Hills Plants

What Hills Plants does

Hills Plants (legally Hill Brothers Limited) is a fourth-generation, family-owned UK ornamental plant nursery headquartered in Chichester, West Sussex, producing approximately 3 million plants per year across more than 7 acres of glasshouse and growing facilities. Founded in 1920, the company operates a dual-channel model: a B2B wholesale business supplying peat-free indoor foliage and seasonal outdoor lines to UK supermarket multiples (relationships dating to the 1980s), garden centres, independent retailers, florists, DIY chains, farm shops, and corporate/commercial buyers via a registered trade webshop; and a direct-to-consumer channel through its wholly-owned sub-brand The Little Botanical, which sells curated, styled houseplants, accessories, and terrariums online and through The Little Shop showroom in Runcton. The company is the largest UK grower of Poinsettias (220,000 grown on-site; 650,000 sourced for Christmas) and one of the largest indoor plant growers in the country.

Production is built on a proprietary peat-free substrate developed through three-plus years of R&D, Vermako twin-wall greenhouses delivering 35% energy efficiency improvement over traditional glasshouses, biomass heating fueled by local Controlled Forestry wood chip, solar PV, rainwater harvesting with 90% water reuse, and Erfgoed ebb-and-flood irrigation. The company holds BOPP Silver Grower and BOPP Packhouse Approved status, LEAF Marque accreditation, Sedex approval, and is an RHS Transition to Peat Free Fellowship member; in 2025 it won the RHS Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medal and Best Houseplant Studio award for the Babylon Beats exhibit.

Revenue is generated from wholesale plant sales to UK retailers and from DTC plant and accessory sales via The Little Botanical. Wholesale pricing is not publicly disclosed (registration-gated), while consumer pricing is transparent on the Little Botanical website. The business is entirely bootstrapped with no disclosed external investors and is led by Managing Director Greg Hill (fourth generation) and NPD & Technical Manager Morag Hill, supported by a team covering sales, commercial, procurement, production, compliance, and finance functions.

Name

Hills Plants

Legal name

Hill Brothers Limited

Website

http://www.hillsplants.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hills Plants is a plant nursery that produces and supplies ornamental flowering pot plants for indoor and outdoor.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ornamental Plant Nursery

NAICS

Greenhouse, Nursery, and Floriculture Production (1114), Nursery and Floriculture Production (11142), Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Retailers (44424)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Retail-Building Materials, Hardware, Garden Supply (5200)

akta.pro primary industry

Landscape Plant & Nursery Stock Wholesalers (Grower-Wholesalers) (AFAGAHAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Plants, Seeds & Nursery Retail (Garden Centers) (CRAIAIAB), Nursery Production (Woody Ornamentals: Trees, Shrubs, Roses) (AFAGAHAF)

Keywords

• Ornamental plant production
• Wholesale plant supply
• Indoor foliage plants
• Peat-free horticulture
• Garden centre supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Chichester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Plant Sales: B2B wholesale supply of peat-free indoor foliage plants and seasonal outdoor lines to UK retailers, garden centres, multiples, and independent businesses. Core revenue stream with dedicated wholesale webshop and account management.
2. The Little Botanical Consumer Brand: Consumer-facing direct-to-public sales through dedicated e-commerce website (thelittlebotanical.com). Premium curated houseplants with styled pots and accessories for end consumers.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Hills Plants is a UK wholesale plant nursery producing approximately 3 million peat-free indoor foliage plants and seasonal outdoor ornamental plants per year. It supplies these plants to supermarkets, garden centres, florists, DIY chains, and independent retailers under the Hills Plants trade name, and sells curated, styled houseplants and accessories directly to UK consumers under its wholly-owned sub-brand The Little Botanical.

Product overview

Hills Plants is a UK-based wholesale plant grower and supplier operating since 1920, producing approximately 3 million plants annually across over five acres of production. The company offers a dual-channel approach through its core wholesale business supplying retailers, garden centres, multiples, and florists across the UK, and The Little Botanical sub-brand for direct-to-consumer sales. Their product portfolio includes peat-free indoor foliage plants (Ferns, Poinsettias, Dracaenas, Sansevierias, Calatheas, Ficus, Monstera, Orchids, Anthuriums), seasonal outdoor plants (Betulia, Hydrangea, Senetti, Fuchsia, Chrysanthemums, Lavender), and Terrariums. They are the largest Poinsettia grower in the UK and one of the biggest indoor plant growers in the country.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Little Botanical: Consumer-facing brand launched in 2017, offering curated, stylish houseplants with pots and accessories, available directly to consumers via dedicated website and to wholesale customers.

