Loading
OPEN 9am-5pm (Feb' 1st - Oct' 31st)

Rare, Exotic or Unusual Plants near Hoddesdon

Rare, Exotic or Unusual Plants

Amongst our wide repertoire of plant species, we regularly endeavour to include a selection of rare, unusual or more exotic examples. Although these areas types of plants are not specifically within our area of expertise, we find that offering ‘connoisseur’ plants, helps us to keep our selection interesting & increase the appeal of our stock to a wider audience.

The selections that we make are usually not so obscure as to not be within an experienced grower’s capabilities. Some, despite their rarity, are remarkably easy to cultivate within a UK climate although many may have specific cultivation requirements. As a keen gardener one’s desire to grow such plants should not outweigh the importance of researching the specific needs of an individual plant. One should only consider investing in a rare or unusual plant purchase if you are sure that you can comply with its, sometimes specialist, requirements.

For 2025 we have a few such examples growing under protection already.

  • Ageratina ligustrina
  • Albuca shawii
  • Alstroemeria psittacina
  • Alyogyne hakeifolia
  • Amicia zygomeris
  • Begonia Little Moon & Dark Side of the Moon
  • Bulbine frutiscens medicus
  • Caesalpinia gilliesi
  • Camellia champetre Quintessence
  • Cyathea cooperi & dealbata
  • Dasylirion leiophyllum
  • Diospyros Kaki & Lotus
  • Edgeworthia chrysantha Akenbana
  • Ensete glaucum
  • Entelea arborescens
  • Eremophila nivea
  • Fatsia polycarpa Green Fingers
  • Freylinia lanceolata
  • Hesperaloe funifera
  • Isoplexis canariensis Bella
  • Knightia excelsa
  • Lachenalia Namakwa, Rosabeth & Rupert
  • Lagunaria patersonii
  • Leucadendron Devils Blush, Gandogeri & Goldstrike
  • Lomatia ferruginea
  • Magnolia espece Tripetala
  • Mathiasella bup’ Green Dream
  • Musa Ice Cream, basjoo Sakhalin, himalayensis speciosa & velutina
  • Myoporum laetum
  • Nolina nelsonii
  • Pavonia Flamboyant
  • Pileostegia viburnoides
  • Podophyllum delavayi & Spotty Dotty
  • Polyspora axillaris
  • Protea Pink Crown, Clarks Red & Lancelot
  • Pseudopanax lessonii Bronze Eagle, Gecko Gold & Goldsplash
  • Puya coerulea & mirabilis
  • Rhagoda hastata
  • Sciadopytis verticillata
  • Schefflera taiwaniana
  • Staphylea colchica Black Beauty & pinnata
  • Telopea Emperors Torch, & speciosa Braidwood Brilliant
  • Titanotrichum oldmanii
  • Watsonia borbonica & giantea
  • Xanthoceras sorbifolium
  • Yucca gloriosa Bright Star, Citrus Twist, rigida Blue Sentry & rostrata
  • Zenobia pulverulenta Raspberry Ripple & Blue Sky

These should all be ready to retail by late Spring or early summer. We hope to add some more cultivars in the coming months. New additions will be added to this list as and when they are available.

Shopping At Clockhouse

Garden retail like it used to be.

Here at Clockhouse Nursery we pride ourselves in providing reasonably priced plants & the products you need to grow them effectively.

That is all.

So, no need to wade through the tide of unnecessary paraphernalia that you will find in most modern garden centres.

No need to worry about parking either as we have over 150 spaces available.

Please Note !

We are a CASHLESS establishment. Accepted payment metohds: credit / debit cards (contactless or otherwise), Gift vouchers & voucher cards, Apple or Android Pay.

This IS perfectly legal: https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/explainers/what-is-legal-tender

Accessibility

The vast majority of our sales areas are accessible to all. Pathways are either tarmac or concrete both outside & inside greenhouses. We have done our best to make sure that most areas can be reached by wheelchair users although in few areas this has not been 100% possible to achieve. It is an ongoing aim of ours to improve on this situation further.

