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History
Sunnybank Nursery was established in 1966 by the late Robert Hardy, initially operating as a wholesale grower of lettuce, Chrysanthemums and bedding plants, with only a small section dedicated to retail sales.
Over the years the nursery expanded and with Chrysanthemum growing completed outdoors, the worsening weather conditions and increased losses proved the necessity for glasshouse growing. The last major glasshouse construction was completed in 1973, increasing the total number on-site to 11, the largest being a vast 120 x 100 ft (approx 37 x 30m).
The premature death of Mr. Hardy in 1974 left his widow and his two brothers with no option other than to maintain the family business in a similar format. This continued for several years until the local wholesale growing market became less profitable, making a change in strategy inevitable.
By the end of the 1970's as the wholesale market continued to decline, Mrs. Hardy made the decision to go it alone, gradually increasing the retail sales of the business and changing the nature of the nursery sector to complement the future retail strategy.
Production of Chrysanthemums ceased in 1997 with the growing of herbaceous perennials, shrubs, bedding and patio plants taking priority as the retail sector continued to expand.
Growing by Name, Growing by Nature.
In the following years, considerable investment was introduced into developing the existing business into its current modern day format, a fully fledged nursery and garden centre. Development included the removal of several redundant wooden glasshouses, a new larger customer car park, new and improved retail buildings and the creation of an extensive outdoor tree and shrub sales area.
Improvements have remained persistent over the years, most recently with the construction of a new and wider access road and the assembly of a large outdoor canopy. The current year has also seen improvements to the indoor sales and giftware areas, making them more accessible and customer friendly.
Considerable investment and new development plans have recently been approved and highlights our continued commitment to providing customers with top quality products and service - watch this space for further information. |