About Us

 

We are an independent garden centre & nursery, based in Swarkestone, Derby, owned and operated by the Jackson Family. 

 

What started as a Market Gardener business in the 20th Century, us Jacksons have been growing plants and vegetables for generations. Starting out by supplying vegetables to wholesale markets in Derby, Nottingham and Leicester before eventually, we were delivering as far as Sheffield, Leeds, Covent Garden and onto supermarkets including Morrisons from their base at Kings Newton, South Derbyshire.

During the late 1980's, we began to grow and sell bedding plants as a side line to our vegetables. This is when the glasshouse everyone knows and loves was finally erected with the purpose of growing vegetable and bedding plants. By the 1990's, sales of bedding and ornamental plants we're flying and by 1999, vegetable production and distribution stopped. Swarkestone Nursery opened as an all-year-round garden centre in the year 2000! 

During the late 2000's, eldest daughter Laura Jackson followed in her father John's footsteps and studied horticulture at Pershore College before joining company and the running of Swarkestone Nursery. Since then, we have opened a Garden Restaurant, and started to recently venture into the running of events, including the well loved Fairs, and newer ventures of Garden Talks, family planting events, and even a Christmas Grotto! There are lots more exciting projects on the horizon for our Garden Centre in the coming years, which everyone at Swarkestone is very excited about! 

 

And it wouldn't be possible without the fabulous team of staff we have at the Garden Centre and Restaurant! With expert teams for the plant area, nursery, garden centre, and restaurant, we're proud of our community of staff who work very hard to make our garden centre brilliant and are always happy to help with any questions or advice you may have/need!