Founding Principles
When John Sutton founded his company in Reading in 1806, he could not have foreseen that it would grow to become the number one seed brand and a name well known and respected not just in Great Britain but throughout the world. Over 200 years, however, there has been one consistent factor that he would have recognised: commitment. Suttons commitment to offering the highest quality and exceptional value has sustained and developed the company through the years. Building on a rich heritage, Suttons have always been, and will always continue to be, at the forefront in introducing new gardening techniques and innovations.
Our Trials Ground
Our own local 2.5 hectare (6 acre) Trials Ground is integral to our philosophy on quality. Every year we grow and evaluate hundreds of new varieties from across the world, to ensure that they will perform well in our customers’ gardens. If the varieties flourish on our difficult heavy Devon clay soil then we know they’ll perform well for you! Every summer we throw the Trials Ground open to the public for a weekend, to come and browse through our field trials, greenhouses and show gardens.
Seed testing in our laboratory
Having selected the cream of the varieties available we need to be certain that the seeds we actually put into our packets are going to germinate and perform well for you and that there won’t be any weed seeds mixed in with the good seed. That’s why our team in the laboratory carry out a continuous program of seed germination and purity tests.
Our fruit and vegetables are tops for taste!
When we tell you our fruit and veg varieties taste good we’re not just taking other people’s words for it. We taste test our own varieties - and sometimes we get our families to taste them too!
Ensuring our young plants are of the highest quality
The varieties we offer in easy-to-grow young plant format are selected by our team of experts according to how well they’ll grow in your garden - rather than how well they’ll last in their pack on a DIY superstore shelf! The plants are raised largely on our own nurseries and are inspected every day leading up to despatch time to ensure they are excellent quality and are at the perfect stage to send through the post. They’re fed with a specially formulated feed to make sure they’re bursting with vigour, and, what’s more, we’ve designed our own packaging to ensure they travel safely through the post and reach you in perfect condition.
When it comes to bulbs, size definitely matters!
Unlike some bulb suppliers, we select our bulbs, corms, tubers, perennial roots etc to be of a size that will give good results. When comparing with bulbs from elsewhere always be sure to look out for the bulb sizes quoted, because small bulbs may seem like a bargain at the time, but they can often disappoint when it comes to flowering time. What’s more, because we reserve our stocks in advance, it’s far more likely that we’ll still have your chosen varieties available when others have to resort to letting you know that unfortunately that special new variety you were looking forward to growing this year isn’t going to be available after all!
Focus on customer service
We're currently focusing on our commitment to provide all our customers with excellent levels of support. We have our own in-house call centre, with experienced staff who know our products and will be able to quickly and efficiently process your order or answer your query. We aim to ensure that your call is answered quickly, and that emails and other correspondence are responded to promptly. Our contact details are here.