There is now an updated list with over 70 nurseries across the UK which can be accessed here…
While the Amazon rainforest burns, Brexit festers and children all over the world call on adults to join their strike to highlight the climate catastrophe, it can be hard to know where to start to make a difference.
As gardeners we can join the protests this Friday 20th September and throughout next week to add our voices to the growing insistence that far more must be done to tackle greenhouse gas emissions; we can donate to charities like Greenpeace and WWF to support their campaign work in the Amazon and elsewhere in the world; we can fund tree planting in places like the highlands of Scotland via charities such as Trees for Life; but we can also take essential action closer to home.
The UK is home to a habitat that Prince Charles once called ‘Britain’s tropical rainforests’ – the lowland and upland peatbogs. Peatland makes up about 10% of our landscape from the remote Scottish highlands to populated areas around cities like Manchester and Carlisle, and over 80% of this peatland is degraded or degenerating due to human activities such as burning, afforestation, drainage and peat extraction for use in the horticultural industry.
Curlew are just one of many species threatened by peat extraction – they depend on peat bogs to breed. Extinction is now a real possibility across the UK
Although in the UK we aren’t clearing pristine rainforest to produce palm oil, beef or soya, extracting peat for our gardens damages and destroys unique habitats and key climate regulation systems across the UK (and other areas of the world given our substantial peat imports from the Republic of Ireland and the Baltic nations). Last year, we used an estimated two million cubic litres of peat in our gardens in the UK. Surely all this destruction in the name of gardening – often billed as a ‘green’ hobby – can’t be ethically acceptable in the face of ecological and climate disaster?
The voluntary target set by DEFRA in 2011 – to phase out peat completely in gardens by 2020 – is set to be a comprehensive failure and the government is now talking about taxes or even a ban to end peat use in the UK. With no current progress on the political front, the onus is on gardeners to sign the petition to end peat use, source peat-free compost and plants, and raise the issue with retailers and consumers whenever possible.
Golden plovers are also severely affected by peatland habitat loss and numbers are declining in the UK
And with many more excellent peat-free composts available in the last few years and nurseries all across the UK embracing peat-free growing, with some research and investigation it is possible to avoid peat completely. I’ve been compiling a list of peat-free products and nurseries over the past year as I’ve not always found this information easy to locate. Please do get in touch if you know about other producers, nurseries and suppliers so that I can update the list. And remember: if it doesn’t say peat-free on the label (for plants or composts) it almost certainly contains peat.
Peat-Free Nurseries
Agroforestry Research Trust – non-profit making charity researching and educating about agroforestry, focusing on tree, shrub and perennial crops, based in Devon. Online orders cover a wide selection of forest garden plants including more unusual species. The nursery is carbon-negative and sends out plants in biodegradable packaging.
Allwoods – specialist growers of pinks, carnations, pelargoniums, fuchsias and succulents. Plants available online and from the nursery in West Sussex by prior arrangement.
Arvensis Perennials – trade nursery specialising in herbaceous perennials, grasses and ferns online and from the nursery in Wiltshire.
Ashridge Nurseries – online nursery based in Somerset, delivering to customers across mainland England, Scotland and Wales and also to the Isle of Wight.
Barnsdale Gardens – Chelsea Gold Medal Award-winning nursery attached to Barnsdale Gardens. Online and nursery in Rutland.
Backyard Larder – Alison is a guru on growing perennial vegetables and other food plants. She writes a fascinating blog about perennial food plants and sells her perennial veg online in as near to 100% recycled or fully biodegradable materials as possible.
Beekind Plants – top quality pollinator-friendly plants, packaged in 100% biodegradable plant pots. Plants available online and at farmers’ markets across Suffolk.
Bernhard’s Nurseries – family-owned trade nursery supplying the finest quality plants to local authorities, landscape contractors, landscape architects, garden designers and general trade. Based in Rugby, Warwickshire.
Beth Chatto’s Plants & Gardens – propagated from plants grown in the gardens, the Beth Chatto nursery offers a wide range of herbaceous perennials, ferns, grasses and alpine plants with excellent advice on choosing the ‘right plant for the right place’. Available online and from the nursery near Elmstead Market, Essex.
