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Part of three National Trails and a vital green route between Stockton and Middlesbrough, the planting plan was to line the way with 150 trees selected for foliage, suitability and seasonal interest from home-grown stock at Hills Nursery, Stokesley

At Hills, we grow from cuttings and our own propagation.  As with all our shrub production, the healthiest cuttings are selected, checking that they are disease-free and in the best condition for excellent growth results and ultimate plant success. 

The Hills team can be seen below planting out early flushes of Prunus lusitanica (Portuguese Laurel), a firm favourite hardy nursery staple, ideal for residential planting schemes - evergreen, fast-growing and hardy all year round.

As we commit to making the switch to our new grey Modiform pots (read the full story here),  we have packed up our unusable black plastic pots and sent these off to a recycling company.  Rather than reuse these and avoiding any cross-contamination for our newly potted stock, we have decided to draw the line under our single-use potting.

The production team at Hills are deep in the throes of the potting season, with new stock arriving on our newly-laid outer beds each day.  To aid retail nursery, garden centre and landscapers who hold stock prior to planting, Hills can now supply their shrub and herbaceous stock shelved and shrinkwrapped on trollies.  Nursery to forklift to tail lift to customer, this safe, efficient means of delivery takes the hassle out of loading and unloading, reduces handling and helps keep retail-destined plants in pristine condition, ready for sale.

Being near plants is proven to help not only your health but your well-being - as well as bringing natural beauty to an otherwise grey and dull exterior.  Hill and Sons have helped add a little natural outlook to the patients and visitors at South Tees Hospital, thanks to the efforts of volunteer Kathy and some donated shrubs from the Stokesley nursery. The view is now much improved and will fill and mature to create a blanket of foliage, scent and colour interest throughout the seasons, with plants donated by Hill and Sons including lavenders and Euonymus Emerald and Gold.

From 2020, Hill and Sons have introduced new grey recyclable pots into their production streams.  These new Thermoform pots, supplied by leading pot suppliers Modiform, are already in use on the nursery.  "Closing the material loop" is a long term commitment of Hills with their suppliers.   Traditionally, waste processing plants have been unable to accept black pots from nurseries and garden centres as their carbon black colour renders them undetectable by the infra-red sensors and therefore cannot be channelled into recycling material.

A Hill and Sons has, quite literally, blossomed from its infancy growing and selling flowers and vegetables, through a period of strawberry and cut flower production to its latter-day focus on young plants, shrubs and container-grown and field-grown trees.  David Hill, grandson of the founder Alan, took over the reins at Hills in 1976, steering the business on its present course as a limited company and supplier of trees, shrubs and hedging for large planting and landscaping schemes across the North East and often further afield.  With his wife Marianne at his side and his two sons now driving the business forward, David speaks proudly of the company’s long-standing reputation which not only holds fast but will take the business into its second century with great promise.

Hills Nursery will be supporting the campaign with the supply of trees from the Stokesley nursery, grown in the field by the fourth generation family-based company celebrating their centenary in 2020.  Headlined by Mayor Andy Preston, the council's vision is to encourage community involvement and to raise the profile of the importance of tree planting, not only from an environmental perspective but from health, air quality, biodiversity and well-being angles.

The initiative will run over the next two years and the council will be supported with advice from Groundwork North East and Cumbria and the supply of trees by Hills.