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It began with a garden . . . . . . .
Our garden at Rose Cottage in the Essex village of Theydon Bois was where our love of the cottage garden really began. We designed, built and planted this modest (120’ x 35’) plot ourselves and, having put so much heart and soul into it, decided that we would share it with others. So, from 1996, we opened under the National Gardens Scheme and for some years welcomed an astonishing number of visitors, many returning time after time. The garden was photographed, it featured in magazines and it gave its name to an embryonic new venture – Rose Cottage Plants.
When we began to make the garden at Rose Cottage, one of our frustrations was the lack of availability of the plants we wanted to grow. There was no alternative but to grow them ourselves – and there was always a surplus. Our visitors liked what we were growing so all these extra plants quickly found new homes – and we discovered a real satisfaction in making our plants available to a wider audience.
The new venture rapidly outgrew the capabilities of its site and so, with some heart-wrenching at leaving a much-loved garden behind, Rose Cottage Plants moved a few miles away to Bay Tree Farm. Acres of space to grow in here – but no existing garden and the prospect of digging out a compacted farmyard to make one. So, the garden here is still very much a work in progress, but Rose Cottage Plants is prospering as it enters its 11th year and we continue to be excited by the prospects for our growing future. | |||
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Specialists in Mail Order Tulips, Alliums, Dahlias, Hardy Bulbs & Perennials