GARDENING IN TODAY’S CLIMATE

As the global climate changes, our gardens will be impacted too and could see an increase in adverse weather conditions, especially in the spring and summer months. This could include drought and flash-flooding, which can cause damaging changes to our native wild and plant life and impact the gardening and growing calendar.

Here at Garsons we are always looking for progressive, sustainable and sensitive gardening methods. This can include adapting garden designs, choosing resilient plants, providing much-needed shelter and habitats for native wildlife, and using water-retaining growing media. Read below for a few tips on how to help your local ecosystems and help your garden flourish in our changing world…

DROUGHT-TOLERANT PLANTS

Climate change provides us with challenges that can include long spells of heatwaves with no rain, and during that time, we are often faced with hose pipe bans and have to limit our water use when gardening. This is where drought-tolerant plants come in, which require less water to survive and bloom and are naturally adapted to arid or semi-arid conditions.

Many perennials tolerate a wide range of soils and conditions and are a good choice to plant in spring. Hardy geraniums, geums, bearded irises, agapanthus, rock roses and star jasmine are all drought-tolerant, providing a splash of colour throughout dry periods. Most drought-tolerant plants thrive in full sunlight and, using organic mulch or manure, can help reduce run-off, giving them a head-start when establishing. However, be sure to look at their care instructions, as individual plants may vary.

Look out for plants with silver/grey green leaves, which are invariably drought-tolerant - their colouring helping to reflect the sun’s rays. This includes show-stopping Mediterranean plants such as olive trees and lavender. Some other key features to look out for include deep root systems (such as yarrow), fleshy/waxy leaves (sedums are a good example), and plants with fine hairs on their stems (like lamb’s ear). All these characteristics help in assisting with water retention in dry conditions.

DROUGHT-TOLERANT GROWING MEDIA

In addition to drought-tolerant plants, using moisture-retaining growing media can reduce the volume and frequency of watering. Many of these mediums control water availability to plants according to their needs, helping them to thrive in adverse dry conditions. RHS trials even show that despite preconceptions, peat-free growing media retains water better than non-sustainable peat equivalents, as well as maintaining soil structure.
At Garsons, we have a range of specific moisture-retaining composts, including Miracle-Gro Moisture Control and Westland Container & Basket.

The Garden Centre Association, of which Garsons are a proud member, and the prestigious RHS have created a video containing some top tips for getting the best results when using peat-free growing media, WATCH HERE.

FLOOD-TOLERANT PLANTS

At the opposite end of the spectrum, extreme wet conditions can cause waterlogged soil, potentially resulting in root rot and an increased chance of other diseases. Persistent heavy rainfall and many rivers and streams bursting their banks over the last few years have increased the need for flood-tolerant plants in some gardens, with wet soil hampering plants’ ability to take in oxygen.

Cornus, ferns, lobelia, astilbe and carex are all well-suited to saturated soil, whilst providing interest, colour and texture. If you have particularly poor-draining soil, especially clay, it is recommended to mix in organic matter such as manure or composted bark or utilise raised beds.

If the planting area is perennially waterlogged, perhaps consider plants that are naturally adapted towards bog conditions. This can include some varieties of iris, calla lilies, dogwood, reeds and tree willows.

BENEFITS OF NATIVE FLORA & FAUNA

The planting and encouragement of native species is essential for healthy ecosystems and biodiversity, and as native plants are adapted to our UK conditions, they grow more abundantly, which in turn helps attract diverse and native wildlife gardens. One of the keyways to help British animal species is providing food, access and shelter. Here are some ideas you can implement in your own garden:

BUG HOUSES

Help provide our native insects and pollinators shelter and a place to lay their eggs. This includes bees, butterflies, spiders, moths and woodlice. Try planting English lavender around your bug house, as the purple flowers and distinctive scent are particularly attractive to bees and other pollinators.