Binny Plants – specialist peony nursery near Edinburgh; also grows a large selection of herbaceous perennials, trees and shrubs. Plants available online and from the nursery.
Bluebell Cottage and Gardens Nursery – nursery in Cheshire specialising in flowering perennials, run by former BBC Gardener of the Year, Sue Beesley. Plastic-free mail order service and option to de-pot at counter. No neonicotinoid pesticides used.
Botanica – British grown plants – a wide range including trees, shrubs, climbers, herbaceous perennials and grasses. Plants available online or from the nursery in Suffolk.
A Buzz and A Flutter – family-run plant nursery selling wildlife-friendly perennials online.
British Wildflower Plants – the largest grower of native plants in the UK. Plants grown from seed from known provenance at the nursery in Norfolk and available online.
CB Plants – traditional nursery in South Somerset selling unusual hardy perennials and herbs, cottage garden favourites and native wild flowers. Plants available at local plant fairs and mail order via the rhs plant finder.
The Coastal Gardener – specialist plant nursery (maritime plants) and garden design practice on the Isle of Wight. Plants available from the nursery.
The Cottage Herbery – quality herbs, aromatic and scented foliage plants, hardy perennials and more unusual edibles grown on the nursery in Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire. Plants available at farmers’ markets and plant fairs around the country (see website for details) and visits to the nursery on request or open weekends.
Crûg Farm – outstanding selection of plants at available online and from the nursery in North Wales, run by plant hunters and horticulturists Bleddyn and Sue Wynn-Jones.
Cumbria Wild Flowers – UK native wildflower plug plants available online only. 100% reusable or compostable packaging.
Devonshire Lavenders and Herbs – retail and wholesale nursery based in Devon. Wholesale plants can be ordered and the nursery also supplies retailers across the England and Wales.
Edibleculture – proud of being an old-school nursery, Edibleculture sells a wide range of fruit, vegetables, herbs, native perennials and native hedging plants from its base in Faversham, Kent. They also sell peat free compost in a bag-for-life form.
The Edible Garden Nursery – one of the leading culinary herb and edible plant nurseries in the UK, based near Okehampton, Devon. Plants are grown cold and without chemicals. Buy online or from the nursery (open weekdays, but check if coming a distance.)
Fawside Farm Nursery – small friendly nursery founded on the principle of growing environmentally-responsible, pollinator-friendly plants that are able to survive the harsh climate of the Peak District.
Flora Alive – this carnivorous plant nursery has been growing in peat-free compost since 1990. They sell Thrive, their own peat-free growing medium for carnivorous plants, and have an online plant catalogue. All plants are grown free of artificial pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers.
Growild Nursery – independent nursery based in East Ayrshire, Scotland specialising in rare and unusual plants and seeds. Plants and seeds available online.
Hairy Pot Plant Company – Family-run nursery near Winchester, Hampshire growing a range of eco-friendly, sustainable and ethically produced cottage garden plants and herbs in hairy coir pots. Plants available from stockists across the UK and wholesale deliveries in the South of England.
Hawkwell Herbs – This Northamptonshire based herb business provides herb collections, growing in pots of peat-free compost, for use in cooking and runs cookery courses with herbs. Herbs available at local markets in Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Cambridgeshire.
Hall Farm Nursery – family-run nursery near Oswestry, Shropshire. Hardy garden plants, all grown organically on site, available from the nursery.
Hardys Cottage Garden Plants – wide range of herbaceous perennials from one of the UK’s leading nurseries. Online and nursery in Hampshire.
Hippopottering Japanese Maple Nursery – Japanese maples available online and from the Chelsea Gold Medal winning nursery in Haxey, North Lincolnshire.
Hoo House Nursery – a retail and wholesale nursery that has been growing perennials and alpines peat free for 16 years. Plants available from the nursery in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire.
Howle Hill Nursery – wide range of plants and specimen trees for private and show gardens. Open to both professional and amateur gardeners. Call or email the nursery in Herefordshire to arrange a visit.
Jekka’s Herb Farm – family-run herb farm on the outskirts of Bristol, with the UK’s largest collection of culinary herbs. Plants available online and from the farm on Open Days – see website for details.
Jemima’s Garden – plants grown free from peat, pesticides and plastic. Available online and from local plant fairs and farmers’ markets in the summer in Norfolk.
