GROWING THE FAMILY TREE

Fleming’s for over 100 years.

Legacy family businesses, still owned and operated by the direct descendent of the founding father, are not a common thing in Australia, yet the Fleming family has achieved just that for over 100 years.

Fleming’s Nurseries was established by Eric Fleming over 100 years ago. New to the area, and a mad cricketer, Eric decided to join a local cricket team, and in doing so met nurseryman Mr Nobelius. The two hit it off and it wasn’t long before Eric was working with the Nobelius family at their Gembrook Nursery. Later, he grew rootsocks himself and sold them to the Nobelius family.

This was the very early beginnings of what eventually became Fleming’s Nurseries.

In the 1980s, as custodians of the business, Don and Dawn Fleming spent much of their time growing the bare root nursery, introducing new varieties and innovating the fruit side of the business. Their son, Wes Fleming, focused on setting up a container nursery and advanced tree nursery. Wes would eventually go on to take over the nurseries, continuing the legacy to this day.

Wes and Paige, his wife, have spent that past 15 years focusing on developing the business and solidifying the company’s brand integrity, which is underpinned by quality, heritage and innovation. Always keen to ensure they are working at the forefront of their industry, Wes and Paige set up an innovation department that focussed on potting technology, best growing practices, agronomy and soil protection, along with suitable plant introductions and selections, in addition to tissue cultured plant propagation.

In 2015, Fleming’s purchased the Birdwood Nursery on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland and built a tissue culture laboratory, which has since been renamed Fleming’s Nurseries QLD.

Producing trees for Australia and ensuring the country is well provided for with diversity as well as quality native species, has driven Fleming’s to ensure they have a dedicated tree introduction division. The tree trialling programs can run for up to 20 years, as many introductions are deemed unsuitable and therefore not released to the public. The trees that make the final cut have been selected for their suitability to Australian conditions and needs, ensuring a Fleming’s tree is always a quality product.