REWILDING

Hold off trimming borders, lawns and meadows where possible, as natural growth with no maintenance allows for a boost in native plants and wildflowers. This increases the amount of nectar available to pollinating insects such as bees, butterflies and moths. You can enhance this by sowing native wildflower seed mixes – best sown from March to April.

PONDS & WATER AREAS

Will give a place for amphibians such as newts and frogs to live and breed. Consider adding alba water lilies to these areas (Britain’s only native water lily) for added shelter, and they look great!

HEDGEHOG PATHS

Make small holes in your fence or dig channels under your garden boundaries to allow hedgehogs to pass through. Hedgehogs can benefit local ecosystems by controlling garden pests, decreasing the need for chemical insecticides. Hedgehogs use native hedges (it’s in the name!) for shelter, such as hawthorn and hazel.

BIRDBATHS & BIRDHOUSES

Provide vital shelter and cleaning spots for our native garden birds.

Why not try planting seed-heavy flowers such as sunflowers around your garden to provide food sources for these birds.

HEDGING

Hedging provides shelter for small mammals, birds and insects. Beech is a traditional and native hedging species in Britain and can support numerous different insect species. Its seeds also make great food for mice and birds.

OUR VERY OWN HONEY

At Garsons we are proud to have our very own honey, harvested directly from bee hives located on our Pick Your Own Farm in Esher, Surrey.

The bees that produce our honey gather nectar as they forage across the farm, playing a vital role in pollination, visiting nearly every crop as they look for nectar and pollen. From raspberries and apples to pumpkins, plums and cherries, they move from blossom to blossom, ensuring healthy fruit production and a thriving ecosystem. Once the bees have worked their magic, the beekeeper, Honey I’m Home, cold extracts, lightly filters and bottles the honey, preserving its pure, natural sweetness and essential nutrients. No additives – just pure, golden goodness.

Pure honey has a range of health benefits, including having antibacterial, anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties, and can be used as a great alternative to sugar. There are even reports that local honey can help with seasonal allergies! Jars of both Garson Farm’s clear and set honey are available from The Farm Shop.

SUSTAINABLE OUTDOOR FURNITURE

We are proud to work with furniture suppliers whose ethos aligns with our own commitment to sustainability. Our two key suppliers ensure that they strive towards a sustainable future:

BRAMBLECREST

Like us, Bramblecrest are a member of Planetmark, an influential sustainability-led organisation. Through Planetmark: ‘Bramblecrest has protected an area of endangered rainforest thanks to Cool Earth; a charity working alongside rainforest communities to halt deforestation. Our pledge through Cool Earth goes directly towards supporting the Asháninka community in Central Peru.’

They also work with the environmental organisation Ecologi, who plant a tree for every set of furniture sold. Any timber components of their furniture are sourced from regulated, legal and sustainable sources. While their famous eco-cushions are made from fabric spun from recycled plastic bottles, creating a high-quality, hard-wearing and UV-resistant fabric.

HARTMAN

Hartman has introduced a Return. Recycle. initiative this year, 2025, to help encompass the complete lifecycle of garden furniture. When your Hartman furniture needs a refresh, they will organise for the collection of your pre-loved furniture and will responsibly recycle to give it a new life. In return, they will even give you a voucher towards your new Hartman garden furniture set!

Read more about this scheme and its T&Cs HERE.

DOING OUR BIT

In all our processes, we strive to be as environmentally friendly as possible. As part of our assembly service, we remove all packaging from furniture delivery, which we then responsibly recycle where possible.

A VERY ECO-CHRISTMAS

Throughout the year at Garsons, we recognise our responsibility to minimise our environmental impact, mindfully seeking and building relationships with suppliers who are proactive with their sustainability credentials. Christmas is no different. 
Plastic-free packaging, recycled glass, glitter-free, recyclable, and sustainably sourced materials are just some of the elements you’ll find across a selection of our Christmas crackers, greeting cards, and wrap, as well as long-lasting decorations for you to enjoy now and years to come.

