Dropped family off at the NEC and was looking for a dog friendly tearoom nearby. Fortunately I stumbled on this little gem. Excellent service, food and surroundings. I highly recommend.
Independent garden centre & tea room · Water Orton
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For Blming Good Plants.
Orchard Nurseries is a family-run garden centre on Birmingham Road, Water Orton, growing since 1973 and home of the Gardeners Rest Tearooms. Right now the benches are full of autumn bedding and the Halloween decorations are in, with Christmas just around the corner.
Autumn bedding now in
Halloween decorations in
Christmas bookings open
Homemade cakes daily
The Nursery
A family-run garden centre in the heart of Water Orton
Pop in for the plants, stay for the cake.
Orchard Nurseries has been helping gardens grow across Water Orton, Coleshill and the east Birmingham villages for over 50 years. We are a small, independent team, so the advice is friendly, the plants are chosen with care and the kettle is never far away.
This season you will find pansies, violas, cyclamen, heathers and ornamental cabbage for winter colour, plus spring flowering bulbs to plant now. Our Halloween decorations are in, and the Christmas shop follows with trees, wreaths and the grotto.
1973Growing since
4.7Tripadvisor rating
#1Place to eat in Water Orton
5Star food hygiene rating
On the benches now
Est. 1973
Our Story
Celebrating 50 years of growing
Orchard Nurseries began in February 1973, when founder Ken Cole, having taken redundancy from Fishers, spotted an advert for a site on Vicarage Lane. There was one greenhouse, a couple of sheds and a tap. Two more greenhouses followed, along with a polytunnel and paving.
In 1986, after 18 break-ins, Ken made the sad decision to close. But the thieves were traced, details went to the police, and the family chose to carry on and find new premises. In 1990 we were offered the present site on Birmingham Road. It was literally a blank canvas: a house and a field.
The three cedar greenhouses were moved and re-erected, raised beds were built, and an old van was swapped for a caravan for tea breaks and storage. In 2003 our first keder building went up, now the entrance and exit, with a brick shop front added in 2008. The farm shop opened in 2010 and became the Gardeners Rest Tearoom in 2019, improved again in 2021 with courtyard seating and 24 indoor seats.
When lockdown arrived in 2020 we had spring plants ready and seedlings arriving, so we put one offer on our Facebook page and took six telephone orders, delivered on the way home. Within days the phone was ringing non stop, and when we reopened there were reported queues of traffic down the road. That hard work let us block pave the car park and refurbish the plant area in time for our 50th birthday.
A big thank you to all our customers, past and present. We look forward to the next 50 years.
1973Doors open
1990Move to Birmingham Road
2003First keder building
2019Tearoom opens
In Now
Autumn at the Orchard
The nursery turns with the seasons. Here is what the benches, beds and blackboards are all about this month at our garden centre in Water Orton.
Now in stock
Autumn bedding & winter colour
Pansies, violas, cyclamen, heathers and ornamental cabbage, plus bulbs to plant now for a spring show.
Find your plant
October
Halloween decorations
Spooky garlands, lanterns and bits for the house and doorstep, while stocks last.
See what is on
Coming soon
Christmas is coming
Trees, wreaths, the Santa grotto and breakfast with the big man himself. Bookings now open.
Book Christmas events
Eat
The Gardeners Rest Tearooms
Freshly cooked breakfasts, loaded jacket potatoes, homemade cakes and proper afternoon tea, rated the number one place to eat in Water Orton on Tripadvisor.
View the menu
Kind Words
What our visitors say
Real reviews for the Gardeners Rest Tearooms, shared by visitors on Tripadvisor.
Went for breakfast, all food was cooked fresh and was well presented. The staff were all happy and smiling. Not rushed, a pleasure from start to finish. Well worth a visit.
The presentation was delightful, the food superb and staff are friendly and attentive, without being intrusive. Take away boxes were given for the cakes too scrumptious to leave.
Fabulous homemade cakes, all hot food is cooked fresh to order so there may be a wait. The breakfast and omelettes are particularly fabulous.
Book Ahead
Seasonal events at the Orchard
From breakfast with Santa to a wander through the grotto, our festive events sell out quickly. Reserve your place with the booking form.
December
Breakfast with Santa
A freshly cooked breakfast, a visit from Santa and a gift for every child.
December
Christmas Grotto
Meet Santa in his grotto at the nursery. Every child receives a gift to take home.
All year
Afternoon Tea
Finger sandwiches, homemade cakes and scones with clotted cream. Pre-booking required.
Take A Wander
Around the nursery
Shrub beds and roses, the shade tunnel, the gift shop and more pots than you can count. Tap any photo for a closer look.
Find Us
Visit the nursery
You will find us on Birmingham Road in Water Orton, a few minutes from Coleshill, the NEC and Birmingham Airport, with free block-paved parking right outside.
Opening Hours
Nursery · Mon to Sat9:30am - 5:00pm
Nursery · Sunday10:00am - 4:30pm
Tearoom · Mon & Tue9:30am - 2:00pm
Tearoom · Wed to Sat9:30am - 3:00pm
Tearoom · Sunday10:00am - 1:00pm
November to February the nursery closes at 4:00pm. The tearoom is closed on Sundays in January and February. Event days can differ, check our Facebook page for the latest.