Guernsey Gardens, one of the island’s longest standing gardening companies, is celebrating 40 years in business.
The team organised a surprise party at Pier 17 for managing director Bob Paine which was attended by customers and employees to celebrate the anniversary.
Established in 1974 by Bob, the business started with a small team and just one van but has grown considerably with 35 employees working during the summer months based at the four acre plant centre site in La Ramee, St Peter Port.
The company has remained a family-run affair over the years with daughter Emma and her husband Tom Wilkins now involved in the day to day running of the business. There are a number of other employee family connections including Brothers Jerry Gallienne, contracts manager, and Craig Gallienne, plant centre supervisor, and office manager, Mikey Killick, who is assisted by her niece, Robyn, as office clerk.
Many employees have worked at Guernsey Gardens for a number of years including Luke Ferneyhough, the plant centre manager, who has been with the business since 1997, and Jerry, contracts manager, since 2001.
Guernsey Gardens offers landscaping and garden design services and boasts a plant centre with the largest range of outdoor plants available on the island. The company has a ‘home grown’ range of plants raised at the centre and are the only installers of artificial grass ‘easigrass’ products in Guernsey.
The business has helped many local charities and community initiatives with gardening projects. The team is currently supporting Floral Guernsey at Guernsey Airport designing, supplying, planting and maintaining the plants on the existing grass banks.
“Our ethos has always been fair value and high quality and I’m very proud of the reputation the business has built in the island over the last 40 years. We have a great team of long standing employees and so many loyal customers and Guernsey Gardens wouldn’t be the success it is today without them,” said Bob Paine.
“The business landscape has changed a lot since we started the company in 1974 but our focus on customer service and offering the highest levels of experience and knowledge has stood us in good stead and will for many years to come. I’d like to thank my family, our employees and our customers for their support.”