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Lower Kenneggy Nurseries
Lower Kenneggy is a much-loved nursery. It is difficult to imagine any first-time visitor leaving without having made a firm decision to return soon. The flavour is Mediterranean - both the plants and the supporting décor. Stephen Mules, the proprietor, has gone to great lengths to ensure that his plants sit at ease within the colours and style of Southern Europe. Indeed, it is a key source of fine plants for anybody working towards the creation of a Mediterranean garden or niche. There is a very fine range of succulents ranging from the reliably hardy to the somewhat risky (at least risky outside the South-West): Agave, Aeonium and Aloe. The nursery is strong on plants from the southern hemisphere - in particular from South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. These plants, and all others, are of top quality in terms of the care they have received and, what is truly amazing, the prices are extremely 'buyer-friendly'. How Stephen has managed to do this over a period of twenty years is beyond me. It is unlikely that anybody would be able to find a similar plant in any other commercial nursery for less. Stephen has a great depth of knowledge and, let it be said, a great love for his plants and it is difficult for any true gardner or plantsman not to feel an affinity for him. However, the weak point of Lower Kenneggy Nurseries is that there is no list of plants available on the web. Indeed, their website for all its photographs remains singularly uninformative. Nevertheless, this is a great improvement on the previous state of affairs when there was no site at all or, for that matter, any information about Lower Kenneggy either on the web or in the Plant Finder. Weak point or not, Stephen Mules obviously (rightly) considers plant care, propagation and nursery management to be greater priorities than website development. The nursery is small and there are not always large quanities of plants available but, despite it being located near the end of the South-West peninsula it is worth making an effort to visit. Because there are a few other quite acceptable nurseries (Trevenna Cross and Hardy Exotics, for example) in the immediate area a trip to Lower Kenneggy can easily be part of a broader plant-purchasing expedition. But do not buy elsewhere until you have checked Stephen's stock first. Is it one of my favourite nurseries? Without a shadow of a doubt it is and it also will be one of your favourites after your first visit. Link - Article in The Garden (August 2012): "Roy Lancaster visits Lower Kenneggy Nurseries"
June 2009
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