Recent Awards and Milestones

2010 - 65th Consecutive Gold Medal Chelsea Flower Show
2010 - Grower of the Year - Overall Winner
2010 - Grower of the Year - Hardy Nursery Stock
2009 - 64th Consecutive Gold Medal Chelsea Flower Show
2008 - 63rd Consecutive Gold Medal Chelsea Flower Show
2008 - Grower of the Year - Streetwise Range
2007 - 62nd Consecutive Gold Medal Chelsea Flower Show
2006 - 61st Consecutive Gold Medal Chelsea Flower Show
2006 - Grower of the Year – Hardy Nursery Stock - HTA/Grower Magazine
2005 - Grower of the Year – Semi-mature Trees – Horticulture Week Magazine
2005 - Best New Plant Variety – Ulmus ‘New Horizon’ – Horticulture Week Magazine
2005 - Guinness World Record 60th Consecutive Gold Medal at Chelsea Flower Show
2004 - Sustainable Business Awards
2004 - Water Conservation Awards

Links

 T R A D E    P A G E S                                                               General Public Click Here       

Wholesale Nursery                         

The largest Tree Growing Nursery in the UK

Facts and Figures

Production Area                         Over 550acres (220ha)

Trees in Production                    Over 750,000

Number of Tree Varieties            Over 150

Field Stock Locations                 Hampshire/West Sussex border around Liss (click here for map)

Container Stock Location            Romsey, Hampshire (click here for map)

Specifying Trees

All trees are specified as girth size with their ‘girth’ being measured in centimetres one metre above ground level

 (i.e. 12-14cm girth).

Semi-mature trees start at 20cm girth and progress in increments of 5cm, e.g. 20-25cm, 25-30cm, etc.

Conifers and multi-stemmed trees are generally measured by height in increments of 50cm, e.g. 350-400cm 

 and supplied as a feathered or bush form.

When conifers are specified by girth size, this indicates a clear stem is required.

The following pictures indicate the size of tree to expect for your specification.

Quercus robur  14-16cm                              18-20cm                             25-30cm                                40-45cm

Table Showing approximate Height/Girth Size

* sizes shown in above set of pictures

§         Check availability

Not all species are commercially available in all sizes.  We have shown by ticking the relevant boxes our usual availability of stock and in broad terms this is a sensible guide to what is generally available on the commercial market.

§         Root specification  Bare-root (BR), Root-balled (RB) or Container Grown (CG)

Throughout the tree section we recommend how trees should be specified and this is reflected in the availability guide that is – Bare-root (BR), Root-balled (RB) or Container Grown (CG).

·         Bare-root trees – November to end of March

Bare-root plants are lifted from the ground, either by hand or, more usually, by mechanical means.  Trees will be undercut and lifted, keeping as much of the root system intact as possible.  However, even with a regularly transplanted tree with a relatively compact root system, approximately 25% of the root will be lost on lifting.  Soil clinging to the root system will be shaken off, hence the term ‘bare-root’ and the tree should immediately be bagged.  Co-extruded polythene should be used: these are bags which are extra thick, black inside and white outside to reflect heat.  At Hillier Nurseries all bare-root trees are placed in co-extruded bags at the time of lifting in the field.  If this was not done the delicate fibrous roots would dry out very quickly and the tree would either die or struggle to survive on site because its root system has been severely damaged.  Always specify co-extruded bags for bare-rooted trees and check that your trees are being handled correctly.

The benefits are:-

§          Value for money

§          Light to handle

§          Quick to establish with correct after-care

Points to remember:-

§          Only trees under 18-20cm girth should be specified bare-root, and not Fagus, Betula, Quercus, Liriodendron, Liquidambar, Ginkgo, Parrotia and all conifers, these must be RB or CG.

§          Trees must be sealed in double thickness, co-extruded polythene bags after lifting

·         Root-balled trees – November to April

Here the tree is lifted from the ground with the soil intact around the root system.  On removal from the ground the root-ball is wrapped in biodegradable hessian and non-galvanised wire.  The root-ball should be planted intact with the hessian and wire left on.  Once planted the non-galvanised wire soon breaks down and the hessian will rot, allowing the root system to develop.  The whole benefit of ‘root-balling’ is that the root system remaining after lifting (you will lose about 35% of the root on a regularly transplanted tree) will not be disturbed during handling, transportation and planting.

The benefits are:-

§          Root system once lifted will not be disturbed

§          Packaging bio-degrades

§          Root-balled trees are protected from the rigours of commercial planting

Points to remember:-

§          All field grown trees 18-20cm and over must be root-balled

§          Certain species that are field grown must be root-balled e.g. Fagus, Betula, Quercus, Liriodendron, Liquidambar, Cercidiphyllum, Eucalyptus, Ginkgo, Parrotia and all conifers

§          Root-balled trees should be planted with hessian and wire left on to maintain the integrity of the root system

·          Container grown trees – Available all-year-round

Container grown trees have a ‘complete’ root system and should therefore establish well once planted.  Trees are lifted either bare-rooted or root-balled and placed in a container (between November and March) and then grown on for at least one growing season, i.e. a tree ‘potted up’ in January would be fully rooted and ready for planting by September.

       The benefits are:-

§          No root loss during lifting

§          Planting can take place 12 months of the year

§          Hillier-handles make handling on site easier

Points to remember:-

§          Quercus ilex should always be specified as container grown

§          Trees will be accustomed to irrigation on demand and after-care is crucial

§          Hillier trees are peat-free

Table showing Approximate Weights and Measurements of Root-balls and Containers

* For further advice on weights and handling please call the sales office.

Come and Visit us at the Nursery (by appointment)
A visit to the nursery is highly recommended and we assure you of a warm welcome.  It would particularly be enjoyable and informative for Landscape Architects, Tree Officers, Contractors and Garden Designers to visit us for inspiration and to see our whole range of trees and multi-stems.
There are good transport links:-

1. By rail, Liss or Winchester Station is 1hr 10mins from London%u2019s Waterloo
2. By air, fly into Southampton International Airport
3. By road, 2 minutes from A3 for Liss, 10mins from M3 for Ampfield House

If you travel by rail or air we will pick you up from the station or airport.

Please contact the Sales Team to arrange a visit (telephone 01794 368733).
            Local Authorities & House Builders        -           jimhillier@hillier.co.uk
            Landscape Architects                                -           carolineswann@hillier.co.uk
            Landscape Contractors & Nurseries     -           james_alexander@hillier.co.uk