Wholesale nursery supplier | Shrubs, trees, hardy plants | A Hill & Sons Ltd

We are delighted to announce that 2010 is the 90th year of operation for A Hill and Sons.

Established in 1920 A Hill and Sons have been through various stages to current date where they are a reliablewholesale supplier to hundreds of companies and public bodies countrywide.

Over the many years ofoperation A Hill and Sons has constantly adapted to the market, changingbusiness model many times. They have grown and supplied vast and differingranges of trees, plants, vegetables and fruits to both residents andbusinesses.

The story of A Hill and Sons isrich in history, below are some of the key milestones

• In 1920 Alan Hill founded hisfledgling company A Hill (Nurseryman). He started growing flowers andvegetables on an allotment in Loftus selling his produce directly to the retailmarket. This then was the humble beginnings of A Hill & Sons.

• Alan bought Woodlands Nurseryand shortly afterwards his two eldest sons Alan (junior) and Cornelius joinedhim. The name of the company changed to A Hill & Sons.

• During the war yearsproduction was turned entirely to producing food for the war effort.

• In 1945, after the conflict,Keith (the 3rd son) joined the company and shortly afterwards in 1946 bought 35acres in Stokesley, naming it Station Nurseries.

• At the time of Alan(seniors)retirement in 1954 things were very different from the small beginnings atLoftus. Woodlands Nursery was beginning to develop and with 35 acres of land atStation Nurseries and 10 acres rented at Marsk, production had changed emphasisfrom growing food for the war to flowers and ornamental plants for the retailmarket. The company had two retail outlets in Saltburn and Redcar and employed19 staff at this point.

• In 1959 Alan’s son Johnjoined the company followed in 1960 by Cornelius’s son David.

• In the early 1960’s theacreage of glass was increased at Woodlands Nursery to two acres using thisexpansion to grow chrysanthemum blooms for the wholesale markets. The companyat this time grew 30,000 blooms at Woodlands Nurseries, 60,000 blooms atStation Nurseries and 140,000 blooms under cover in heated glass at WoodlandsNurseries. Its interesting to think all these blooms were cut by hand with apen knife!

• In 1976 the family businessreached a cross road when the brothers retired, the business was split up andsold. David Hill (the third generation) took sole charge of A Hill & Sonsbased at Station Nurseries. Decisions had to be made and David decided toconcentrate on two main crops Strawberries and Nursery Stock.

• In 1989 Julian joined thecompany and in 1999 Simon also joined (sons of David). This forth generation ofthe family had their own, new, ideas. To concentrate solely on wholesale HardyNursery Stock a decision was made to stop growing Strawberries. A Hill &Sons became a limited company at this time.

• There followed a rapidexpansion of the business bringing new innovation and ideas, for example AirPots were trialled for growing trees which grew in such demand from our firsttrial of 30 trees to 9,000 over the space of 4 years. A range of mature shrubsgrowing in Air Pots was introduced in 2007/8 and also proved very popular.

• The latest development haveincluded a cash and carry site and online retail store over 2009 and 2010.

Local supplier A Hill and Sons provided Hartlepool Council with twenty topiary figures for the international event –the Tall Ships Races.

The figures can be seen around the town, particularly thebus station area, and provide an interesting, artistic and green element to thearea.

The Tall Ships’ Races are an internationally acclaimedannual competition organised by Sail Training International and held everysummer in European waters.

Each year between 70 and 100 vessels from 15-20countries, crewed by some 5-6,000 young people from over 30 countries worldwidetake part in this unique event that combines four days of activities in eachport with racing or cruising-in-company between ports.

The main aim of the event is to provide an opportunityfor young people to develop their personal skills in a challenging andmemorable sail-training environment and hence at least 50% of a Tall Ship’screw must be aged 15-25.

A Hill and Sons are delighted Hartlepool Council chose touse a local supplier and proud to have been a small part of an event whichattracts thousands of visitors to the region.

Hunter Cowie have teamed up with local horticultural supplier iNursery (A Hill and Sons Ltd) to provide clients with a free tree each time they instruct them to inspect property!

Hunter Cowie is a new Building Surveying practice which launched on a full consultancy basis on 4th January 2010 operating from Darlington. As experts in all Building Surveyor matters Hunter Cowie take on a variety of projects across residential, commercial and historic buildings.

