Ravensworth Nurseries

Ravensworth Nurseries Ltd, (historically trading as Bradbrook & Hannah) is an English horticultural business and garden centre located in Ravensworth, North Yorkshire.

It supplies garden centres and retailers across the United Kingdom as well as its own on-site sales.[1]

History

The business was founded by Doug Bradbrook and his brother-in-law William Hannah in 1966.[1]

The business began by growing lettuces and tomatoes, but increased competition from the Common Market and rising heating costs saw them move into bedding plants and later pot plants such as poinsettias.[2] They are one of only two businesses that grow poinsettias in the United Kingdom, growing around 18,000 of the plants in 2012.[3][4]

In 1996 they erected the world's largest hanging basket.[5] The basket weighed 5 long tons (5.1 tonnes), was 23 feet (7 metres) across and 9 feet (2.7 metres) high and contained 1,000 plants of one hundred different varieties.[5]

By 2006, the business had a £1.8 million annual turnover, six acres of glasshouses and employed around 35 people.[6] Since 2006 the business has used an eco-friendly woodchip burner to heat three of its glasshouses.[2] Waste wood is delivered for free by local companies, and the wood is chipped on site, once a week.[7]

References
  1. "Finding alternative to oil after price rise cuts bill by 85pc". The Northern Echo. 1 December 2006. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
  2. "Medal for eco-friendly nurseryman". The Northern Echo. 16 July 2008.
  3. Douglas, Andrew (12 November 2012). "Ravensworth Nursery, near Richmond, preparing 12,000 Christmas poinsettias". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
  4. "Gardener Sue Dale inspects poinsettia plants prior to their shipment from the Ravensworth nursery near Richmond, northern England". AlertNet (Reuters). 13 November 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2012.
  5. "THIS WILL TAKE SOME WATERING". The Northern Echo. 17 June 1996. p. 1.
  6. Bradbrook, Doug. "Seeds of success" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 September 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
  7. "ARABLE: Biomass: Cheaper glasshouse heating". Farmers Guardian. 2 February 2007.
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