About J. Parker’s

They welcome you to their gardening website and hope you find it both informative and entertaining.

Martin Parker left his home in the Dutch village of Beverwijk in 1933 to start a mail-order bulb business in England. After three generations of his family worked in the bulb growing and exporting industry in Holland, he was ready to start a new business in England.

J. Parker‘s was founded in relative anonymity. The wholesale business began at the owner’s modest terrace house on Chester Road in Manchester. Martin and his wife Joan conducted the business out of their backyard shed, where the products were stored and packed. They were self-employed from their house during the decades between the late 1930s and the end of World War II.

the golden age of gardening The business grew steadily, and by the ’50s, Christopher, Martin’s son, had joined the family business. In the ’50s, there was a brief gardening boom, so the family decided to expand their business. A piece of farmland in Anwick, Lincolnshire was purchased after they made the decision to plant bulbs there. The company expanded at an astounding rate throughout the 1950s. About the same time as their wholesale operation moved to Anwick, Lincolnshire, their retail operation moved to Manchester.

In 1971, a postal strike in Britain occurred for the first time ever. Because of the strike, Parker’s lost over $1 million (in constant currency terms) on catalogue orders that were never dispatched. The strike’s detrimental effects on business forced the family to sell off assets like farmland in Anwick and their customer mailing list.

Martin Parker’s son Chris took over the business in the early 1970s, and the company quickly grew into wholesale. Reader products that contained discounts and pricing comparisons from competitors were highly beneficial to the horticultural sector, despite the fact that they were controversial at the time. In the 1970s, the once-modest retail catalogue grew into a full-fledged shopping bible.

The early 1980s were a time of great expansion for the company, necessitating a move to larger offices on Manchester’s Hadfield Street. After a reorganization, the company’s wholesale shipments are now dispatched from Anwick, while retail shipments are handled by the Manchester distribution center. Martin was able to stay active till the end of his life by volunteering at the Anwick warehouse. This allowed him to keep holding meetings with clients at the Anwick garden center, which he found both relaxing and inspiring.

Chris’s sons, Paul and Daniel, began working in the family business during their early adolescence. Paul completed his bachelor’s degree in business studies and then immediately joined the organization. He had worked hard for the company for many years before being elevated to director. It wasn’t long until Daniel was running the show at the Flixton garden center.

Daniel went to college and studied both fine art and landscape architecture before he joined the family business. Upon graduating from university, he entered the field of landscape architecture, where he has since worked for the likes of the Royal Horticultural Society, the National Health Service, and even Gary Nevill. His final show garden of the 2000s took home gold at the RHS Tatton Garden Show and was named best in show. In the early 2000s, the groundwork was laid for what would eventually become their website. Their order processes were revolutionized by the website, allowing for unprecedented growth. In 2016, Paul became J. Parker‘s Managing Director. In 2018, he was appointed to CEO. Chris Sr. remains Chairman of the Board and is involved in the developing wholesale business.

In 2010, they added a cafe and restaurant to their already expansive Flixton Garden Centre. The Garden Centre was completely renovated and reopened in the early spring of 2011. It was planned to start building a new 25,000 square foot warehouse and modernized garden center in 2015. Larger parking spaces, a brand-new café, and plenty of natural light are just a few of the amenities that visitors to the new garden center will enjoy.

In 2017, Anwick expanded their plant by an additional 60,000 square feet and constructed a nursery to house their newly relocated Retail despatch operations from Manchester. Construction on a gigantic, state-of-the-art despatch facility at the Anwick site began in the middle of 2019 and was completed by year’s end. Because of this, they can easily and swiftly bring their customers nursery-fresh plants and bulbs.

The future seems bright for J. Parker‘s because they achieved their 5-year growth goal in just 12 months in 2021. With Paul Parker’s family at the helm, the company is poised to continue its organic growth by creating cutting-edge products at affordable prices and providing industry-leading service to its clientele.

J. Parker’s Best Deals

Do you desire the most exquisite flowers for your garden arrangements? Everything from bulbs and perennial border plants to tasty fruits and vegetables, and everything in between, at deeply discounted prices, is available there. Plant your favorite perennials in containers, or lay out your favorite bulbs and tubers along the bed’s perimeter. There are no set guidelines to follow when creating lavish garden displays, and now you can do it on a budget! Find all of their best offers in one convenient place.

Apple Ellisons Orange

This is a top-tier Cox’s Orange Pippin descendant with a flavor profile remarkably similar to that of the parent variety. When eaten mature, right off the tree in September–November, the apple develops a delicate aniseed flavor in the smooth, luscious flesh. Ellison’s Orange is largely self-fertile and has improved disease resistance compared to its parent. The Royal Horticultural Society has recognized this dependable variety with its Award of Garden Merit. It can be kept to a more manageable size by annual pruning, or, for a less aggressive bush, a large pot is ideal for the patio, where it can thrive in partial shade. Hardy two-year-old trees grafted onto dwarf root stock are available from them.

Pear Beurre Hardy

The Beurre Hardy’ pear is a huge, unique French variety with a meltingly sweet, juicy flesh and a beautiful rose-water perfume. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has recognized Beurre Hardy with an Award of Garden Merit, indicating its superiority as a pear suitable for cultivation in England. A late-season harvest can be expected beginning in November with this exceptionally hardy type. They thrive in full sun and rich, well-drained soil, and their eventual height can reach 4 meters (13 feet). When planted beside Doyenne du Commice, this pear tree becomes an ideal pollinator for other varieties of pears. In April and May, the garden puts on a spectacular flowering show with bright white blooms that attract butterflies and birds. Quince A. is available as semi-dwarf two-year-old grafted trees.

Apple Laxtons Superb

The late-season apple harvest is unparalleled in quality. Beautiful pale green-shaded red fruit and delicious, firm flesh make “Laxton’s Superb” a traditional English favorite. It’s a good pollinator and produces a lot of fruit once it’s established, and it’s also somewhat self-fertile. The fruit is excellent for storage up until January and does well in cooler temperatures and during frost. It may require some care to prevent disease, but this is more than compensated for by the bumper harvest in a good year. This classic tree grows to a height of three meters at maturity but can be trimmed to any size with minimal effort. From April to May, it will bloom beautifully, bringing butterflies and other pollinators to your yard. The fruit is delicious when eaten raw, but it can also be cooked and used in baked goods or blended in sauces. Dwarf root stock supplied and grafted onto a hardy two-year-old tree.

Apple Newton Wonder

This great cooking apple has been around since the 1870s, and its popularity has only grown since then. The ‘Newton Wonder’ variety of fruit grows to be rather large and has a bright red color with a greenish blush. Cook with them or enjoy them fresh; their slightly sweeter flavor makes them the ideal complement to Bramley’s. With a higher harvest every other year, the apples can be stored from November all the way through March. If you want your plants to flourish, put them in full light and choose soil that drains well and is neutral in pH.

The best fruit may be found at J. Parker‘s

If you’re in search of the freshest, tastiest fruits around, J. Parker‘s is your best bet. All of the delicious and healthy fruits sold in their stores come from the most selective farms in the country. They have the freshest, most delicious fruits and vegetables, from plump, luscious peaches to sweet, tart berries and zesty citrus. J. Parker‘s is the place to go if you’re a fruit aficionado or if you just want to add some healthy variety to your diet. Come on in and see what all the fuss is about.