Kitchen Garden Plant Centre – locally grown herbs available online and from food fairs, markets and by appointment from the nursery in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire.
Little Green – house plant purveyor with a green heart. Plants available at the Tobacco Factory Market, Bristol, and other events/markets around the South West. Little Green also has an online shop and will deliver anywhere in Bristol.
Little Green Plant Factory – organic plants propagated on-site at the nursery in Yorkshire. Plants available online.
Little Omenden Farm and Nursery – small environmentally-conscious farm and nursery based in Kent. Plants available at plant fairs across the South of England.
Long Acre Plants – shade plant specialists based in Somerset. Order online or collect pre-ordered plants from the nursery.
Lovegroves – a traditional plant nursery with trees, shrubs, ferns, climbers and a few of their favourite perennials. Based in Gloucestershire and selling online.
Lowaters Nursery – the wide range of plants grown at this peat-free nursery in Hampshire can be ordered online or bought at the nursery.
Malcolm Allison Plants – unusual hardy and half-hardy perennials, all grown on the nursery in Gloucestershire. Plants available from Stroud Farmer’s Market, at plant fairs and at horticultural events across Gloucestershire and beyond (March – Oct), and online (Oct-March).
National Trust – all plants sold at National Trust properties are grown in peat-free compost and all their gardens are peat-free too.
Natural Surroundings – wildlife gardens and nursery near Holt, North Norfolk. Wildlife-friendly cottage garden favourites and native wildflowers, trees, shrubs, bulbs and seed, all available from the nursery.
Northern Ark Nursery – specialising in an unusual range of hardy perennials, shrubs and herbs. Plants available online and at the nursery near Morpeth, Northumberland.
Old Market Plants – interior plant specialists based in Old Market, Bristol. Plants available to buy on site.
Organic Plants – organic, peat-free growers offering mail order vegetable plants and plugs in recyclable or compostable packaging.
Paddock Plants – family-run nursery near Southampton, Hampshire selling perennials, grasses, ferns, shrubs and house plants. Buy online or at the nursery.
Peat Free Plants – Caves Folly Nurseries sell herbaceous perennials, alpines and bulbs online and from their nursery in Herefordshire. They also sell to trade customers and for shows.
Penlan Perennials – nursery in West Wales specialising in hardy geraniums, ferns, woodland, shade and moisture-loving plants. Buy online or at the nursery.
Pennard Plants – edible plants, heritage and heirloom seeds, fruit and herbs. Online and nursery in Somerset.
Pineview Plants – nursery based in Kent offering mostly herbaceous perennials, especially shade-loving plants, ferns and a wide range of epimediums. Colin and Cindy attend a large number of plant fairs around the South East of England and orders can be brought to the fairs, or an appointment made at the nursery.
The Plantsman’s Preference – selling an extensive range of hardy geraniums, ornamental grasses and unusual perennials (especially those suitable for shade). Based in Norfolk, with plants available online and at the nursery.
Polemonium Plantery – organic nursery in County Durham selling polemoniums, a wide range of unusual and edible herbs, edible flowers and plants for pollinators. Available by mail order or from the nursery.
Potash Nursery – Suffolk-based fuchsia nursery, also sells a wide range of pelargoniums. Plants available online, from flower shows and can be collected by arrangement from the nursery.
Prenplants Sussex Ltd – wholesale herbaceous nursery based between Horsham and Billingshurst, Sussex. Selling plants in recycled and recyclable (where councils permit) taupe pots to garden centres, landscapers and garden designers in the South East of England.
Rose Cottage Herbs – wide range of herbs available online and from the nursery based near Doncaster, South Yorkshire.
The Rosemary Specialist – rosemary nursery, holder of Rosemary National Plant Collection based in Ceredigion, Wales. Buy online.
Rosewarne Nursery – commercial enterprise supplying the nursery trade throughout Cornwall and Devon. Broad variety of plants including Southern Hemisphere plants, coastal plants and good range of hardy shrubs, grasses and herbaceous varieties. See website for contact and visiting details.
Rosybee Plants for Bees – pesticide-free and peat-free plants grown near Wantage in South Oxfordshire. Plants available online, with gardening club and bee keeping visits to the nursery by arrangement.
