Tamar View Nurseries started life over 50 years ago at Wearde Quay by local couple Mike and Pauline Hooper. They first rented a cottage and land and grew strawberries which were transported by train to Covent Garden, London for the early season market. When strawberries weren’t in season they concentrated on retailing fruit and vegetables, either through their shop at the quay and on Mikes fruit and vegetable rounds throughout Cornwall.

Eventually the business outgrew its site, and the first parcel of land was purchased at Carkeel, where the garden centre stands today in 1985.
 
It was their intention to continue with the fruit business but when one day a customer asked “Do you sell plants?” the rest is history!

The Hoopers then leased the fruit business to Francis Barrett in 1988 to allow them to concentrate on growing the garden centre side of the business. How things have changed over the years! Originally with garden centres being plant and garden focused, but with commercial competitiveness growing, garden centres have had to diverge into what you see today. With so many similar businesses now part of a group and moving away from core gardening, Tamar View Nurseries is proud to be a family owned business run and independent with gardening and plants at its heart.

Today the Garden Centre employs over 30 members of staff through its shop and restaurant supporting over 8 locally owned businesses on its site as franchises. Even with all this progression and change, Mike and Pauline and the team still have plenty of plans for the future.... So watch this space!