The Gardeners' Nursery

Just outside of Uffculme, Devon, there is a charming and excellent, newly-adopted business: The Gardeners' Nursery. 

I love it there. The nursery is well stocked with a wide variety of healthy, reasonably-priced plants and the couple who look after it all are knowledgable, helpful and friendly. Which is just want you want if you're buying a rose and not sure when to prune it, or what compost it would like the most. 

But on top of that, the large shed that they use as a pay-point is laid out as a teashop, with pretty bunting, dotty tablecloths, comfy cushions and cottagey curtains. They serve teas and coffees and tasty, homemade cakes and display a selection of locally made gifts on a dresser, including some of my greetings cards, (plug, plug!)

On my most recent trip there, I was delighted by their latest addition. A brand new little shed has taken root and been transformed into the most enchanting mini fruit and veg shop. Beautifully arranged and labelled with smart chalks on black-painted surrounds, the little shop is stocked with a good variety of fruit and vegetables, with fresh deliveries every day. 

It's such an appealing place, all round. I love that Tina and her husband Paul are thinking beyond just plants, but also keeping it small and darlingish, with impeccable taste and flair; developing what they can offer their customers but not letting it run away with them.

Please do think carefully about where you buy your plants, compost, logs, fruit and veg, because it is places and people like these that truly deserve our pounds and pennies, over superstores and supermarkets who couldn't care less whether your roses bloomed beautifully all summer despite being aphid-ridden.

It's places like these that enrich a shopping experience and turn it into a treat and an adventure instead of a chore to tick off a list. If you live in Uffculme, it's on the way out of the village, past the secondary school, so easy to pop in on your way to somewhere else. If you live in Cullompton or somewhere nearby, plan a visit to come and eat cake and buy your groceries. It's just sweet and wonderful and I really want a little shed-shop of my own! So cute!