16
THECOMMERCIAL GREENHOUSEGROWER • MAY 2018
• NURSERY 6ISIT
In 1969, DavidHoward started the nursery as a
partnership, becoming the sole owner in2000whenhe
formedHowardNurseries Limited. His daughter Christine
joined in 2006, bringing training and skills learned at
WrittleUniversityCollege; she is nowmanagingdirector,
writesRichardShepherd-Barron.
Today, the company is a leading trade grower of
herbaceous perennials, operating fromover 150 acres
on their farm atWorthamnear Diss, inNorfolk, which
has sandy tomedium loam soil and, surprisingly for the
drier East Anglian region, around 700mmof rain each
year. There are 40permanent staff with approximately
10 local people joining in as temporaryworkers during
themain season. ChristineHoward said: “We nowgrow
each year well over 1millionopengroundplants, 900,000
9cm and 300,000 1 and2 litrepots.We’ve expandedour
activities andnowhave approximately 1500 varieties in
our rangewith95per cent of theplants being fromour
ownpropagation”. Howard’s supply on awholesalebasis
only to independent retailers, nurseries, local authorities,
gardendesigners and landscape contractors.
With smartmodernbuildings for packingplants, four
largepolythene tunnels, several shade tunnels and
an1155 sqmCambridge glasshouse, the site iswell
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planned for the near futurewhichwill givemore space for
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for plant propagation and this team is responsible also
for the “rogueing” programme on all their beds to remove
any plants that are not true to type. A small percentage
of plants arebought in asweaned tissue cultureplugs
which allowsHoward’s tohave complete control over
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are grownon 65 acres, beingplanted either by aplanting
or dibbingmachine. Smaller bare root orders aredugby
handbut the large orders aremachine lifted. Large gravel
bedswhich are laidonMypexweed control sheets have
concretedriveways formachinery access. There is a Javo
pottingmachine todeal with the 9cm, 2 and5 litrepots
with very little handpotting takingplace -when really
necessary. In the sunshine of East Anglia, irrigation is an
important part of Howard’s growing system. They have
threebore holes on their landplus two large reservoirs,
all serving the site through a fully “plumbed” systemof
&AMILY "USINESSA00ROACHES
HAL& ACENTURY
TheDavidHowardDahlia.
01295 688422www.hortec.co.uk
THE JAVO
ECOBASIC
AFFORDABLEQUALITY
