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Stewarts is a family owned business established in 1742 and can be tracked back eight generations, see our history page to find out more about where and how we started.
We now have three Garden centres, a Nursery and a Landscaping division, all based in Dorset and Hampshire; our Garden centres are in Christchurch, Broomhill (just outside Wimborne) and we recently acquired Abbey Garden centre in Titchfield, Fareham. We offer a comprehensive choice of expertly sourced products and services for the home and garden.
We are rightly proud of our history. It’s amazing, not only for the fact that the business has remained within the same family for over 260 years, but also for the amount of historical material that has been saved during that time. However, we remain a business, and the fact remains that in commerce a ‘nice’ history counts for nothing (just consider Barings Bank). A history will always remain a ‘nice to have’, it does not guarantee us a future. We need to understand that.
Charles Stewart, the Great, Great, Great Grandfather of the Company’s present Managing Director, was a plantsman of renown in the era of the great Scottish nurseries of the 18th century. Records show that his family were growing forestry trees as far back as 1742. His knowledge and professional skills were later to re-emerge in his eldest son John who, in 1835, transferred his father’s nurseries to Broughty Ferry on Scotland’s East Coast and continued their extensive seed business from premises in Dundee.
John traded under the name of John Stewart of Dundee while also acquiring the century old business of William Urquhart and Sons. Many documents survive which relate to his period of management to tell of his vast range of stock; of the thousands of millions of forest trees he grew and how he threw open his nursery grounds and plant houses for public enjoyment. “The grounds were beautiful in the extreme and afforded unalloyed delight to the crowds of visitors who were attracted to them” reported one Scottish paper at the time.
Of David’s four sons who followed in his footsteps, it was left to A.F. Martin Stewart to overcome the depressing period of the early 1900s. But overcome it he did and the firm continued as one of the largest producers of nursery stock in the country. They undertook major landscaping projects, massive tree moving, the laying of golf courses and tennis courts. Ferndown Golf Course was constructed by D. Stewart & Son, with all the construction records still in existence. Over the years they established branch nurseries at Deans Park and Strouden in Bournemouth, another at Milford-on-Sea, at Glastonbury in Somerset, Bosham in Sussex and nearer to their head office at Uddens, Parley, Longham and West Moors.
D Stewart & Son remained at Ferndown for a full century before vacating the site in favour of fresh farmland at Broomhill during the 1950’s. It was at this time, perhaps the most dramatic phase in the firm’s long history, that container grown stock was introduced into Britain. An article in the Sunday Times (28th May 1972) acknowledges that it was Edward Stewart (only son of A.F. Martin Stewart) who should be credited with this initiative. He changed in one action, the whole horticultural industry. By leaving their root system untouched, plants could be transplanted 12 months a year. Prior to this innovation, nurseries, (including Stewarts) only had income from October to March each year.
During the 1970’s a Garden Shop was opened on the site of the Nursery at Broomhill, later to become the Country Garden Centre. In 1972 the Company also started Interior Landscaping following a visit to Stewarts by the P.A. to the Managing Director of Frizzell Insurance. Barclays International in Poole started using our maintenance just six months later and still is to this day, something we are very proud of. Now there are over 500 commercial premises in the south of England using the Company’s services.
The Company was proud to move all its extensive historical records to the purpose built facilities at Dorset Archives in Dorchester where they help form the history of early Ferndown in particular as well as a great deal of other local history. A video of the Company’s history up to the mid 1990’s is available on request.
At our Stewarts Broomhill centre located near Wimborne, we have a fascinating play area with Bertie and Gertie, our pygmy goats, a badling of ducks and a brood of chickens. We also have three pigs, Dorothy. Arnold and Mabel, who live on our Nursery land and help us rotate the soil.
We support a local charity every year, nominated by our staff and in the past have supported Macmillan Caring Locally, Dorset Wildlife Trust, Help For Heroes and Julia’s House.
Stewarts Garden Centres and Landscaping aim to be at the forefront of green issues in the way we operate, in the products we supply to our customers and the ethos in which the way our business is run.
We have identified three areas where our business can make a contribution to the environment and our surrounding area, this is our small contribution to making the world a better place.
Products
We sell plants and trees, which is great for the environment!
The majority of plants sold at Stewarts are sourced from the UK helping to reduce the distance travelled.
We sell reduced peat products in line with current government guidelines.
We actively look for new products to introduce to our ranges, which include water recycling, organic pest and disease controls, innovative products and products to help our customers recycle and help with organic gardening.
We constantly review our green accreditation and look for any opportunity to improve how Stewarts can help the environment.
Broomhill Garden Buildings
Broomhill Garden Buildings Ltd are a proud retailer of outdoor living and lifestyle products. Their range of garden buildings include log cabins, home offices, garden stores & workshops, garages, gazebos and many other great garden structures.
