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A Visit to John Barrington’s Nursery

Attending a conference in Torquay recently and having a free afternoon I thought I would visit John Barrington’s nursery near Taunton. I had not met John before but have received his PF plants by post and have always been impressed by their quality.

John is a dairy farmer but by the time I arrived in the afternoon the milk tanker had left and I had a most enjoyable time looking round. It was the end of June, a dry day at the end of a period of heavy rain. (His other great passion, delphiniums, were over. He holds a huge collection of these).

Undoubtedly John is a very knowledgeable grower. He offers a large selection of English and scented varieties and is convinced that scent is an important feature for these blooms. As I wandered round I noticed Frank Bruno (one of my favourites) and was pleased to tell him that it was named by Stephen Bailey years ago at the Southport Flower Show when the boxer was there. “I know” he replied, “I was there!”

It was wonderful to see so many old varieties commercially available and stock plants growing well for next year.

But what really impressed me was when John picked a beautiful red bloom and handed it to me for inspection. I struggled to try and name it. (I am not an expert). Then I smelt its’ wonderful fragrance.

He explained this was one of his seedlings, and then went on to show me selected seedlings from previous years. He is determined to reintroduce scent to PF’s and showed me this years 100 or so seedlings. I can see some wonderful introductions in years to come.

Here we see his assistant Marylyn.

He has plans to expand the business and I am sure we all wish him well!

Thanks for a very enjoyable afternoon.