Otter Garden Centres

Otter Garden Centres team members getting ready for the festive shopping evening

Otter Garden Centres kicks off Christmas with special event

Get ready to embrace the magic of Christmas as Otter Garden Centres launch their festive shopping event at all seven branches across Devon, Somerset, and Hampshire. Taking place on Wednesday October 30, it’s sure to get the Christmas spirit well and truly fizzing.

Each Otter branch will be welcoming customers with a complimentary glass of prosecco, mulled wine or soft drink, and...

Adam Frost

Celebrity Gardener set to visit Ottery garden centre

BBC Gardener’s World presenter, Adam Frost will be visiting Otter Garden Centres in Ottery St Mary on September 21 to offer expert advice and tips.

Award-winning garden designer Adam will be hosting two events: a morning Q&A session followed by an afternoon demonstration of container planting.

Adam began his professional career in the mid-1980s with an apprenticeship at the...

Potting up  eco-pots at Otter Garden Centre in Ottery

South West garden centre business is first in country to introduce eco-pots

Otter Garden Centres has announced trials of a new style of plant pots that offer an eco-friendly alternative to plastic pots.

As the first garden centre in the country to introduce the eco-pots, this represents a major step in Otter’s ongoing commitment to reduce the use of plastic in its business.

The Bioplasmar eco-pots offer a sustainable alternative to traditional plastic...

Marilyn and Malcolm White with first employee Nigel Blackmore

First ever employee revisits garden centre 60 years on

With 60th anniversary celebrations well underway, the team at Otter Garden Centres were delighted to be contacted by the business’s first ever employee.

Nigel Blackmore visited the Ottery St Mary garden centre to meet up with founders Marilyn and Malcolm White, who employed him as a youngster.

Nigel, who will be 76 in August, grew up around Combelake and Fenny Bridges near...

Designer working on artwork for celebratory mug

‘Otterly’ beautiful Wrendale design marks 60th anniversary

Otter Garden Centres has collaborated with a popular designer to produce an exclusive limited edition Royal Worcester mug as part of celebrations for its 60th anniversary.

The pretty design is the creation of Hannah Dale, the talented artist behind the well-known, award-winning Wrendale brand, which produces greeting cards, stationery and giftware.

Hannah said: “I was excited...

Fundraisers from Hospiscare and Otter Garden Centre

Devon garden centre unveils record-breaking total donation to Hospiscare

Otter Garden Centre in Ottery St Mary raised over £17,000 for end of life charity Hospiscare during 2023.

It’s the largest amount raised in a single year by the family-run garden centre, which is celebrating its sixtieth anniversary in 2024.

Donations came in via a combination of staff and customer events, including bingo and quiz evenings, tombola, the Memory Tree, a skydive...

Stephanie Austin

Devon murder mystery author to sign copies of her latest thriller at Otter Garden Centre

A talented Devon author will be at Otter Garden Centre in Ottery St Mary to sign copies of her exciting new mystery novel, A Devon Midwinter Murder .

It's the seventh book in Stephanie Austin’s Devon Mysteries series, which is set in Ashburton and features ‘domestic goddess’ and amateur sleuth, Juno Browne.

The series, which includes Dead in Devon and The Dartmoor Murders, was...

The team that put up the Ottery St Mary Christmas tree

Ottery St Mary Christmas tree is tallest yet!

A hardworking bunch from Ottery and Otter Garden Centres came together to put up this year’s Christmas tree.

It’s the tallest yet, standing at around 19 feet. The tree was grown on the garden centre’s Christmas tree plantation in East Devon and is a particularly lovely specimen.

This year the Town Council ordered new decorations, which were supplied by Otter’s Christmas shop....

A very tall sunflower

Towering sunflower takes top spot in Otter Garden Centres' competition

A green-fingered youngster from Ottery St Mary has been named the outright winner of Otter Garden Centres ’ sunflower growing competition.

5 year-old Lucy Randall’s sunflower grew to an incredible 4.48 metres – that’s taller than a double decker bus!

Asked how she managed to grow to the monster plant, Lucy said that after planting the sunflower seeds in pots using compost from...

Group of people with a competition winning scarecrow

Scarecrow winner announced – and it’s all about otters!

South West gardening business Otter Garden Centres is delighted to announce the winner of its ‘Make a Scarecrow’ competition.

Laura Gaiger from West Hill was awarded the top spot for her characterful scarecrow, which she named Otto.

Laura, who is deaf and partially sighted, was supported in her creative efforts by Gayle McGoldrick from charity Sense, which provides services for...

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