Out & about

Four miles from Saffron Walden in Essex, Beeches Nursery specialises in choice and unusual cultivars alongside a really good selection of better-known perennials, shrubs, trees and climbers. Most of the plants are sourced from UK growers or propagated in-house. It’s a great place to browse for something new and, as owner Alan Bidwell and his assistants Kevin Marsh and Philip Seymour have more than 80 years of horticultural experience between them, you’re likely to get reliable answers to any questions. Behind the nursery is a four-acre wildlife meadow where you can wander mown paths at your leisure (01799 584362; beechesnursery.co.uk).