Tough and beautiful plants grown in the Scottish Highlands

Welcome

Site Updated 06/09/2016

We are a family-run retail plant nursery. We have been growing and selling an extremely wide selection of plants here in the beautiful and rugged Scottish Highlands since 1979. We have for sale: Alpines, Bedding Plants, Bulbs, Dwarf Conifers, Ferns, Grasses, Heathers, Herbs, House Plants, Perennials, Shrubs, And a few Trees. The majority of our plants are grown on site with care and love by Ben and Lesley Rushbrooke. We are not a Garden Centre, so no tearoom or gift shop, all our effort goes into producing top quality and excellent value plants. We offer an unmatched range of plants suitable for the West Coast of Scotland.

Late Summer Last Hurrahs

September has rolled around again and the nights are dark again, windless days are rare and we all know winter will be on us soon. But, in the nursery there plenty of plants that do not go gentle into that good night and will rage, rage against the dying of the light. Crocosmias particularly are hard to avoid ATM with their masses of bold red, orange and yellow blooms.

Looking Good Right Now:

Availability List

We have a regularly updated and almost fully illustrated availability list searchable by name, cultural preferences and such, so now you can see just what shrubs we have for windy wet and shady sites. We grow loads of very wind hardy shrubs, like Olearia, Hebe, Brachyglottis, Escallonia and Ozothamnus. We also grow lots of bog plant like Primula, Astilbe and Iris. We’ve also a fondness for woodland plants like Erythronium, Trillium, Kirengeshoma and Rhododendron.

Opening Times

10am to 6pm. Monday to Saturday. March to Late October or by appointment. We are near Poolewe in Wester Ross, in the remote & beautiful North West Highlands of Scotland and 2kms north of the world renowned Inverewe Gardens. See our directions page for details of how to get here.

What We Grow

The prevailing conditions in our area is lots of salty wind, high rainfall and fairly mild but long winters, as well as lots of poor, shallow, highly acidic peaty soils. ‘Conventional’ gardening difficult here and there is little readily available information on how to grow plants in our conditions. So we have written several informational pieces to help customers choose the right plants.

Markets

Bookshops

Founder of the nursery Ron Rushbrooke now sells second hand books through the internet, on ebay and from Ron’s Book Bothy upstairs in Poolewe Village Hall above his daughter Alison’s Button Bothy jewellery studio. Ron’s Books can be found on ABE Books and at his ebay Store.

Find Us On Facebook

Click the logo to see our Facebook page. Lesley will try to post to it fairly regularly to let everyone know what were up to.

Throughout the warmer months Lesley has a stall at various local markets: Poolewe Tuesday Market - Every Tuesday in Poolewe Hall (also with salad & books). Ullapool Market - Generally Fortnightly, plus some extra weeks, on Saturdays, in front of the Seaforth Hotel. Lesley won’t be back in Ullapool until spring 2017 Lochcarron Producers Day - in Lochcarron Village Hall the last Friday of each month in the summer. If you want Lesley to bring you a particular plant e-mail or phone ahead on 01445781777

New Zealand Flax, Cabbage Tree and Toe Toe

Phormium, Cordyline and Austroderia are three plants from New Zealand with long strappy leaves that thrive in even the most exposed of sites and are equally content in soaking wet or dry ground. They are great for birds and insects. Phormium and Cordyline also come in coloured leaf forms too. Plant them if you know what’s good for you!

Get those Bushes In TODAY

Coastal gardeners get digging now as the clock is ticking. If you are planting in a very exposed situation it is best to get any bushes in the ground before the end of September so they can get settled in before the winter gale clobber them.