Our History

Did you know we have been family-run since 1978

Lynda Bradford in old shop circa 1985

Inside the main greenhouse

The grape vine is 2 cuttings from the original vine inside the Victorian glasshouse. The cuttings were struck the year Lynda’s daughter was born - 1982.

A view of the Victorian glasshouse and Melon house

Inside the old shop within the Victorian glasshouse

The old store on Holtye Road circa early 1970's

A young Lynda used to help her dad and grandad at the shop, pictured here with her mother and other grandfather.

Lynda Bradford - 3rd generation owner circa 1990

The original entrance into the nursery

Image taken in 2002

Display outside the old shop

Our selection of Roses circa 2000

Note the boards on the roof of the glasshouse - every summer Lynda’s husband would be up on the roof maintaining the woodwork. Not an easy job

Lynda with a lady from St Catherine's Hospice Christmas 2001

The nursery used to raise money for St Catherine’s hospice after they helped care for Lynda’s dad - Roy Styles

Orchard Nursery Past

The Styles family-owned greengrocers and general store on the Holtye Road (where Turner Court is now) which was known locally as Roy’s and the place to go for your fruit and vegetables, most of which were homegrown. When the opportunity arose to purchase part of the Orchard Estate in 1961, Roy Styles and his father raised the capital to purchase the actual orchard, accompanying glasshouses and walled garden. This is part of the site on which the Nursery now operates. From 1961 to 1981 the Nursery and the shop continued to coexist, the Nursery as a market garden supplying the shop in Holtye Road, a number of shops and restaurants in East Grinstead and a local delivery round.

With the arrival of the supermarkets, the shop found it difficult to compete and the decision was made to concentrate the business on the ‘Orchard’ site, continuing to grow and selling directly to customers in the most environmentally friendly way possible. Growing a wider range of plants, those more at home in cottage garden borders rather than a vegetable patch, so began the progression of the horticultural side to the business we see today.

When the 3rd generation of the Styles family, Lynda, joined the business in 1981 (a major car accident having halted her teaching career) the horticultural side grew from strength to strength, providing the town and local villages with high-quality, home-grown plants. Additionally, Lynda’s floristry skills (her great aunt Daisy had her own florist shop in the town and her sister Louisa, also a florist, taught her many skills during her childhood) led to the development of a thriving floristry business within the Orchard Nursery offering. Creating floral arrangements for hotels, functions, weddings and funerals this service was very popular and became a busy part of the Nursery.

Orchard Nursery Today

Lynda’s son Jonathan joined the business after qualifying as a Landscape and Garden Designer at Writtle College, Essex. As well as the growing side of the business the work of designing and producing planting schemes could also be shared and developed. In 2009 a new barn-style building was constructed to house the shop, a much better environment for all the garden sundries, seeds, tools and garden related products. With this new dry space the owners remain keen to make sure everything they sell is focused on gardening and spend many an hour scouring through suppliers catalogues to provide their customers with the best possible products.

In 2013 Jonathan married Clare who had been working at the nursery since she was 15 years old and the two of them continue to push the business forward. When Lynda, in turn, decided to semi-retire and turn the business into a Limited Company she passed some of the business to Jonathan and the work began on the next phase of the business.

Aerial shot of the nursery from 2011

Garden design - Before image

Garden design - After image

Hampton Court 2006

Shop under construction

Shop completion 2009

Courtyard Area

The Growing Business

The staff in the growing side of the business now produce 90% of the herbaceous perennials sold at the nursery, as well as seasonal plants for both the summer and winter. The knowledgeable team spend many months of the year sowing seeds, pricking out, potting on and caring for them to ensure year round high-quality plants that will succeed in your garden. With the continued expansion of this side of the business more investment in tunnels and outdoor growing spaces is always needed as the team continues to produce the best plants possible. This is especially relevant since we have now added shrubs to our list of plants we grow. Quality and knowledge is our reputation and the team are always rearranging and tending to plants to ensure they continue to grow strong and healthy.

The business is now at an exciting stage of development, building a coffee shop, although we have a major hurdle and the project is currently on hold, we are still working hard to keep this project alive.

From the road, the nursery is hidden behind the Victorian wall and the scale of what we do cannot be seen. Come through the wall and you’ll be amazed by what you find. Many of our customers have been coming for numerous years, becoming part of our giant family. The trouble is it can become an addiction – once you find us you’ll want to return again and again!

Coffee Shop Update…

At the beginning of January 2023 we spent some time extending and improving the paved areas around the nursery.

One of the new main paths leads to the construction area for the coffee shop.

The site has fantastic views towards Ashdown Forest and full sun all day long. We’re as eager as our customers to be able to make the most of this great site.

However, we’re looking into affordable alternative power options because we’ve been told that there isn’t enough electricity capacity left within the main supply to the area.

So, please bear with us…it’s still very much a work in progress, just a little slower than planned!