Our Broadmead Container Nursery, located next to Hillier head office in Ampfield, Hampshire, allows us to offer all year-round planting of our quality, British-grown trees.
Broadmead Nursery, Romsey
Broadmead Nursery, Romsey
For the past few decades, Hillier Trees has pioneered the containerisation of trees. We have encouraged new developments in container technology, embracing the very best advancements.
Hillier were one of the very first nurseries to grow in a 100% peat free growing material, and we have been peat free for over 15 years. We are continually trialling new mixes to help improve the quality and health of our trees as well as the environmental credentials of our bespoke peat free mix. The small percentage of coir used in our mix is now from recycled coir. The improvement process is a continuous one.
There are on average 50,000 container trees readily available to supply each year. Over 90% of our container trees have been grown in our own fields and carefully containerised, ensuring consistent high quality, the very highest biosecurity standards are met and we can offer a truly British grown container tree range.
There will always be a small number of species which do not grow at commercial rates in our Hampshire climate, but are required by our customers and these are contract grown for us to our specifications and by partner nurseries who uphold the highest biosecurity standards and quality standards.
Our container trees provide the highest opportunity for successful establishment in their ultimate destination.
Expanding Capacity at Broadmead Tree Nursery: A Milestone in Container Tree Production
Exciting developments are underway at our Broadmead Container Tree Nursery, where we’ve just completed a brand-new 45 litre container tree area. This addition will enable us to pot an impressive 2000+ extra 45Ls, further boosting our capacity to supply top-quality trees.
Over the past five years, our container production has skyrocketed, with an increase of over 200%. This growth reflects our commitment to meeting the rising demand for British-grown trees, while keeping the highest standards of quality and sustainability.
Our Local Authority sales team has been instrumental in driving this progress, showcasing their dedication and expertise in promoting our trees to a wider audience. With their drive, we’re already planning further expansions to our Hampshire-grown container capacity, ensuring we remain at the forefront of the industry.
This investment highlights our commitment to sustainable tree production and our ambition to support green initiatives across the UK. Whether for urban environments, rural landscapes, or conservation projects, our trees are grown with care to thrive and contribute to a greener future.
Containerisation
Our British-grown container trees start off growing in our fields at Andlers Ash and Hill Farm which cover over 700 acres of land. All of these trees are transplanted multiple times by Hillier experts throughout their production. This continuous transplanting ensures the tree develops a full, fibrous root system and well-developed canopy.
All trees to be containerised are hand-selected by our lead nursery manager, who assesses their readiness. The trees are lifted as bare root or root ball from our fields, then carefully transported to our Broadmead Container Nursery and potted into the right container to allow the tree to root through for a minimum of one growing season. The potting material used in this process is 100% peat free.
Contact Us