In celebration of the 150th anniversary of Hillier Nurseries & Garden Centres, Jean Hillier (wife of Hillier Chairman, Robert Hillier OBE) has written the remarkable story of Hillier, from its foundation in Winchester in 1864 to the present day.
Hillier: The Plants, The People, The Passion, published by Hillier Nurseries, is an absorbing account of five generations of a horticultural family from its roots among 18thcentury agricultural labourers to its present-day status as one of the world’s leading nurseries.
Proud of its horticultural heritage and still in family ownership today, Hillier has built up an extensive archive of personal and business documents, photographs and correspondence. Over the past decade, Jean Hillier has delved deep into these records and conducted painstaking research to compile the story of one of Britain’s greatest horticultural businesses.
Lavishly illustrated with over 300 archive scans and photographs, this 224 page, beautifully designed hardback recounts both the joys and tragedies of family life and the firm’s survival through war, recession and social change.
Hillier: The Plants, The People, The Passion charts the legacy of an extraordinary passion for plants from Edwin Hillier’s early years as a journeyman and Edwin Lawrence’s first days at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show to Sir Harold Hillier’s plant-hunting exploits, the development of the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens from his private collection and the origins of the famous Hillier Manual of Trees & Shrubs.
Jean Hillier maps out the radical transformation of the company under the direction of Robert Hillier and John Hillier from a large-scale mail-order retailer to the UK’s largest wholesale hardy plant nursery and specialist tree nursery. The books gives a fascinating insight into the stories of the expert teams of plantsmen, botanists, propagators, managers and production staff who have been crucial to Hillier’s reputation for excellence over the past 150 years.
Published: 01 April 2014
ISBN: 978-0-9507430-1-1
Price: £20.00. OFFER PRICE until end May 2014: £14.99 or £17.49 inc P&P from www.hilier.co.uk
