I've been meaning to post about the delightful Petersham Nurseries for months now, after heading down to Richmond back in May or June one Sunday and spending an invigorating few hours in these magical horticultural surroundings. Accessed from Richmond via a scenic Thames-side pathway and a narrow, leafy, back alley entrance, the nursery complex includes steamy, fertile greenhouses (above), a pretty outdoor cafe serving the most delicious organic fare, gallery space (below), garden shop and teahouse (below bottom).
The nurseries offer a complete gardening experience beyond just the choice of which seedlings to buy for your pathetic London window box. An extensive range of new and antique garden furniture and accessories are on display (below), from the bourgeois-est of wellies and ornate outdoor table settings to beautiful quality ceramics. These are all housed within a fragrant, balmy setting - ferns and exotic shrubbery running wild throughout the old greenhouse buildings.
Australian head chef Skye Gyngell's food at the Petersham cafe consists of simple, healthy fare of the highest quality organic ingredients. The cafe has won multiple food awards and offers a range of delicious freshly baked cakes and ground coffee as well as interesting quirks such as the strawberry, raspberry and red wine sorbet. Its a casual self service, the food precariously balanced upon antique wooden trays (below) as you weave your way around Richmond's yummy mummies, their moneyed up masters of the universe husbands and their 'bohemian' litters of children and horny dogs.
The nurseries offer a wonderful respite when the grime of London gets too much...come down and squeeze their lemons!!
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