All our trees are produced for us by the Frank P. Matthews nursery, a long-established family business and one of the largest tree nurseries in the UK. Stephanie James, the Managing Director, joined in 2007 and is the 4th generation of the family to lead the nursery.
We were one of the first online retailers to sign-up with Frank P. Matthews, and we have stayed with them ever since. Here's why:
- Firstly, and most importantly, the excellent quality of the trees they produce. Trees are a long-term investment and we think it is really important to start with good specimens. Over the years we have seen examples of trees supplied by many growers in the UK and abroad, and for consistent quality there is no doubt that the Frank P. Matthews trees are among the best.
- We like their commitment to growing healthy well-presented trees, and the way they have welcomed our feedback on the best tree specification for mail-order trees.
- The nursery is regularly inspected by Defra, and also has the recently-introduced 'Plant Healthy' certification.
- All the container-grown trees we sell are produced here in the UK.
- We are impressed by the way the team at Frank P. Matthews have led rather than followed industry trends. For example, we all know we should be reducing peat usage - but their container-grown trees have been peat-free since 2010. They were also the first to move to using larger 12L containers, recognising the extra space ensured a better root system.
In short, we are delighted to list their trees on our website. In fact unlike many other online retailers we only sell their trees!