NORFOLK'S WILDLIFE-GARDENING & WILDFLOWER CENTRE
* Tranquil, wildlife-friendly gardens to delight and inspire
* Wildflower Meadows
* Interesting & Unusual Plants
* Plant Nursery
We are delighted to announce that Natural Surroundings is now the custodian of the National Collection of Hardy Gunneras. Gunnera will be well known to regular visitors - they are the huge plants lining the drive as you enter the Bayfield Estate. There are around 63 members of this ancient and fascinating plant family, and most are much smaller. Our collection includes several of the dwarf species.
The second edition of Simon's wild flower guide, HARRAP'S WILD FLOWERS, was published in 2025. Now more comprehensive than ever, with 80 extra pages and an extra 295 species, all illustrated. Similarly the second edition of Simon's FLOWERS OF THE NORFOLK COAST, which has grown from 64 to 128 pages, came out in summer 2025. An essential companion on a visit to the coast - pick up your signed copies in the shop.
Our autumn and winter events programme is now available. The next event is Thursday 12th February 'Getting Started with Willow - willow and hazel hurdles for garden use'. For details of all events click here.
Our 2026 New Year Plant Hunt took place on Friday 2nd January. We enjoyed fine and dry weather (if a little chilly) and over three hours searched for wild-growing plants in flower at Natural Surroundings and down the valley to Glandford. The New Year Plant Hunt is a national event organised by the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland, and over a four day period 1,985 lists were submitted, with the average number of species recorded was 13. Our total was 69 species in flower, putting us 19th in the national league table; not suprisingly, the highest total (110 species) came from Swanage on the South Coast. Our full list can be found here.
OPENING HOURS
November 2025-March 2026 we are open every day except Mondays, 10.30am-4pm. The café is open all day for drinks, cakes, snacks and light lunches. There is no need to book for the café or gardens - just turn up on the day.
CHARGES
Free parking; free entrance to nursery & shop. Entrance to gardens and grounds (Low Season) £4.50 for adults, no charge for children up to 16 years old.
Why not become a 'Friend' of Natural Surroundings? Friends can visit the gardens and reserve free of charge (during normal opening times only) and receive our email newsletter, the Bayfield Botanica. More Details.
DOGS
Well-behaved dogs are very welcome, but must be on a short lead at all times throughout the site (and short means less than two metres please - long flexi-leads can be a significant trip hazard for our staff and customers!).
LOCATION
Find us on the minor road between Letheringsett (on the A148 just west of Holt) and Wiveton – just follow the brown ‘wildflower centre’ signs. Postcode: NR25 7JN. What3Words coughed.bumping.genius
CONTACT
Phone: 01263 711091
E-mail: wildlife@naturalsurroundings.info
THE LITTLE CAFÉ IN THE WOODS
Our on-site café offers a variety of drinks, home-made cakes and snacks and light lunches. There is no need to book - we operate on a 'first come first served' basis. More details.
Salsify - you have to visit before lunch to enjoy the flowers fully open!
NATURAL SURROUNDINGS
We are a small business based in North Norfolk, close to the town of Holt and just a stone’s throw from Blakeney and Cley-next-the-Sea. We offer a very special combination of wildlife-friendly gardens and grounds, as well as a cafe, shop and plant sales. Natural Surroundings is owned and managed by Anne and Simon Harrap, and either Anne or Simon (or both) are usually on site, and are always happy to offer help and advice. More details About Us .
Beautiful gardens … A peaceful haven from the troubles of the World, buzzing with wildlife
Our gardens and grounds extend over 8 acres (3.25 hectares), on gently sloping ground between a wooded hillside and the River Glaven. Ours is a fairly compact site, but it is designed to showcase every aspect of wildlife-friendly gardening - to excite and inspire - and we cultivate a great variety of plants, both from Britain and from further afield. Most visitors take an hour or two to wander around, but you can spend all day at Natural Surroundings, especially in the summer when there is so much to see. Take your time, sit and enjoy the view (we have several scenic viewpoints), and soak up the atmosphere of North Norfolk well away from the current troubles.
More Details.
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Sea Kale in full flower in the Tea Gardens
Horned Rampion - new to our nursery in 2020
The Plant Shop - wildlife-friendly plants for every garden
We are a small independent nursery, specialising in wildlife-friendly plants. We sell a wide range of garden-worthy native British wild flowers, as well as plants from around the Northern Hemisphere - from Europe, Asia and North America. Some of our plants are cottage garden classics, but we also stock a range of unusual plants seldom seen in nurseries. We stock herbaceous perennials, climbers, shrubs and small trees, as well as plants for ponds and bog gardens. Many of the plants that we sell have been propagated on site, and all our plants are grown in peat-free compost.
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