Our Story

Why we do what we do.

The fam.

We are the Harpins. Well we wouldn’t name our business after someone else (duh!). Simon, our owner has a BSc. (Hons) in plant sciences and horticulture, and over thirty years of gardening experience. This site is a labour of love based on those thirty years’ experience (and frustration) with the garden retail industry. He always had a dream (he hasn’t stopped talking about it), of making gardening as easy as DIY like painting a wall or putting up blinds. A kind of IKEA for gardens, if you will. He took out a lease on our garden centre in West Yorkshire (visit us!) but until now, the circumstances were never favourable to putting his more radical ideas into practice.

The passion.

Rewind ….. quite a few decades. Simon realised his passion for gardening when he was a young lad (like a true northerner). Helping his grandfather grow food in his greenhouse inspired his passion for plants; a passion that he has passed on to his children, including the web developer Jessica (that’s me!). We all love gardens. I mean really LOVE. As in we have gone on holidays just to visit gardens (that’s right - no beaches for the Harpin children). Being raised by an expert, we had no idea how hard gardening was without our own Alan Titchmarsh at the end of the phone line.

The pandemic.

Fast forward to 2020. The year when everything turned to …. Well, let’s just call it a tough year. Lockdown was very tough for our small, family run business but we finally got through it - and shout out to you dear reader for getting through it too! Though it was hard, it taught us a LOT about what our customers needed. Namely - a helping hand when it came to working out what would work in their garden, and advice on how to plant and care for their new plant friends. And this came at a time when they needed a natural, outdoor space more than ever before.

So. We spent the past year developing our selection boxes.

Our (beautiful) Harpins boxes come with everything you need to grow plants suitable for your garden – particularly if it’s small, in a city, or just a patio or a balcony! No knowledge needed, just enjoy getting outside and getting your hands stuck in. You can find out more about our boxes on our How It Works page. And if you fancy joining us on our mission to get Britain green again - you can shop online, in store or get in touch with us on our online form or social channels.

We can’t wait to get you growing!

I want to grow with Harpins!