Hillier Nurseries and Garden Centres wins ‘One Step for Sustainability’ at Ideal Home Awards

Leading garden centre chain, Hillier Nurseries and Garden Centres is celebrating success at the Ideal Home Awards 2026, securing the One Step for Sustainability award in recognition of its leadership in peat-free horticulture.

Presented in London on 28th May, the award highlights brands making meaningful environmental progress. Hillier impressed judges with its long-term commitment to eliminating peat, alongside its efforts to educate gardeners and drive industry-wide change.

Peat, once a staple of horticulture, plays a vital role in natural ecosystems, storing carbon and supporting biodiversity. However, its extraction contributes to habitat loss and climate change. In response, Hillier has taken decisive action, progressively increasing peat-free production over the past decade and reaching a major milestone in 2025, when all the company’s own-grown plants and growing environments became completely peat-free.

This achievement reflects Hillier’s position as a forward-thinking, family-run business committed to raising environmental and horticultural standards across the country and beyond. Its work has also been recognised internationally, including multiple awards from the International Association of Horticultural Producers and the prestigious International Grower of the Year title.

Collaboration has been key to this progress. Since 2022, Hillier has been a member of the RHS Peat-Free Fellowship, a DEFRA and RHS supported initiative focused on developing sustainable alternatives to peat. Through this partnership, the business is contributing to research that will benefit the wider horticultural industry both for professional growers and at home gardeners.

Education and awareness sit at the heart of Hillier’s sustainability strategy. A dedicated peat-free hub on its website provides practical advice, tackles common misconceptions and helps gardeners successfully transition to peat-free growing. This is supported by ongoing media engagement, public speaking and industry advocacy, positioning Hillier as a trusted voice in sustainable gardening.

Adam Dunnett, Production and Amenity Director, said: “We’re incredibly proud to have our hard work and commitment to a peat-free future recognised at the Ideal Home Awards.

“Our nursery team works tirelessly to develop practical, effective solutions for peat-free growing, while also supporting the RHS through the Peat-Free Fellowship to raise awareness of the environmental impact of peat and help identify sustainable alternatives that deliver the same performance.

“The Hillier Peat-Free Hub was created with this in mind, providing customers with clear, accessible information on why peat-based composts are not sustainable long term, and how they can successfully make the switch.

“With the peat ban delayed once again, it is more important than ever to educate and empower gardeners to understand the impact of their choices. Recognition from the Ideal Home Awards helps amplify this message and reinforces that our mission to remove peat from shelves is both necessary and worthwhile.”

By combining innovation, education and decisive action, Hillier demonstrates that high-quality plant production and environmental responsibility can go hand in hand - making it a deserving winner of the One Step for Sustainability award.

To find out more about the Ideal Home Awards and its winners, visit: https://www.idealhome.co.uk/garden/ideal-home-awards-2026-garden-winners . To explore Hillier Nurseries Peat-Free Hub, see: www.hillier.co.uk/peat-free

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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.