Privacy policy

Privacy Policy — Hardy's Cottage Garden Plants

Hardy's Cottage Garden Plants is an independent, family-run nursery specialising in growing and supplying herbaceous perennials to the general public and trade. The nursery is owned by Robert & Rosemary Hardy as a Partnership, trading from Priory Lane Nursery, Whitchurch, Hampshire RG28 7FA.

We are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). Registration number: ZA312561.

This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information when you use this website or purchase from us, and when you subscribe to our marketing emails.

What information do we collect about you?

We collect information about you when you:

  • Place an order for products or services
  • Create a website account
  • Contact us by email, telephone, or via our website
  • Browse our website (via cookies and usage data)
  • Subscribe to one of our marketing mailing lists

The personal information we collect includes your name, delivery address and postcode, telephone number, and email address. We do not store your card payment details — these are handled securely by Shopify Payments, our payment processor.

How will we use your information?

We use your personal information to:

  • Process and fulfil your order
  • Manage your account and keep your records up to date
  • Communicate with you about your order (by email or telephone)
  • Send you marketing communications, where you have given your consent
  • Comply with our legal obligations

Our lawful bases for processing your data are:

  • Contract — to process and fulfil orders you place with us
  • Legal obligation — to retain financial records as required by law, and to maintain records of plant movements and distance selling transactions as required under UK plant passporting regulations (minimum 3 years)
  • Legitimate interests — to manage our business, prevent fraud, and handle complaints
  • Consent — for marketing communications and non-essential cookies (you may withdraw consent at any time)

Sharing your information

We share your information only where necessary:

  • Shopify — our website and e-commerce platform is hosted by Shopify Inc. Shopify processes your data on our behalf as a data processor. For details of how Shopify collects and uses customer data, please see the Shopify Consumer Privacy Policy.
  • DHL — we share your delivery name, address, and contact telephone number with DHL to facilitate delivery of your order.
  • Notify Me (Cartbite by Staqlab) — we use a back-in-stock notification service to send alerts you have requested. Your email address is shared with Staqlab for this purpose only and is not shared with any third parties. For full details, see the Notify Me Privacy Policy.
  • EmailOctopus (Three Hearts Digital Ltd) — we use EmailOctopus to manage and send our marketing emails. Your name and email address are shared with EmailOctopus for this purpose. EmailOctopus acts as a data processor on our behalf and does not use your data for their own marketing purposes. Our EmailOctopus mailing lists are managed independently of this website. For full details, see the EmailOctopus Privacy Policy.
  • Google Analytics 4 (Google LLC) — we use Google Analytics 4 to understand how visitors use our website. This service uses cookies to collect anonymised data about website traffic and behaviour. No personally identifiable information is shared with Google for this purpose. For more information, see the Google Privacy Policy.
  • Tapita (SEO & Speed Optimiser) — we use Tapita to manage SEO and site performance. This app may use cookies and collect anonymised data about website behaviour. For details, see the Tapita Privacy Policy.
  • Legal requirements — we may disclose your information where required by law, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Hardy's Cottage Garden Plants, our customers, or others.

We will not share your information for marketing purposes with any other companies.

Marketing

If you have consented to receive marketing communications, we may send you information about our products, services, and seasonal offers via email. We manage our email marketing through EmailOctopus, a service provided by Three Hearts Digital Ltd.

We operate three separate mailing lists:

  • News from the Nursery — our main monthly newsletter, sent to all subscribers
  • Hardy Gardeners — emails specifically for visitors to our nursery shop
  • Trade — a separate list for our trade customers

You can opt out of any of these lists at any time by:

  • Clicking the unsubscribe link in any marketing email
  • Emailing us at info@hardysplants.co.uk
  • Writing to us at the address below

We will never share your email address with third parties for their own marketing purposes.

Cookies

Cookies are small files placed on your device to help our website function and to improve your experience. We and our partners, including Shopify, use cookies and similar technologies to personalise your experience, perform analytics, and (where you have consented) serve relevant advertising.

We also use Google Analytics 4 cookies to help us understand how visitors use our website. This data is collected anonymously and is not used to identify individuals.

For full details of how Shopify uses cookies and similar technologies, please see the Shopify Consumer Privacy Policy.

You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings, or update your preferences via our cookie banner. Please be aware that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of this website.

How long do we hold your information?

  • Financial records (invoices and associated paperwork): retained for 6 years after the end of the calendar year to which they relate, as required by law.
  • Plant passporting and distance selling records: retained for a minimum of 3 years as required under UK plant passporting regulations.
  • Order and account information: retained while your account is active and for a reasonable period thereafter.
  • Marketing consent records: retained until you withdraw consent.
  • General correspondence: retained for as long as it remains relevant.

Your rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:

  • Access the personal information we hold about you
  • Correct inaccurate or incomplete information
  • Erase your information ("right to be forgotten"), subject to our legal obligations
  • Restrict how we process your information in certain circumstances
  • Object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing
  • Data portability — to receive your data in a structured, commonly used format
  • Withdraw consent at any time, where processing is based on consent

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details below. We will respond within one month. There is no charge for making a request.

Protecting your information

We take data security seriously. Our website is hosted on Shopify's secure platform. Access to your personal information within our business is restricted to those who need it to provide products and services to you. Third parties who process data on our behalf (such as Shopify, DHL, Staqlab, EmailOctopus, Google, and Tapita) are required to protect your information in accordance with applicable law.

International transfers

Shopify and Google are global companies and your data may be processed outside the UK. These companies rely on appropriate safeguards (including UK adequacy decisions and standard contractual clauses) for such transfers. For more information, see the Shopify Consumer Privacy Policy and the Google Privacy Policy.

Other websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. This privacy policy applies only to hardysplants.co.uk. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of any other websites you visit.

Changes to this policy

We keep this privacy policy under regular review. Any updates will be posted on this page. This policy was last updated on 13 August 2026.

How to contact us

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or the information we hold about you, please contact us:

  • Telephone: 01256 896533
  • Email: info@hardysplants.co.uk
  • Post: Hardy's Cottage Garden Plants, Priory Lane Nursery, Whitchurch, Hampshire RG28 7FA
  • Website: Contact us

If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):