At Hillier Nurseries, a team of around 25 full-time workers is in place, with more people at busy seasonal times. Together, this team looks after plant growth and pruning, potting and crop work, cares for the nursery sites and manages delivery to our garden centres. The Nurseries team is also in charge of preparing thousands of plants for display at garden shows.
Find out more about a few of the members of our Nurseries team here.
Charles Carr
Head of Hillier Wholesale Nurseries
With Hillier Since: January 2018 (trained at Hillier as an apprentice from 1987 to 1991)
Responsible for:
Managing the site and the team, developing the growing systems and trying to make sure everything is able to run like clockwork! Plant purchasing, production scheduling and developing the range of plants we grow, especially looking for new introductions, is a big part of my job. Being a ‘plant lover,’ this is also the fun bit; seeing a new variety for the first time is always such a privilege!
Having spent my whole career on nurseries I very much love to get out amongst the plants and involved in the growing. However, the role often ties me to a computer more than I would like; it’s still a wonderful industry and environment to be a part of, and I consider myself very lucky.
What’s your favourite plant?
There’s too many to choose from and its always seasonal – in winter, I get excited by the swelling buds of the Hamamelis with their wonderful winter fragrance, though who can walk past a hellebore in winter without tipping it up to admire the beauty?
Jo Fell
Head Grower Brentry
With Hillier Since: 2011
Responsible for:
I manage the day to day team and labour requirements, while leading the growing team to ensure all our plants are grown in the optimum environment to achieve the best quality crop. Ensuring all necessary cultural techniques are on time, optimal nutrition and watering levels are achieved and all to the correct set standard. I also lead the team for all growing and preparation of our show plants.
How I came to be at Hillier / working in horticulture:
I have been working in the horticultural industry for 22 years with the last 12 years being with Hillier. After I had left school I started training in agriculture but couldn’t find a suitable job to go along side so I moved to the New Forest where I joined my first nursery for what I had planned as just a season until I found my dream farming role, 10 years later my horticultural career had well and truly began!
What’s your favourite plant?
Lilium formosanum var. pricei, with its beautiful summer scent.
Stephen Carr
Technical Manager
Responsible for:
- Planning and implementing a Pest and Disease control system (I am qualified to the of BASIS in pest and disease control)
- Looking after the general health of plants growing on the nursery.
- With the help of the Tech staff and Spray Technician
- biological pest control system
- using bio-pesticides, bio-fungicides
- and if needs be conventional chemistry
- Advising on cultural crop protection techniques.
- Maintenance and upkeep of the site and all its facilities and equipment
- Water system
- Heating systems
- All structures on site
- Vehicles
How I came to be at Hillier / working in horticulture:
I have been with Hillier for 2½ years. I have, however, worked for a number of other nurseries throughout the country, including Scotland, and spent a year on a tree nursery in Holland.
I’ve been involved in the horticultural trade for the past 37 years, working in propagation all the way through field grown and pot grown specimen trees and everything in between. I also worked for a time in a garden centre.
What’s your favourite plant?
My favourite plant is a tree, Betula pendula.
Gill Dowling
Propagator
Responsible for:
My main area of responsibility is running the propagation, research and development area on the Woodlands site. Here, I propagate an ever-expanding range of plants from cuttings and seed and look after their next stage of development as a liner.
How I came to be at Hillier / working in horticulture:
I have over 26 years of experience working on a previous nursery before joining the Hillier team in 2022.
What’s your favourite plant?
I can’t pin point a favourite plant, but I enjoy Cercis ‘Forest Pansy,’ bearded Iris, foxgloves, some grasses and Hellebores. Since working for Hillier, this is definitely going to expand.
Richard Barton
Senior Grower (Woodlands)
Responsible for:
I am responsible for looking after the Woodlands Container Unit, where we grow the larger specimen plants and specialist plants for the Hillier Garden centres. I lead the team in all aspects of work to ensure the best-quality plants are grown.
What’s your favourite plant?
Any of the Polygonatum (Solomon Seal) plants. Such an underrated shade-loving plant that can really fill in where other plants cannot.
George Bailey
Grower
Responsible for:
On our Brentry site, I am the Grower who is primarily responsible for growing crops under Spanish tunnels and our four little glass houses, where I grow a range of herbaceous plants, herbs and shrubs. I am also responsible for the majority of our stock put aside for the Gardener’s World Show.
How I came to be at Hillier / working in horticulture:
I came to Hillier’s after doing work experience when I was 14 years old. Hillier has guided and encouraged me to pursue my current career. Because of this, as of April 22, 2023, I will have been with Hillier for four years.
Will Aplin
Grower
Responsible for:
On our Brentry site, I am the Grower in the two main glasshouses, which house the majority of our herbaceous crops as well as our lavender stock.
How I came to be at Hillier / working in horticulture:
My background is quite varied; my experience ranges from 7 years in hairdressing to 4 years answering 999 calls for the ambulance service. Lockdown during the COVID pandemic encouraged me to look for something more meaningful, and it’s safe to say I’ve never looked back.
Last year I completed my Level 3 Crop Technician apprenticeship with Pershore College, which is something I’m hugely proud of.
What’s your favourite plant?
It’s almost impossible to say what my favourite plant is, but I have a big passion for the etymology behind plant nomenclature and a crop I am enjoying at the moment is Callistemon, which derives from the Greek kallos ‘beauty’ + stēmōn ‘thread or stamen.’ This speaks for itself when you see the flowers of the plant.
Brunnera is my favourite plant because it shows the change of seasons with its soft variegated leaves and pretty sky blue flowers.
Ryan Hewett
Grower
Responsible for:
I am the Grower in charge of watering checks and irrigation programs. It’s my responsibility to ensure that the plants in my care are in optimal growing conditions.
I addition, I oversee teams that perform various tasks to maintain our growing environments and strengthen our plant line through feeding and pruning.
How I came to be at Hillier / working in horticulture:
I’ve been working in horticulture for four years, initially to reconnect with myself and the outdoors, and I discovered my love for plants in the process.
Now approaching a year and a half with Hillier, I have found my stride and am always pushing for the next milestone.
I am currently enrolled as a crop technician apprentice.
What’s your favourite plant?
Having delved into many pruning processes in the last year, I’ve developed a large appreciation for Acers and their creative structure.
I own an Acer palmatum ‘Red Pygmy,’ that I’m nursing back to good health.
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