Highfield Hollies Collection was originally established in 1992 as nursery growing large hollies for gardeners who were looking for an instant impact. The business expanded to growing hollies of all sizes and also a great variety of cultivars and we served a large cross section of the public, from Royalty to cottage gardens.
However, since the closure of the nursery in the last recession, the business has had to reinvent itself and we are now able to offer group visits and hands-on supervised topiary courses, working with large specimen trees, lollipops, cake stands and other interesting shapes.
Collections of other interesting trees have been planted among the holly groves, mainly North American Oaks, Liquidambars, Cornus and Magnolias and we are always adding to the tapestry of plantings. Walks, talks, light refreshments and Christmas wreath-making are on offer to groups, or the choice of wandering at leisure to enjoy the Romantic layout of the gardens, groves and woodlands.
We have a small collection of rare breed poultry, plus two small groups of rare breed sheep. The latter are an important element to the landscape, bringing the fields alive and most importantly keeping the meadow grasses and wild flowers in balance. No artificial fertilisers are used.
Highfield Farm, consisting of 18 acres, was once part of a larger estate where two owners around the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries planted a wide collection of native trees, including our magnificent beech Avenue, and also conifers for under-planting with species rhododendrons. The latter, sadly, are mostly lost, but we have planted some interesting replacements in the woodland.