Our History

Cultivating a Legacy: The History of Barthelemy and Co, Dorset's Family-Run Japanese Maple Nursery.

The small Dorset village of Stapehill near Wimborne is home to Barthélemy & Co, a traditional working nursery specialising in the growing of Japanese Maples (Acers). The nursery was the initial dream of one man, a Frenchman named Monsieur. Jean-Pierre Barthelemy. In the early 1900’s Bart (as he was affectionately known), left his home in the city of Orléans France, and crossed the channel to Dorset. While residing in the South of England, he lodged with Florence and Henry Skinner in West Moors, where he nurtured his love and study of Horticulture. 

However, his time in England was cut short due to the outbreak of World War 1, at which point, Bart returned to France to serve and fight for his country. In 1917, he was medically discharged from the French military after being exposed to poisonous gases and struck by shrapnel, which left him with lifelong debilitating injuries. At the end of his military service, Bart returned to England and to his lodgings with the Skinner family. A few years after his return, along with Florence and Henry he moved from West Moors to Stapehill, where he lived with and rented from the family a 10-acre site, with enough land to put down roots for his nursery. The current site of the nursery today. In 1920 Barthelemy & Co was born. From the outset, the nursery grew a diverse range of flora, including Roses, Azaleas, Heathers, fruit trees, and a multitude of other varieties of nursery stock.

As time passed, Bart received invaluable support from Kenneth, the son of Florence and Henry, who, having been raised under Bart's green-fingered influence, developed a strong interest in horticulture. Together, they ran the nursery, expanding and diversifying its offerings. Following Bart's death in 1964, the nursery continued to flourish under the ongoing efforts of Kenneth and his son, John. The nursery still carried a vast array of plants during that period, and it was only in the years after Kenneth's passing in 1977 that John made the decision to shift the nursery's focus entirely towards the cultivation of Japanese Maples. He was able to appreciate the delicate beauty that Japanese Maples offered. With their intricately branched structures and vibrant foliage in a range of stunning colors that change with the seasons, they offer a captivating and ever-changing landscape to any garden. For more than four decades, John managed Barthelemy & Co with the help of his family until his untimely passing in 2018, leaving behind a legacy of dedication and hard work.

Today, four generations on from Bart, Barthelemy & Co is run by John’s widow, Wendy, and his eldest son, Matthew. Along with two of John’s daughters, Laura and Sophie, the four Skinners meticulously uphold the legacy of their family's nursery, ensuring it prospers and blooms. Barthélemy & Co is unique in the way they operate -  a traditional nursery where every stage of the growing process is done on-site and in-house. A far cry from the modern garden center where plants are drafted in seasonally only to be thrown away if unsold. The mature trees for sale at Barthélemy & Co all began their journey as a seed, hand-picked by one of the Skinner family.

From sourcing and picking the seeds themselves, germinating, sowing (in seed beds prepared with the same rake used by Kenneth in the 40s), potting, and growing them on, over 100,000 Japanese Maples are produced and grown each year. Approximately 15,000 of these seedlings go on to be grafted, by Wendy and Laura, with named varieties, using techniques passed down from generation to generation.

Barthélemy & Co is not just a nursery, but a testament to the enduring legacy of a family's love for horticulture and dedication to their craft. With four generations of the Skinner family, to date, having been involved in the nursery's operation, the legacy of Monsieur Jean Barthelemy continues to thrive. Their focus on Japanese Maples has allowed them to perfect their growing and grafting techniques, producing some of the finest specimens available in the UK. Barthélemy & Co is not just a place to buy plants, but a living museum of horticultural history, where every aspect of the growing process is done with care and attention to detail. Visitors to the nursery can see the passion and dedication of the Skinner family on display, and leave with a new appreciation for the beauty and complexity of these unique and captivating trees.

By Alice Skinner