The nursery is open to visit Fridays 9-5pm and Saturdays 9-2pm from April 11th to September 27th (and other times by appointment)
Pelham Plants Nursery is owned by Paul Seaborne, who has been passionate about perennials for long enough to have stumbled across a good plant or two!
The Nursery is in a beautiful two-acre site in a quiet, wooded area of Laughton, near Lewes, in the Sussex Weald.
The name ‘Pelham’ was chosen as the village of Laughton has strong historical connections with the Pelham family, and the site was once part of the extensive estate of the Earl of Chichester, Baronet of Laughton.
Paul Seaborne has had a number of careers, but finally found a way to make his love of gardens into a way of life in his 40s. After working for a number of inspirational Sussex nurseries, including Pure Plants and Marchants Hardy Plants, he finally decided to focus on his beautiful home garden, nursery and on his work at plant fairs.
Paul says, “To finally get to devote myself entirely to the challenge of my own nursery has been long coming. I have absolutely loved my time working at great nurseries, but I had to grasp the opportunity to create my own haven, and fully indulge my passion for plants, for the nursery life and for my own garden.”
Paul’s background as a teacher compliments his extensive experience and knowledge of horticulture. We look forward to sharing this with you at our bookable tours and workshops too.
On their second visit to RHS Chelsea, the team at Pelham Plants were delighted to be awarded a Gold Medal from the RHS judges! We created a space full of plants for a quiet, partly shaded spot, around a bench for some peaceful contemplation.
The design included a wonderful sculpture called ‘Dymock Head’ by Jo Sweeting.
Our nursery attended as part of a collaborative of micro-nurseries from the Plant Fairs Roadshow who exhibited together in the Great Pavilion.
The wonderful feedback from the visitors and the chance to work as part of a wider team of friends and colleagues at Chelsea, was just as rewarding as the Gold Medal. Once again, the BBC featured the Chelsea journey of the PFR collaborative in their Chelsea coverage! You can see this programme, including Paul being interviewed at the Pelham Plants stand at Chelsea, on BBC iplayer by clicking here.
We will be back at Chelsea for 2025 and look forward to seeing you there!
RHS Chelsea Gold We were delighted to have been awarded Gold for our second display at Chelsea in 2024.
Our theme of mindfulness was well received by the judges. The BBC’s Frances Tophill interviewed Paul and a clip can be seen here.
We were overwhelmed that the garden here at Pelham Plants Nursery was featured on the front page of the September 2023 issue of The English Garden magazine!
There’s a seven page article, “After Glow” inside, with fabulous photos by Nicky Flint of Sussex Stills and wonderful words by Ed Flint, Gardener, Consultant & Lecturer. Images courtesy of The English Garden.
Pelham Plants Nursery exhibited at their first RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2023. The nursery was part of a collaborative of micro-nurseries from the Plant Fairs Roadshow who exhibited in the Great Pavilion.
It was a fantastic experience for the Pelham Plants team, who were not only delighted with their Silver Medal, but more importantly the huge love shown by the public for the display. As if this wasn’t enough, the BBC featured the Chelsea journey of the collaborative from the Plant Fairs Roadshow in one of their Chelsea programmes!
Pelham Plants Nursery was featured in the September 2022 issue of Gardens Illustrated with the article “Surplus Energy”! Superb photos by Eva Nemeth @eva_nemeth and writing by the talented Ben Pope @theworkinggarden that captures the essence of our beloved garden!
We were particularly shocked to discover our own Helenium ‘fox cub’ on the front page of the magazine! Images courtesy of Gardens Illustrated.
We were delighted to be featured in the October 2020 edition of Country Living magazine! Click on the image below for the article, “A Feat of Clay!”.
Many thanks to Bennet Smith @bennetsmith for the wonderful photography, and Paula McWaters, the Gardening Editor who captured the spirit of the garden so excellently in her writing.
We welcome various horticultural groups and enthusiasts to the garden and nursery for a mixture of tours, workshops, and helping us out! Our friends Bridgette Saunders and Deborah Kalinke at The Garden House, Brighton have a Friday Group of keen gardeners that come and visit. They keep a fabulous blog and record of their visits and contributions:
For more information about our plants, submitting an order, making an appointment to visit the nursery or to book a group tour of Paul’s private garden, please contact pelhamplants@gmail.com, call the Nursery mobile on 07377 145970.
Our beautiful woodland edge site can be difficult to find. We recommend using Google Maps.
Please check the nursery is open before you travel long distances. The garden is only open for bookable workshops, tours or charity open days.
We can be found at:
Pelham Plants Nursery,
Rose Cottage, top of Spences’ Farm Lane,
off Common Lane, Laughton,
Lewes, BN8 6BX.
