EMAIL: florist@hartleysnurseries.co.uk

Hartleys Nurseries was originally a small holding first owned by the Hartley family in the 1860's. The current owners have been in charge for the last 20 years and during this period the business has undergone massive changes and redevelopment. Originally selling fruit and vegetables they have recently specialised in cut flowers, bedding plants and hanging baskets.

With the rise of supermarkets in the 1980s it became apparent that profits from fruit and vegetable sales were quickly falling hence the move into cut flowers and bedding plants. It's interesting that although supermarkets are a major competitor in the cut flower market, they are unable to supply some types of flowers, especially long-stemmed ones. This is exactly what Hartleys Nurseries are good at and why they thrive against the competition. Their flower arranging skills also differentiate them from the run of the mill cut flower suppliers.

Cut flowers are a year round business and a visit to the Nurseries is a real eye-opener with endless displays of flowers of all colours and sizes.

The picture above is just a small part of the largest flower auction in the world at Aalsmeer, Holland. To buy flowers from most Dutch auctions you need to be acquainted with their reverse bidding system whereby the price starts high and goes lower as a clock ticks quickly by. Difficult to master at first, but once learnt it is a simple system.

Around September time Hartleys Nurseries switch to producing and selling cut chrysanthemums and Christmas time sees a massive peak in this business. On site they have six full time expert florists to satisfy customer demand for flower arrangements. The aroma of the blooms in the sales area is delicious! Not only do they sell cut flowers but many living plants as well, houseplants are a particular speciality.

A Defra grant of £90,000 has recently enabled Hartleys to build a dedicated large glass house to store and display their plants. It is cram -packed full of the latest technology to keep their plants in tip top condition for sale. It includes sophisticated under-floor heating systems, state of the art climate control and massive chilling capabilities.

THE CAFE AT HARTLEYS NURSERIES

The 50 seater cafe is a recent addition which is proving immensely popular with customers. They serve a variety of breakfast meals throughout the day, panninis, omelettes, sandwiches and of course coffee, tea and cakes. Ingredients are sourced locally wherever possble and food is freshly cooked to order. The afternoon tea for two at only £5.99 is a particularly tasty bargain. Roast dinners are available on Sundays.