Our Story – Cade Street Nursery

1968

The business started, growing lettuces from a small rented field in Burwash, East Sussex. David would cut the lettuces from 5am and then deliver them the same day to local greengrocers and farm shops in East Sussex. It must have been the freshest lettuce money could buy!
1970's

The business diversified quickly into producing outdoor chrysanthemums and other cut flowers such as scented stocks for sale to local florists while continuing to grow lettuces and other salad crops in Burwash.
1980

The business moved to the present location in Cade Street, near Heathfield and took on the current business name ‘Cade Street Nursery’. New greenhouses were erected and a new potting shed built. The business dropped the lettuce to concentrate on flowers and bedding plants.
1987

The great storm caused extensive damage to the nursery, taking over a year to repair in full. The wind smashed hundreds of panes of glass and bent the steel structures meaning they all had to be replaced. About this time the business stopped growing flowers to focus entirely on garden plants, particularly bedding plants.
1995

This was a significant year, as the business attended its first farmers’ market. This was the first time the business had supplied its plants directly to gardeners. Today the nursery attends approximately 100 markets a year and it proves to be a valuable chance to meet with customers, get their feedback and give out free advice!
2003

Following a major redevelopment of the nursery site, a new entrance was added along with a car park and a retail plant display house. From this site on the nursery, the business started selling directly to gardeners through the retail plant centre, as well as enabling wholesale customers to come and view our ranges in a dedicated sales area. Today, we sell the full range of over 800 plants produced on the nursery as well as plants from other specialist nurseries, alongside lots of garden pots, compost and other garden sundries.
2005

As gardening trends changed so did the nurseries product range, starting with grow your own and then with an extensive range of perennials supplied from February to October. Today, the nursery’s range includes perennials, annual bedding plants, herbs and vegetable plants.
2013

David’s son Rob joined the business part-time having spent 11 years working for a national retailer sourcing their plant and flower range.
2014

The first phase of the plant centre development was completed with the removal of the front hedge, new signs, new paths and additional ranges added to provide customers with a wider range of plants and sundries for the garden.