A real working nursery
Hedging Plants Direct operates from our 12-acre nursery in Dedham, where plants are cared for, checked and prepared by people who work with them every day.
About Us
A family-run nursery in Dedham, Essex
Hedging Plants Direct grew from a family horticultural business that began in 1982. More than four decades later, we still work from the same Dedham nursery, combining practical growing experience with a specialist online hedging business serving customers across the country.
Where it all started
Our story began with Gwynne Bodsworth, who grew up around horticulture. His father Geoff and his grandfather were both gardeners, and his parents worked an LSA smallholding in the next village, so plants, soil and the seasons were part of everyday family life.
After leaving school, Gwynne studied at Writtle Horticultural College before working for a pharmaceutical company. It did not take long for him to realise that he wanted to build a life around real plants rather than laboratory work.
In 1982 he bought a van, started the business and, with help and guidance from his plant-growing parents, built the first glasshouse on our Dedham site. That original glasshouse is still part of the nursery today.
From family nursery to Hedging Plants Direct
Gwynne married Roberta in 1986 and together they developed the family business, growing Original Landscape Design from its landscaping roots into a much larger nursery and plant centre. Their son Will was brought up on the nursery, spending school holidays working alongside the team and learning the trade from the ground up.
Will left school in 2003 and studied at Otley Agricultural College. Visits to nurseries in the Netherlands and Italy gave him a wider view of specialist plant production and the potential for selling plants online.
In 2009, Will launched Hedging Plants Direct from the family nursery. What began as a new way to reach customers has grown into an important part of the business, supplying hedging for gardens, landscapes and larger planting projects. Will's wife Kylie joined the family business in 2013 and now works in accounts and sales.
Three generations rooted in the local area
Our connection with horticulture did not begin with an online shop. Across three generations, members of the Bodsworth family have been involved in planting trees and caring for landscapes around Colchester, Dedham and the surrounding area. These old newspaper clippings are part of that story.
Geoff Bodsworth
Will's grandfather, Geoff Bodsworth, came from a horticultural background and helped pass that knowledge on to the next generation.
This historic photograph shows Geoff at the planting of an Indian cedar at the opening of the LSA social club at Lawford. Geoff is standing immediately behind the planting, although he was not named in the original newspaper caption.
The social club was an important part of the Land Settlement Association community. In the years after the Second World War, the LSA growing area around Lawford and the surrounding villages supported a close community of growers and their families, with the social club at the heart of local life.
For our family, the photograph is more than an old newspaper clipping. It connects Geoff and our horticultural roots directly with the growing community that helped shape this part of Essex.
Gwynne Bodsworth
The next generation turned that horticultural background into a business. Gwynne founded Original Landscape Design in 1982 and developed the nursery in Dedham with Roberta.
This newspaper feature shows Gwynne during the earlier years of the business and describes his work sourcing, supplying and planting mature trees. Large specimen trees, shrubs and practical horticultural knowledge were already central to the business long before online plant sales existed.
That hands-on experience helped create the nursery business that Hedging Plants Direct would eventually grow from.
Will Bodsworth
Will quite literally grew up around trees and the nursery. This clipping records him at just four years old helping to plant the 10,000th tree at Charter Wood near Colchester.
Years later, after studying horticulture and gaining experience with specialist growers in Europe, Will launched Hedging Plants Direct from the family nursery in 2009.
It makes this clipping particularly special to us: three generations of the same family, with trees and horticulture running through the story from Geoff to Gwynne and now Will.
What our nursery background means for you
The history matters because the same practical nursery experience still shapes how we grow, handle, check and advise on plants today.
Plant Healthy certified
Our nursery is Plant Healthy certified, supporting high standards of plant health, responsible sourcing and biosecurity.
Practical horticultural advice
Our team can help with choosing species, root types, plant sizes, spacing, planting and aftercare, drawing on practical nursery experience rather than scripted sales advice.
Need help choosing the right hedge?
If you are unsure which species, size or root type will suit your garden or project, speak to our nursery team. We are happy to help you narrow down the options before you order.