From a very early age I was smitten with the beauty of plants. Some of my earliest memories are of my Paternal Grandfather George growing prize Chrysanthemum on his allotment and my wonderful late Father pushing me in his wheelbarrow to go and look at them.
We always brought a bunch home for my equally wonderful late Mother and the texture, shape and vibrant colours mesmerised my young and inquisitive mind. I would marvel at how clever my Grandfather was to ‘create’ such beauty.
The start of my journey towards Hare Spring Cottage Plants can be clearly pinpointed back to those happy childhood days.
My Father took great pride in our own small plot of garden at our family home in South Yorkshire and although he usually worked seven days a week at one of the local coal mines he always made time to keep a tidy lawn and colourful flowers in the borders. My Mother loved nothing more than to deadhead flowers and encourage further blooms to develop. I have spent many a happy hour with trug and secateurs in hand working along flower borders and bringing them ‘back to life’, as my Mother taught me to do.
Humble beginnings but I quickly learned about the beauty of plants, trees and the wildlife that they supported as I enjoyed ‘helping’ them both in the garden.
Into adult life I progressed with a healthy obsession for plants, especially hardy plants. Setting up Hare Spring Cottage Plants emerged as a natural path for me to set off on, not knowing quite where it might lead.