60 Year Old Family Run Business
Your Garden Specialists
We are a family-run business and offer everything from plants and planters to furniture, BBQs, tools, birdcare, and even clothing.
Click below to find out more:
The History of Sandhill Garden Centre
From humble beginnings as a nursery in the early 40’s providing produce for a local owned store to providing northern England with tens of thousands of units of produce to then becoming one of the first garden centres in all of England!.
John Reuben Johnson started a family run business from an acre of land and a bungalow that has now expanded into so much more.
Sandhill has not only grown from a humble Planteria providing a handful of products from own produce and single yearly orders from Holland to providing the kind and wonderful communities that surround us with Homeware, Garden lifestyle and ornaments, DIY accessories, propagation and germination, sheds and greenhouses, floral arrangements from trained and committed florists, a rapidly growing café, pet accessories and essentials, Christmas decorations and experiences, charity collaborations and so much more that is now employing its families 4th generation. Sandhill takes tremendous pride in its history, sense of community and traditional values where the customer experience always comes first.
The Timeline of Sandhill Garden Centre
1940
John Reuben Johnson (Known by most as Reuben) worked at Tommy Howells market garden in Preston. Whilst working there he gained his city & guilds in horticulture at night school. During this period he was also a sergeant in the home guard.
1942
Reuben Johnson married Mary Longman
1944
Reuben Johnson bought a market garden of 1 acre with a small wooden bungalow in February, costing £400. The bungalow was used by the council and used to store sand and grit for repairing roads and was called Sandhill, which is where the garden centre got its name.
There were piggeries and goats and Reuben grew celery, chrysanthemums and various other cut flowers.
Kevin (Reuben and Mary’s son) was born here in July 1944 and Wendy (Reuben and Mary’s daughter) was born here in 1946.
1945
The first growing greenhouse was built.
1948
Ruben rented 13 acres across the road where cut flowers, soft fruits and vegetables were grown, soon after the first greenhouse was built on this site from which the cineraria were produced.
1949
A shop was acquired on Holderness road that became a general greengrocers, some of the stock sold was produced by Sandhill.
1950
From humble beginnings, Sandhill grew ever larger every year and would produce 30,000 cineraria’s in one year come 1950, which were sold to wholesale markets all over the north of England plus Birmingham.
1951
The shop on Holderness road was sold and a shop on Cottingham Road was bought, this also sold vegetables and flowers. Reuben Johnson and his family lived above this shop for the next 6 years.
1957
The family moved back to the house at Sandhill
1958
A large shed was purchased and assembled on the rented land used for storage and as a packing shed for the nursery.
1964
The first instalment of the garden centre was built, a greenhouse situated next to the house costing £1000. The builder of this greenhouse insisted that Mr Johnson was wasting his money and that there was no future in the business.
1965
The garden centre was the first in the area to be built and one of only a few in the UK opened. Massive quantities of bedding plants were sold in the early days which had previously been sold in Humber street market.
1968
One shipment from Holland was delivered every year in October with an annual supply of plants, trees and shrubs on. They were looked after and potted on the nursery and brought across to retail in the correct seasons.
1970
The shop was extended with 2 buildings (towards the front of the business as it stands today) in addition to a pet supplies department.
1971
3 acres more in land was purchased from Mr Garbutt and the right of way was moved to where it is today. Kevin married Sally in August at Snaith where Sally formerly lived and where they met.
The garden centre was growing ever popular, one example of this being roses, having sold 40,000 units per year at 10 for £1
In the early 70’s the garden centre was visited by Percy Thrower, a British gardener, horticulturalist, broadcaster and writer on several occasions.
1972
Steve Johnson (Kevin and Sally Johnsons son) was born
1973
The land across the road which had previously been rented as the nursery was purchased in addition to 4 acres to the garden centre, which today is where the planteria stands proud.
One shipment from Holland was delivered every year in October with an annual supply of plants, trees and shrubs on. They were looked after and potted on the nursery and brought across to retail in the correct seasons.
1979
Bought the land to the left of the business where formerly Pets-R-Wright and Top Pets resided.
1980
Reuben and Kevin became partners. Another greenhouse was assembled which today we know as the floristry and house plant greenhouse.
