The business stemmed from a love of gardening but after 35 years of growing and selling, the owner of Ringwould Alpines Plant Centre says it’s now time to uproot.

Paul Sims, 73, bought the plot off Dover Road three decades ago, creating a nursery of hardy plants and many unusual varieties.

He had realised his passion for gardening after taking it up as a hobby while working as the technical manager of Buckland Paper Mill.

Before then he obtained a degree in colloid and surface chemistry and worked in Wiggins Teape Research Centre.

Now, three years after selling the land to Kingsdown Water, he is making the leap into semi-retirement.

His last day of trading is Saturday with all items reduced by 30%. The future of the site is not known.

He said: “I’ve absolutely loved it. It’s been really interesting and rewarding and a lot of it has been down to the customers.

“Many of the staff have been here 30 years or more. Their hard work has kept the place going and so I’d like to say a really big thank you to them.

“My wife, Fran, has also worked her socks off. She not only does the paper work and book keeping but also the propagating of alpines and clearing the weeds. She’s been very conscientious.”

In the early years, Mr Sims specialised in alpines but started landscaping to help boost business in the quieter winter months.

At the business’ peak, he employed 10 staff and had around 10,000 plants of site in up 100 different varieties.

He said: “Keeping on top of the plants and mentally managing them is no small task and it’s not always a success.”

He’s worked on various ambitious projects such as huge barbecues, ponds and landscaped gardens around east Kent.

And he’s noted the changing trends of his customers.

He said: “In the last five to ten years there’s been a shift towards larger plants. People want instant planting and are happy to spend the money. People are also more interested in wildlife friendly plants to promote butterflies and bees.”

Mr Sims is continuing his landscape work with Alkham Valley Centre but will also be dedicating more time to his children, 11 grandchildren, his allotment and boat.

Bottle company Kingsdown Water bought the site in 2016 to build a bottling plant but planning permission was rejected.

The firm has been invited to comment on its plans.

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