11/06/2026
This is Cliff Bank Nursery - I am blown away by the plants and ambition here. Almost all plants are propagated on site and use peat free compost. Everything is excellent quality and everything is unusual or exciting. The site was taken on by Ben Preston and Laura Kennedy a few years ago, now it is a buzzing destination nursery.
Situated between Harrogate and Leeds. Ben and site manager Nadine showed me around - and I met the rest of the lovely team too who were all busy potting on and chatting to customers. There are loads of cultivars new to me so I picked up a few to try at home (last pic).
This year a number of new show beds have just been planted. They already look great, I can’t wait to see them in the coming months. The team have more ideas for next year and beyond. Really exciting.
Ben is also trialing sand-based stock beds, experimenting with which plants like it. This is to help plants develop roots for sand beds and also bare root sales.
I first met Ben when he was head gardener for York Gate Garden and his love of plants and drive for innovation in gardens struck me- it was obvious in the planting. This new chapter feels like the start of something really special. There’s something about nurseries that also feels generous? They’re incredibly hard work yet everyone is sharing their expertise and plant recommendations.
If you like in Yorkshire, or indeed beyond, I well recommend a visit to this small independent but fast growing nursery.
