RSK Group acquires wholesale nursery business Crowders Nurseries

June 2023

A seventh-generation family-run wholesale nursery business, Crowders Nurseries, which supplies trees, shrubs and plants to large-scale landscaping projects throughout the UK and Europe, has been acquired by RSK.

Crowders, a business that has been growing plants for more than 200 years, operates from two locations in Lincolnshire: Horncastle and Woodhall Spa. It provides wholesale solutions to government organisations, local authorities, landscape contractors, landscape architects and construction firms throughout the UK, the Channel Islands, Ireland and Europe.

Clients have included some of the largest and best-known landscaping companies in the UK, as well as the 2012 London Olympics and HS2, for which it supplied seven million trees. The company has secured further contracts with other prestigious clients over the next four years.

Crowders supplies the full range of nursery stock products, including container-grown, bare-root and root balled plants, as well as hedging and forestry, supplying plants for roads, highways, railways and many other infrastructure projects. Other products include herbaceous and perennial plants, ornamental shrubs, instant hedging and screening and trees from UK-certified and traceable stock.

Chief Executive Robert Crowder, who will continue to lead the business, said: “When we were looking for continuity for our 225-year-old family business, an approach from RSK came along at the right time. Its service offering in the environmental sector is a complementary fit for us, and its sustainability credentials and ethos mirror our own values. We are looking forward to the additional benefits we will get from being part of a larger family of companies.”

RSK Group Chief Executive Officer Alan Ryder said: “The range of skills and experience at Crowders is exceptional, with its capability of supplying small seedlings through to semi-mature trees. This is an acquisition that will support many of our endeavours in the environmental and infrastructure sectors. With a production capacity of 330 acres, and as a provider of hardy wholesale nursery stock to commercial landscape professionals, landowners and public sector organisations, Crowders is a valuable addition. Crucially, this is also a business that is aligned with RSK’s commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”