Architectural Plants holds a certain allure. It used to be based at Nuthurst just outside Horsham, and a walk through the grounds to access the woods behind would reveal tantalising glimpses of colonial style huts and large exotic plants.
Some years ago, Architectural Plants moved to just north of Pulborough, but the allure holds good and once you’re through the gates, you find yourself in a wonderful world of vast leafy structure, exotic walkways, decadent pots and the occasional sculpture.
You might be forgiven for thinking that you’d been transported to a far away and very tropical corner of the world, not a specialist horticultural nursery in a sleepy corner of Sussex.
Explore the exotic
Don’t be intimidated by the gates. You can book an appointment to come and explore, whether you have a yearning for bold, exotic planting, a project to plan or just want to explore the 32 acre site. Architectural Plants was founded in 1989 by Angus White who was a furniture maker with a fascination for the “spectacular architecture” of rare plants. His love of structure and style is still apparent. This isn’t just a nursery, it’s a nursery with panache and an almost visibly beating heart.
Good people
There is a good feeling at Architectural Plants probably infused from the people behind the brand. Current owner and MD, Guy Watts, started work at Architectural Plants as a boy and despite going off to circumnavigate the globe (well row the Indian Ocean in 2009), he worked his way up until he took over ownership in 2021. In 2011, he also co-founded the charity Streetscape.
Walking around the many greenhouses with Guy, his love and dedication to the plants is palpable. At any given time he seems to know how hot or cold his plants are or should be, and how they’re feeling. You get the sense that he probably spends many sleepless nights worrying about his plants and I feel certain, that on cold winter’s nights he might be found wondering around and checking on them in the dead of night. This clearly isn’t his job, it’s his vocation.
Streetscape and the AP Homegrown Apprenticeships Scheme
Streetscape was a social enterprise that provided apprenticeships in landscape gardening to 18-25 year olds who are long-term unemployed. It has now morphed into the Architectural Plants Apprenticeship Scheme (the AP Homegrown Apprenticeships Scheme to be precise) which is headed up by Jay Osman who also oversees external operations for Garden Design, Planting and Creative Maintenance and manages recruitment and training (that’s quite a brief).
The AP Homegrown mission is to “inspire more young people into a career in horticulture” and Jay’s enthusiasm and passion for this feels more than refreshing. It’s contagious and utterly heartening.
The aim of the AP Homegrown apprenticeship scheme is to develop talented youngsters and in doing so, to help sustain the industry. The scheme takes youngsters (some of whom may have a troubled background) and puts them into a nurturing (in every sense of the word) environment with an emphasis on growth, purpose and experience. They offer a variety of different career paths and provide experience across all their departments from the lab, design and even topiary to marketing. The scheme also collaborates with local businesses and other local educators like Brinsbury and Crawley Colleges. To anyone with teenagers who aren’t walking the standard university path or may have lost their way, this offers something of a life line. It feels structured, safe and focused. But relaxed and wholesome too. With a soupcon of cool thrown in as well.
The quiet and serenity of Architectural Plants belies what’s going on underneath the surface. There are vast reserves of passion and enthusiasm bubbling away here, directed towards both sustainability and working with young people. It’s easy to talk the talk but generally, when you visit a place you quickly get a sense of how sincere they really are. I left with the feeling that this is a place that is trying hard to make a difference in a number of ways and that the world is a better place because of it.
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