Celebration is September 14-15 from 11am-4pm during Fall Planting Kick-Off Sale
(Westbury, NY) Hicks Nurseries in Westbury has been considered a gardener’s paradise for many years, 160 years in fact. To celebrate this milestone, the nursery is sharing some exciting new photographic imagery from their archives – many of which have never been seen before. See how trees were delivered by barge to Oyster Bay in the early 1900’s; tree installation at the Rockefeller Estate; and what the nursery looked like back in the 1920’s.
The nursery celebration is September 14-15 from 11am-4pm during our Fall Planting Kick-Off Sale. Free hotdogs will be available plus old-time favorites such as vintage soda, lemonade, popcorn and their famous roasted corn for only 160 cents each. The foot-stomping sounds of “Goodtime Charlie’s Ragtime Band” can be heard from 12:00pm-3:00pm. The exciting new photographic imagery will be displayed throughout the store on kiosks.
Hicks Nurseries supplied and planted trees at Kykuit, The Rockefeller Estate 1913, Westchester
Hicks Nurseries was established in 1853 when Isaac Hicks began selling trees and shrubs to his neighbors. The business began to grow and prosper and the rest, as they say, is history.
At the turn of the 20th century, Isaacs’ son Edward took the business in a new and exciting direction by inventing and patenting equipment needed to move big trees. Hicks Nurseries was able to move tremendous trees using this equipment and horse-drawn wagons. Many of the most famous gold coast estates on Long Island including the Vanderbilt, JP Morgan and Phipps (Old Westbury Gardens) estates contain trees moved and planted by Hicks. Many are still flourishing today.
Planting at the First Church of Christs Scientists in NYC circa 1910
Edward’s son Henry also made several important contributions to the family nursery. He was the first college-trained horticulturist in the family business and he became a premier botanist. The cross-breeding of plants from different parts of the world was Henry’s forte, the best known of which is the Hicks Yew (Taxus x media Hicksii). This plant became – and remains today – one of the most widely used plants in the landscape industry throughout North America. One of these original plants remains in the parking area of Hicks Nurseries.
William and Edwin Hicks (Henry’s sons) kept the business on an even keel during the Depression years. Around 1930, in an innovative move, William made pre-dug plants available for customers. This marked the beginning of the walk-in, cash and carry customer business that developed into what is now called a retail garden center.
Overlooking Hicks Nurseries in Westbury circa 1925
In the 1960s, with western Long Island’s evolution from a rural to a suburban community complete, Edwin’s son Alfred (Fred) saw the need to refocus the business in order to keep pace with the new generation of Long Islanders. He spent the next ten years converted the nursery into a thriving family-oriented retailing and growing operation that served hundreds of thousands of people each year.
Two of Fred’s children, Karen and Stephen, are now actively involved in the management of the company. They represent the sixth generation of the family business.
“Our business philosophy has remained the same for 160 years, but we continue to adjust our services to meet the changing needs of Long Island,” said Stephen Hicks, company president. Under the direction of Mr. Hicks the nursery added a Commercial Sales division in 2008 and a Landscape Design division in 2011. The nursery remains the oldest continuously held family business on Long island.
Hicks Nurseries, Long Island’s largest garden nursery (established by the Hicks family in 1853), is located at 100 Jericho Turnpike in Westbury; 516-334-0066; www.hicksnurseries.com; http://www.facebook.com/hicksnurseries
The nursery is handicap accessible throughout.
