Shopping and English breakfast at Burford Garden Company

July 25, 2018


Before we visited Victoria Summerley’s garden in Bibury, England, last month, we stopped along the way at Burford Garden Company, a nursery, home decor, clothing, furniture, kitchenware, and gift shop. Oh, and did I mention they have a restaurant too? The place is huge, with a diversity of goods that’s more like a department store than a garden shop.


In the nursery yard, a lovely assortment of roses, yews, and boxwood mingle with unique garden art pieces, like these tall, rusty metal alliums.


A rose tunnel spangled with pale pink roses drew me in. One could get married under here. Rose petals are already strewn along the aisle.


I didn’t get its name, but I enjoyed the sweet fragrance.


‘Ghislaine de Féligonde’, an apricot-yellow rose, takes over halfway through the tunnel.


I can’t walk past a rose without smelling it, and a tunnel trellis puts them at just the right height.


Inside, a display of carnivorous pitcher plants in glass terrariums caught my eye.


Houseplants seemed to be riding in an old-timey carriage pulled by a wire horse.


Among the kitchen goods were green bottles of Italicus, “a sip of Italy” with notes of citrus and lavender.


Dozens of tables at the restaurant — this is just one side of it — offer plenty of seats for diners.


We placed our order at the counter with two very nice ladies who giggled when I asked what “soldiers” are in an English breakfast. “That’s toast sliced into strips,” they explained. The strips of toast look like a company of soldiers, you see. My toast, however, was cut into triangles and accompanied eggs, bacon, sausage, black pudding, mushrooms, and a cooked tomato. Very hearty!


After our tasty breakfast, we were off to see Victoria and the sights of the Cotswolds.

Coming up next: Afternoon tea in Rosemary Verey’s garden at Barnsley House. For a look back at our tour of Victoria Summerley’s garden and Bibury, click here.

I welcome your comments; please scroll to the end of this post to leave one. If you’re reading this in a subscription email, click here to visit Digging and find the comment box at the end of each post.
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12 responses to “Shopping and English breakfast at Burford Garden Company”

  1. Lisa at Greenbow says:

    The roses are beautiful. I bet your felt elegant walking through this tunnel even though you weren’t the bride this time. Breakfast looks delicious. I look at that carriage and wonder if we would fit in them. It doesn’t look all that big. I guess people were smaller back then.

  2. Ginny says:

    Burford Garden Company looks like a wonderful place to spend a good bit of time, not to mention a lot of bucks!! Lots of great pics, too. Sounds like a fun time! So did you exercise self control, or have a package shipped home?

    • Pam/Digging says:

      I have willpower where souvenirs are concerned. I bought a few small things, easily packed. But yes, one *could* spend quite a lot here.

  3. Chris says:

    Can’t be sure but the pink climber looks like Cecile Bruner.
    Is that breakfast what they call “a full English”

  4. Becky Brady says:

    Pam, what is black pudding and how did it taste? #livingvicariously

  5. Don’t you just love the variety of services offered at garden centers in England, Pam. I miss them so much. P. x

  6. Diana Studer says:

    Soldiers for kids to dip into a soft boiled egg.
    Haven’t heard that expression for YEARS.