An idyllic horticultural nursery located near Snape

In 1960, Arthur and Betty Booker set out to establish their dream nursery. They were tenants renting a smallholding on the Land Settlement Association estate at Fulney near Spalding in Lincolnshire, but wished to move and have a place of their own. Having found their ideal property down the leafy lanes of Suffolk, Ladybird Nurseries came into being. On a 6.5-acre site with modest glasshouses and a historic cottage, they built a thriving business from the ground up. Their dedication to quality and their passion for horticulture laid the foundation for what Ladybird Nurseries is today.

 

They started with a Grey Fergie tractor, a Howard rotavator, tools and equipment, and a strong drive to succeed. Initially, they grew winter lettuce, followed by tomatoes, and were able to make daffodils blossom early in a heated propagation house. Gladioli, iris, and naturalised daffodils were cultivated in the fields, while chrysanthemums destined for the Christmas market, were grown under a mobile glasshouse built by Arthur. Bedding plants were sold in spring and autumn. The work was hard and relentless; bitter weather, such as the winter of 1963 - 1964, made life difficult. Yet, they gained a reputation for quality produce.

 

Their son, Bob, pursued formal horticultural training at Writtle College before returning in 1986 with his wife, Maggie, and their young daughter, Angela. With Bob and Maggie onboard, the nursery was expanded and modernised. In response to the growth of supermarkets and the decline of independent retailers, the nursery moved away from the commercial wholesale of salad crops and towards growing ornamental plants for direct retail to the gardening public.

 

Arthur and Betty retired at the end of 1999, leaving a thriving nursery in the capable hands of Bob and Maggie. In 2008, the business gained wide recognition, ranking 4th in a national competition run by the BBC's Gardener's World magazine to find the public's favourite gardening outlet. Ladybird Nurseries was the only independent nursery among large garden centres in the top ten.