Our Nursery
From Worcestershire to Katikati
Our illustrious gardening story starts all the way back in Chadwick Gardens, Pershore, Worcestershire (UK), where Caroline & Richard (aka Mum & Dad) Knight owned and managed their first nursery together in the 1970s.
Fast forward to 1987 when Caroline & Richard decided to move to New Zealand, starting their new life here working on a kiwifruit orchard in Te Puke.
Falling in love with the Bay of Plenty region for its climate and horticulture opportunities, Caroline & Richard purchased their own slice of paradise in Katikati in 1989 which they called 'Heritage House' as a nod to their first love in the UK.
The five acre property was bare land but the hard-working, enterprising couple quickly turned this into a orchard with avocado trees and thriving nursery business.
In 1991, Kat arrived on the scene just as Heritage House was getting going. This saw the start of many, many family weekends attending markets in Hamilton, Rotorua and Tauranga selling plants from the nursery - you could say Kat was born into the business she continues to this day!
Finding Oropi Rd Nursery
Keen to expand their successful nursery business and get closer to the fast-growing Tauranga market, Caroline & Richard purchased the Tauranga Aromatherapy College on Oropi Rd in 2002. This beautiful five acre property had extensive herb gardens for making aromatherapy remedies as well as fruit trees and a house which also served as a classroom for the college.
The family, which includes Kat's two older sisters, immediately set about developing the land, creating their second working nursery and garden centre. The property now known as Kereru Gardens includes several green houses, a large shed and the extensive outdoor nursery operation you see today.
Creating Bay Botanics Indoor Nursery
Ready to have a go at running her own nursery business and already armed with a (young) lifetime of experience in propagating and growing plants from seeds, Kat started Bay Botanics - her indoor plant nursery - in 2017 while still studying full time.
In 2019, Kat graduated from Unitec with a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture while continuing to work all hours in both Kereru Gardens and Bay Botanics nurseries.
The Kereru Gardens Story Continues...
In 2023, Kat purchased Kereru Gardens from her parents, taking over the nursery and steering the business into a new future for the next generation while still retaining her strong family values and keeping her family very much involved in the day-to-day operations of the garden centre.
Dad, Richard, is often seen helping with potting out new plants that are ready to move from the greenhouse out to the nursery. While Mum, Caroline, has taken on a more official role as Admin and Retail Manager, giving out lots of great advice and helping customers with their purchase on the weekends our garden centre is open.
In 2025, Kat launched 'Kat's Garden Club', opening her nursery to visitor groups for gardening workshops and hosted tours outside of normal nursery hours. She is also available for speaking engagements at your garden club or event.
Contact us here to find out more, or subscribe to our newsletter to be invited to our next 'Kat's Garden Club' event!
