Did you know there is a beautiful RHS designed sensory garden and plant nursery just a few minutes walk from Redhill town centre?
The Surrey Choices Secret Garden is a real hidden gem in Redhill, run by Surrey Choices colleagues Kate Falconer and Katie Lambert who are both trained horticulturists. Kate and Katie maintain the plant nursery and garden with the help of Surrey Choices customers as an opportunity for adults with learning disabilities to enjoy the physical and therapeutic benefits of gardening.
In the plant nursery, you’ll find a range of plants including summer bedding, vegetables and herbs, perennials and shrubs, with prices starting from just £1. Kate explained “We pride ourselves on being friendly, offering great customer service, and never selling you the wrong plant. All our plants are home grown from seed, or British grown, and always at great prices”.
The sensory garden which is just 2 years old, is a lovely space for the whole community. It has a unique nature based play area for families, and is an oasis of calm. “The benefits of spending time in nature are well-known” says Katie, “we see nursing homes, childminders and workers seeking a bit of lunchtime peace visit our garden to relax. It’s also available to hire for private events, like children’s birthday parties”.
The plant nursery is conveniently located just behind the Redhill railway station. It has been around for 25 years and is fully accessible to the public with it’s own car park for visitors.
One of the plant nursery’s most popular products is the personalised hanging baskets. You can bring your old hanging basket in, choose what you would like it filled with or let the team decide for you, and they will nurture your own basket until it looks fabulous again, all for just the cost of the plants.
So, next time you want to add a splash of colour to your garden, or just need to get outdoors, why not pop into the Secret Garden, and discover for yourself one of Redhill’s hidden gems!
The Surrey Choices Secret Garden is on the corner of Noke Drive and St Anne’s Drive (behind the GPO sorting office). Open Monday-Friday 9.30am-3.30pm, and Saturdays throughout May and June, 9.30am -3.30pm.