15 years of Petersham: The London nursery that reinvented garden centres

When Petersham Nurseries opened in a leafy pocket of Richmond in May 2004, it turned the horticultural world upside down. Gone were the days of the simple garden centre. Petersham heralded a new dawn, an oasis of greenery doubled up as a chic lifestyle destination.

Fifteen years later, as I sit with Petersham’s founders Francesco Boglione and his Australian wife Gael in a foxglove-filled greenhouse, Petersham is buzzing. The wisteria canopy in the café is in full bloom. The much-loved Lady Emma Hamilton rose is budding. The bee hives are being tended to. And rustic tables, laid with vases of colourful flowers, await expectantly.

The story began when a friend introduced Francesco and Gael to Petersham House, which had been on the market for some time. They immediately fell in love with the exquisite Queen Anne-style house and moved in with their four young children – Lara, Anna, Harry and Ruby.

A few years later, the garden nursery next door came up for sale and the previous owner was very keen that they buy it. “We were a little hesitant because we weren’t horticulturalists but we loved beauty, we loved flowers, we knew what we loved”, says Gael. So, the Bogliones took the plunge and set about creating one of London’s most stylish garden centres.

In summer 2004, the Bogliones approached their friend chef Skye Gyngell about being part of Petersham. “Skye came back a few days later and said ‘why don’t we do a restaurant?’ So, Francesco moved his antique Ferrari out of the garage and we made it into a kitchen,” explains Gael.

Together, they pioneered the Slow Food movement, promoting local food and traditional cooking, and, in the process, bagged a Michelin star. Gyngell is now steering the ship at new opening Heckfield Place but the mouth-watering Italian-inspired dishes and ethos remains.

“We are an honest brand so we don’t sell food with pesticides on it. People taste the freshness of the food here. We want to serve really wholesome food which has not been fiddled with.”

But the message of sustainability doesn’t stop there. Petersham also runs foraging courses, planting workshops and the Petersham Platform, which hosts inspiring talks. Any left-over food is donated to the local Vineyard Community Centre.

Alongside the food and plants is the wildly romantic shop, which displays an eclectic collection of objets – many from India, where Francesco lived for several years after driving from his home town of Turin to Kathmandu. Thirty years later, his eldest daughter Lara followed in his footsteps.

“Lara said I was a hippy and she wanted to prove that she could do it better," he laughs. Francesco went out to join her for a few weeks. “I started seeing the same things I was buying in India 30 years ago and I thought they would look good in the nursery,” he says.

The result is an exotic emporium, packed with huge lead tables, made in India; vibrant Murano glassware from Italy and charming old tables and chairs from France. In between, Gael loves to champion British artisanry with the likes of willow-weaved baskets by Annemarie Sullivan, flower-dried teapots from Felicity Jones and hand-crafted leather accessories by Jude Gove in Scotland.

Originality is, in many ways, the key to Petersham’s success. But family is the glue which has held it all together – and everyone is involved. Lara is Managing Director, spearheading the new Covent Garden outpost. She also runs, with husband, Giovanni, the award-winning Petersham wine cellar, which stocks wine from small Italian producers.

Harry provides Petersham with all its meat from his free-range farm in Devon. Anna heads up immersive theatre company Petersham Road, and helps out with events. And lastly, there’s Ruby, who is studying interior design at Chelsea and part of the new design venture Petersham Interiors.

Yesterday, they celebrated their 15th anniversary with an event centred around the honey bee to highlight how essential these industrious insects are to human survival. Wilderness Festival and Frieze Art Fair are also on the cards for this year, with Petersham restaurants due to be present at both.

“There is a surge in tourists,” Gael tell me. “Goodness knows what’s happening with wider political environment but people keep on coming – it’s word of mouth. Everyone has a lovely time and they pick up a plant or a candle.

They come for a cup of tea after a walk with the dog.” According to Gael, future plans involve getting “Petersham Covent Garden really solid. Then we might think again.”

“I would love to do a hotel,” she confides. And wouldn’t that be exciting.

Essentials

Celebrations continue at the nurseries throughout May with a ‘Fifteen Favourites’ series showcasing the family’s favourite and best dishes, wines, flowers, plants and signature lifestyle and homeware items. For more information, visit petershamnurseries.com.