A really special place!

So exciting!

Four years ago, when my son was working as a landscape gardener, he brought me home a fern for my developing shady garden. He was raving about the place that he’d bought it - Urban Jungle on the outskirts of Norwich - and told me I needed to visit.

Shady garden, 2013!

When we did, I was truly amazed. They had a huge collection of all the plants I love - ferns, hostas, grasses - and I wanted to buy them all. It was so different from the usual garden centres - just plants and pots, not a gnome or solar lamp in sight. At that time, they didn't even have a cafe. Just a kettle, mugs and an honesty box, next to a jar of homemade biscuits!

Urban Jungle, summer planting...huge plants!

Since then, we’ve visited many times. My daughter sent me a gift voucher one Mother’s Day, we’ve been intrigued by the kokedamas, and enthralled by their summer planting schemes. When we visited in June it was incredibly busy and we struggled to find a parking space. We soon discovered why - Café Jungle had opened in place of the kettle and biscuits! Occupying the area around the koi ponds, Urban Jungle had created an amazing space to eat incredible food. The tables and sofas (yes, sofas!) were cleverly hidden between huge plants so that it almost felt as if the place was exclusively ours. Wonderful. 

Café Jungle Norfolk - lovely

We had a lovely lunch and I duly spent a small fortune on plants and we came home, bemoaning the fact that it wasn't a little bit closer…

So how excited were we when we were driving from Beccles to the A12 to see a sign saying ‘Coming soon - Urban Jungle’! We’d heard on the grapevine that the old Evergreens Garden Centre was being sold, but never imagined the coming of Urban Jungle Suffolk! It opened on August 5th, and despite following their Facebook and Instagram feeds, I struggled to imagine how they would be able to use the vast space available to recreate what is so special about Urban Jungle Norfolk. Well, after our first visit yesterday, I can honestly say I needn’t have worried. I loved it all from the moment I saw the welcome sign! 

So many plants...

The outside area is clearly still a work in progress - plants take time to establish themselves after all - but there was something to make me gasp around every corner. Prehistoric looking plants with spiky leaves that sadly won’t fit in my garden, humungous tree ferns that make mine look sadly lacking and a whole shed full of cacti and succulents!

All the succulents!

And then there was Café Jungle Suffolk. It is housed in what was the ‘gift shop and café’ of the old place, but has been completely refitted. Nooks, crannies, mezzanines and mirrors. 

Nooks, crannies, mirrors, cakes!

Truly wonderful. Again, you feel as if you are the only people in there - in fact after we had finished lunch I was amazed to see so many other people eating! 

Delicious toastie

All the food at Café Jungle is gluten-free so I wondered what my toastie would be like. I needn’t have worried, it was utterly delicious. They have managed to source gluten free bread that actually tastes like bread! Sadly, we didn't have room for the brownies we could smell baking - a good excuse to go back!

I wanted everything...

Dotted amongst the tables in the café are displays full of houseplants and stylish and unusual homewares. Oh dear, how to choose? Eventually we settled on a beautiful planter and an allegedly simple to care for plant to go in it. We also bought a bigger planter for outside and a tiny succulent for my daughter. 

Settled for this!

I don’t usually blog about places but Urban Jungle Suffolk completely entranced me - I know that it is somewhere I can go that will cheer me throughout the year, with it’s beautiful plants, knowledgeable staff and it’s yummy food. You should visit - it’s only down the road!

Shady garden, 2017!