Linda offers up a taste of the wild life (From Worcester News)

Linda offers up a taste of the wild life

9:22am Tuesday 10th July 2007 in Country News latest

THE wonderful plants and informal planting style of old-fashioned cottage gardens have inspired Linda Davies' working life.

As well as running her own nursery, Linda is one of many stallholders who sell their locally-produced goods at farmers' markets around Worcestershire each month.

Linda, age 38, together with some help from her partner, Kevin Thompson, have been running Four Acres Nurseries in Pensham, near Pershore, since 2002.

Linda started the nursery from scratch after finding the perfect piece of land not far from her home in Drakes Broughton.

"There were only two agricultural sheds on the land when we bought it so together Kevin and I constructed 900 square metres of glasshouses and another 900 square metres of polytunnels," she said. "Fortunately, my partner runs his own home and garden improvement company so he has been able to help out with building work and the irrigation system."

Of the herbaceous perennials that Linda grows, her favourites are acanthus and phlox.

"I love the height of the acanthus which can grow to around five feet tall and I love well-scented flowers like phlox."

Linda loves the informal style of cottage gardens. "I don't like anything in lines, I like it to be a wild garden. I really don't like tidiness and co-ordinated colours."

The most popular perennials on Linda's stall are delphiniums, lupins, phlox, day lilies, foxgloves, coreopsis and chrysanthemums. There are also a wide variety of bedding plants and hanging baskets in a range of colours.

Four Acres Nurseries is at the Royal Worcester Porcelain farmers' market each month.