Harrods Outdoor began with just a man and his passion to help the people in his local community love their gardens again. Our founder and director Chandler Harrod believes that gardens are a vital space for everyone, whether that is through their own private spaces or public parks, because each natural space holds a wealth of opportunity. These areas allow us to socialise, exercise and enjoy the natural world we live in, all things that we can now appreciate more in the light of COVID-19. Over these past years, the garden truly has become an extension to our homes as a new dining room, gym and purely just somewhere to unwind. Whether you use your garden to spend time with family, grow your own fruit and veg or just to reconnect to the British wildlife, the importance of our gardens cannot be overstated.
At Harrods Outdoor, we understand this, and we understand gardens. We understand that these places deserve the best privacy, protection from wind/noise and aesthetic foliage that only good quality hedging can offer. We understand that only premium hedging plants will allow the hedging to thrive throughout all seasons, growing taller and wider with the vibrant leaves as they catch the summer sun and are watered under spring showers. We use our extensive horticultural knowledge and experience to care for these plants in our nursery, helping them grow from the smallest of seeds into well-established hedging plants that will give our customers this instant hedging they are looking for, adding value and colour to their gardens from the moment they are planted. And it is from this philosophy and passion for our customer’s satisfaction that Harrods Outdoor was born…
In 2017 and at only 17 years old, the founder of Harrods Outdoor, Chandler Harrod, had already began his career as a local gardener. He used his extensive horticultural knowledge to manage a small team of two others alongside himself, maintaining the local community’s gardens. Their work included trimming their customer’s lawns and hedging, renovating and landscaping the garden spaces to the highest levels and quality. Chandler began with only a few loyal clients as he began his gardening journey, but soon developed his portfolio of customers as his reputation grew and ratings soared on his gardening services. As always, his local community was often at the forefront of Chandler’s gardening services as he took the time and energy to give back to the area he was born in, partnering with key local businesses and participating in nearby villages ‘In Bloom’ competitions that aim to beautify towns with the use of flowers and floral arrangements. It was these extra steps taken by Chandler that really set him aside from the other gardening and landscaping businesses around him and helped to build the reputation he still holds today.
During these years in his gardening and landscaping business, Chandler’s passion and enthusiasm for plants and gardens only grew as he gained more vital experience working with his customers and supplying the best service to the highest quality. He continued to maintain the gardens to an expert level and would supply his customers with the plants they needed to transform their gardens. However, it was in this challenge to find affordable, good quality hedging plants that Chandler discovered a gap in the market, a gap that so many of his customers were desperate to be filled. Chandler observed how many other suppliers were offering hedging plants at higher prices for thinner, weaker plants and realised how deceptive this could be to some customers who lacked any horticultural knowledge and experience. He knew he could do better; he knew he could put his customers first by offering them a better option for lower prices for healthier, bushier plants that were guaranteed to complement their gardens. He saw that as a tradesman too the lack of loyalty bonuses and discounts he received for his repeated services and so vowed to ensure he would treat his trade customers with more respect, making sure they would be supplied the best plants at his best price each time. He noted all these things down, and by 2019 the business plans had been formed…
Harrods Outdoor then began to take the shape it still holds today, taking each small step to become the respected business it has since established itself to be. Chandler expanded his team to 4 others by the beginning of 2020, recruiting the best employees to help him maintain the high quality and customer service he was already renowned for. His specially selected team was created with the two outdoor workers who had aided him in his previous gardening and landscaping services, who therefore had already gained the crucial knowledge and experience needed to care for the plants at the new nursery. This was instantly reflected with the intricate watering systems they created with the guidance of Chandler, the phytosanitary checks that each plant would go through and the care placed into each re-potting, fertilising and delivery packaging. From this very beginning, their roles have always been so vital to the success of Harrods Outdoor as they are responsible for keeping the plants at the promised Harrods Outdoor quality, always striving to remain at the best level.
Alongside the outside workers a small office was built, barely larger than an outdoor shed, that became home to 2 new office staff who were trained to help create the face of Chandler’s new business through sales and marketing. Sales were predominantly made using social media, as they built up a respectable portfolio of returning customers and tradesman as well, beginning to branch out across the country away from just local sales and deliveries. As good reviews began to circulate, the sales and demand for affordable, good quality hedging plants began to grow and the business only had one option: to expand and meet these demands
This journey had begun small, with only a few meters of land to house just a few varieties of hedging plants, focusing on the common varieties of Laurel, Privet and Leylandii as the starting point. However, as the cliental grew Chandler knew the demand for larger quantities and varieties of hedging would soon follow and so he expanded his stock and started to specialise in more native, conifer and evergreen hedging plants. Soon Chandler needed to purchase larger plots of land, growing his nursery into a sea of colours as the leaves of Red Robins, Copper Beech and Variegated Griselinia would combine, creating a stunning display of colour that customers were keen to replicate in their own gardens.
This leads us to today, in 2021 where the business has continued to thrive and flourish whilst gaining more plants and staff members along the way. We now boast a team of 10 members, with each one of us eager to help our customers achieve their gardening dreams whether that is through our unique, exceptional customer relations in the sales team or hands on in the nursery caring and packaging the plants with the best Harrods Outdoor care. We have now reached a special point in our journey where we are 100% proud of the service we offer and can stand behind as an efficient, easy and personalised option for clients to purchase premium hedging plants. We are proud of the details that makes Harrods Outdoor truly customer focused, through our personalised packaging, the dedicated communications from our sales team around the clock and our shortened delivery times that ensure our customers will never be waiting longer than any of our competitors.
Our nursery is continuing to grow, as we grow closer and closer to becoming the UK’s top hedging supplier as our reviews speak for themselves. Just like our plants, we started as a seed and it took a long time of watering and growth to flourish into the business we are today, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. This is Harrods Outdoor, and that is our story so far…
Discover a world of possibilities, from expert advice and curated products to design ideas that bring your garden to life. Step outside and make your space your own!
Fast, nationwide delivery with four specialist options to choose from.
Verified by Google & Trustpilot. Our expert team is always here to guide you.
Exceptional quality you can trust. Plants sourced from trusted growers.
Worry-free shopping experience from start to finish with secure, hassle-free checkout.
Find a better price? Let us know, and we’ll do our best to match it!
Explore the best selections of quality hedging, trees and topiary at competitive prices, ensuring your outdoor space thrives beautifully.
contact@harrodsoutdoor.com
01603 327269
Email and Mobile (Open daily – 8am-8pm).
By appointment only at:
Prospect Nurseries, Main Road,
Ormesby, NR29 3SQ.
Nursery Opening Hours
Monday-Saturday: 8am-5:30pm
© All Rights Reserved. Harrod Outdoors Limited, 2024. Registered in England and Wales. Company no. 12604361. VAT no. 371105530
Prospect Nurseries, Main Road, Ormesby, NR29 3LN. Plant Passport Number PP: 136155