DECORATIONS

We stock a range of eco-friendly decorations made from sustainable materials such as recycled glass, sustainable mango wood, papier-mâché, bio-degradable glitters and water-based paints. We also have biodegradable snow and glitter sprays, to give your home that final Christmassy flourish.

CHRISTMAS CRACKERS

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a cracker! We stock a large range of recycled and recyclable crackers with bright festive patterns and modern designs and are complete with a plastic-free gift - allowing you to have a greener Christmas that still goes out with a bang!

CARDS & WRAP

The majority of our card suppliers pack without cellophane, and many of our Christmas cards are now foil and glitter-free, enabling them to be fully recycled. And with reports stating that the UK alone throws away a staggering 108 million rolls of wrapping paper, we were encouraged to source a range of recycled and recyclable Christmas wrap, gift bags and boxes to help combat this waste.

Don’t forget the tape, we stock zero plastic plant-based Sellotape and paper-based washi tape, allowing your Christmas gifts to look the part, whilst remaining friendly to the environment.

RECYCLE, REUSE, REPURPOSE

Many of our Christmas displays and props for this year’s theme, The Chronicles of Christmas at Garsons, have been consciously reused, recycled or upcycled. At Garsons Esher, the magnificent grand lion, Aslan, has been carefully crafted by hand from recyclable cardboard. The many wardrobes dotted around the store that bring Narnia to life were all sourced and purchased second-hand. The mannequins have been reused for numerous themes and have been transformed this year into unique characters and are the key centrepieces of the Jadis the White Witch and Mr Tumnus themes.

In the lead-up to Christmas, we reached out to our customers for their help in donating their unwanted faux fur coats for props to hang in the wardrobes. We were delighted by the response – a real win-win for sustainable giving; the coats will be re-donated by us back into charity shops after Christmas.

At Garsons Titchfield, we have reused props from previous displays across our themes, that include modifying the throne in The Silver Chair, which was once used for our ‘festivals’ displays in 2020. We have also reused our centrepiece train display at the front of the store, decorative Christmas arches and giant star ceiling decorations throughout our highlight building.

We have also spread Christmas joy to the community by gifting props from our previous year’s themes. One example is the peach from James and the Giant Peach from Christmas 2023; crafted by our talented staff, the giant peach now sits proudly in a local school library.

CHRISTMAS TREES

All of our fresh-cut Christmas trees are sustainably grown in Ireland. We make sure we source from a supplier that is a member of the Forest Stewardship Council, to ensure our trees come from environmentally, socially and economically responsible sources.

Innovatively and new this year, we at Garsons wrap the fresh-cut trees in biodegradable, compostable netting. This netting is produced from vegetable starches, which will decompose completely to organic matter and water, leaving none of the microplastics in the soil associated with regular plastic netting. Tree-mendous!

Every year, we strive to source artificial trees of the highest quality from eco-leading suppliers. This year, we are stocking a Greenwood Pine range of artificial Christmas trees where the branches are made from 100% recycled plastics that can be cherished for years to come while helping to reduce future carbon footprints.

When the festive celebrations are over, we encourage our customers to return their fresh Christmas trees back to us so that they can be recycled. We work in partnership with Elmbridge Borough Council, which collects the returned Christmas trees from us, which are then chipped and repurposed into renewable biomass.

EAT LOCAL THIS CHRISTMAS

Eat and be merry this Christmas with a wide range of locally sourced food and drink in our Farm Shop.

We offer an extensive range of locally made cheeses fresh from the counter, with a variety of styles and flavours to explore. We are proud to support local and independent cheesemakers who produce great-tasting cheeses whilst keeping our food miles to a minimum. At Garsons Esher, some of our favourites, such as Norbury Blue from Ockley Nurseries and Surrey Red from Nutfield Dairy, are produced in Surrey. The Farm Shop has regular tasting samples of our Cheese of the Month and the option to try any cheese before you buy, so you’re guaranteed to love it. At Owton's in the Farm Shop at Garsons Titchfield, there is a range of Lyburn cheeses, produced in nearby Salisbury as well as The Isle Wight Cheese Company, based just over 30 miles away.

