About Gardener's Cottage Plants
Gardener’s Cottage Plants is a family run horticultural business first established in 2008.
It's origins began, literally in the soil, through the interest and passion developed by myself (Andrew Davenport) for composting, in particular for 'Quick Return' (QR) Composting. This type of composting proved very successful and radically improved the heavy clay soil and biodiversity in the garden. It also dramatically changed my life with the writing and publishing of the book 'Quick Return Compost Making' and my subsequent change of career from engineering into horticulture.
Following 25 years of gardening organically, a gardening design and maintenance service was established in 2010 employing organic and sustainable principles. Through our knowledge and experience gained of the soil, composting, plants, as well as practical skills and knowledge through an engineering background, we can provide a comprehensive garden development/design/construction and maintenance service. We can offer our plants (and the knowledge we have accrued that goes with them) at discounted rates to our gardening customers.
A passion for propagating and nurturing plants developed into the establishment of a plant nursery in 2014.
Subsequently the garden was developed, first opening to the public under the National Garden Scheme from 2017 and also as a private garden from 2018. The garden has continued to evolve, side by side with the gardening business and the Nursery.
In 2015, a nearby 5.5 acre field was purchased. This was named 'Buttercup Meadow' by my father due to the proliferation of golden buttercups throughout the summer. The field has been planted up with over 900 native trees to increase biodiversity and carbon capture. We also aim to introduce wildflower meadow areas and ponds. The field is also used to grow fruit, vegetables and herbs for sale locally through the business. Local community groups such as People's Kitchen visit us on a regular basis, helping with the growing. Everyone involved gets a good day out, stimulating the senses, gaining knowledge about growing/tree planting, improving health and well being, doing something good for the environment and the list goes on!
It's origins began, literally in the soil, through the interest and passion developed by myself (Andrew Davenport) for composting, in particular for 'Quick Return' (QR) Composting. This type of composting proved very successful and radically improved the heavy clay soil and biodiversity in the garden. It also dramatically changed my life with the writing and publishing of the book 'Quick Return Compost Making' and my subsequent change of career from engineering into horticulture.
Following 25 years of gardening organically, a gardening design and maintenance service was established in 2010 employing organic and sustainable principles. Through our knowledge and experience gained of the soil, composting, plants, as well as practical skills and knowledge through an engineering background, we can provide a comprehensive garden development/design/construction and maintenance service. We can offer our plants (and the knowledge we have accrued that goes with them) at discounted rates to our gardening customers.
A passion for propagating and nurturing plants developed into the establishment of a plant nursery in 2014.
Subsequently the garden was developed, first opening to the public under the National Garden Scheme from 2017 and also as a private garden from 2018. The garden has continued to evolve, side by side with the gardening business and the Nursery.
In 2015, a nearby 5.5 acre field was purchased. This was named 'Buttercup Meadow' by my father due to the proliferation of golden buttercups throughout the summer. The field has been planted up with over 900 native trees to increase biodiversity and carbon capture. We also aim to introduce wildflower meadow areas and ponds. The field is also used to grow fruit, vegetables and herbs for sale locally through the business. Local community groups such as People's Kitchen visit us on a regular basis, helping with the growing. Everyone involved gets a good day out, stimulating the senses, gaining knowledge about growing/tree planting, improving health and well being, doing something good for the environment and the list goes on!
Our Environmental, Social, Health & Wellbeing Aims
We are not a charity, however we will gratefully accept donations which will allow us to keep on doing the good stuff (below) that we believe in.
Purchasing our products or services helps us to achieve the following:
Purchasing our products or services helps us to achieve the following:
Over 900 trees have been planted at Buttercup Meadow
Engineer and Sustain a Carbon Positive Footprint through :
- Composting waste materials from local businesses including woodchip, horse manure, spent hops, coffee grinds, egg shells plus all vegetative wastes from our garden, nursery and home. These are applied to the land (garden and 5.5 acre field) that we own and used in the growing media we use in the nursery, helping to capture carbon.
- Educating gardeners, through workshops and talks, on how to make compost so they improve their own carbon footprints.
- Planting over 900 trees at Buttercup Meadow.
A diverse range of plants in the garden creates habitat and food for wildlife
Increasing Biodiversity in our garden and at Buttercup Meadow:
- Continually adding compost and mulches to our garden to increase soil biodiversity. Biodiversity starts with the soil.
- Planting over 900 trees and creating wildflower meadows at Buttercup meadow
- Planting a large range of perennials, herbs, trees, shrubs, grasses etc to create habitat and food for wildlife (it also makes the garden look pretty!)
- Leaving the garden untidy (not cutting back etc) over winter to provide habitat and shelter for wildlife
Chicken-assisted composting
Running our business as sustainably as we can through the following:
- Producing all our own potting media
- Reusing plastic pots, trays etc.
- Making our own plant labels from bamboo
- Growing our plants from seed or propagating from stock plants in our garden or at our field (Buttercup Meadow)
- Using our hens to assist in making compost and providing eggs to eat
- Collecting rainwater for watering and employing water capture irrigation techniques to minimise water usage,
Community groups involved with fruit and veg growing at Buttercup Meadow
Promoting health and well being in the community through the following:
- Providing a stimulating and relaxing green space experience for our visitors
- Involving community groups in tree planting and veg growing at Buttercup meadow.
- Educating gardeners on how to grow organically. Growing organically equates to - healthy soil=healthy plants= healthy animals and humans feeding on those plants. Maye Bruce (the inventor of QR said 'Give back life to the soil and abolish disease in plant animal and man. Words that can now be backed up by scientific fact. Organic food has greater nutrient, mineral and disease fighting properties and is grown without pesticides, herbicides, fungicides etc.
Research and Development on new ideas and projects;