Paddock Farm Nursery & Water Gardens

The drive through Richmond's rolling countryside ends at what looks like someone's rather ambitious back garden - in the best way. Paddock Farm Nursery and Water Gardens is the sort of place that creeps up on you, where you'll spend twenty minutes thinking you're just looking at plants and suddenly realise you've been wandering for over an hour.

It's a working nursery first, plant shop second, and attraction third - which is precisely why it works. The water gardens are genuinely well done, with proper ponds that feel established rather than just dug last summer. Koi glide about, water lilies are actually flowering when you visit, and there's something quite meditative about following the paths between the different sections. The sheer variety of aquatic and marginal plants on sale means it's worth visiting if you have even a passing interest in what goes around water features.

Families with young kids might struggle after an hour since there's no playground or café, but serious gardeners - and I mean the sort who know the difference between Astilbe and Hosta - will find themselves lost here. It's the kind of place where you pop in for thirty minutes and leave with three plants you didn't plan on buying.

If you're based at Kiplin Country Park just down the road, this makes a decent half-morning stop before lunch in Richmond. Check opening hours before you go, as smaller nurseries can be unpredictable. Admission's usually free, but ring ahead to be certain.