Seagate Nurseries – family-run nursery in Lincolnshire including collection of bearded iris. Plants available by mail order and on site. Peat-free compost used on the nursery – they hope to become 100% peat free across all ranges in future.
Tissington Nursery – family-run plant nursery. Herbaceous perennials available online and from the nursery in Tissington, Derbyshire.
Treseders – family-run nursery in the heart of Cornwall. Plants grown at the nursery using bio-friendly insecticides, no growth regulators and locally sourced material where possible – available online and from the nursery.
Village Nurseries – family run nursery in West Chillington, Sussex. Seasonal and hardy plants all grown and sold on site.
The Wildflower Nursery – native wildflower plants grown in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Buy online or contact the nursery to arrange a visit.
Woodview Gardens – distributor of quality garden products including peat-free compost. Free delivery within 20 mile radius of Halstead, Essex and distribute through farmers’ markets and regional events across East London, Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and South Cambridgeshire.
Peat-Free Compost
It is still the case that much peat-free compost is more expensive than its peat-based equivalents, although buying online in bulk with friends/family and sourcing locally can reduce costs. However, I don’t believe it is acceptable to damage one habitat (peatbogs) in order to improve another (our gardens), especially when alternatives do exist. I’d rather reduce my compost use and garden a little less, so that I can afford to buy peat-free…
Dalefoot Composts – large range of exclusively peat-free composts, including ericaceous, seed, bulb, tomato and multipurpose compost. I have always had excellent results with Dalefoot products.
Melcourt SylvaGrow Composts – another large range of exclusively peat-free products with growbags, multipurpose, ericaeous and organic composts. Widely used by growers across the UK.
Fertile Fibre – coir-based composts, all peat-free, including potting, seed and multipurpose. Coir is sourced from organic coconut waste and is dehydrated and pressed before being shipped to the UK to make the process as efficient as possible.
Blooming Amazing – peat-free soil conditioner and mulch produced as a by-product of the UK’s first commercial biomethane generating plant on the Duchy of Cornwall estate.
Earth Cycle – peat-free top soil, turf dressing, soil conditioner and cow compost, produced in from composted green waste from household and businesses across West Sussex. Products available online.
New Horizon Peat Free Compost – widely available peat-free compost produced by Westland.
Happy Compost – peat-free compost produced by Bord na Móna.
Bulrush Peat Free Multipurpose Compost – 100% peat-free compost.
I’d be interested to hear about your experiences with peat-free composts. Are they readily available locally? Why do you think some gardeners still use peat? Is it due to lack of awareness, money or other reasons?
Do leave me a comment below about your peat-free experiences and any other related articles that you would find useful in future. Thank you and happy peat-free gardening!
If you would like to read more about the importance of peatland to the climate and biodiversity, here are some related articles:
Why is Peat-Free Compost So Important?
Peat Bog Restoration: Protecting Ecosystems and Limiting Climate Change
Peatland: A Nature-Based Solution to Climate Change
Why Peat is Good For the Climate and Nature: A Guide
Why We Need To Keep Peat in the Ground and Out Of Our Gardens
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NB: I have taken information for the list from nursery websites and, in some cases, from contact with the nurseries themselves. Whilst the nurseries are, as far as I’m aware, using peat-free compost themselves onsite and sourcing peat free plants, there may well still be some nurseries on the list that are not yet able to source all the plant material for propagation and growing on completely peat-free. For more information on this, please contact the nurseries themselves. Thanks.
Well said. Your research on the subject does you proud.
Thank you! The best for the environment and, ultimately, us and our children, would be tough legislation, but in the absence of any government movement I guess all we can do is try and spread the word ourselves.
A very comprehensive summary of why we should go peat free and how to go about it. Really helpful information.
Glad you found it helpful. Please do pass on to anyone who might be interested. Thank you, Nic
We’ve started using coconut coir fiber as a pear alternative. It’s a byproduct of the coconut industry, so using it in gardens makes more sense than anything else to us! It’s a lot easier to find now than just a few years ago, too!
Yes, I’ve used some good coir products and some of the peat free composts mix it with other ingredients too. Glad you’re finding peat free products that work well for you.