1982
A netted area was created on the 4 acres where the planteria resides for storing shrubs and conifers. These were brought to retail a few at a time but eventually, the netted area was granted access to the public.
After a few years of development trial and error, this became the planteria. Reuben took a trip to Thailand to look into silk flowers for trade, hoping to bring container loads back.
This never materialised, however it was this visit to Thailand that inadvertently inspired Sandhill to sell Christmas decorations annually.
1983
A tearoom was opened which was run by sandhill for about 1 year before being rented out.
1984
Reuben passed away
1985
Table tennis involvement started as a hobby of Kevin Johnsons in his limited free time (having worked 12 hour days 7 days a week!)
1986
A nursery greenhouse was built for bedding plants
1991
32 acres of land was purchased across the road, this became Sandhill Country Park
1992
Ashlyn farm land was purchased, this consisted of 37 acres
1994
Mary Johnson passed away
The large building to the left of Sandhill was built and rented to Ray Wright for the business Pets-R-Wright, ending the Pet department in Sandhill. Kevin rented a shop in Anlaby called Sandhill Gifts and Gardens.
Steve Johnson (Kevin and Sally Johnson’s son) started working at Sandhill
1996
Jacob (Steven Johnsons son) was born
1997
‘Ground force’ and other similar TV shows that followed made a huge impact on the popularity and success of garden centres making gardening fashionable.
For years to follow people would come to request what had been shown on TV.
1999
New greenhouse bought and assembled on the nursery, Kevin Johnson retired for the first time, returning in 2004.
2002
Sandhill was visited by David Bellamy an English botanist, author, broadcaster and environmental campaigner.
This was to promote selling Third World products and giving them a fair price. The project was called ‘And Albert’ also known as ‘Trading Roots’
2006
Kevin Johnson retires again, Steve Pontone was appointed managing director
2007
Poly tunnels opened allowing people to shop for outdoor plants whatever the weather. Farm shop closed.
The coffee shop was opened in place of the up-to-then rented café to be Sandhill owned and run.
The animal farm, play area, all year-round Christmas room and mini golf opened with refurbishments to the garden centre collectively went underway. Over time some of these ideas changed and ended.
2008
Kevin returned for on and off seasonal assistance for 2 years
2009
The coffee shop proved so successful it was relocated to what is now the Gift department to double the seating and expand the kitchen. The toilets were relocated to the Planteria.
2010
Kevin Johnson retired permanently, Steve Johnson became Manager.
2013
Jacob (Steven Johnsons son) Started working at Sandhill
2014
The coffee shop once again due to rapid growth in popularity was relocated and expanded to where it is today, this took 1 year to build.
2018
Santas grotto made its debut for children to meet the man himself every year
2019
Pets-R-Wright closed its doors and Top Pets opened in its place.
2024
Poly tunnel replaced with fresh material, Pet department reintroduced to sandhill following the closure of Top Pets
Growing with the Community for Over 60 Years
Sandhill as a garden centre has stood proud for over 60 years, never wavering in its commitment to providing the local area with their home and garden needs, exceptional customer service and a traditional sense of community on the honest, hard working family values that all started in that council bungalow so long ago.
As sandhill stands today, we are so much more than a planteria. Sandhill consists of multiple departments including floristry for your fresh cut flowers ready to go off the shelves freshly made the same day or specially tailored for any occasion. A home and lifestyle section providing all of your household essentials at the best of quality from the traditional to modern. Outdoor living for all of your furnishing and decoration needs to complete your vision for your dream garden ranging from small ornaments and lights to suites of furniture, BBQ’s and much more.
A garden care and DIY department providing all your basic garden maintenance and wildlife supplies such as tools, mowers, bird care, feeds and pesticides, paint, seed and parts for repairs. Our café providing fresh made food from sweet treats to plate filling main meals to 200 seats and take away for our regulars, some of which come solely for our locally-famous steak pies. All of this not to mention our pet supplies, pots and plant support frames, water features, fencing, rockery, aquatics, compost/sand/grits, sheds and greenhouses and so much more!
To sum up, if you are looking to spruce up your home and garden in any way and appreciate honest service where the customer always comes first then look no further than Sandhill Garden Centre.