Our in-house butchers, Bevan’s at Garsons Esher and Owton’s at Garsons Titchfield, have your festive meats covered over Christmas, from the traditional turkey or goose to gammons and hams. Both butcher’s produce are locally sourced from Surrey and Hampshire farms wherever possible.

And don’t forget to look out for all the classic festive favourites such as mince pies, stollen and festive cakes lovingly made by local bakers, Loseley Bakery and Farmhouse Cookery.

SUSTAINABLE CANDLE & HOME FRAGRANCE GIFTS

Christmas is a time for showing loved ones you care by presenting them with a gift they’ll love. And our candle and home fragrance collections make the perfect gift. We conscientiously partner with a selection of eco-conscious and local home fragrance and candle suppliers, who share our sustainability ethos. This includes candle and diffuser ranges from Potters Crouch, Henry & Co, The Country Candle Co. and Freckleface, which are handmade in the UK (with some as near as Hampshire) using carefully sourced and natural ingredients. These ranges use plastic-free packaging where possible, are vegan and cruelty-free, and proudly place sustainability at the forefront of their principles – whilst providing exquisite fragrance and enhancing your home's ambience.

GARSONS HAVE CUT CARBON EMISSIONS BY 14.9%

As part of our accreditation as a member of Planet Mark, we are examined across our sustainable performance, processes, and actions, which are measured and verified against our mission to reduce our carbon output by 5% year on year.

In our fourth year, we are proud to announce that we have excelled and surpassed our target of 5%, achieving an impressive 14.9% reduction in our carbon production over the last year, 2023 to 2024.

One of the biggest contributions in being able to achieve this significant reduction is our recent investment in solar power energy, with over 1300 solar panels being installed at both our Titchfield and Esher stores.

Read more about our harnessing of solar energy, and watch our case study here

Thank you for being a part of our Live. Grow. Thrive. journey with us.

GARSON FARM PYO, SURREY

Now in its forty-third year, our 155 acre Pick Your Own Farm remains an ever-popular family activity, picking an array of delicious fruits, vegetables and flowers from early June to late October.

Our farming policy and practices follows the company mission of safe, high-quality production combined with sustainable methods, which is testament to our long-term commitment to environmentally and socially responsible farming.

We are always looking to utilise modern integrated farming techniques, such as biological methods of pest control, and keeping grass alleyways and boundaries so that insects can easily pass between crops.

ENCOURAGING NATIVE INSECTS AND POLLINATORS

WILDFLOWER MEADOW

Our wildflower meadow is now closed for the season.

At Garsons Esher, we have planted a beautiful 5000m2 wildflower meadow, an essential part of Garson Farm's efforts to preserve and enhance the local ecosystem.

This meadow, sown to encourage important wildlife and help pollinate our crops, is a verification of our Garsons Live. Grow. Thrive. movement, our commitment to environmental sustainability and farming methods.

Among the beautiful, delicate flowers, you’ll find a dynamic mix of species and pollinating insects such as bees, butterflies, and dragonflies.

The meadow, an advanced mix of 16 annual and 17 perennial flowers, creates a stunning environment for wildlife and humans to benefit from and enjoy.

Not only is the wildflower meadow good for the local ecosystem, but it is also beneficial for your own health and wellbeing. Make sure to visit and take a stroll through the meadow, take a breather, and spend a few moments out amongst nature. The meadow is now closed, and unavailable to access (Sept 2024).  

