When establishing the Gardens 25 years ago, the broad landscape of the Sussex Weald and South Downs provided Graham Gough with a rich source of inspiration, creating a garden that melds almost seamlessly with the timeless beauty of the vista beyond.
“Much mulling took place in those early years as we nurtured Marchants into being from an empty field. Our main focus of attention were the South Downs stretched before us, a benign edifice of solid chalk millions of years old, lightly crusted with fine grasses and myriad wild flowers, they were my playground as a child.
When things wavered this ‘noble chain’ proved our constant anchor. Our tenure has now been 27 years giving us a sense of perspective. No one who has passed through here has really been an owner – in the larger scheme we are merely curators making our small mark. Ours too has been made – now is the time to let go and make room for others.
Our first preoccupation was to earn a crust and when there was enough in the kitty, we created greater comfort for ourselves by extending our Victorian labourer’s cottage. Further savings allowed a friend to design and build for us three beautiful buildings, two oak-framed and one in larch. We have now brought into being five buildings including the sensitive restoration of our early 19th C Byre.
These buildings proved the key to how Marchants garden developed, bit by bit, slowly, slowly. After three years’ intensive work, Gardens Illustrated magazine sent photographer Stephen Robson down. He astonished us with images conjured from the little which surrounded him. Ending his session at dusk, he plunged under a black veil to take his last shot with his idiosyncratic plate camera. Marchants’ future was sealed by that one photo. It appeared on the front cover of the Autumn issue of GI in 2000, letting loose the fact that Marchants had arrived. Metaphorically that image has sustained us to this present day.
Marchants was always about being on the cutting edge of plants – herbaceous and grasses principally. We scoured the UK and Europe too for the best varieties adding them to our own selections and home bred forms. Our esoteric annual list grew exponentially, and almost uniquely all plants were propagated from our own garden stock. We were proud of that fact, and it enabled us to gain huge plant knowledge and in turn allowed us to gain the trust of our public.
We have so many people to thank – not least our keen and talented staff – but it is to you, our generous and inquisitive customers who flocked to Marchants as moths to a bright light. Without your support, Marchants could not have existed and it is to you we owe our deep and indebted thanks.
Marchants can now peacefully slip away but be assured its departure does not mark the end of an era. Over the last few years we have witnessed many young talented folk bearing hard-won plantsmanship following in our own footsteps, driven by passion and not by empty materialism. We believe the high standards we set here have inspired them to do the same and it is for them to now carry the mantle. We trust this will prove to be our most enduring and greatest legacy.”
Graham Gough & Lucy Goffin, Marchants Hardy Plants
Following an extraordinary 25+ years developing the garden and nursery Graham and Lucy have decided that they now wish to pursue future challenges and will be advertising the Marchants Gardens & Nursery site for sale.
We want to say a massive thank you all of you, our wonderful customers – thank you for your support, your enthusiasm and your passion for plants. Of course we also want to thank Lucy and Graham for giving us the opportunity to run Marchants over the last three years.
Huge thanks are also due to our amazing team Beccy and Faith, and our brilliant volunteers Debbie, Mick, Wendy, Chris, Frances, Ken, Alan and Martin – and all the people who have helped us over the last few years.
We’re so proud that the garden and nursery are looking so good and that everyone has contributed so much to creating such a successful team.
From Henry, Hannah and Jean, we send our thanks and best wishes to all of you.
“If you were to list nurseries that have influenced the way we garden, Marchants Hardy Plants would surely warrant a mention.” So says Phil Clayton, writing for the September issue of Gardens Illustrated (photographs by Richard Bloom).
“Selling a range of unfussy, unusual perennials – notably grasses – it helped pioneer a continental style of planting adopted, and adapted, by many UK gardeners.
Sincere thanks to Gardens Illustrated (and Phil and Richard) for such an uplifting and inspiring article.
From spring, through summer and into the autumn the gardens at Marchants offer an inspiring medley of colour and exciting plant combinations.
Standard entry charge is £5 per person / children under 16 yrs free.
By prior arrangement ONLY, visits from Horticultural Societies, private parties, Garden Clubs and other garden enthusiasts are warmly welcomed.
CLICK HERE FOR LARGE GROUP BOOKINGS info
“Henry tours the garden with renowned plantsman Piet Oudolf...”
“A welcome summer visitor...”
“Hannah gives a talk at the Charleston Festival of the Garden, summer 2022...”
“Flowering well into November, Chrysanthemum 'Old White Variety'.”
“A magnificent stand of Agapanthus, high summer.”
“…hedges and fences at every turn …lines of beauty achieved by long observation, hard thinking and the craftman's hand in this little world where reason and romanticism come happily together.”
Steven Desmond, Country Life
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