A little about us at The Gardener's Bothy

The Origin of The Gardener’s Bothy

A bothy is defined as a 'one roomed structure or accommodation' and our 18th century example would have housed the estate gardener or more latterly perhaps served as his potting shed or tool store. Restored from dereliction in 2009, the Bothy once again is associated with gardening and the remains of the original structure with its unique pyramid roof now serves as our open fronted workshop.

Our ethos is formed by our main work as foresters managing, maintaining and harvesting thousands of trees in hundreds of acres of woodland in and around the National Forest. Quite simply, we aim to make use of every part of the tree to create a range of quality products for the garden.

Forest to Garden

Timber felled by our forestry team is brought back to the sawmill, processed and then turned into a range of garden furniture at the Bothy. This 'chain of custody' means that we can usually tell you in which wood the timber for your bench was grown!

Timber can of course be milled to order and bespoke versions of all the garden furniture can be produced to individual requirements.

The Bothy workshop range includes oak and cedar seats, potting benches and log stores as well as practical products such as raised beds for the vegetable garden, plant supports and stakes. Seasoned firewood and woodchip mulch utilise the lower grades of harvested timber and sawmill offcuts.

Reclaim and reuse

The Bothy workshop also restores and revitalises all manner of vintage horticultural paraphernalia including; tools, troughs, pots and planters for reuse in the garden. In addition, there is an ever-changing range of ironmongery, woodworking and workshop tools that appeal to specialist users as well as DIY enthusiasts.

The wider environment

Our business is rooted in caring for the environment and as well as timber and tools, we source and stock products for the 'natural' gardener including bird boxes and feeders, along with roots, stumps and hollow logs to attract wildlife into your garden. In fact we can offer a complete design and build service for woodland and wildlife gardens, including construction of bespoke rustic shelters and potting sheds.

Passing on traditional rural skills

For hands-on gardeners, the Bothy hosts a series of craft courses run by the experts in skills such as willow-weaving, coppicing or carving and we celebrate the seasons with exhibitions by local craftsfolk from woodturners to tile-makers and rustic furniture bodgers.