BUG HOTELS

At both our Garsons sites our dedicated plant teams have constructed their own on-site ‘Bug Hotel’ to highlight the plight of our native insects and pollinators and their importance to our garden ecosystems. The impressive ‘hotels’ are accompanied by information and provide you with ideas of how you can attract and protect insects in your own garden, encouraging many to build their own.

SUPPORTING LOCAL DRINK SUPPLIERS

Garsons are always on the look-out for independent local food and drink suppliers and are lucky enough to have some of our favourite local Farm Shop breweries, vineyards and spirit producers right on our doorstep.

Working with suppliers in our local areas not only helps support small independent businesses, but also significantly contributes to our goals of reducing food (and drink) miles!

For wine made closer to home, we have a range from the multi-award-winning Denbies Wine Estate in Dorking, Surrey, less than 13 miles away from Garsons, Esher.

At our Esher Farm Shop, we have numerous beer and ale producers located less than 10 miles away, including from The Park Brewery and Twickenham Ales and The Big Smoke Brewery in Esher being which is less than 3 miles away! At Garsons Titchfield we have multiple local breweries such as The Flowerpots Brewery and Powder Monkey Brewing Co. being less than 15 miles away.

We also have a selection of locally produced spirits including Surrey based Silent Pool, Thames Ditton Gin and Hampton Court Spirits.

A stand-out sustainable product we stock is Green Man Spirits from Silent Pool. Less than 15 miles from our Esher site, Green Man is the world’s first spirit packaged in a cardboard bottle, with a commitment to planting a tree via Tree Nation for every bottle sold.

Another of our notable eco-driven spirits producers is Beeble, made by beekeepers who realised that the wasted honey stuck to the hive frames could be perfectly utilised by soaking them in whisky – a great, sustainable use of a by-product.

Not forgetting we have soft-drink producers, from premium British suppliers such as Summer House Drinks, Belvoir and Folkington’s, each with their own impressive sustainable processes and targets such as using recyclable glass bottles for all their drinks and British sourced ingredients where possible.

THE ORANGERY TEA HOUSE'S JOURNEY TO BECOMING RESOURCE POSITIVE

We are delighted that our on-site restaurants, The Orangery Tea House at Garsons, share the same sustainable values and are committed to becoming resource positive - to give more than they take from the planet.

They strive to support local businesses throughout their supply chain, with the aim of buying locally where possible to reduce the menus carbon footprint, with their skilled team of chefs make the majority of dishes, cakes and treats in-house.

Our very own Garson Farm provides fruit and vegetables to our Esher restaurant for seasonal menu dishes – the ultimate in zero food-miles!

High-quality meat is provided by Owton’s Butchers, who are Garsons Titchfield’s Farm Shop’s local on-site butchers. The Orangery Tea House team of chefs are also committed to developing delicious and nutritious plant-based alternatives, a proven way of making a small reduction to carbon footprint.

All coffee and tea served at The Orangery Tea House is 100% Rainforest Alliance Certified and used-coffee grounds are also offered to customers, perfect for garden fertiliser.

The Orangery Tea House has also taken big steps towards reducing waste, moving away from single-use to reusable and biodegradable packaging, eliminating plastic waste from processes and separating food waste to be used for bio-mass energy.

OUR LATEST SUSTAINABLE RANGES

To help us all be more eco-conscious we strive to increase our range of sustainable and environmentally friendly product ranges, whilst adhering to our commitment of reducing our carbon emission by 5% year on year. In doing so, we hope to increase our positive impacts on the environment and to help our beautiful planet live, grow and thrive for future generations to come.

See this seasons sustainability led highlights below...

ECO-LED FURNITURE

From sets that are 100% recyclable at the end of their lifespan, to cushions made from 100% recycled plastic bottles, we are always looking for the most innovative and sustainable outdoor leisure ranges. See below for some of our favourite eco-led furniture brands and materials.

TREE PLANTING

A key furniture supplier, Bramblecrest, works with Ecologi, an environmentally focussed social-enterprise, to plant a tree for every furniture set that is sold. These trees help to combat climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. We are proud to support this carbon offset project and help contribute towards a sustainable future.

