关于佩内尔斯花园中心
佩内尔斯（Pennells Garden Centres）在林肯郡，1780 年由 Richard Pennell 在 Sturton by Stow 开了一间苗圃起步，是英国最老的园艺公司之一，也可能是至今仍由同一家族持有的最老一家。招牌下面写着「Your Lincolnshire gardening experts since 1780」，二百四十多年没换过。现在是第七代和第八代在管：父亲 Richard Pennell 任董事长，儿子 William Pennell 任常务董事，负责日常运营。
创始人 Richard Pennell 生于 1735 年，学徒出身，师傅是著名园艺家 Richard Sutton。 firm 至今还留着师傅给他那本 1757 年开始分册印行的《Eden, or a Compleat Body of Gardening》，扉页上还能看到一行淡淡的题字。公司最早一批目录要数到 1840 年代，那会儿苗圃主打果树和玫瑰树，一株玫瑰和一株果树同价，都是两个半先令。
从种子铺到花园中心
十九世纪上半段，苗圃搬到林肯城南边、紧挨 Gowt’s Beck 那条小溪的地方。第三代 Richard Pennell 1825 年前后离开 Sturton by Stow，住到苗圃边的小屋里。他的曾孙辈 Charles Pennell 接手时条件是先让他父亲退休，Charles 少年时对父亲的做法一直不认同，在德国和荷兰的苗圃待过几年，带回来的想法后来重塑了整个生意。
Charles 搞起了农场种子生意，把牧草种子、饲料根和苜蓿引进林肯郡的农户，也是最早一批在英国推广番茄的人之一。二十世纪之前，公司在林肯、格里姆斯比、 Brigg、唐卡斯特、盖恩斯伯勒和斯肯索普都开过临街种子店。1946 年前后 Gowt’s Beck 那块地被卖掉盖了房子，苗圃整体迁到城边另一处。再后来一家家关掉街边店，转向城郊大卖场。
这条路的关键人物是 Walter E. Pennell，二战时在皇家炮兵服役，1946 年初回厂。学的是园艺，本来想去读化学，被劝留下来。他 1950 年代开始收集自然授粉植株的种子搞育种，1960 年代做了系统的育种计划，陆续推出二十多个铁线莲杂种。 Walter 也是英国城郊型花园中心的开拓者之一——1966 年在公司城边苗圃场址开的第一个花园中心当时叫 Plant Centre，店里摆着自家用旧饼干铁皮罐种的苗，正好撞上六十到七十年代街边店陆续倒闭的关口。
铁线莲这条主线
公司与铁线莲的缘分从十九世纪中就有。1846 年的目录里列了七个铁线莲种，售价六便士到一个半先令不等；到 1939 年，目录上已是四十八个大花铁线莲杂种加二十九个种。最有名的是 ‘Vyvyan Pennell’，Walter 用 ‘Daniel Deronda’ 配 ‘Beauty of Worcester’ 杂交出来的，1959 年上市，是所有 Pennell 系铁线莲里最有名的，至今还在卖。
1990 年代公司把苗圃全面转向容器生产，主攻铁线莲和攀缘植物，批发供应全英的花园中心，产量最高时一年上盆二十五万多株铁线莲，另有大量攀缘、灌木和宿根。1989 年苗圃搬到 South Hykeham 花园中心后面，另在林肯郊外买了一块地。这期间公司还推过 ‘Clematis Special Occasion’，并参与在英国首发 ‘Josephine’ 和 ‘Golden Tiara’ 两个品种。
2002 年公司调了方向：苗圃规模缩小，放弃铁线莲和攀缘的批发，改为自产花卉、多年生植物和灌木供自己的三个场子。到这里，重心就从苗圃彻底转到了零售花园中心。
三个场子
现在林肯郡有三个花园中心：Lincoln、Cleethorpes 和 Sleaford，每个场子配一家叫 Gardeners’ Restaurants 的餐厅。Lincoln 是大本营，2008 到 2009 年重做过一次，零售区扩建、餐厅座位加到 270；2015 年再扩一轮，座位从 260 加到 420，加了美食广场和全遮蔽的植物区，这个场子还投了太阳能。Cleethorpes 在 2004 年新开了餐厅，第八代的 William Pennell 2009 年起管这个场子，2014 年升任常务董事。Sleaford 是 2018 年买下的 Four Seasons 花园中心，带一个 140 座的餐厅，公司当时说还要继续扩。
营业与商品
营业时间三家一致：周一到周六 8:30 到 17:30，周日 10:30 到 16:30；餐厅周一到周六 9:00 到 16:45，周日 10:30 到 15:15。三个场子都有花园家具、园艺用品、室内和厨房用品、野生动物护理、宠物用品、玩具礼品这些门类，还有一家 Lemax 迷你景观收藏专区。在线商店支持送货和到店自提。Pennells 是园艺协会（GCA）的会员，餐厅能刷 Blue Light Card。
About Pennells Garden Centres
Pennells Garden Centres is a Lincolnshire family business founded by Richard Pennell at Sturton by Stow in 1780 — one of the oldest garden companies in Britain, and probably the oldest still in the same family ownership. It is run today by the seventh and eighth generations: Richard Pennell as chairman and his son William Pennell as managing director responsible for day-to-day operations. The founder, born in 1735, served an apprenticeship with the noted horticulturalist Richard Sutton, and the firm still holds his master’s copy of “Eden, or a Compleat Body of Gardening”, issued in instalments from 1757, with a faint inscription on the flyleaf.
