Fred’s little nursery has grown into a blooming good family business!

EIGHTY years after Fred Matthews set up his first nursery, his family is celebrating a blossoming gardening dynasty in Nether Alderley.

The man responsible for cultivating gardens in Alderley Park and Henbury Hall died in 1977, but his son-in-law, two daughters and four grandchildren have continued the family tradition at Matthews Garden Centre.

Now, Fred's descendants are celebrating a double anniversary.

The master horticulturalist opened his first nursery in Cheadle Hulme 80 years ago, before moving onto the current Alderley Park site, in Nether Alderley, after the Second World War.

Then, 40 years after setting up, Fred, together with his son-in-law, Iain Urquhart, 60, opened up one of the region's first garden centres in 1964.

Iain and Wendy, 59, Fred's younger daughter, took over the business after Fred died but have always kept it in the family.

"I am passionate about gardens, just like Fred," said Iain. "That is what has kept the whole business going. The whole family has the same love for their own jobs. We all have our role, separate from each other, which has really worked. In all the years working together we have never had a cross word."

Over the past 80 years, three generations of the Matthews family have exercised their green fingers in Alderley Park.

Iain took over Fred's role as landscape designer when he died and his son, Alex, 35, now runs the retail side of the garden centre.

Fred's eldest daughter, Margaret Kennerley, 60, started to do the accounts when she was just 15 and still carries on that role today.

Margaret's daughter, Kim Oultram, 37, runs the garden centre restaurant and is helped out by Iain's youngest granddaughter, Emma, 23, who also works in the family florist shop, which is run by mother and daughter team, Wendy and Nova, 37.

The family run business has been an active part of the local community ever since moving to the area in 1946.

Iain remembers how he joined the family tree when love blossomed at Nether Alderley church youth club.

"I met Wendy at the youth club when we were both about 15 and it all started from there."

"I started working for Fred a couple of years before we got married and he taught me everything he knew."

Iain also remembers how George Wienholt, who founded the famous Alderley Edge patisserie, helped plant the seeds of the modern day garden centre back in the early 1960s.

"He visited the garden centre after a trip to America. Back then we couldn't sell any trees during the summer. You could pick out which one you wanted in June but we wouldn't be able to dig it up until November."

"But he saw a tree we had grown in an old Mr Softie ice cream tin for a contract job with Shell, the oil company, and demanded it for himself."

"We told him he would have to wait until November and he kicked up a right fuss, said you didn't have to wait in America."

Shortly after that, Iain opened the garden centre and the rest is history.

Since then, Matthews has stopped growing its own plants, trees and shrubs, but customers can now order trees from as far away as Italy, which can be available within days. How times change.