Our first blog article

About Grow

Grow is a family run nursery specializing in fruit trees, in particular, old and rare heritage varieties that have sadly become all but lost in our orchards. The trees at Grow are largely grafted from the National Fruit Collection.

Donna formerly worked in healthcare, originally as a medical buyer and then as a dispenser in pharmacy. In between she has raised three beautiful children (along with Husband Brian), been a wicked step-mother to two wonderful (grown up lads) become a step-grandmother (which although she claims she is far to young for loves!) rescued numerous animals and trained in many alternative therapies. Her passion is Grow and she is on a mission to get Britain growing fruit and to help promote the historic National fruit Collection where Grow is based.

This blog is her ramblings……………

Sadly, I have to admit that I do have a slight obsession with trip advisor and such like, often checking out places beforehand for the family to visit but this quickly leads to checking out yourself too! I should know better as for every positive comment there will follow somewhere a negative one. There are two types of people who record comments on these sights, kind genuine ones who truly wish to assist others and the serial moaners! Now don’t get me wrong, I can moan along with the rest of them but I do hope my comments are always justified. For the most part, comments about us have been very kind, praising us for our enthusiastic, helpfulness and knowledge but I did see one comment from a visitor who complained bitterly that they visited in the Winter and the “trees were barren and looked just like twigs” what can I say – there just is not a big enough pot of super glue to get all the leaves put back on!

On a serious note, it is impossible to please everyone there have been comments that our trees are overpriced compared to supermarket trees, which brings me on to a whole new rant! How do the supermarkets sell fruit trees so cheaply? A few reasons really, there buying power, they are imported, the roots have been cut so within that decorative polythene sleeve is a very lightweight tree. Ours are the price they are as they are grafted from the National Fruit Collection by hand, into peat-free compost, they are then looked after by our Head Nurseryman and our small team, which includes all the watering, weeding, tying up to a cane etc,. for the best part of a year. Our trees are guaranteed for a year and we are on hand seven days a week to give advice long after the tree has been planted. Can you see why we get so cross when we are compared to that little cheap tree in the polythene sleeve now?!!

This year our team are working hard, we have grafted a few thousand apples, pears and to name a few and are also cherries growing the trees on into bushes, half-standards, fans and espaliers. For the first time too, we can offer roses, which are fragrancing our glass house beautifully. The down side, all of this has to go onto the web site, which I must get on with instead of looking at trip-advisor!