Well it's an easy and really simple idea. It's one that came to me as I was selling plants at The Station in Frome a few months back.
Every other week I'd take a trip to my wholesale nursery and hand pick plants that they had in stock and that looked great. The sort of plants that I'd pick for the gardens I was working on, or for my own garden.
I did that through my gardening business, Trug and Lettuce. You might have seen me there!
That idea went from strength to strength and I started to think about other ways in which I could offer those plants to other customers. And the idea behind Plant a Border started to develop.
I had quite a few "planning days". From trips to Studland to Sydney. Yes. I travelled far and wide to develop my ideas. Is it just me or do you think that the gardeners in Sydney planned those lambs ears to mimic the Opera House.............
I did lots of research. I visited garden centres and DIY stores. I looked online at what others offered. I used social media to ask people what they looked for from a garden centre or plant supplier.
I was also fortunate in that I was able to actually speak to people! I spoke to my customers - those who bought plants from me at my regular plant sales and those who had trusted me to work on their gardens.
And from all of that the idea of Plant a Border came into focus. Now I know that for some of us we might want to while away a couple of hours or have a bit of a day out and the attraction of a garden centre lures us in.
Sometimes it's tempting to have a mooch amongst the other things that garden centres have to offer. And I can't compete with that. And I'm not about to change what I offer to include scented candles or bird seed!
What I offer is advice about what will work and flourish in your garden. I then provide you with a design and planting scheme and then source quality plants, nurtured in Somerset, hand picked by me and delivered to you.
I'm proud to personally pick the plants that I recommend for you. The plants will always be in season and will look good - I know that as I'll be the one picking them! And if when I'm at the nursery they don't quite look their best then they don't get picked. If I wouldn't pick them for my garden then I wouldn't pick them for yours.
It's not entirely unique. I know that you can get something similar from having either a look online, or by taking a visit to your local garden centre or DIY store.
However what I'm aiming to offer is a bit different. Not only am I the one that picks your plants, I also source all of my plants locally from established nurseries in either Somerset or Wiltshire - the very same nurseries that supply plants to the RHS and to local garden centres.
I take time to visit those nurseries and to hand pick your plants. As far as possible I only pick plants that are in season and that always look good. Normally and unless I make it clear otherwise, your plants will come in a 3 or 5 litre pot. I don't do bedding plants or veg strips - others are better set up for that, and I'm leaving that to them.
The same is true of other garden centre products. I leave them to tempt you with seeds, books and tools. Plant a Border? Just good, quality plants.
And I always aim to offer my plants at less than you'd pay either online or at a garden centre - whether that's one that's independently owned or owned by a national company.
I can do that as I have far fewer overheads and as I buy your plants direct from the nursery. I can also do that as I have an idea of the mark up that others add, and as I'm happy not to take so much from each sale.
I have no share or stakeholders to answer to! Just myself!
So quality plants, hand picked by me from a local nursery. You get exactly what you see on the website and what we agree. The plants represent excellent value for money - both in terms of size and age, and what you pay for them.
What's not to like?!
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