Millais Nurseries and the Environment

Growing with the environment in mind

We are proud to be in the horticultural industry, growing evergreen plants which turn carbon dioxide into oxygen every day of the year. But we do much more than that, and we are always looking for ways to grow our plants with less impact on the environment.

Reducing peat

Rhododendrons naturally grow in acidic, low pH soils, which has traditionally meant using peat in their growing media. We have worked hard to reduce this and our plants are now grown in mixes with more than 75% less peat than we used previously making up less th 3% of the overall plant. Once plants have passed the propagation stage, they are grown completely peat free.

We are continuing to trial different peat-free growing media, including at commercial scale, with the aim of becoming completely peat free. We are not prepared to compromise the quality of our plants, so we are taking the time to make sure the alternatives work properly for our specialist crops.

British grown

Apart from INKARHO lime-tolerant Rhododendrons, which are grown in Germany under licence, our plants are British grown and we grow nearly all of them here at the nursery.

This means fewer plant miles and, just as importantly, allows us to grow our plants properly from the beginning. We believe this produces stronger, better established plants than those which may have been grown quickly overseas before being sent to the UK.

Healthy plants, fewer chemicals

We have dramatically reduced our use of chemical sprays over the years. Our approach starts with choosing healthy plants and growing them well, rather than relying on chemicals to solve problems later.

We use a range of natural and biological products to help keep plants healthy, including compost tea brewed here on the nursery, seaweed, beneficial microbes and fungi. We are constantly looking for better ways to protect our plants while reducing our reliance on conventional chemical treatments.

Vine weevil is a particular problem for plants grown in containers, so we use biological controls including nematodes and beneficial fungi to help control the larvae and eggs in the compost. This allows us to tackle the problem without relying on conventional insecticides.

Water

We make very little use of chlorinated mains water because we have our own spring-fed water supply, with natural slow sand filtration and bio-beds to help improve water quality.

Rhododendrons may love water, but that doesn't mean we want to waste it! We use automated irrigation alongside our growers' experience to give plants what they need without unnecessary watering. Our propagation house also uses an Evaposensor system to help manage watering while cuttings are rooting.

Energy

We have made a number of changes to reduce the energy we use around the nursery. Our propagation house uses carefully controlled electric heat mats rather than heating the whole greenhouse, while our new barn and pack house are highly insulated to reduce heat loss.

We also use electric buggies around the nursery and have moved away from operating our own delivery van. Our electricity supply is renewable, and our new barn has 54 solar panels with battery storage, which on an average day provides more than 66% of the site's energy needs.

Using plastic more responsibly

Plastic still has an important part to play in growing plants, but we try to make it last as long as possible.

Our nursery pots are made from polypropylene and contain approximately 98% recycled plastic. We wash and reuse pots and production trays on the nursery wherever we can, rather than throwing them away.

Our plant labels are also made from recycled and recyclable plastic.

We have replaced the stretch wrap previously used to protect plants on pallets with large cardboard pallet rings. We don't use plastic-covered boxes for sending plants by mail order either, using cardboard boxes with compostable liners where protection from moisture is needed.

Reusing and recycling

We try to reuse things before we recycle them. Our green waste, including old compost, plant trimmings and leaves, is composted with a little horse manure and left for around 18 months before being used in our stock beds and gardens. It provides valuable organic matter for our thin, sandy soils and keeps useful material within the nursery rather than sending it away as waste.

We also buy reject, surplus or second-hand cardboard boxes where suitable. Where we buy new paper and cardboard packaging, we specify FSC or FSC Mix certified materials where available and commercially practical.

Our cardboard despatch boxes can be recycled, as can our pots and plant labels through appropriate recycling routes. The compostable liners used in our boxes are clearly marked with disposal information so that they can be dealt with in the appropriate way.

Looking after what is around us

The nursery is surrounded by native hedges and mixed woodland, with a stream running through the property. We leave much of this natural habitat undisturbed and have areas of meadow which provide space for wildflowers, insects and birds.

We also have insect and bird boxes around the site and have moved away from regular rotavating in favour of a no-dig approach where practical. We want the nursery to be a good place not only for growing plants, but for the wildlife that shares it with us.

Always looking for better ways

We don't have all the answers, and some changes take time, particularly when growing specialist plants. But we have already made significant changes and will continue to look for practical ways to reduce our environmental impact while growing the quality plants that Millais is known for.

We believe that looking after the environment is part of looking after the plants themselves — and that growing good plants and growing them responsibly should go hand in hand.

Sustainability policy statement