We're a little obsessed with helping things grow
Green Being is a family-run garden shop with soil under its nails and a soft spot for first-time growers. Here's who we are, what we believe, and why we still get giddy over a tray of seedlings.
Our story
From a wobbly market stall to your favourite greenhouse
Green Being began in 2008 with a borrowed gazebo, a wheelbarrow full of tomato seedlings and a hand-painted sign that mostly blew over. Our founders, Mara and Joon, weren't trained horticulturists — just two people who couldn't stop giving away cuttings to anyone who'd take them.
Eighteen years on, the gazebo has become a proper glass greenhouse, the wheelbarrow has friends, and the giving-away-cuttings habit is still very much alive. We've grown, but the heart of the place hasn't changed: good plants, honest advice, and absolutely no judgement if you've killed a few along the way.
We believe a garden shouldn't be intimidating. Whether you've got a sprawling allotment or a single hopeful pot on a windowsill, you're exactly the kind of gardener we built this place for.
What we stand for
Four things we never compromise on
They sound simple. Keeping them true, season after season, is the hard part — and the fun part.
Kind to the planet
Every compost we sell is 100% peat-free, our pots are recycled or plantable, and we offset every delivery. Gardening should heal the ground, not strip it.
Guaranteed to grow
We hand-check germination on every seed batch and nurse every plant until it's strong enough to leave. If it doesn't establish, we'll make it right.
Advice without the upsell
Ask us anything and we'll point you to the plant that fits your space and your time — even if it's the cheaper one. Especially if it's the cheaper one.
Rooted in community
We run free weekend workshops, donate seedlings to local schools, and keep the potting-shed café kettle on for anyone who fancies a chat.
How we grew
A few rings on the trunk
The wheelbarrow years
Mara and Joon sell their first 40 tomato plants at the Saturday farmers' market. All 40 survive. A business is accidentally born.
We get a roof
The greenhouse on Greenfield Lane opens its doors. We add seeds, tools and our first dozen fruit trees — and immediately run out of space.
Going peat-free
We pull every peat-based product from the shelves, a year ahead of anyone asking us to. Sales dip for a month, then climb for good.
The potting-shed café
Coffee, cake and a place to sit. Turns out gardeners like to linger — and the best plant advice happens over a flat white.
1,200 varieties and counting
Seeds, tools, trees, flowers and hedges — plus an online shop so we can post a little green joy anywhere in the country.
The people
Real humans, slightly muddy
Our team of twelve includes a retired botanist, two former chefs who run the herb section like a kitchen, a tree specialist who can name a sapling from across the car park, and a shop cat named Basil who supervises everything and contributes nothing.
What we share is a genuine soft spot for the nervous beginner clutching a single seed packet. We've all been there. Watching someone come back a month later with a photo of their first harvest? That's the whole reason we open up each morning.
- 12 plant people
- 1 supervisor (Basil)
- Free weekend workshops
Come grow with us
Drop by the greenhouse for advice, a coffee, and a wander — or start your order online and we'll pack it with care.