About us

The business is owned by Julie Dolphin who has run a nursery in the Cotswolds for almost 10 years. She spent seven of those years developing the Nursery at Miserden, including launching a cafe there, before moving the operation to its current site at the much-loved Painswick Rococo Garden. The nursery has a loyal following of customers who appreciate the quality and range of plants it grows, as well as the excellent advice and customer service provided by a small, dedicated team which loves gardening and sharing its knowledge and passion.

Julie developed a passion for horticulture whilst working as a journalist and television producer. Her interest started with the make-over of a small herbaceous border in the garden of her Bristol home and soon became an obsession, culminating in an RHS course at the University of Bristol Botanic Garden. She combined both her TV and horticultural skills when she joined the BBC’s Gardeners’ World series, working as Horticultural Researcher alongside Monty Don at Longmeadow. “I loved working on Gardeners’ World but I was always itching to work outside with plants. Nursery life can be demanding at times but is thoroughly rewarding - and it keeps you fit! I’m in the process of developing a garden from scratch and it’s a lovely thing sharing my flowers with the bees. Pure bliss!”.

Caroline Boddington has horticulture in her blood as she comes from a family of market gardeners whose lives centred around growing for both business and pleasure. “One of my earliest memories is of dad cutting row upon row of hothouse chrysanthemums for the cut flower market. I’ve always loved growing and now I'm lucky enough to have a large garden where I can indulge in my passion for later season prairie planting, always with a focus on wildlife, especially bees. For me, there is nothing better than swathes of heleniums, rudbeckia, sanguisorba, symphyotrichum (asters), eupatorium and grasses - and they are all fabulous for cut flowers. Ferns are another passion; I could go on and on…!”.

One of Caroline’s favourite jobs on the nursery is splitting stock. "It's hugely rewarding to wield a saw and, in no time at all, have many young, healthy treasures".

Linda Buxton has worked as a gardener in the Painswick Valley for many years. Her garden is filled with herbaceous perennials and she has a particular love for pots which are brimming with dahlias, shrubby salvias and exotic shrubs.

Her passion for plants has developed over many years. "I love the nurturing side of gardening and I have a particular interest in the health of plants and knowing my pests and diseases. One of the most rewarding things is watching the wildlife and feel that I'm 'doing my bit' for nature".

Sue Spielberg is our propagator, primarily responsible for seed sowing and cuttings. Sue trained at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and has worked in London for the gardening press and latterly for a Gloucestershire landscape architect firm, designing planting schemes for clients. In her own garden at Whiteway, she enjoys looking after a large pond, wildflower area, a fruit and veg garden and herbaceous borders.