We are peat-free too we’ve been using Melcourt sylvamix for 4years now
http://www.pineviewplants.co.uk
Hi Colin, thanks for your comment. I’ve now added Pineview Plants to the list. Hope it helps more people to find you! All the best, Nic
Hi Nic,
I have used New Horizon peat free for many years as it is the only one available at the LDGA trading store and it also claims to be organic. They( Westlands) have brought out a new one which i think is coir based but it doesn’t claim to be organic. So I messaged Westland. their reply was that it is the same -just the labelling is different.And the size and price. I am not impressed with their labelling eg their ‘organic farmyard manure’ contains peat so not suitable for organic systems.It’s this word ‘organic ‘which is misleading It can mean several things. i have also tried fertile Fibre, which is brill but expensive. I did trials a few years ago comparing Fertile Fibre with New Horizon. i used tomato plants grown from seed. The size of the plants was similar but the yield was twice as much for FF. But then it is twice the price! I guess it must have more phosphates in. ( I get confused –phosphates v potassium–which one does comfrey have in abundance?) I have tried to get the peat free argument across to LDGA but they won’t listen! I’m glad you are onto it. Keep up the good work. Diane
Thanks Diane. Yes I agree – labelling can be confusing and organic might suggest environmental credentials, but in the case of compost, does not mean peat free. Interesting trial – I’ve also had good results with Fertile Fibre and would rather pay more and garden less to avoid damaging the environment. Keep up the good work at your end too! Nic
Would be happy to be added to your peat-free nursery listing as Hoo House Nursery has been growing peat-free since 2001 and runs RHS sponsored demonstrations on the use of peat-free products. http://www.hoohouse.co.uk
Thanks Julie, I’ve added you to the ‘to add’ list (!) and will be on to it in a few minutes. All the best, Nic
The problem for amateur gardeners is the huge variation in quality. Last year I used Gro Sure peat free with excellent results. Its producer, Westland, discontinued it and introduced New Horizon and the results fon’t serm anywhere near as good and its water-holding capacity seems poor.
Peat gave us consistent products from year to year and that is what we need from peat free. We also don’t know the environmental cost of making peat-free compost. Composting processes give off CO2 and possibly other gases and shipment of coir from far away uses fossil fuel. We need to see a proper environmental accounting rather than simple peat=bad and peat-free=good.
But it is as simple as peat = bad. Peat extraction emits vast quantities of carbon. The UK’s damaged and deteriorating peatlands emit 16 million tonnes of CO2 each year: a figure equivalent to around half of all the combined annual reduction efforts in the UK.
Healthy peatland is essential to reduce flood risk (an increasing problem due to climate change), conserve key habitats, ecosystems and species (like curlew and sundew) and 70% of our water comes from and is purified by peatland catchments. Peatbog destruction causes water pollution which costs water companies (therefore us) millions.
I don’t see how using peat can ever be acceptable. Might I suggest Dalefoot Composts as a fabulous source of peat free compost made from waste products – sheep’s wool and bracken – in the Lake District? It costs rather more than peat-based composts, so I garden rather less than before. I’m making changes so that in the future I can look my kids in the eye and tell them I did everything I could think of to help avoid climate breakdown.
Coir is shipped here, but Fertile Fibre have some excellent information about it being an organic waste product, how they dry and compact it so it uses the minimum amount of energy when shipped to the UK. Might be worth looking at their website for further info. I very much doubt that processing and shipping coir to the UK uses 16 million tonnes of CO2 a year, before the other catastrophic effects of peat extraction are even taken into account…
I use a lot of my own garden compost, using a mix of garden soil and garden compost for pots, so my use of bought compost is reducing. Still think we should see some figures on CO2 etc production from industrial-scale composting.
Excellent to use your own garden compost – more gardeners could do this and it would help a great deal. I agree that figures would be useful, but the weight of scientific evidence already available for peat extraction convinces me that even though we don’t have the full picture, we can’t wait any longer and must stop using peat now to avoid compounding CO2 and biodiversity issues in the future.
Hi I run a small nursery in Somerset CB Plants specialising in perennials and herbs all grown in Melcourt Sylvamix peat free. Nursery is open March to end September, I do fairs locally and mail order via the rhs plant finder. Catherine Bond.
