Scotts Tubes Pty Ltd. started as a partnership between our parents, Denis and Denise. The original site back in 1980 was at our Grandfathers property on Old Northern Rd Mid-Dural. Denis was doing his apprenticeship at Swane’s nursery and Denise was working at Norm Loaders orchid farm. They raised the capital to start the nursery by growing strawberries and selling them through an agent at Flemmington Markets. After they had left their jobs and started working in the nursery full time they still had to do garden maintenance and various part time jobs to pay the bills. They started the nursery with $3,000 and with a first year’s grand revenue of $6,000 they got an audit from the tax office because they couldn’t believe anyone could survive on so little income.

In 1982 they purchased their current site at Mangrove Mountain with a minimal deposit and a massive loan. Twelve months later they began building the nursery at Mangrove. A staff member and Denis did the building and irrigation etc. Denise traveled to and from Dural to manage the staff and keep the nursery going. Denise was pregnant with their eldest son Greg at the time. The long hours of travel, deliveries and doing cuttings after the day’s work was grueling. This was probably the most difficult time in all the years of running the nursery. With the long hours, lack of experience and financial strain of the high interest rates through the 1980’s.

The nursery developed as a tube stock grower. Supplying mainly the wholesale growers in the Dural district and some limited interstate business. They specialised in growing difficult to propagate varieties of a high quality and always had more orders on the books than they could fill. These varieties were expensive to produce and margins were tight, but at least they were creating activity even though they weren’t getting rich. The nursery continued to develop with the addition of mechanised potting machinery, plug production, and management consultancy. With a staff of around ten, the next fifteen years disappeared as they gained experience both in business management and in growing plants.

In 1996 Scotts Tubes made a major change in direction with its business by producing tubes for the retail market. The Upstarts brand was developed and trade marked, and they began supplying the major chains with tubes in display packs on self-watering merchandising stands. The idea was a great success and has continued to grow into the garden-centre market. In April of 2003 Scotts Tubes became the NSW grower of Renaissance Herbs and Romantic Cottage plants adding to the concept of selling and promoting branded product.

The above history was written by our parents before they passed away on the 19th November 2003. This is when Greg and Candice took over the running of the business.

Major works at the nursery have included 2 new sheds one for production and the other for dispatching customer orders. The dam has been extended and fully fenced. In 2004 an ozone system was installed to purify the water and stop disease. A 225,000 litre water tank and irrigation shed are also part of this system. In 2004, Scotts Tubes, through years of hard work and great expense, became an accredited nursery.

2007 saw the revamping of cutting houses. New double skinned plastic for insulation and a new propane gas ray pack boiler system were installed. This has halved our growing time. Extraction fans in these houses automatically turn on when the temperature reaches 32 degrees. A fogging system which works on a humidity thermostat is also an important addition.

We are uncertain of what future challenges may arise – be it flood, drought, water restrictions or rabbits! These are but a few bumps along the nurseryman’s road that we will continue to face. We strive to search for the ‘next best thing’ as competition for retail space has never been greater and will no doubt increase as the years pass. We endeavor to rise to these challenges, to be the best that we can be and continue to provide a premium product and premium service.

Greg & Candice