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Johnsons Nurseries Supplies Plants For Rockliffe‘s Multimillion-Pound Transformation



One of the UK’s largest plant nurseries, Johnsons Nurseries Ltd, has continued its long-standing relationship with the five-star luxury resort, Rockliffe, supplying more than 17,000 plants and trees for its newly landscaped grounds as part of its multimillion-pound transformation.


Set within 375 acres of historic parkland near Darlington, Rockliffe has undergone an extensive transformation, including the restoration of its Grade II-listed Old Hall, enhanced accommodation, new dining experiences, and the creation of a standalone restaurant pavilion named Atlas.


The ambitious project has seen the resort's gardens and outdoor spaces transformed to complement the renovated and new buildings, creating an attractive and welcoming environment for guests.


The landscape and planting scheme was designed by Colour Landscape Architects, while Johnsons Nurseries supplied an extensive selection of shrubs, trees, instant hedging, ornamental grasses, flowering perennials and topiary, creating year-round interest throughout the newly landscaped grounds.


Among the varieties supplied were mature Scots pines, multi-stem Amelanchier lamarckii and Magnolia trees, alongside instant Carpinus betulus hedging and ornamental Taxus baccata topiary. The planting scheme also features an extensive mix of flowering perennials and ornamental grasses, including Anemone 'Honorine Jobert', Geranium 'Rozanne', Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm', Calamagrostis and Deschampsia, providing seasonal colour, texture and movement throughout the gardens.


The landscaping was carried out in-house by Rockliffe’s Estates team, led by Head of Engineering & Estates Phil Mennell.


Despite one of the hottest and driest summers, the team worked tirelessly to establish thousands of plants and trees, extensive hedging and new lawn areas, overcoming challenging conditions and tight deadlines to complete the grounds ahead of the resort's reopening.


Group Managing Director at Johnsons Nurseries, Graham Richardson, said:

"We're incredibly proud to have supplied the plants for Rockliffe’s newly transformed gardens as part of this prestigious development."

"From the restoration of the historic walled garden to this latest transformation, it's rewarding to see how the grounds have evolved. The finished gardens look fantastic, and we're delighted to have played a part in creating outdoor spaces that guests can enjoy for years to come."


Phil Mennell, Head of Engineering & Estates at Rockliffe, added:

"This has been one of the most ambitious landscaping projects we've undertaken at Rockliffe, and I'm incredibly proud of what our Estates team has achieved. Working closely with Johnsons Nurseries has been invaluable, ensuring we had the quality and variety of plants needed to bring the designs to life."

"It's been fantastic to see the gardens transform, and I'm looking forward to watching them establish and mature for our guests to enjoy for many years to come."


Emma Fletcher, Director at Colour Landscape Architects, said:

 “Johnsons have been a great support on the delivery of the new gardens at Rockliffe, assisting us on species choices and availability from early design stages and providing flexibility in deliveries to align with the challenging project programme."

"We are delighted that the completed gardens have been so well received, and a large part of that is the impact that the planting beds and stock have had.”


The completed gardens complement the resort's historic parkland setting, enhancing the guest experience and marking another chapter in Johnsons' long-standing relationship with Rockliffe, which reopened at the beginning of September.


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A £20,000 grant by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Freemasons has enabled the rollout of a life-changing coaching programme.


The young 18-to-30 year old residents at YMCA centres in Basingstoke and Southampton are benefitting from the skills of the talented Performance Coach Steve Jones. Steve said:

“Many of the residents have had difficult and very troubled pasts. Because of traumatic childhood experiences often repeated night after night, they struggle with all sorts of emotions, self-doubt and anxiety."

“Negative preconceptions of any kind of future have become built in. These young people have no confidence and feel worthless. The programme gives them the motivation and the tools to go out and make a difference with their lives.”


The coaching programme devised by Steve is called ‘FIT for work’. It starts with ‘Focus’ and helping the attendees understand themselves. I is for 'Inspiration’, what are the blocks in their lives and how do they start thinking differently? And T is for ‘Transformation’, raising their horizons and creating an action plan.


The initial programme funded by the Freemasons and delivered by Steve has almost been completed in Basingstoke and Southampton. With members of the YMCA staff taking part in the coaching sessions, both centres are confident there will a very valuable in-house legacy to deliver an on-going rolling

programme of the coaching sessions.



Sarah King, Fundraising Manager at the YMCA said:

“We are most grateful for the support and financial investment by the local Freemasons enabling Steve Jones to deliver his specially devised coaching sessions. What a success."

“I’m so pleased, they are now able to say, ‘I could go out and get a job’ and ‘I could get a place of my own’. These are the opportunities our young residents rightly deserve.”


John Pearson the Charity Lead for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Freemasons said:

“The programme is going to give many more of the residents at these YMCA centres a future. We are delighted to play a part by funding this valuable work by Coach Steve.”

One of the FIT for Work workshops with the YMCA Basingstoke centre team members and delegates, at head of table l to r Coach Steve Jones, Adam Barrett, Head of Youth Support and Programming at the

Centre, and John Pearson. In the foreground right of table Sarah King, YMCA Fundraising Manager.


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