You will find three designated wheelchair friendly parking zones adjacent to the shop entrance plus several other parking spaces around the car park which provide ample space for easy access to a vehicle once parked. We provide Male, Female & Accessible toilet facilities. Should you need to borrow a wheelchair, we have two, free to use, ‘push along’ style chairs on site. These are available on a ‘first come first served’ basis & you cannot book or reserve their use in advance of your visit. We advise that wheelchair users are accompanied during their visit as there are some slopes that may prove tricky for inexperienced users. Our site is on a natural gradient & we have managed to mitigate this in some areas but not all.

Should you require any internet based services to assist you, you can log onto our free WIFI whilst you visit. Just ask a member of staff for the access code when you arrive.

We have six ‘St Johns Ambulance’ trained first aid operatives within our staff. They are fully qualified in the ‘First Aid At Work’ training module. There are a number of first aid kits at their disposal around our site including an AED device.

Visit Us

In the Spring and Summer we’re open 9am - 5pm, 7 Days a week, including Bank Holidays!

We are a CASHLESS retailer. Accepted payment metohds: credit / debit cards (contactless or otherwise), Gift vouchers & voucher cards, Apple or Android Pay (Free WIFI available).

In the UK it is not illegal for businesses to refuse cash as payment and, in the same breath, it’s not illegal for them to refuse card payments, either. See what The Bank of Engand say here: https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/explainers/what-is-legal-tender

Our Autumn and Winter times are 9am - 4pm, 7 days a week.
(Nov 1st - Jan 31st) Excluding Christmas closures.

Here is a calender showing roughly what times of year different plants are available.

View Full Size Map

Established in 1928

Not many Garden Centres can boast over ninety years of history, and yes, we have seen many changes over that period. Indeed change will continue as we strive always to supply the best in plants and facilities. One thing, however, will never change:

The core philosophy first introduced by Archibald John Mills way back in 1928 remains - the philosophy that built the company’s reputation, sustains it now, and will guide it in the future:

The best way to keep gardeners happy is to offer them plants of the highest quality, sold at reasonable prices.

Read more

Horticultural Trades Association.

We are proud members of the HTA, the Horticultural Trades Association, which is ‘the’ UK’s garden trades association. The HTA has, for over 100 years, promoted the interests of its members and the industry at large.

Being a member offers us various benefits and for you, the customer, the membership should provide you with some reassurance that we are an establishment of quality that takes its responsibilities to its customers seriously.

It also enables us to offer you access to HTA backed schemes such as the national gift vouchers which are redeemable at other HTA partner businesses across the country.

Perennial GRBS

We are also proud to say that our chosen charity is Perennial GRBS (Gardeners Royal Benevolent Society). We are a Perennial Partner which means that we make an annual contribution to this worthy cause whose sole aim is to help people in many branches of horticulture including arboriculture, farming, professional gardening etc during their hours of need. Occasionally we will attach a donate button to our Facebook posts which will enable you to donate directly to this charity should you feel so inclined. Our industry is eternally thankful to those who are able to donate even the smallest amount. To find out more about their work please feel free to visit their website https://perennial.org.uk/

Dog Friendly.

We are a dog friendly establishment. We are listed with www.dogfriendly.co.uk who’s aim is to provide a directory of dog welcoming businesses accross the UK. All that we ask of you as a dog owner is that your four legged friend is kept on a lead at all times whilst wandering around the Nursery and that you clean up after them should the enivitable ‘accident’ occur.

You may access all areas of the Nursery with your pet but we ask that on busy days, you avoid queing at the tills with them especially if they are not very good around strangers. This area can feel a little confined & we feel that for anxious dogs it is best avoided. Most of the time however, you are welcome to queue & pooch may even get a dog treat if they are allowed.

One thing that we frown upon severly is the leaving of dogs in cars whilst owners are shopping. There is no excuse for this here & we have been known to release pets from boiling hot vehicles by all means at our disposal.

Get in Touch

Please feel free to send us a message or ask a question directly via this e-mail form.