Welcome... to Cottage Nurseries website!
About us - and the NurseryWelcome to our internet site. We list a wide range of plants available for mail order or collection from the nursery. We are constantly looking for garden worthy plants be they new introductions or old friends brought back into production and they are added to the list as they become available during the season.
We are always pleased to welcome visitors to our family run nursery situated at the edge of the Lincolnshire wolds near the market town of Alford. If you are looking for particular plants please always telephone before travelling to avoid disappointment. If you wish to collect an order placed through this list please give us a few days notice. Remember if a plant you are looking for is not listed just ask, you never know!
The nursery has changed considerably over the last few years with new sales areas and improved benching. We are a production nursery producing the majority of plants we sell here.
Our private garden is usually open for customers to walk around where many of our plants can be seen growing, please note the garden is closed every day at 4pm.We are particularly proud of the wildlife the garden attracts with many different birds and insects visiting during the year. Many of the plants used in the garden are particularly attractive to wildlife and everyone can play their part by planting at least a few varieties in their own gardens.
Nursery opening times from 1st March to 31st October are 9am - 5pm and from 1st November to 28th February are 10am -3pm. The Nursery closes during the Christmas period from 15th December to 5th January. | Wildlife NewsAt last it seems Spring may be arriving after a winter that seemed to last for ever.The frogs and toads have suddenly arrived back at the pond in the garden,there were about a dozen heading across the car park last night much to the dogs delight. They look closely but never pick them up having tried in the past and been left with a nasty taste and a frothing mouth. The Badger set is seeing lots of activity with new excavations and signs of them gathering old dry grass for bedding.Murphy the bull terrier is fascinated by the set and has to examine every entrance before marking it with a few well aimed drops!The other dogs are content with a quick roll in Badger dung if they can, an experience you try and avoid at all costs, the stink is truly awful. The Yellowhammers are still visiting in numbers,by now they are usually returning to their summer haunts.There are more Goldfinches now than there has been all winter,perhaps some migrants have returned.Blackbirds are hard at it nest building with beaks full of moss collected from under the plant benches and bits of old dry plant material gleaned from the garden.We have to keep an eye out for them building amongst the plants on the benches as they get watered when the overhead irrigaters are on and the chicks get wet through and chilled . We have been hearing the Green Woodpecker this last week with his distinctive laughing call,sometimes he sounds like a horse neighing in the distance, and a couple of times he's been in the willow across the lane.A Little Owl has been about a bit as well, I haven't seen one for years and he is taking quite a risk as the Tawny's will be non too friendly if they see him. The first few butterflies in the last couple of days along with the Bumblebees in the glasshouse, where there are always a few food bearing plants for them to find that vital early feed,have really lifted the spirits and made us all think of summer. |
