John Pearson, the chairman and co-founder of Burston Nurseries, Burston Rose & Garden Centre and Hertfordshire Fisheries in St Albans, has died, aged 87, after battling cancer for several months.

John was a pioneering figure in the industry from the 1950s onwards.  He was one of the first chairmen of the British Bedding Plant Association.  Burston Nurseries revolutionised the transportation of plants by manufacturing their own trolleys long before the days of CC trolleys.  John also worked closely with David Colegrave in the development and production of the first UK pictorial labelling for bedding plants in the early 1980s.

He remained actively involved in the business until February this year when his health began to deteriorate.  His funeral will take place in St Albans on 14 August when, as a mark of respect, all three businesses will close for the day.

Away from work, his passions were aircraft and flying.