J. Parker’s Celebrates 90

Years!

Did you know that J. Parker’s is a family-owned and run business? Did you also know that this year marks our 90-year anniversary? In 1933, Martin Parker moved his family from Beverwijk, Holland to Manchester, England. The plan? Launch a wholesale mail-order bulb business.

Born into generations of bulb growers and exporters, Martin was excited to provide his customers with top-quality products with his inherited knowledge. In those early days, the business was run from a small, terraced house on Chester Road in Manchester. This was where Martin and his wife, Joan, would package products – or more specifically, from their shed. From that moment, history was made, and customers were left with impeccable (and affordable) gardens.

To this day, we are owned and run by a third generation of Parkers. With one of the largest online catalogues in the market, we’re proud to continuously provide customers with top-quality products at value prices, alongside our top-notch customer service.

RHS Flower Show Tatton Park marks our first appearance in over 20 years. We’re excited to showcase our garden with you all, and we’re proud to be exhibiting our ‘Chained to Tech Garden’ the same year as our 90th anniversary, in the North West where our story began. Here’s to many more!

Follow our 90-Year Journey...

1933 -1949

Martin Parker flew to England from Holland to kickstart his new wholesale business – J. Parker’s Dutch Bulbs.

1950-1973

Martin’s son Chris joined the family business, alongside expanding into retail. In 1971, Britain’s first postal strike rocked the boat, with thousands of catalogues undelivered. Land was sold to help us persevere.

1974-1999

Chris took over the business and introduced trend-setting competitor comparison newspaper ads which caused a business boom. In 1999, Chris’s son, Paul, joined the company.

2000-2009

Our retail site was launched in 2000, followed by wholesale in 2004. This revolutionised the business, helping us take orders and assist customers online.

2010-2022

Improvements in our garden centres ran from 2010-19. This saw updates to our Flixton centre and an expansion in Anwick. In 2016, Paul became Managing Director. Chris still works solely within the wholesale business.

2023

This year, J. Parker’s celebrates its 90th anniversary. 90 years of providing customers with quality products and customer service. Here’s to many more!

Welcome to the RHS Flower Show Tatton Park 2023

RHS Flower Show Tatton Park is the biggest northern flower festival of the year. This spectacular day out provides fun for all ages, from family activities to talks, workshops, gardening advice, and even shopping. Plus, what would a flower show be without a few exhibition gardens? Just like RHS Chelsea Flower Show, exhibitionists compete for medals as they unveil their elaborately themed gardens. Here’s what you can look forward to this year.

You Should Know...

This year, the RHS Flower Show Tatton Park will run from Wednesday 19th to Sunday 23rd of July 2023. Wednesday is RHS Members’ Day, and you will need an RHS membership to enter the flower show on this day. Thursday to Sunday is open to the public, although you will need a general sale ticket to enter. You can purchase your tickets on the RHS website. Prices range from £29.85 (£25.85 for members) for an adult to £8.85 for children aged 5-16. Children under 5 get free admission.

If you’d like to become an RHS member, you can apply on the RHS website at www.rhs.org.uk/join. The signup process is quick and simple – all you need to do is fill out an online form and pay the fee!

What to Expect at RHS Flower Show Tatton Park

Tatton is a family-friendly environment that’s bursting at the seams with things to see, do, and eat! There are flower stalls where you can buy a spectacular array of plants, exhibitions with garden-theme inspiration, talks held by gardening experts, and food stalls to quench your thirst and satisfy your hunger.

If you, your friends, and your family are avid gardening enthusiasts, then don’t miss out! Buy your tickets today.

Will We See You There?

J. Parker’s will be at RHS Flower Show Tatton Park! For the first time in twenty years, we will be showcasing an exhibition garden (read more about our garden on pages 8-11), as well as being on-hand for any gardening-related questions at our stall! Will we see you there?