From Seed Shop to Garden Centre
In the early nineteenth century the nurseries moved to the outskirts of Lincoln, beside a stream called Gowt’s Beck. Charles Pennell took over on condition his father retire; having worked in German and Dutch nurseries he returned with ideas that reshaped the business. He built a farm seed trade, bringing herbage seeds, roots and clover to Lincolnshire farmers, and was among the first to popularise the tomato in Britain.
The pivotal figure was Walter E. Pennell, who returned after serving in the Royal Artillery and, having studied horticulture and been minded to read chemistry, was persuaded to stay. He began collecting seed from naturally pollinated plants in the 1950s and ran a planned breeding programme in the 1960s that produced more than twenty clematis hybrids. He also pioneered the out-of-town garden centre: the first, opened in 1966 and originally called a Plant Centre, sold plants grown in old crisp tins, just as the high street shops were closing through the sixties and seventies.
The Clematis Line
The association with clematis goes back to the mid-nineteenth century — seven species in the 1846 catalogue, rising to forty-eight large-flowered hybrids and twenty-nine species by 1939. ‘Vyvyan Pennell’, the best known of the family’s introductions, was raised by Walter from ‘Daniel Deronda’ and ‘Beauty of Worcester’ and first marketed in 1959; it is still sold today. During the 1990s the nursery turned fully to container production around clematis and climbers, supplying garden centres across the UK and at its peak growing over a quarter of a million clematis a year. In 2002 the wholesale clematis side was wound down and production switched to bedding plants, perennials and shrubs for the group’s own centres.
Three Centres
There are now three garden centres in Lincolnshire — Lincoln, Cleethorpes and Sleaford — each with a Gardeners’ Restaurant. The Lincoln site was redeveloped in 2008–09 with new retail areas and a 270-seat restaurant, then extended again in 2015 to 420 covers with a food hall and a fully covered plant area; solar panels were installed there too. Cleethorpes opened its restaurant in 2004, and William Pennell ran that centre from 2009 before becoming managing director in 2014. Sleaford, the Four Seasons centre, was bought in 2018 and has a 140-seat restaurant.
Opening and Ranges
All three open Monday to Saturday 8.30am to 5.30pm and Sunday 10.30am to 4.30pm, with restaurants an hour later on weekdays. Garden furniture, gardening products, home and kitchenware, wild bird and wildlife care, pet care, toys and gifts are stocked throughout, alongside a Lemax collection. The webshop offers delivery and click and collect.
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