Family-run garden centre is in its sixth generation

A garden centre loved by generations of families has operated for more than 100 years. Hartley’s Nurseries, located on Northway in Lydiate, began as a small fruit and vegetable shop, traced back to 1890. Now, the family-run business, which has a large plant centre, flower shop and cafe, is in its sixth generation of Hartleys.

Ann-Louise Hartley, 65, runs the business alongside her family, including daughter Annabelle Hartley, 30, who looks after the retail side. Ann-Louise and her husband, Bill Hartley, took over the Lydiate-based business around 1993 and have since welcomed their children onboard and over 20 members of staff.

Ann-Louise told the ECHO: “We’ve got a very dedicated workforce behind us and without them, obviously we couldn’t go anywhere. We’re a very, very dedicated and industrious family and we’ve got a fabulous team behind us.”

Annabelle said: “We’ve got a really great loyal customer base that mum and dad have built up over the years and hopefully Tom and I can continue that. We’ve got a really, really good team. All our employees are brilliant at what they do in each different department.