Operating across the North East and North Yorkshire, Hunter Cowie have a desire to balance out the impact of the property industry on the environment. We believe that often the wide range of benefits that trees provide are taken for granted, there is little that delivers a better global benefit than planting and growing trees. In fact a small tree will become a combined air cleaner and conditioner as well as a water filter which has major benefits on the environment, and arguably social and economical impact.

The ‘free tree’ project started in January 2010 and we expect to provide trees to hundreds of property owners across the region having a significant positive effect on the environment.

Alan Cowie, Director of Hunter Cowie said:

“Among other initiatives we are considering, this is a real practical approach to helping the environment.”

Simon Hill, Director of A. Hill and Sons said:

“I think it’s a great idea and one we are happy to support, if more companies could engage in projects such as this it would make a real impact on the environment."

A message from Director Simon Hill:

“Despite the financial climate 2009 was a fantastic year for A Hill and Sons. We have made significant progress not only on a horticultural basis but also on a technological front. For example our improved computer system enables us to provide you with quotes much quicker, our new telephone system makes it easier for you to contact the person you want to speak to, also our online progress has made it possible for us to keep you up to date and provide you with any information you need.

Another significant change this year has been the introduction of our Cash and Carry Service which is much more efficient way to purchase. If you haven’t already taken advantage, we urge you come on site and have a look around.

As always we plan to build upon this progress to further enhance our service to customers, so watch out for updates!

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support last year and give you my best wishes for a prosperous 2010."

A. Hill and Sons horticultural nursery, based in Stokesley North Yorkshire, are now offering anyone the chance to purchase from them through their online store (www.i-nursery.co.uk).

Operating from a 40 acre site A. Hill and Sons have previously only traded direct to businesses in the garden industry such as landscapers, garden centres and local authorities but now they are offering anyone the opportunity to purchase quality products directly from the grower.

Opening in time for the bare root season the website currently offers a wide range of bare root plants, hedging, grasses and shrubs with much more to be added over the following months.

If you’re looking to buy quality plants at great prices look no further, www.i-nursery.co.uk is just what you need!

Nurseryman Hill, the elected digital face of A Hill and Sons, has launched a Twitter page to keep our customers and other people with an interest in horticulture up date to with the latest news, tips and views. Go to the link below and start following:

http://twitter.com/Hill_Nurseryman

Nurseryman Hill (A Hill and Sons) can also be found on Facebook and Linked In, search and add us today!

We have recently had a new phone system installed which will make it easier for customers to contact us.

The introduction of the new system means we can recieve more simutanious calls, allows you to leave a message on an individuals answering machine should they be unable to take your call and we can forward calls onto our mobile if we are out of office allowing you to speak to us more often.

Its a small change but it just makes things a little easier for you to reach us!

We have booked a stand at Four Oaks for the third year running so come and see us at stand E74 to discuss our latest advances!

Four Oaks is the UK’s premier show for horticulture and as always will feature a huge array of companies from around the world combined with a variety of seminars. The event is held in a 23 acre nursery in Cheshire is open over the 8th and 9th September.

The show is a instantly recognisable brand throughout the horticultural industry and certainly an event we would recommend.

Staff from A Hill and Sons will be on hand for the whole event to showcase a variety of interesting products and answer any questions you have.

A. Hill and Sons horticultural nursery, based in Stokesley North Yorkshire, are opening their doors for the first time since they were established in 1920! The fourth generation family business is opening the regions first tree and shrub ‘cash and carry’ on 3rd August so everyone now has the chance to see and buy the vast and varied product range.

Operating from a 40 acre site A. Hill and Sons have previously only traded direct to businesses in the garden industry such as landscapers, garden centres and local authorities but now they are offering any business the opportunity to become a cash and carry member free of charge which allows them to purchase the trees, shrubs, conifers and hedging they have on offer.

Hill’s nursery offers fully grown trees, shrubs which aren’t easily available and a range of ‘Art Topiary’ (a variety of living sculptures) which makes for fascinating viewing and provides you with an opportunity to buy something unique for your garden or project.

Simon Hill, Director at A. Hill and Sons said:

“We are looking forward to providing trees and shrubs in sizes and quantities previously not available to all businesses. Hill’s are growers, so it’s a little like dealing directly with the manufacturer.”

If you’re looking for something a bit different for your landscape or project, don’t want to wait for a tree to grow, looking for a bargain to beat the credit crunch or just want to talk to the person that grows and knows the plans then A. Hill and Sons new cash and carry is just what you need!

The new cash and carry will be open from 3rd August onwards Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm and Saturday am.