Enchanted Gardens Kent: Pollinator-Friendly Plant Nursery in Whitstable.

Due to our location within a steep valley, with a steep entrance and exit track, ground here is uneven and not be suitable for wheelchair users or those who use a walking aid or have limited walking ability.

Due to our conservation efforts on this Special Site we cannot accept Dogs.

Enchanted Gardens is a very small nursery passionate about environmental protection, conservation and bio-diversity. We specialize in perennials mostly, specifically grown for pollinating insects. Our plants nearly always set seed to gift free plants for years to come, we grow peat free and never use pesticides - we are one of only a few horticultural companies of this kind.

Our Mission is to help gardeners have the conversation about nature in their gardens, and help them to achieve success with planting, planning and working with Mother Nature, avoiding plants grown in peat and containing harmful chemicals for pollinators.

Donna Truwhyte has been professionally gardening for over 30 years, in various roles and has won many awards for her beautiful garden designs.

She always felt that the balance of nature was changing and set out to study through observation and good practice, developing her garden planting into what is is today, somewhere for nature to thrive and grow, as well as being colourful, interesting and beautiful.

All of her flowers are selected for their pollen and nectar value, which sadly, within the industry have been forgotten in favour of profit and fashion. You will not find sterile double flowers here, and it is rare to find a plant that wont self-seed and provide free plants for you to share with family, friends and fellow gardeners.

Donna teaches from Enchanted Gardens Kent and offers various lectures about pollinator-friendly gardening, from the WW2 communications marquee in the second pasture.

Donna has entertained groups from the RSPB, Mother's Union, the WI (National Federation of Women's Institutes), gardening societies and clubs and is now educating Children through The Enchanted Gardens CIC so that schools can engage with learning to support nature and become better gardeners of the future.

"One of the biggest problems for pollinators is the loss of habitat, due to un-precedented building development, changes of woodland management which in my opinion hides a very sinister agenda of un-necessary felling to support Green Energy power stations, and proven chemical use throughout the plant industry, and food production.

So, I'd like to encourage all gardeners to grow more vegetables and flowering plants, especially those packed full with pollen and nectar. Remember, your garden is a mini-nature conservation site just waiting for your intention to create it, and if enough individuals set up a small wildlife sanctuary in their gardens - it will make a huge difference for our declining insect population.

Donna uses only bio-degradable carrier bags, reuses her labels and pots, uses only organic, peat-free compost and invites landscape gardeners to use her plants for their own wildlife-friendly design projects.

Start a garden, however small
Fill this area with the best possible plants that pollinators love!
Build a pond, or provide water for insects
Don't be too tidy cutting things down, leave leaves and flower heads over the wintertime
Avoid using pesticides wherever possible
Provide nest sites (bug hotels) and don’t disturb them!

Donna offers a range of Gift Vouchers for plants and one-to-one experiences, Consultations in your own garden with a written report, as well as a fabulous range of gorgeous flower seeds, which you can order at the link: Enchanted Seeds.

BBC South Today and Radio Kent have both interviewed Donna in 2019 and broadcasted a news item about it.

There is an extraordinary healthy population of rare and endangered insects and habitat here at Enchanted Gardens Kent, because of a very careful non-intervention policy.

Management of the pasture is also non-intervention with rare meadow cutting only taking place when absolutely necessary ensuring that all eggs laid and hibernation is protected of many insects. This appears to create different landscapes every year with building populations of food source plants for insects, which in turn feed the birds, which in turn helps recovery.