Burncoose Nurseries: RHS Hampton Court Master Grower 2025

Burncoose Nurseries has over 40 years of history and continues to develop and evolve as a business. They have been attending RHS Showsfor the duration of those years. Meet third-generation grower and Head of Propagation Cressy Knuckey.

What does being named RHS Master Grower mean to you?

We are honoured. Three generations of our family have collectively spent thousands of hours at the RHS Shows, myself and my father growing up at them. It’s great to get to showcase the origins of our nursery through a stand at the Festival.

The Burncoose team receiving their RHS Master Grower award at RHS Hampton Court

Where did it all start for Burncoose?

In the 1980s, Burncoose was a traditional mail order business – a partnership of two families, the Williams and the Knuckeys, who agreed on the deal over a boozy lunch one afternoon after the RHS Chelsea Flower Show! A love for plants, propagation and all things horticulture led to be what the business is now some 40 years on.

Plants displayed on raised beds

How did you come to be involved?

After years of coming to work with dad, weeding in the school holidays, and being roped into potting on

Moving a plant from one pot into a slightly larger one, once its roots have filled the current pot. Most container plants need potting on every few years. If you leave a plant in the same pot for too long, its roots will become overcrowded (pot bound), hindering growth.

camellia liners (very young plants), it was inevitable I’d end up working here. I watched my grandfather propagating rare and unusual plants in his homemade potting shed and unconsciously fell in love. Propagation is equal parts satisfying and frustrating, spending time learning via failure. But oh my, when you do get it right, it’s so exciting.

Attractive stone walls provide a pretty backdrop for the plants

Which plants best represent the nursery?

My grandfather was obsessed with growing plants that many had never seen or heard of. We’re proud of our forever-growing catalogue and our ability to supply these weird and wonderful plants. Grandpa loved New Zealand plants and started growing Metrosideros here in Cornwall. Commonly known as iron tree or Pōhutukawa, it’s a half hardy

Applies to plants that can survive temperatures down to between 1°C (23°F) and -5°C (34°F), so in the UK are usually grown outdoors from late spring or early summer through to autumn, depending on the local climate. They may survive winter in an unheated greenhouse, or in mild regions and very warm sheltered spots may even cope outdoors.

evergreen exotic plant that becomes covered in bottlebrush-like flowers. They’re best grown in a greenhouse or conservatory where they can be kept warm in the winter.

• Read more about their display

Visiting the show?

Burncoose RHS Master Grower display at RHS Hampton Court 2025

Don’t miss the RHS Master Grower stand at RHS Hampton Court – a must-visit for garden lovers. Packed with top-quality trees, shrubs, and gorgeous perennials, it’s the perfect place to find inspiration. Come explore, chat with passionate growers of Burncoose, and take home something special for your garden.

Meet the Master Growers: Burncoose