The History

We've been around for over 100 years and have a vast experience of growing plants. Our approach has always been to be as organic and environmentally friendly as we can. We use as little heat as possible to raise our plants and use the best quality materials to grow and feed our plants with. This usually means some of our summer bedding may not always be available at the beginning of the growing season but it does mean our plants are as hardy and as strong as the can possibly be.

We also buy in a selection of plants to sell online and at our plant centre, from growers who share our passion and beliefs to supply quality at the best price possible, preferably from other family nurseries and growers.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and we hope you will enjoy shopping with us.

Here is some further history about our business: J Golby & Son was started by John, (Jack) Golby after the First World War. He came back from the war and started a small nursery selling produce from his front room in Alma Street, St. James, Northampton. He married Emily, and their only child known as Fred, started working with him when he left school. At the age of 14 in 1928, Fred helped with every aspect of the nursery life, from building greenhouses to selling and delivering produce around local streets.

The nursery expanded with Fred's help. The heated greenhouses helped to grow early tomatoes and pot plants. Also, they could grow a bigger variety of flowers for their burgeoning florist trade, selling all the produce through the newly acquired shop in St. James.

The second world war came along, and all production had to be turned over to growing fruit and vegetables.

After the war, Fred with newly married wife, Joan greatly expanded the nursery, purchasing land on Millway, Duston Northampton.

Fred started attending the local Northampton market. This greatly helped with sales of what was quite a mix of produce ranging from vegetables, vegetable plants, bedding and perennial plants, cut flowers, tomatoes in the summer and holly wreathes for Christmas.

Fred's specialty was the dahlia. In the nineteen forties and fifties, Fred became a dahlia expert. Fred raised many new varieties and exhibited at many shows around the country - winning many prizes, also becoming a national judge of dahlias.

The dahlia went out of fashion in the nineteen seventies and with the help of Fred's children, Rosemary, Robert and John, expanded the growing of bedding plants, whilst still growing salad and summer flowers for the local market. Rosemary keeping the florist side going at the St. James shop.

The first Garden Centre was opened in nineteen eighty-two. This was a great success and own grown plants were always produced to supply the garden centre.

The centre was rebuilt in the late nineties. Although currently the main building is leased to a homeware store, our ever-expanding range of plants and shrubs are retailed through their store.

Today we have a nursery at Spratton, Northamptonshire where we grow most of our plants that are offered here on our website. Matthew and Joanna the fourth generation are now feeding their skill and knowledge into out nearly one hundred-year-old growing business. We are proud of our heritage and here are just a few photographs to help illustrate it. Thank you.