The following pages will guide you as to the use of reeds in reed bed systems and show a little of the way in which we grow them.

A nursery is very much like a hotel. We the staff are here to ensure the comfort and well being of our ‘guests’, in this case many thousands of young plants.

Not that we get too many calls for ‘room  service!’, but none
the less young reed plants are sometimes far from easy ‘guests’ to please.

For a plant which is large, strong and invasive in its natural habitat, Phragmites australis is shy to get off the starting blocks as a seedling, being very variable by its nature.

The plants which eventually are of quality and can be considered saleable, or plantable, have taken in the most case a minimum 10 to 12 months to grow to the size they are at dispatch. There is no such thing as a ‘pot bound’ reed plant. They form escape committee’s and fight their way out of the constraints of any pot, but it is safe to say that they always get themselves established after they are planted out.

Young seedlings are raised from seed collected by our staff at naturally occurring reed stands. This can be from anywhere in the country, given landowners permission if a customer requirement states that ‘local provenance seed should be used for a growing contract.

The cost of construction is low when compared to other systems.

Construction can be done using mostly local materials.

Once established they have low operating costs, and maintenance is minimal.