Blue Diamond Nurseries
HOME GROWN PLANTS
FROM NURSERY TO CUSTOMER
Blue Diamond is the UK’s largest Garden Centre Group, with 44 centres across the UK and Channel Islands. In 2023 the Group expanded its nursery production portfolio. From one 56-acre nursery at Bridgemere, in Cheshire, Blue Diamond now owns an additional 5 nurseries, which grow and supply plants exclusively to its garden centres.
The 6 nursery sites are Bridgemere in Cheshire. Badsey, Broome, Offenham, Westmancote and Worfield.
Alan Roper, Blue Diamond's Managing Director (2nd from left) with Glendale's Andrew Bennett, (3rd from left) who will continue to run the four ex-Glendale nurseries.
Blue Diamond Head of Blue Diamond Production Jim Teague (R) and Seasonal Category Manager Sue Feaver (L)
Our Nurseries
The Nurseries have 100 plus acres of production dedicated to supplying Blue Diamond Garden Centre customers with 11 million home-grown, high-quality plants which are garden ready.
That’s 10 million seasonal plants and 1 million perennials, shrubs trees and roses. With an emphasis on plant health, provenance and decreasing the environmental impact of production.
Bridgemere Nursery
Located next to Bridgemere Garden Centre is Bridgemere Nursery. The nursery was started in 1962 with 5 acres by John Ravenscroft and has grown to over 56 acres. It is home to the famous Fryer’s roses.
It grows
550,000 Shrubs & Perennials
100,000 Soft Fruit plants
150,000 Roses
Worfield Nursery
Worfield Nursery has grown high-quality plants in the heart of Shropshire for over 70 years. In 2023 the nursery joined the Blue Diamond family. The 7.5-acre nursery will supply the Blue Diamond Group with hardy perennials.
It grows
200,000 Heathers, Alpines and Rockery plants
Seasonal Nurseries
The Blue Diamond Group acquired 4 nurseries, from the Glendale group, in summer 2023. The nurseries grow high-quality, seasonal plants.
The acquisition was part of our strategy to secure our plant supply chain. Glendale has been supplying us with quality veg and bedding plants for years so it’s a perfect fit alongside our hardy plant nurseries at Bridgemere and Worfield
Alan Roper, Managing Director, Blue Diamond Garden Centres
Badsey Nursery
In the vale of Evesham, the 8.5-acre nursery supplies the group with pack and pot seasonal and summer bedding including autumn primrose, polyanthus, fuchsia and cyclamen.
Broome Nursery
This 10-acre nursery near Alcester supplies the group with perennials, primarily for spot promotions, plants such as alstroemeria, dahlia, and cosmos.
Offenham Nursery
The 6-acre nursery near Evesham supplies pack and pot seasonal summer bedding, such as viola and primrose. It is the central despatch site for all 4 seasonal nurseries.
Westmancote Nursery
This Worcestershire nursery grows 4 acres of pot and pack herbs and veg. Home grown and garden ready for Blue Diamond customers to take home, tend and grow high quality food.
HOME GROWN PLANTS
11 million of our Blue Diamond plants are home grown. This means we follow the journey of many of the plants we grow and sell. We are not just buying and selling plants. We are engaging with each and every plant we grow.
Jim Teague, Head of Blue Diamond Nurseries
For our customers this means….
100% of the plant pots used by Blue Diamond are made out of recycled material and are household recyclable.
Most of Blue Diamond home-grown plants are growing in peat-free compost and we aim to eliminate peat usage on the nurseries by the end of 2025. Home grown plants means more control in developing compost mixes and plant care techniques from nursery to our customers, as these are refined for the post peat era.
A garden centre group the size of Blue Diamond, with sales of over £330m, needs to control its own plant supply to ensure it has the range and variety of plants of the right quality.
Blue Diamond has a huge range and probably the largest range of plants available, of any UK garden centre group.
“The aim is to develop our plant range, in essence, to grow what the customer wants, and if they are not sure what they want, we need to grow plants which excite them”
Jim Teague, Head of Blue Diamond Nurseries
The success of the nurseries is the team of resolute employees and tried and tested processes which results in quality plants.
Blue Diamond hardy plants come with a 5-year guarantee.
Environmental responsibility
We know there is so much more to do and each day, we are looking at new ways to reduce our impact on the environment.
The pots that our plants are grown in are made from recycled plastic and are fully household recyclable. Blue Diamond is aiming to be at the forefront of the development of new packaging that reduces the use of plant pot plastic altogether.
The majority of home-grown plants are growing in peat-free compost. We aim to be completely peat-free in our production by the end of 2025.
As part of the Nature-Friendly approach, Blue Diamond are working with reduced chemical applications, using natural predators.
Recycled water and rainwater are used in plant production. At Bridgemere Nursery water comes from a reservoir which is filled from underground natural springs to water plants and at Worfield the water comes from a borehole.
Blue Diamond is moving towards the use of electric vehicles in all of the Nurseries instead of diesel-powered. Biomass fuels, solar panels and other renewable energy sources for the heating of glass houses, is another step the group is exploring.
We are growers, gardeners and horticulturists. We are hands on and deeply invested in providing the right care for our plants so they reach our customers in perfect condition. Our garden centres are built on strong horticultural foundations
Jim Teague - Head of Blue Diamond Nurseries