RECYCLED PLASTIC CUSHIONS

Bramblecrest and LG Outdoor impressively transform plastic bottle waste into luxury deep filled cushions. Their Eco cushion is made with yard spun from recycled plastic bottles which produces a hard-wearing season-proof material, perfect for outdoor use, whilst retaining comfort.

MADE IN THE UK CUSHIONS

B-Bag Extreme Lounging cushions and bean bags are manufactured in the UK, with every cushion made in a factory in Yorkshire. Using UK-made brands is helping Garsons to offset our carbon emissions, and helps contribute towards reaching our goal of reducing carbon emissions by 5% year on year.

RECYCLED ROPE FURNITURE

Supremo Leisure use premium recycled polyester rope, helping fight against industry waste that would have otherwise gone to landfills. The rope has been developed for marine use, making it suitable to withstand the wetter months, with high strength resistance and extreme durability to increase its longevity.

'VIRONWOOD' TABLETOPS

The wood used by Garden Impressions to make their furniture has been recycled, and is fully recyclable after it’s life span. They also use ‘Vironwood’ for their tabletops, a specially developed synthetic material, indistinguishable from wood. 'Vironwood' contains no harmful chemicals and is 100% recyclable, is strong, easy to clean, and UV / weather resistant.

WE RECYCLE PACKAGING

We strive to be as environmentally friendly as possible, with all packaging from furniture delivery being removed as part of our assembly service, of which we responsibly recycle where possible.

LOCALLY SOURCED PLANTS

Sourcing plants locally, from nursery suppliers like Woodlark Nurseries, located less than 1 mile away from our Esher site, offers a host of benefits. Not only does it support valued local suppliers, but also reduces carbon emissions from transportation and ensures plants are better suited to local climate and soil conditions.

Additionally, sourcing from local suppliers often means healthier plants due to reduced stress from transportation and shorter time between growing and planting. 

We work closely with local and regional suppliers such as Lyewood Nurseries and Pepperpot Herbs in Hampshire, and and many more across the South of England who prioritize eco-friendly practices such as using peat-free compost, reducing chemical usage, implementing water conservation techniques, and recycling plant pots and trays.

RESPONSIBLE COMPOST

We are committed to phasing out the use of peat as a growing media and are following and complying with Government guidelines. Key organisations from the horticultural sector and the Garden Centre Association, which includes independent garden centres just like us at Garsons, have all promised to end the sector’s use of peat, pledging to remove it from the retail market as early as 2025.

As a ‘green’ industry, we recognise the value of peat as a store of carbon and are in full support of the reduction and eventual total ban on using peat in our horticulture industry. We are working with suppliers to help achieve this and to promote organic and peat-free composts further. Encouragingly extraction from England’s peatlands has already been halved since 2011.

Much of our existing range of growing media products are enriched with recycled materials, and more peat-free alternatives are being introduced each year. We clearly highlight these products in our in-store displays and signage to help our customers easily select peat-free while shopping with us.

KINDER GARDEN CARE

While most pests are useful and are part of the natural cycle, occasionally we do need to intervene. Many of our pest deterrent products consist of eco-certified elements to effectively manage and prevent pests sustainably. This includes environmentally friendly pest control sprays, natural slug deterrents such as, Slug Away Wool Pellets, reusable slug traps and pollinator friendly substances.

We also stock a range of innovative products such as ‘Moth box traps’, which use pheromone lures to attract  and trap the male box tree moths, helping control this serious pest, and Silent Roar, a garden border cat repellent made from lion manure!

Several of these products use recyclable, biodegradable and refillable packaging, helping to reduce the environmental impacts from plastic pollution. We encourage customers to use sustainable practices by providing a range of sustainable pest deterrent products, whilst allowing ecosystems to thrive.