Walking through the vibrant stock beds and ordered rows of pots at Arvensis Perennials, it is remarkable to realise how Gussy and Rob Macdougall have transformed this windswept four-and-a-half-acre site just north of Bradford-on-Avon in Wiltshire. In August 2015, the pair spent three weeks on the road, camping and visiting gardens and nurseries, looking for inspiration and somewhere to set up their own business.
You may also like
- Discover Marchants Hardy Plants and its innovative planting
- The nursery specialising in 'fancy' weeds
It was master grower Marina Christopher who tipped them off about the sale of Evolution Plants, the nursery of plant explorer Tom Mitchell. By October they had bought it. Tom had invested substantially in the site, creating terraces and stock beds and adding potting sheds, polytunnels and a – not inexpensive – Hartley Botanic glasshouse. Although, inevitably, they inherited some problems, Rob explains that having the infrastructure in place “really helped us to hit the ground running.”
The pair brought with them a wealth of knowledge, partly cultivated during their time with Chris and Toby Marchant at Orchard Dene Nurseries, which closed in 2019. Arvensis Perennials operates on a similar model, working closely with designers and seeking to bridge the gap between wholesale and specialist nurseries. It offers a palette of naturalistic plants, with plenty of grasses, that lends itself to the “meadowy aesthetic” of contemporary designers. In contrast to Tom Mitchell’s collection of rare and hard-to-grow plants, Gussy and Rob prefer a range of “good-doers”. However, they are always on the lookout to ensure their assortment contains innovative cultivars, such as the delicate golden form of eyebrow grass, Bouteloua gracilis ‘Blonde Ambition’ or the recent selection of Verbena x baileyana ‘Purple Haze’ (akin to a tall Verbena officinalis ‘Bampton’) found in the garden of Malcolm Allison of Malcolm Allison Plants.
It’s really about inspiring designers, for them to see the full potential of mature plants in a garden context
The couple run a tight ship, an efficient system. Rob heads up the production while Gussy is responsible for sales and deals with customers. They are supported by a dedicated team of part-time workers but it is impressive that, despite the increasing numbers of orders, Gussy still manages the mail-order side of the business almost single-handedly. Unlike many wholesale nurseries, they rarely buy plants for direct sale, preferring their own propagation, buying in bare-root plants or rooted cuttings. “Every year we are increasing the amount we propagate ourselves,” explains Rob. This is supported by the recently renovated stock beds, which provide seeds, cuttings and divisions ably taken by Rob’s assistant propagator, Tom Perry.
Avoiding imported plants for direct resale inevitably leads to holes in supply, but it reduces the plant’s carbon footprint. While Gussy and Rob admit it can be challenging for designers, they feel it is important to educate their customers that it is unsustainable to expect all plants to be available at all times of the year. Arvensis Perennials also ensures a peat-free potting mix in exclusively recyclable, taupe pots (many regular pots are recyclable but most automated recycling systems cannot detect black plastic), which helps lighten the environmental burden of large planting projects.
The new display beds provide a stunning backdrop and showcase the diversity of their assortment
Although the nursery is not open to the general public, Rob has been able to share the nursery’s work with its many followers on Instagram. Both Gussy and Rob admit how important this success on social media has been to growing their business. While some of their most popular posts are short time-lapse videos of propagation methods, the new display beds provide a stunning backdrop and showcase the diversity of their assortment. “It’s really about inspiring designers, for them to see the full potential of mature plants in a garden context,” says Rob.
The garden has steadily grown in recent years and is dutifully tended by Duncan Armstrong, who spends two to three days a week maintaining, editing and extending these curving borders. While Arvensis Perennials stocks a healthy selection of woodland plants, and Rob and Gussy have planted more than 100 trees, these are still too young to provide sufficient cover for any shade-adapted plants in the borders. For now, the borders embrace sun lovers, and Duncan is particularly pleased with the area they refer to as the “Med bed”, where various species and cultivars of Stipa interplay with those of Asphodeline (particularly enjoyed for their seedheads), papery Catananche, pale-yellow Oenothera stricta ‘Sulphurea’ and many other drought-tolerant perennials in a pastel palette.
In contrast to comfortable and overflowing borders, the pots are kept fastidiously neat. When growing plants in a nursery, especially under cover, it is easy for pests and disease to get out of control, and while it might seem easier to reach for a chemical spray, the first and by far most effective control is good plant health and hygiene. Every time plants are moved in the tunnels at Arvensis Perennials, which is often, the groundcover fabric is cleaned and sterilised. This flow of plants is partly facilitated by the small pot sizes offered, which keeps prices low and helps to keep the plants moving. Gussy’s life is also made easier and the business more efficient by offering only 9cm or 2L pots. In most cases, despite a client’s impatient demands, smaller plants are better value for money as they will quickly establish.
From the efficiency of the pots and the ordering system to the series of large, decorative bowls, which Rob manufactured himself to be sold as ready-made planters, there are also so many details around the nursery that reveal the couple’s creative ingenuity and business sense. Gussy and Rob have created a beautiful home for their two daughters, too. While so many specialist nurseries are closing, it is exciting to consider that next year will be Arvensis Perennials’ tenth anniversary, and to know that the nursery and its garden are thriving.
USEFUL INFORMATION Follow Arvensis on Instagram @arvensisperennials
IN BRIEF
What Garden of a perennials nursery offering a naturalistic palette that bridges the gap between a specialist and conventional wholesale nursery. Where Wiltshire. Size Four-and-a-half acre nursery,
including a half-acre display garden, within an 11-acre site containing borders, woodlands and a stream.
Soil Heavy clay with a high pH but improved with organic matter. Climate Exposed to sun and wind.
Wiltshire can be a cold county but the nursery benefits from its elevated position, which allows the worst of the frost to flow down the slope. Hardiness zone USDA 9.
