Ideas of Nurseries and Garden Centres to Visit on my hols in the South East
Topbird
Posts: 8,241
Hi
We are off to the south coast for a few days soon and I would love to visit some really good, interesting (or otherwise special) nurseries or garden centres while we're there (OH does not know this yet - keep it quiet 
)
We will be staying near Folkestone and then moving to Rye so if anybody can give me a heads up of places to go within a 20 -30 mile radius of those places, I would be very grateful. I need to buy some more shrubs (nothing exotic) and I love herbaceous perennials. Not into grasses or conifers. If there is a warm tea room where 'somebody' can sit with a newspaper while I browse it's a Brucie Bonus - but not essential.
Thanks!
Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
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Great Dixter are having a Spring Plant Fair http://www.greatdixter.co.uk/ you very lucky person!!!
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Blackbrooks, nr. Battle is a fairly large Garden Centre.
Thank you Dove & Katzi - I do like a good Plant Fair & Gt Dixter is on my to do list so maybe I could combine both
Any more ideas anyone?
...I used to live in the area and there are so many that I could recommend, although mainly west of Rye... however these 3 I would single out as being rare and unusual as far as nurseries go.... out of the way, and very much for the more discerning gardener.... but well worth the petrol money....
..between Folkestone and Rye, at Bethersden near Ashford, just inland is this:-
http://www.madrona.co.uk/about.html
they may not open before mid March, so you would need to check that... it's a fascinating place to look around...and lots of unsual plants for the taking..
...if you happen to be near Battle, not far from the Battle of Hastings site, is this...in a lovely countryside setting, and can be accessed through PowderMill Lane, which is the other side of Senlac Ridge, which is part of the Battle site... so you get a sense of history too.
http://www.greatparkfarm.co.uk/
..it used to be my local and is just brilliant for plants, and I see they now have a tea room too... it's also great for fruit/veg and bread....they also had a really good freezer section - I always took a freezer bag just in case...
...the plant range was once again, outstanding...especially for unusual perennials and shrubs...
..and here at Hurst Green, East Sussex
http://www.merriments.co.uk/
...another great range of plants and cafe... combined, probably one of the best in the area...
...as it's so early in the season, like most places, plant stock could be limited in all these, as it usually is before Easter, I find.... but hope you have a lovely time, regardless....
...I miss them very much, they were all on my 'frequent' list...
Marchants hardy plants is meant to be amazing - near Hastings, so not sure if that is too far
I was going to suggest Merriments and Marchants Hardy Plants, both sell plants, both have gardens open to the public and Merriments is a garden Centre as well. My parents lived in Battle.
Thanks Salino, I didn't know about Great Park farm, so that's one more on the list for April.
Marchants Hardy Plants garden.
Thanks everyone for taking the time to post. They all look good - now I just have to 'accidentally' navigate us past them on our trips out.
You do have a point about stock levels in March Salino. I am trying to plant up a few areas at the moment & have mainly had to rely on mail order as stocks are still low in the local GC's and a lot of the specialist nurseries are not open for another week or two. Hopefully the ones in Sussex & Kent will be getting stuff in over the next few weeks ready for the usual Easter surge