CB Plants
Lower Severalls Nursery
Crewkerne
Somerset
TA18 7NX
http://www.cbplants.co.uk
Email cbplantsinfo@gmail.com
Instagram/ facebook
@cbplantsflowersandherbs
Hi Catherine. Thanks for letting me know. I’m adding you to the list right now. All the best, Nic
The National Trust’s plants are all peat free and good value. NT properties throughout England and Wales
Thanks Richard, that’s a really good point. I’ll add them onto the list.
Hi Nic
I don’t think many people know how bad peat composts are for the environment. Generally garden centres don’t educate the public. I think it’s generational – the attitude that they’ve always used peat composts. It’s what they are used to. Haven’t thought of an alternative. Some people believe that for growing it’s the best medium for seedlings – it drains well, good roots etc.
Peat free is always more expensive. If you are buying a lot that can add up.
At my own local garden centre they stopped stocking New Horizon peat free because they had to buy such large quantities which they couldn’t store on site.
So I think there are many and varied reasons.
I, for one, will not buy anything other than peat free. And of course if you do need a lot you could buy on line and get it delivered in a dumpy bag which means you don’t have all the plastic bags either.
Yes I think you’re right. It’s one of the things we’re trying to address with the launch of Peat Free April (see Twitter and Facebook) – to publicise the environmental damage and excellent alternatives through garden centres and other outdoor stores, as well as across social media.
Excellent and well researched post, Nic – thank you. I’ve bookmarked this for the nurseries as I always use peat free but stupidly hadn’t given any thought to what bought plants might be grown in. I’ve bought some really healthy plants from the Hairy Pot Company (via Kew Gardens and the RHS) and use Dalefoot and Melcourt Sylvagrow composts. I’m also saving for a Hot Bin composter for the garden.
I’ve been trying all year to get my local garden centre to stock Dalefoot composts but they’ve resisted until it becomes commercially viable. Also Clockhouse Nurseries near Capel Manor in Enfield have just dropped Dalefoot from their stock as it wasn’t selling. Personally I think it’s worth every penny of the extra cost, especially given their work in restoring peat bogs.
I’m pretty sure that Great Dixter use their own home-made compost for both the garden and the plants in the nursery – I saw it being made during a tour with other Capel students. Maybe one for your list?
Hi Caro – glad you found the piece useful. I’ll look into Great Dixter and add it if they’re 100% peat free, thanks. The Hot Bin composter sounds excellent – let me know how it goes. All the best, Nic
Thanks for this, loads of really useful information.
Really glad you found it useful. Thanks for the feedback.
Good article Nic!
You have highlighted two iconic bird species that are under serious threat – esp the curlew. Much of the threat to them comes not from the relatively small area used for peat extraction but from the lack of suitable habitat for breeding. Both breed on high moors where they are protected from predation as a side benefit from managing moors for grouse shooting. I appreciate that this may not be what many what to hear but is repeatedly backed up by research conducted by the GWCT and others. Where predator control is removed iconic bird species go into serious decline.
You may also be interested to know that the drainage of these high moors was government sponsored after WW11 so that sheep could be grazed and conifers planted.
Fortunately land managers have been blocking drains and slowing the drainage of these valuable places for many years now but there is still much to be done and those cost to be met somehow.
Hi Alan, thanks for your comment. I agree that the legacy of drainage for plantations and grazing is also an important issue, although one that the scope of this piece didn’t cover. There may be a relatively small area being used for peat extraction now, but this hasn’t been true historically – to the huge detriment of habitats. Huge scale peat extraction is also still a key issue in other countries – many of which supply the UK peat market. With regard to grouse moors, the RSPB do agree that ‘gamekeepers seeking to protect red grouse can benefit curlews and some other ground-nesting species’, but also note that:
‘Driven grouse shooting does not take place on any of our upland RSPB nature reserves and yet they support healthy numbers of breeding curlews, black grouse and other ground-nesting birds. For example, at RSPB Dove Stone in the Peak District we have, since 2010, seen increases in breeding dunlin of 160%, golden plover (19%) and curlew (17%) since we undertook landscape-scale re-wetting and restoration of degraded peatlands there. We can also report that breeding waders have seen a threefold increase at RSPB Geltsdale since 2003, while the black grouse population has increased more than sevenfold in this time; from seven lekking males in 2005, to 55 in 2014.’
