Nurserymen since 1944
Based in Brittany, France, our family-run nursery has been producing a large range of high-quality plants (especially Camellias) for garden centres and nurseries since 1944. The family business continues to grow every year and to bring new varieties for amateurs as well as keen gardeners.
About our nursery
Founded in Brest in the 1940s by Pierre Stervinou, the Stervinou nursery has been in business for over 70 years. "Parcs et Jardins Stervinou" was begun as a retail enterprise, with the goal of producing a wide range of plants for sale in the Brittany region.
Near the end of the 1950s, the nursery began to specialise in the production of ericaceous plants, with a focus on Camellias, Rhododendrons and Azaleas. The range of its clientele soon spread from Brittany to include professional nurseries and plant collectors throughout France.
The many awards and recognitions received at various Floralies Internationales (Paris 1959, 1963 and 1969, Valenciennes, Hambourg, Orléans, Nantes, etc.) earned the Stervinou nursery a strong reputation outside Brittany. In the 1970s, the nursery moved permanently to its current location in Guipronvel in the department of Finistère, and since 1976 it has been under the direction of Alain Stervinou, son of Pierre. It was also during this period that the nursery began to focus on container production, which enabled the year-round transport and sale of plants.
Les Pépinières Stervinou Today
A pioneer in the development of ericaceous plants, Alain Stervinou has the benefit of over forty years of experience in his field.
The nursery is known in France and abroad primarily for its Camellia production: every year, over 50,000 cuttings and grafts are made from the nursery’s mother plants, which have been collected from around the world. About 200 varieties of Camellias are currently in production, representing a meticulous selection of the most attractive and disease-resistant plants.
Other specialties of the nursery include its Rhododendrons (an annual production of 25,000 plants representing more than 100 varieties), Japanese and Chinese Azaleas, Magnolias, Hydrangeas, and a wide range of shrubs, which you may discover on this web site.
Production takes place on about fifteen hectares at Kerguelen in Guipronvel, a small village located in the north of Finistère, Brittany’s north-westernmost department. The mild climate and acid soil of this location are particularly favourable for the growth of ericaceous plants. The Stervinou nursery employs between fifteen and twenty workers year-round, who between them manage the production and shipment of thousands of plants to France and other European destinations.
The client base of the nursery is composed primarily of professional nurseries, garden centres and landscape companies, but also includes numerous individual collectors.
