When I lived close to the centre of York, we were spoilt for garden centres! There aren’t many near where we live now, so we have to venture a bit further out. Approximately 10 miles from us is RV Roger — known locally as Rogers’ nursery in Pickering. It’s on the Malton Road just outside town, next to the Steam & Moorland garden centre. They are both worth a visit, but it was raining when we visited Steam & Moorland, so I didn’t take any photos. Maybe next time!
RV Roger
R.V. Roger Ltd is a garden centre offering a wide selection of plants, flowers, top-quality fruit trees, and more. I recently visited for the first time to have a look around.
Part of the Blackmoor Estate since 1913, RV Roger grows its stock locally in North Yorkshire. The garden centre is renowned across the United Kingdom for its high-quality and large fruits, all in excellent condition. The staff are knowledgeable, and you can also shop on their website.
What does R V Roger sell?
This is where R V Roger is genuinely different from a standard garden centre. It’s a specialist nursery — 200 acres of it — that’s been growing plants since 1913, and the range reflects that. They don’t sell all of it through the Plant Centre (there’s a note on their website that the online catalogue and the physical centre aren’t identical), but what is in the centre is extensive.
The real specialisms are roses, fruit trees, and bulbs. In summer, the Plant Centre has over 5,000 potted roses in flower — it’s quite something to walk into, and one of the easiest ways to actually choose a rose is seeing one in bloom rather than picking from a picture. For fruit trees, they stock trained forms that you’d struggle to find elsewhere: fan-trained, espalier and cordon trees, as well as standard fruit trees across apple, pear, cherry, plum, damson and much more. And for seed potatoes, their range of 80+ varieties is one of the largest in the country — available from January to March.
Beyond the specialisms, you’ll find a wide range of shrubs, ornamental trees, hedging plants, bulbs across all four seasons, and a selection of herbaceous perennials. There’s also a restored Cambridge greenhouse full of colour for more tender plants, a small range of houseplants, outdoor pots (terracotta, ceramic and salt-glazed, from tiny to enormous), tools, Hays watering cans, and general sundries.
Plants and Trees
You will find a large selection of plants, trees, and nursery stock at this garden centre in the north of England. You can choose from the best-selling plants, such as apple trees, cherry trees, nut trees, and soft fruit plants.
Fruit and Vegetable Plants
We visited at the start of July, and there were plenty of vegetable plants to buy. Great if you want to grow things in your garden, but it’s too late to sow seeds! We saw tomatoes, peppers, pumpkins, squash, courgettes, kale, salad, cabbage and more! I’m tempted to go back and grab some more to increase my own crops!
Award-Winning Customer Service
RV Roger takes pride in its award-winning customer service. Visitors say Royston Valentine Roger and his team work at the highest level to help everyone who enters. The Blackmoor nursery staff use their deep knowledge base to answer questions quickly and know how to advise on proper care and planting items for each species. RV Roger forms part of Blackmoor Estate and maintains high standards all year.
Planning Your Visit to RV Roger
RV Roger is open Monday to Saturday, typically 9am to 5pm, and on Sunday from 10am to 4pm. Hours may vary seasonally — check rvroger.co.uk before making a special trip. There is free parking on site. No entry fee. The best time to visit for roses is late May to July, and spring (March–April) is ideal for bare-root fruit trees.
What RV Roger Is Best Known For
RV Roger — or Rogers’ nursery as it’s often called locally — is particularly well-regarded for:
Fruit trees are the headline act. The range of apple, pear, cherry, plum, and nut trees is one of the most comprehensive in the north of England, and the quality is consistently high. They stock both container-grown and bare-root trees (the latter are available in winter and spring).
Roses are another strong point. On our summer visit the rose section was enormous — climbers, shrubs, hybrid teas, and ramblers in a huge range. If you’re looking for a specific variety, there’s a good chance they have it.
Soft fruit plants (strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, gooseberries) are popular and well-priced. And in summer, as we found, there are usually vegetable plants available for anyone who’s missed the seed-sowing window.
Events at R V Roger
Two events a year are worth knowing about if you’re a plant person:
Rose Weekend — held in summer when the roses are in full flower. Talks from the team, plants in bloom, a chance to choose by sight rather than by label. Check the website for the exact date each year.
Apple Weekend — held in October and features a display of over 200 varieties of orchard fruit. If you’re trying to identify an old apple tree or choose a new one to plant, this is the event for it. Genuinely fascinating even if you don’t end up buying anything.
Our Visit
We visited RV Roger on a sweltering July day. The plant nursery was stunning and absolutely full of colour — rows and rows of roses, masses of summer bedding, and more than we could take in in one visit. They had so many different types of roses, rows and rows of them! We were there for over an hour, and could have spent longer there, but it was just too hot outside. I came back with a foxglove plant, some purple kale and a few other bits. I’m eager to return!
How to get to R V Roger Pickering
Address: The Nurseries, Malton Road, Pickering, YO18 7JW. It’s on the A169 just south of Pickering town centre. There’s plenty of parking on site.
Pickering is the starting point for the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, so if you’re combining a trip — nursery visit and a steam train ride — it works very well as a day out.
Address: RV Roger Ltd, The Nurseries, Malton Road, Pickering, YO18 7JW
Website: https://rvroger.co.uk/
Frequently Asked Questions: RV Roger Nursery Pickering
Where is RV Roger nursery in Pickering?
RV Roger is on Malton Road, Pickering, YO18 7JW — just outside the town centre heading towards Malton. It is next to Steam & Moorland garden centre. There is free on-site parking.
What are RV Roger’s opening times?
Generally Monday to Saturday 9am–5pm and Sunday 10am–4pm, though these can vary seasonally. Always check rvroger.co.uk before visiting.
What does RV Roger specialise in?
RV Roger is particularly known for fruit trees — one of the best selections in the north of England. They also stock roses, soft fruit plants, vegetable plants, ornamental trees and a wide range of general nursery stock. Part of the Blackmoor Estate since 1913.
Is RV Roger the same as Rogers nursery Pickering?
Yes — RV Roger Ltd (also referred to as Rogers’ nursery or RV Rogers Pickering) is the same place. The full name is R.V. Roger Ltd, but it’s commonly known locally by the shorter forms.
Is RV Roger a garden centre or a nursery?
It’s primarily a plant nursery rather than a full garden centre — the focus is on plants, trees and growing stock rather than garden furniture or accessories. There is no café on site (unlike the adjacent Steam & Moorland). It’s a proper plants-first nursery.