Climate, light & humidity
The South West is the mildest part of Britain. Atlantic air keeps winters soft and frosts infrequent near the coast, and Cornwall and Devon receive some of the highest sunshine totals in the country. Bristol and Bath, further inland and in the shelter of the Avon valley, are a little colder and cloudier. Winter light still falls below 3 mol/m²/day at a typical window between November and March, so aroids slow down and need far less water, but temperatures rarely threaten plants indoors. Outdoor air is often damp, which helps less than people expect: indoors, central heating drops humidity to 30–40%. In summer, south-facing conservatories and loft rooms can overheat thin-leaved plants.
Watering on hard water
Mendip limestone gives Bristol and Bath very hard water, 250–330 mg/L CaCO₃. Used weekly, it raises substrate pH, locks out iron and manganese, crusts terracotta pots with white efflorescence and leaves limescale on the leaves of Anthurium and Calathea. Buffer it for sensitive plants: collect rainwater, which falls generously here; use an ion-exchange filter jug; or blend tap water half and half with RO or distilled water. Flush pots through with rainwater every month or so, and never use water from an ion-exchange softener, which adds sodium.
In Devon and Cornwall, South West Water supplies from granite moorland are soft and suit sensitive tropicals straight from the tap; add a calcium-magnesium supplement for plants in mineral semi-hydro.
Homes & growing conditions
Bath's Georgian terraces and Bristol's Clifton crescents have tall sash windows and high ceilings: superb light, cold glass and draughts. Victorian terraces fill much of Bristol, from Bedminster to Bishopston, with bay windows that make excellent plant positions. Harbourside and Temple Quarter apartments offer large glazing and dry, ventilated air. Across Devon and Cornwall, older cottages often have small, deep-set windows in thick stone walls, which limit light sharply a metre into the room. Choose plants by orientation, use climbing aroids on moss poles in bay windows, and keep thin-leaved plants off radiator-heated sills. The light finder estimates light at each window.
Trade supply for local stockists
Bristol and Bath have a lively scene of independent plant boutiques and concept shops, and the wider South West has many garden centres serving holiday and local trade. We supply barcoded 2.5L and 5L pouches, 25L repotting-bar sacks and shelf talkers, so shops can offer genus-specific peat-free mixes and answer hard water questions with confidence. Terms start at a £150 ex-VAT opening order, £100 reorders, carriage paid over £250 ex-VAT and a 45–50% stockist margin at recommended retail. Trade orders are routed on 24–48 hour courier services. Plan a range with the trade margin planner and read our trade terms.
Office & hospitality planting
We plan plant schemes for offices, studios, cafés and hotels across Bristol, Bath and the South West, matching plants to real light levels and the dry air of air-conditioned workspaces. Displays are priced from £5.50 a month per desk plant, £15 per medium display and £22 per architectural specimen, and maintenance contracts start at £125 a month with fortnightly technician visits, peat-free substrate care, biological pest control and free replacement. In hard water areas our technicians manage irrigation water to keep sensitive plants free of limescale. Get a first figure from the scheme estimator and ask about coverage through commercial planting.