Products and services

• Hills Plants Wholesale Indoor and Outdoor Plant Supply B2B wholesale supply of UK-grown peat-free indoor foliage plants and seasonal outdoor ornamental lines to retailers, garden centres, multiples, florists, DIY chains, and farm shops across the United Kingdom.
• The Little Botanical Consumer Brand Direct-to-consumer e-commerce brand offering curated, stylish, low-maintenance houseplants with matching pots and modern accessories sold to UK consumers via thelitlebotanical.com.
• Poinsettia Plants Largest UK Poinsettia grower, producing 220,000 plants on-site with total sourcing of 650,000 plants each Christmas, each taking around 20 weeks to grow.
• Indoor Ferns Extensive range of indoor ferns including Boston Fern and Asparagus Fern, grown in 9cm, 13cm, and 17cm pots with lush feathery fronds for UK retailers and consumers.
• Indoor Dracaenas Popular indoor foliage plants from deep green Compactas to bright Lemon & Limes, sourced from European growers for UK wholesale and consumer customers.
• Indoor Sansevierias (Snake Plants) Low-maintenance houseplants available year-round, also known as Snake Plant, Mother-in-Law's Tongue, and Viper's Bowstring Hemp, sold through wholesale and consumer channels.
• Indoor Calatheas (Prayer Plants) Botanicals with pin-striped, rose-painted, or peacock-patterned leaves, also known as prayer plants with leaves that close at night, supplied to UK retailers and consumers.
• Indoor Ficus Plants Well-known houseplants with abundant green leaves including Benjamina, Elastica, and Lyrata varieties, known for air-purifying qualities, sold to UK retailers and consumers.
• Indoor Monstera Plants Popular foliage plants with dynamic split leaves and architectural presence, featured as part of the award-winning Babylon Beats exhibit at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025.
• Indoor Orchids Elegant pot plants with long-lasting blooms in various varieties including pure white and pale pink with dark pink mouth, supplied under dedicated orchid product development.
• Indoor Anthuriums Plants providing bold pops of colour with long-lasting, vibrant bracts, featured in the award-winning RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025 exhibit.
• Outdoor Betulia Begonias Bold and bright patio Begonia produced exclusively by Hills Plants in the UK, available in stunning reds, light pinks, and bright pinks for garden centres and retailers.
• Outdoor Hydrangeas Luxurious UK favourite producing large colourful clusters of blooms in mop head or lace cap varieties in white, blue, pink, red, and mauve, supplied to UK retailers.
• Outdoor Senetti Vibrant early season spring product available in deep blue, magenta, magenta bicolour, and violet bicolour, available from March to end of April for UK retailers.
• Outdoor Fuchsias UK garden favourite popular addition in pots, hanging baskets, or flower beds with unique blooms and hardiness, supplied to UK retailers nationwide.
• Outdoor Chrysanthemums and Lavender Seasonal outdoor ornamental plants including Chrysanthemums and Lavender supplied to UK garden centres and retailers as part of the seasonal outdoor lines.
• Terrariums Mini ecosystems grown inside glass containers, available as closed terrariums for ferns and mosses or open terrariums for succulents and cacti, sold through The Little Botanical consumer storefront.

Quantifiable outcome

• Peat-free growing reducing environmental impact compared to traditional peat-based horticulture
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• The Little BotanicalcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2017Consumer-facing brand launched in 2017, bringing curated, styled houseplants and accessories directly to UK consumers via dedicated e-commerce platform. The Little Botanical reflects Hills Plants' quality standards while targeting retail consumers with premium, low-maintenance houseplants in styled pots.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bransford Webbs Plant Company: UK wholesale ornamental plant nursery supplying garden centres, retailers, and landscapers across the country with a comparable pot plant and seasonal outdoor range. Directly overlaps Hills Plants on wholesale nursery production and B2B distribution.
• Double H Nurseries: Long-established UK wholesale plant nursery producing indoor and outdoor ornamentals for major retailers; similar scale, product mix, and supermarket supply model as Hills Plants.
• Johnsons of Whixley: One of the UK's largest wholesale nurseries, producing a wide range of ornamental and landscape plants for trade customers. Comparable grower-wholesaler model serving garden centres and landscape trade.
• Wyevale Nurseries: UK wholesale nursery supplying garden retailers and landscape trade with ornamental shrubs, trees, and seasonal plants. Direct competitor in the wholesale grower space with similar B2B motion.
• Kernock Park Plants: UK-based producer of young plants (liners/plugs) supplying other growers and finished plant producers; comparable horticulture production footprint and trade customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Notcutts Nurseries: Established UK garden centre and nursery operator with own production; overlaps Hills Plants on ornamental plants but serves end consumers via garden centre retail rather than wholesale focus.
• Dobbies Garden Centres: UK's largest garden centre chain, a downstream customer and adjacent competitor for retail garden plants; relevant for understanding retail buyer power and competitive retail dynamics.
• B&Q: UK DIY and garden retail chain that is both a customer (range supply) and an adjacent retailer for indoor/outdoor plants. Relevant as a key account and indirect competitor at the retail level.

Emerging players

• Patch Plants: UK direct-to-consumer houseplant brand focused on stylish indoor plants delivered to homes. Comparable to The Little Botanical sub-brand in D2C houseplant positioning, though operating purely D2C rather than wholesale.
• Beards & Daisies: UK online houseplant retailer offering curated indoor plants and pots. Comparable to Hills Plants' consumer arm in D2C houseplant gifting and styling, but smaller scale and no production.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/hillsplants
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hill-brothers-limited
• Instagraminstagram.com/hills_plants
• Pinterestpinterest.com/hillsplants
• Xx.com/Hills_Plants

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hills Plants