Accredited Supplier
Hampshire, SO51 9PA trees@hillier.co.uk 01794 368944 www.hillier.co.uk
About Hillier Nurseries Ltd
Hillier Nurseries. We are a family run business with more than 160 years of horticultural passion and knowledge. With 750 acres of field and 50 acres of container tree nurseries, we offer an all-year-round supply of 150 British-grown tree varieties from 8cm to 100cm girth. Our tree heritage, horticultural expertise, and attention to detail mean the trees we grow are of the highest quality.
Areas covered
East Anglia, Midlands, National (Eng/Wales/Scot/NI), North Thames, North West, Northern Ireland, Scotland, South Thames, South West, Wales, Yorkshire North East
Types of work undertaken
- Nursery Stock (up to £100,000)
Projects
Coastal Tree Innovation
Thanet District Council's coastal tree innovation project explored how resilient tree species can help overcome the challenges of harsh seaside environments. Hillier supplied trees capable of thriving in conditions affected by salt-laden winds, drought, poor soils and climate change.
The project focused on increasing canopy cover, improving biodiversity and identifying species suited to long-term establishment in coastal locations. Through careful selection, trial planting and monitoring, valuable insights were gained into urban tree performance, helping to inform future planting strategies and support sustainable greening initiatives across the Thanet district and beyond.
RHS Malvern Spring Festival 2025
The ‘Grain to Garden’ Feature Garden at RHS Malvern Spring Festival 2025 celebrated the connection between agriculture, sustainability and garden design. Designed by Cherry Carmen in collaboration with Task Academy, the garden featured three repurposed grain silos, naturalistic planting, a wildflower meadow and a pond.
Hillier supplied advanced nursery trees and veteran specimens, including Alnus glutinosa, Betula utilis Jacquemontii and 28 veteran Malus domestica ‘Delbard Estivale’, each around 45 years old.
Following the festival, the garden remained on display at the Three Counties Showground, creating a legacy beyond the event.
Yerth Threddle: A Living Art Installation
Yerth Threddle is a permanent public art installation at Ebbsfleet Green, Kent, created through collaboration between Redrow Homes, artist Liz Middleton and Hillier. Inspired by community and local heritage, the installation combines five multi-stemmed Prunus serrula trees with mirrored stainless-steel sculptures designed from 3D scans of each specimen.
Carefully selected and prepared by Hillier, the trees form the living heart of the artwork, symbolising growth, connection and a sense of place. Installed in Spring 2024, the project creates a lasting focal point that will continue to evolve alongside the community.
BSkyB Headquarters
The redevelopment of BSkyB's headquarters in Isleworth, West London, included an extensive landscape scheme designed to transform a former industrial site into a high-quality corporate campus. Working closely with the client, landscape architect and contractor, Hillier supplied and managed
- 230 semi-mature trees, including a super semi-mature oak
- Approximately 29,000 shrubs, herbaceous plants and grasses.
All trees were containerised and contract-grown to ensure successful establishment and accurate site placement. Delivered across four phases with 65 separate deliveries, the project enhanced biodiversity, employee wellbeing and the overall quality of the workplace environment.
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park represents one of the UK's largest urban planting programmes, delivered as part of the London 2012 Olympic development and legacy phases. Hillier supplied and managed approximately:
- 12,000 semi-mature trees
- 2,000 multi-stem specimens
- Over 50,000 shrubs and herbaceous plants.
More than 250 deliveries were coordinated to meet complex construction, security and sustainability requirements. Innovative contract growing, containerisation and tree-tracking systems ensured successful establishment and long-term performance, helping create a 111-acre public park that continues to provide a lasting green legacy for East London.
Elm Avenue, Pontcanna Fields
The restoration of the historic elm avenue at Pontcanna Fields, Cardiff, marked a significant step in replacing trees lost to Dutch Elm Disease. Working with Cardiff Council, Hillier supplied 100 Ulmus ‘New Horizon’, a disease-resistant cultivar selected for resilience, longevity and suitability for urban environments. The project reinstated a landmark landscape feature first established in 1879, preserving an important part of the city's green heritage.
Planted in 2004, the avenue continues to thrive years later, with no reported signs of Dutch Elm Disease and excellent establishment across the site.
