John Gifford Hillier VMH
Hillier Nurseries have announced the death of John Hillier on the 29 July 2025 , aged 90, writes Gillian Taylor.
The eldest son of Sir Harold Hillier, John worked as a young man in the family business before leaving to gain experience working in American nurseries. Here he saw modern container plant production techniques and brought this knowledge to develop and modernise Hillier Nurseries when he returned.

A passionate plantsman, John was also involved in plant selection and the introduction of new varieties, keen to meet the changing needs of his customers.
His love of plants extended to work with the RHS, including membership of committees, trial judging and promoting the RHS Award of Garden Merit. A long association with the RHS Chelsea Flower Show over 60 years saw an incredible 74 consecutive Gold Medals.
John travelled widely with the International Dendrology Society, following his interest in trees and shrubs and the plant hunters that brought them to our shores. Together with Roy Lancaster, he worked on the 8th edition(2014) of the unrivalled Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs, which added 1,500 new plants to this essential reference text.

Victoria Medal of Honour
In recognition of his contributions, John was awarded the RHS Victoria Medal of Honour in 1996, the third Hillier to receive this accolade.
John and his brother Robert took over the reins of the business in 1965, as the fourth generation of the Hillier dynasty. Retiring in 2018 at the age of 83, John was able to spend time with his beloved family including four children and nine grandchildren. He found great pleasure in his own garden and taking regular walks in the arboretum.
An exemplar of horticultural excellence and a much loved family member, John will be deeply missed by all who knew him.