Our story

Bluebell Cottage Gardens and the adjacent nursery were created in the 1990's by Diane and Rod Casey from the fields around Bluebell Cottage. When they retired in 2005 it was sold, but the new owners soon realised it was too much for them. In 2007 it was back on the market - which was when Sue Beesley first discovered it. A keen amateur gardener, Sue had reached the final of the BBC's Gardener of the Year competition and was searching for plants to build her competition garden with. She visited the nursery which was by then in a run-down condition and being kept going by its loyal staff, and was instantly charmed by the setting and the wide selection of plants. After winning the competition, Sue and family sold their house near Warrington and moved into Bluebell Cottage. Sue took over the running of the gardens and nursery.

The nursery had always specialised in hardy perennials, and that is still our focus today. Our priority is to grow reliable, tried and tested varieties, most of which are grown in the gardens and propagated from there. What has changed is how we grow and present our plants. Sue switched the nursery to peat-free growing from the very start and our environmental focus continues, with recyclable pots, removable labels and avoidance of pesticides. 

With a strong IT background, Sue co-created an online plant shop in 2010 - then one of just a handful of online nurseries in the UK. In 2025 we launched a brand new, feature-rich online shop to take the nursery forwards into a fresh era of growth and success. 

The gardens - change and transformation

Huge changes have taken place in the gardens since 2007. Then, the garden was mostly large areas of lawn edged with thin borders. Each winter since then, Sue and her team have picked a weak area of the garden and completely transformed it. Our very first project was undertaken in that first winter of 2007/08, when we removed the vast 'top lawn' and created the 'Square Borders' at the top of the garden. Wide drifts of perennials, self-seeding hardy annuals and summer flowering grasses blend to create a shimmering vista, overlooked by our rustic summer house.

Other projects include the creation of the woodland garden, orchard meadow, the 'bird border', exotic garden and the delightful cherry tree border - three Prunus 'Shirotai' create a pure white canopy of cherry blossom over blends of pastel Phlox, Geraniums and Paeonies. 

Our most ambitious project, in 2022 was the completion of the walled garden, with its cream greenhouse and stunning moongate which leads to the woodland garden. It's a wonderful feature (built by Eden Landcapes, Warrington) and a very popular selfie spot, of course. 

You can read more about past and ongoing projects in the garden in our blog pages - see link below.

Shows and awards

Our first show exhibit was a small show garden at RHS Tatton in 2007, the year we bought the nursery. We won a Silver medal and were thrilled to bits! We have created a further six gardens since then, winning our first Gold medal for 'Grasses with Grace' in 2011. In 2012 we moved into the Floral Marquee and have exhibited at RHS Tatton Show every year since, (except 2020 due to Covid cancellations). We have also exhibited at Malvern, Chatsworth and Chelsea Flower Shows, winning a total of seven Gold medals to date. 

We like to create naturalistic, flowing displays that show plants off at their best, in combinations that would work in real gardens. It's painstaking work - we always seem to start building first, and finish last - but the visitors love them and now that we've got the hang of it, so do the judges :-). 

In 2025 we will be exhibiting at Malvern Spring Show and at the RHS's first flower show at Wentworth Woodhouse.  See our Events page for dates and details.

More about Sue...

Sue grew up near the South Downs and spent much of her childhood running around in the woods and fields near her parents' hardware shop. Itching to travel, she joined British Airways as a General Trainee, later becoming Account Manager for the major courier companies, the highlight of which was flying on Concorde, twice :-).

In 1989 Sue left BA and moved to Warrington to jointly start a data networking company. This was successfully sold in 1994. After a short break she was back in the IT world with a new business partner, this time in data security. After a few years, the desire to be outside and spend more time with plants became irresistible.

She volunteered as a gardener with the National Trust at Dunham Massey and, on a whim, entered the BBC Gardener of the Year competition. While looking for plants to create her competition garden, she came across Bluebell Cottage Gardens, which had recently come up for sale. The opportunity was too good to miss. She won the BBC competition and she and her family sold their house and bought the gardens, nursery, bluebell woods and cottage.

Sue says: 'Honestly if I'd had any idea how difficult those first few years would be, I'd never have done it. But now, I have a wonderful home and a job I love, surrounded by brilliant people. And it's such a joy to share this place with our visitors - their enjoyment makes it all worth while."

In recent years Sue has taken on several roles with the Royal Horticultural Society. Her first roles were on plant trials for Geums, Rudbeckias and Primulas. In 2019 she was appointed one of three Garden Advisors to the new RHS Bridgewater Garden. She is on the RHS Herbaceous Committee, which organises and ratifies plant trials. In 2023 she was elected to the RHS Council, the board of Trustees for the RHS. She also serves on the Finance and Commercial Board. At present Sue is chairing the plant trial of Heleniums at RHS Bridgewater. She has co-designed the new Bridgewater Long Borders, along with Ian Fisher, which are being planted in spring 2025.