Driving Growth and Innovation: The Hillier Container Trees Expansion and Investment in the Local Authority Sector

Hillier is strengthening its position as a leading supplier to Local Authorities across the UK, following a year of exceptional growth in this sector. Increased demand for British grown trees, particularly contract grown stock tailored to specific projects, has led to significant investment in production capacity.

January 2025 marked Hillier Trees busiest month ever in Local Authority sales, with several consecutive months of record-breaking figures both before and after. To support this growing demand, Hillier has expanded its Broadmead Container Tree Nursery, adding a brand new 45L container tree area. This development increases capacity by over 2,000 additional 45L trees, ensuring a consistent and reliable supply of high-quality stock. Over the past five years, container production at Hillier has surged more than 200%, demonstrating a long-term commitment to meeting the needs of the sector while maintaining the highest standards of quality and sustainability.

Local Authorities are increasingly looking for dedicated contract-growing solutions, allowing them to secure trees specifically grown for their projects. This shift has been a key driver behind Hillier investment in expanding production, ensuring that trees are cultivated to precise specifications and ready when needed.

William Innes-Taylor, who took on the responsibility of managing the Hillier Local Authority sector after a decade in commercial landscaping had this to say: “From the very beginning, I was and still am amazed by the sheer passion within this sector, the vast knowledge being shared and the incredible willingness to collaborate. It’s been an incredible journey so far, and a fascinating learning curve.”

Success has been the result of William’s driven, organised and strategic focus on improving processes, enhancing customer experience, and deepening relationships with key stakeholders. A comprehensive review in the early months identified areas for improvement, such as refining processes and streamlining operations. Every stage from initial project discussions to tree installations was designed to ensure seamless execution. A critical element of this process has been increasing the Hillier presence within the wider horticultural industry. By attending major conferences and events, William has helped strengthen the company’s reputation as the go to supplier.

With the next planting season approaching, Hillier is already preparing for another strong year of growth. Site visits are planned across the UK. Partnerships with contract growers are expanding, and the company is committed to further strengthening relationship with the sector.

“Exciting times lie ahead,” William says. “We’ve made great progress, but this is just the beginning. The focus is now on strengthening relationships even further and continuing to enhance how we support Local Authorities with their planting projects”.

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Editors notes

“To inspire the creation of green living spaces for now and the future” Hillier is one of the leading names in the horticultural industry, with 160 years of growing and retail experience.

Founded in 1864 by Edwin Hillier, the company remains a family-run nursery with the fifth generation now actively involved in the family business as it continues to grow.

Not only is Hillier the largest producer of semi-mature trees in Europe and grower of over one million plants at its Hampshire nursery, but it also employs over 750 staff across its nursery, amenity trees and 22 garden centre divisions and is a flourishing multi-million pound company. It proudly holds the world record for the most consecutive gold medals awards at the world-famous RHS Chelsea Flower Show, with 74 wins.

As one of the leading growers in the UK, Hillier is involved in many peat-free initiatives, including the RHS Peat-Free Fellowship, the largest peat-free collaborative research project globally. The company was amongst the first nurseries to become 100% peat-free across both its production nursery and retail garden centres, and all Hillier plants are grown in peat-free compost.

Recent successes for the company include the launch of its online shop, the substantial redevelopment of Hillier Garden Centre Newbury and the acquisition of the Rosebourne Garden Centre Group in November 2022, as well as sponsorship of BBC Gardeners’ World Live and BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair, and the incredibly popular free ‘Hillier Gardening Club’ loyalty program which now has over half a million members.

Renowned for being a leading breeder of plants in the UK at its 100% peat-free nursery in Hampshire, each year Hillier introduces amazing new varieties. Many of these have become essentials in British gardens and the company continues with the tradition of innovation and the introduction of new garden plants in the present day.