Therefore, although some ground-nesting birds can benefit from the habitat management provided on grouse moors, there are other ways to conserve numbers outside systems which also involve shooting as a sport, rotational burning and predator control. More information on the RSPB’s position in this article by RSPB Director of Scotland, Stuart Housden: https://community.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/b/martinharper/posts/reply-to-gwct-letter-to-the-times-on-grouse-moor-management
I’ve written more on both peatlands and woodlands as nature-based solutions to climate change for the RSPB here if it is useful: https://community.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/b/climatechange/posts/peatland-a-nature-based-solution-to-climate-change
https://community.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/b/climatechange/posts/woodland-a-nature-based-solution-to-climate-change
https://community.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/b/climatechange/posts/peatland-a-burning-issue
Hi Nic – this is really helpful. Thanks for all the hard work. What is your take on Moorland Gold compost, which contains peat collected as a byproduct of water collection, i.e. it’s filtered out of water that has rolled down the Pennines and gathered peat particles on the way? It sounds OK to me, but I’d appreciate an expert’s point of view.
Thanks Joanna. The byproduct peat compost isn’t damaging in itself, but the peat collected has eroded from the bogs because of poor management/drainage for extraction, etc and also it is far more expensive to purify water and remove the peat after erosion, than to restore peatland itself. So although I’d not have a problem with using this product and some peat free compost producers offer it, I think we all need to campaign for the protection of peatlands so the peat doesn’t erode in the first place. Hope that helps! Nic
Hi Nic, Carbon Gold is another peat-free compost with biochar. Thank you for compiling the list of peat-free nurseries! That is very useful indeed. I have one more for the list: https://www.stottsnursery.co.uk/
Hi, very glad you’ve found the list useful and thanks for the new nursery. All the best, Nic
Hi, we are a nursery based in Scotland growing rare and unusual plants and seeds and have always been peat free – could you please add us to your list? Growild Nursery http://www.growildnursery.co.uk
Wonderful – yes with pleasure!
A brilliant website- thank you for what you are doing.
My local nursery owned by the brilliant Graham Gough in East Sussex is peat free as of this year
https://www.marchantshardyplants.co.uk/
I am being vocal elsewhere locally.
In addition to the peat concerns, Dave Goulson’s book The Garden Jungle is such a good practical and informative guide to wildlife friendly gardening…particularly highlighting the misleading labels “perfect for pollinators” . In a Sussex University study, 70% of studied plants attractive to bees and butterflies contained neonicotinoids, other insecticides too (this may be out of date- hopefully!)
Many thanks
Are you able to add Marchants? …maybe you are waiting to hear from them!
Many thanks
Hi Sarah – I have already added them to the updated list: https://dogwooddays.net/2020/04/30/updated-peat-free-nurseries-list/ where there are now many more nurseries. Thanks 🙂
I did reply to your previous comment, but it seems to have got lost somewhere along the way. Sorry about that and glad you are finding the list useful. I agree – Dave Goulson’s book is excellent. I reviewed it for the RHS when it came out and was impressed (although unsurprised) by his weaving of the rigorous exploration of scientific data into such an appealing, humorous narrative – although the humour is (as necessitated by the subject matter) rather dark. 🙂
Sorry the addition …I missed that as I think looking at old link …I am not good at all this forum stuff and social media in general! It is so useful tho! I am trying to get local retail nurseries to sell Dave’s book…not going well 🙄
Elm Green 07753 821 120 http://www.elmgreen.co.uk
>
That’s a shame – so perfectly aimed at gardeners & with such good advice about the changes we all need to make…
Great to have this list, thanks.
Wondering if you might include Progrow in Hampshire?
Thanks very much Kathleen – I’ll have a look with a view to adding them.
Hi Nic many thanks for including our nursery, Gardeners Cottage Plants on the map of peat free nurseries. Would it be possible please for me to add a write up about the nursery in your listings? Kind regards Andrew. PS you we are getting some website traffic referrals from your site which is great, Thank you so much!
Hi Andrew, yes of course. Please can you email me on dogwooddays@yahoo.com? Thank you, Nic