The company, which celebrates its 100th birthday in June, is marking its centenary year with a donation of plants to a different charity each month.
So far, the business has gifted hundreds of plants worth more than £600 to Henshaw’s in Knaresborough, Hope Pastures, Leeds, York Teaching Hospital Charity and, most recently, the Blue Cross at Thirsk.
The nursery also hosted a raffle and cake sale recently, raising £1,000 for the Huntington’s Disease Association, a charity close to the company’s heart. It will also donate plants worth more than £2,000 to Foss Park, a new mental health facility in York.
Plant varieties recently donated include a wide range of shrubs, and herbaceous from Lavandula Hidcote to ‘Achillea’ new white 3L, and Digitalis dalmation rose 2L, Nandina Obsessed 5L, Paeonia’ white wings’ 2L, Phlox Emerald cushion blue 2L, Scabiosa ‘Butterfly Blue’ 2L and Vinca minor 2L.
Blue Cross Animal Welfare Assistant Lyn Henderson said:
The team at Thirsk Blue Cross would like to thank Johnson’s of Whixley for their generous donation of plants for our site. It’s lovely that everyone who visits our centre will benefit from them and they are already creating a welcoming environment.
Hope Pastures Sanctuary Manager Leonnie Martin said:
We were absolutely thrilled to be chosen as the winning charity from Johnson’s of Whixley and the prize selection of plants was amazing. We have already installed some in our secret garden, and we are using the others to create a peaceful piece of the garden at the top of our site as a celebration of the people who leave us a legacy to help us do our work.
Johnsons of Whixley’s Marketing Manager Eleanor Richardson said:
The last year has been a challenge for many charities; people haven’t had the funds to donate like they usually would. It’s great to give something back to local charities and help their outdoor spaces bloom.
Johnsons has supplied more than 230 million plants throughout the UK since it was established in 1921, with notable projects including the National Trust, Royal Parks, the Forth Road Bridge, Commonwealth Games, Glasgow and luxury hotel Grantley Hall.
