History

Katie's Garden was started in 1997 by Susie Davis in her back garden when her daughter - the eponymous Katie - was still a toddler.

From car boots and local village shops, the business expanded into a van sales round servicing local nurseries, farm shops and village shops,  then moved to a semi-derelict site in Newbourne in 2001.

The site owner was still using some of the glasshouses for vegetable production so it was an ideal opportunity to expand gradually.

The retail plant centre opened in 2003, originally focusing on perennials and bedding.

Over the years the sales area has doubled in size to include a comprehensive range of plants including shrubs and trees and much, much more - with the emphasis always remaining firmly on the plants.

Susie's previous career was as a full-time classical musician - she still finds time to perform with the Kingfisher Sinfonietta - while husband Rick, who can often be seen hard at work on the maintenance side of the nursery, is a boatbuilder by trade.

The staff include an eclectic assortment of plant-lovers from a variety of backgrounds.

And Katie? At university but occasionally spotted at a potting bench, as is her younger brother Alastair.

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Actress and TV presenter Penelope Keith visited Katie's Garden in the autumn of 2014 as part of filming for the first series of 'Penelope Keith's Hidden Villages'.

She spoke to Susie Davis about the nursery and the history of the site as a smallholding.

The programme can be watched online at http://www.channel4.com/programmes/penelope-keiths-hidden-villages/on-demand/60252-001