About Botanica
Rooted in Suffolk since 1987, Botanica is a specialist nursery and arboretum with a passion for plants, provenance and the natural environment.
Founded by Jon Rose on a disused dairy farm, Botanica began life on just 5 acres – with the old milking parlour serving as the nursery office, and the ‘bull box’ as our first sales area. Over the past 37 years, we’ve grown to over 30 acres, developing one of the UK’s most diverse collections of plants, all nurtured with care on site near the Suffolk coast.
A Remarkable Range
As dedicated growers, we’ve produced an ever-expanding collection of trees, shrubs, climbers, herbaceous perennials, grasses, ferns, bamboos, herbs, roses, and conifers – including many rare and unusual varieties not commonly found for sale in the UK. Our enviable range is drawn from our own botanic collection and decades of sourcing from leading nurseries and gardens around the world.
Grown in England, With English Roots
At Botanica, we believe in growing responsibly and locally. We fully support the ban on plant imports to prevent the spread of disease, but we take it further: we grow only English-grown plants of genuine English provenance. Our customers can be confident they are buying healthy, traceable stock grown right here in the UK.
We are registered and inspected by the Forestry Commission and regularly audited by DEFRA’s Plant Health Inspectorate. Our Plant Passport Number is UK107236, providing assurance of plant health and provenance.
Environmentally Responsible Growing
Our nursery is run as close to nature as possible. All container-grown plants are raised in our own 100% peat-free compost, developed over 12 years to support a wide range of species. We also grow many plants naturally in open ground.
We encourage biodiversity by keeping bees in our fruit areas and using natural predators where needed, avoiding unnecessary chemical intervention. We know our customers care about sustainability – and so do we.
Planning a Visit?
You’re very welcome to drop in and browse the nursery and arboretum during our opening hours (see below). Please note that while we’ll always do our best to help, you may need to wait during busy times.
If you’d prefer a more focused chat, we recommend booking a mid-week appointment — that way, one of our specialist team can give your enquiry their full attention.
Just a quick note: we kindly ask for 24 hours’ notice for all plant collections.
Opening Hours
Monday to Saturday: 10am – 4pm
(please note: we are closed on Saturdays in July & August)
Sunday & Bank Holidays: Closed
Meet The Core Team At Botanica
Jon Rose, Owner
Jon’s fascination for plants has grown over the years as he values not only their beauty but their importance for ‘replenishing’ the air we breathe and being the basis of our food, medicines, clothing, shelter and much more. It is Jon’s vision which has driven our continued expansion to what we are today.
Jess Dighton, Nursery Manager
Jess started with us in the summer of 2011, coming to us as a trained florist. She absorbed knowledge from Jon like a sponge and has worked her way up to her current role. Jess organises the bulk of our growing with the rest of her team and is the recipient of many compliments on the professionalism and neatness of our nursery from many, including those in the trade.