The History of Ladybird Nurseries
It was in 1960 that Arthur and Betty Booker started to plan their new venture. They were tenants renting a smallholding on the Land Settlement Association estate at Fulney near Spalding in Lincolnshire and 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 the 6 ½ acre site were some wooden glasshouses covering about ¼ of an acre, these had been constructed in 1947, along with some outbuildings and sheds and the slightly run down but charming cottage, said to be 400 years old.
There had been a succession of owners of the nursery over the years but none had remained for very long. It was going to be quite a challenge for Arthur, Betty and their young family.
They brought with them a Grey Fergie tractor, a Howard rotavator, tools and equipment and an unquenchable desire to succeed. To begin with the glasshouse crops were winter lettuce followed by tomatoes, daffodils were forced into flower early in the propagation house, heated by a hot water boiler that was oil fired. Gladiolli, Iris and naturalised daffs were grown in the surrounding fields and Chrysanthemums were grown for the Christmas market under a mobile glasshouse structure that Arthur constructed himself, bedding plants were sold in the spring and autumn. The work was hard
and relentless, bitter weather such as the winter of '63-'64 made life difficult, despite the hardships they enjoyed their work and established a reputation for quality in the produce they sold.
Of their four children one, Bob, developed an interest in the business. After studying horticulture at Writtle College in Essex and working in the industry, he returned home to Snape accompanied by his wife Maggie and daughter Angela in the summer of 1986, and so a new chapter in the story began.
New glasshouses were built, irrigation systems installed and the electricity supply upgraded, all went well, then came the hurricane in October '87. Fortunately, despite severe damage to the older structures, all the modern glass survived relatively intact and after a great deal of tidying up the business got back on track. The trade in salad crops was becoming uneconomic; all the local shops were disappearing as supermarkets established stores in the local towns. The hard graft continued and the business grew and developed, over the years many dedicated and dependable staff came to work on the nursery and helped to build the reputation of the establishment. The business focussed more and more on the production of ornamental crops such as spring and autumn bedding plants, plants for hanging baskets and patio pots, alpine and herbaceous perennials along with trees and shrubs. To begin with part of the production went to the wholesale trade but gradually this declined until all the output was taken up by sales to the general public. A reputation for quality, price and service was steadily built.
Betty and Arthur retired at the end of 1999 with the satisfaction of seeing their earlier hard work rewarded with a successful thriving business continuing in the hands of Bob and Maggie. In 2008 Ladybird Nurseries came 4th in a national competition, run by the BBC's Gardener's World magazine, to find the public's favourite gardening outlet. They were the only nursery in the top ten; all the others being large garden centres. Bob and Maggie see a bright future for Ladybird having been joined by their daughter Angela and more recently her husband Paul. They both bring a wealth of business experience and energy which will see the continued success of the nursery, treasured by gardeners far and wide.
It was in 1960 that Arthur and Betty Booker started to plan their new venture. They were tenants renting a smallholding on the Land Settlement Association estate at Fulney near Spalding in Lincolnshire and 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 the 6 ½ acre site were some wooden glasshouses covering about ¼ of an acre, these had been constructed in 1947, along with some outbuildings and sheds and the slightly run down but charming cottage, said to be 400 years old.
There had been a succession of owners of the nursery over the years but none had remained for very long. It was going to be quite a challenge for Arthur, Betty and their young family.
They brought with them a Grey Fergie tractor, a Howard rotavator, tools and equipment and an unquenchable desire to succeed. To begin with the glasshouse crops were winter lettuce followed by tomatoes, daffodils were forced into flower early in the propagation house, heated by a hot water boiler that was oil fired. Gladiolli, Iris and naturalised daffs were grown in the surrounding fields and Chrysanthemums were grown for the Christmas market under a mobile glasshouse structure that Arthur constructed himself, bedding plants were sold in the spring and autumn. The work was hard
and relentless, bitter weather such as the winter of '63-'64 made life difficult, despite the hardships they enjoyed their work and established a reputation for quality in the produce they sold.
Of their four children one, Bob, developed an interest in the business. After studying horticulture at Writtle College in Essex and working in the industry, he returned home to Snape accompanied by his wife Maggie and daughter Angela in the summer of 1986, and so a new chapter in the story began.
New glasshouses were built, irrigation systems installed and the electricity supply upgraded, all went well, then came the hurricane in October '87. Fortunately, despite severe damage to the older structures, all the modern glass survived relatively intact and after a great deal of tidying up the business got back on track. The trade in salad crops was becoming uneconomic; all the local shops were disappearing as supermarkets established stores in the local towns. The hard graft continued and the business grew and developed, over the years many dedicated and dependable staff came to work on the nursery and helped to build the reputation of the establishment. The business focussed more and more on the production of ornamental crops such as spring and autumn bedding plants, plants for hanging baskets and patio pots, alpine and herbaceous perennials along with trees and shrubs. To begin with part of the production went to the wholesale trade but gradually this declined until all the output was taken up by sales to the general public. A reputation for quality, price and service was steadily built.
Betty and Arthur retired at the end of 1999 with the satisfaction of seeing their earlier hard work rewarded with a successful thriving business continuing in the hands of Bob and Maggie. In 2008 Ladybird Nurseries came 4th in a national competition, run by the BBC's Gardener's World magazine, to find the public's favourite gardening outlet. They were the only nursery in the top ten; all the others being large garden centres. Bob and Maggie see a bright future for Ladybird having been joined by their daughter Angela and more recently her husband Paul. They both bring a wealth of business experience and energy which will see the continued success of the nursery, treasured by gardeners far and wide.