NURSERIES
Above The greenhouses
at Petersham are filled with conservatory plants, garden tools and stylish accessories. Right Chef Skye Gyngell was asked to create ‘more than a tearoom’ and so the Petersham Nurseries Café, with its emphasis on seasonal food, was born.
I
t may not be a formal garden to visit, but Petersham Nurseries in Richmond is undoubtedly a horticultural highlight for anyone visiting London. Edged by water meadows and with the Thames flowing idly by, Petersham nestles in a valley so beautiful it was painted by William Turner and is now part of the historic, protected view from the top of Richmond Hill looking west towards Hampton Court. In 1996, Gael and Francesco Boglione, seeking a quieter life and more space, moved with their children from Kensington to Petersham House, an elegant Queen Anne property that had come up for sale. Abutting the garden was a nursery owned by Bob and Annette Collett. Fearing developers, the Bogliones bought the nursery when it came
132 THE ENGLISH GARDEN JUNE 2021
