When Country Life magazine called it “a site of pilgrimage for gardeners from all over Britain,” we recognized the website. We built it.
The Recognition
Larch Cottage Nurseries has been featured in some of the most prestigious gardening publications in the UK:
- Country Life magazine — in-depth feature by Charles Quest-Ritson (October 2023), describing visitors who “soon forget the world beyond the nursery”
- RHS Partner Garden of the Year 2025 — regional winner for the North, selected by nationwide public vote
- National Garden Scheme — listed as an open garden, with proceeds supporting Eden Valley Hospice
- BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine — featured with entry offers for readers
The Garden
Larch Cottage Nurseries was founded in 1985 by Peter Stott — a former Royal Ballet dancer who traded the stage for horticulture. What started as one acre of scrubland has become a 4-acre destination with 20 additional acres of growing fields, drawing 300,000 visitors annually and employing 40 people.
The nursery is home to over 15,000 plant varieties, specializing in rare and unusual shrubs, perennials, and climbers. But it’s far more than a nursery — it’s a destination featuring Romanesque architecture, hand-built ruins, marble statuary, a frescoed chapel, the La Casa Verde restaurant, and the Red Barn Gallery showcasing British and European artists.
Peter Stott received an Honorary Fellowship from the University of Cumbria for his lifelong and outstanding contribution to horticulture and landscape design within the Cumbrian economy.
40 Years and Growing
In 2025, Larch Cottage celebrated its 40th anniversary with initiatives that reflect the same dedication to quality that built the garden:
- A £100,000 sustainability investment in a soil sterilizing machine for peat-free compost recycling — part of a commitment to eliminate peat use entirely
- A fundraising campaign to raise £10,000 for Eden Valley Hospice through anniversary rose sales and events
- Named in the Telegraph’s top 50 Garden Centres in the UK
What We Built
MOTS Technologies originally built the web platform for Larch Cottage Nurseries — the e-commerce and digital presence serving 300,000 annual visitors, showcasing 15,000+ plant varieties, and supporting a multi-faceted destination that includes a nursery, restaurant, gallery, and seasonal events.
When a business spans horticulture, hospitality, art, and retail — and welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors a year — the digital platform has to reflect that range. That’s what we delivered.
Why This Matters
A 40-year labour of love that earns recognition from Country Life, the RHS, and the BBC deserves a digital presence that matches. We built the platform that brings Larch Cottage to the world beyond Cumbria.