The owner of a popular garden centre just off the A127 has thanked his customers for 18 years of support as he sells the business to new owners and prepares to retire.

Bob Clarke has run Tamarix Nursery in Daws Heath Road, Rayleigh, for 18 years, being involved in gardening and nurseries for his whole life before taking over the “run-down” centre and transforming it into something successful.

The business is in the final stages of being sold to a new owner for £20,000 – who Bob is happy will be keeping the garden centre operational and continuing in his stead.

Bob said: “I am really disappointed I cannot help people any more, in so much as giving them advice and I am so thankful for all the customers, not just the custom, but the friendliness that has been shown to me.

“It has been a very sweet-natured business to run.”

Bob added: “I am 78 and this has been all my life, it is a labour of love, but it has gotten too big and it is so much work, it needs two people to run and that is what the problem is.

“I just need to be able to go back to doing some cycling and some fishing and I cannot do that if I spend seven days working here, in the busy season it can be three months of watering and working every day.”

He added that his mind was made up last year and he has been unable to pass the business to his daughter or his son.

Bob added: “It was constant hard work to get this place working, constantly renewing the infrastructure and getting new and unusual plants in, I am famous for getting oddities that I find on my travels and people do come to my stalls to see what is a bit different.

“That is what got me my name.”

Despite retiring, Bob will be involved with the new owners of the business, offering to pitch in one day a week to lend his 50 years of experience to help get the business running alongside helping with hanging baskets which are a “speciality.”