A warm welcome and a wealth of plant knowledge.
Join us for talks, workshops and tours of the Nursery
Hardy's Cottage Garden Plants
Behind the scenes tour
Behind the scenes tour
Usually only offered to Gardening Clubs and Horticultural Societies, this is a rare opportunity to go behind the scenes at Hardy's nursery. Your guide will take you through our propagation house, polytunnels and potting shed — and is happy to answer any questions about how we grow our peat-free herbaceous perennials along the way.
As herbaceous perennials are seasonal, what you'll see will vary throughout the year — but in September we anticipate plenty of colour and variety on the nursery.
Please be aware before booking, this is a standing and walking tour of approximately 45 minutes to an hour
Date: Thursday, 10 September 2026
Time: 10.30am - 11.30am
Location: Hardy's Cottage Garden Plants, Priory Lane Nursery, Freefolk Priors, Whitchurch, Hampshire. RG28 7FA
Host: Hardy's Team Member
Fully booked. Please check future dates for availability
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About this event
Behind the Scenes Tours are new for 2026 — for the first time, we're opening the working nursery to individual gardeners. Until now, tours have only ever been available to Gardening Clubs, Horticultural Societies, or as a rare add-on after one of Rosy's talks.
This is a genuine behind the scenes experience. You'll be walking through the areas our retail nursery customers never see — the propagation house, the polytunnels, the potting shed and our stock area. Along the way you'll see the nursery as it really is: the potting machine in action, our propagation team at work, plants being gathered for shows and fairs, and mail order being packed and dispatched. It's a working nursery, and on tour days you'll be right in the middle of it.
If Rob Hardy is taking your tour, you're in for a treat — he loves talking to guests and knows the history of Hardy's inside out. We can't guarantee his availability, but when he's there, it adds something special.
Before you visit
- This is a standing and walking tour of approximately 45 minutes to an hour
- Seating is available but limited
- There is a step between tunnels
- Paths are gravel and uneven — sturdy footwear is essential
- Manual wheelchair users may find this tour challenging; motorised wheelchairs are welcome but will take an alternative route to avoid the step
- Please dress for the weather — layers and a hat are always useful; the tunnels can be hot
- Please bring a water bottle on hot days — we have 3 toilets on site, including 1 fully accessible adapted toilet
- Our potting shed is the summer home to returning swallows, who will be flying around during the tour
Refreshments & dietary needs
Tea, coffee and biscuits are included in the price. We will do our best to accommodate dietary requirements such as gluten-free and dairy-free, but we need to know at least 10 days before the tour. We cannot guarantee an allergen-free environment — if you have a food allergy, please let us know in advance and bring your own snack.
Good to know
- Hardy's is a working nursery, not a garden centre — we do not have a tearoom or lunch facilities on site
- We can recommend some great local spots for lunch or coffee — email us at info@hardysplants.co.uk
- If you are travelling as part of a larger group using a coach, please contact us before booking
- This tour has reached its minimum number of attendees and will go ahead
Why visit Hardy's?
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40 Years of Growing
Hardy's has been growing herbaceous perennials for over 40 years. Everything you'll see on your tour has been grown right here at our nursery in Hampshire.
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RHS Gold Medal Plants
Rosy Hardy has won 24 RHS Chelsea Gold Medals using plants grown at this nursery. Her talks bring that same depth of knowledge and passion for plants directly to you — in the place where it all began.
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Proudly Peat-Free
We've been committed to peat-free growing for years. On a propagation workshop Rosy will show you how you can propagate and grow herbaceous perennials without peat.