both sides of the wall so we need to reunite some with the mother.

Pollinators.
Butterflies, bees and other insects find lots to interest them in the wide variety of plants available in the nursery. Many of our plant labels say Pollinator at the top of the label to help with your selection. If you wish to encourage more wildlife in your garden then please ask for one of our free plant lists.

Modern Slavery Statement of 2015

We will not knowingly trade or partner with any organisation which is involved in modern slavery or human trafficking.