By Penny Lee

Specialist Business Broker in Horticulture | Benchmark Business Sales & Valuations

In Australia’s horticulture industry, we’re witnessing a troubling trend: the quiet disappearance of specialist nurseries and the irreplaceable intellectual property (IP) they hold. When these businesses close, it’s not just the owners who exit the industry—skilled staff, plant knowledge, and decades of growing expertise vanish with them.

All too often, these businesses are simply shut down, with land sold to developers and the business component disregarded. This represents a significant loss not just to the owners, but to the entire sector. Horticulture isn’t just about land; it’s about relationships, specialist knowledge, and the ability to cultivate plant lines that in many cases are grown by only a handful of people nationwide.

And this comes at a time when horticulture is more important—and more valuable—than ever. As a growing industry aligned with sustainability, biodiversity, and climate resilience, horticulture plays a vital role in replacing what’s been taken from the environment. Nurseries support carbon offset initiatives, urban greening, and regenerative landscaping. The propagation of native and endangered species contributes to ecosystem restoration, while commercial growers and landscapers are increasingly part of Australia’s environmental solution. Every plant propagated is a step toward bio-diverse, climate-conscious land use—but only if we keep the knowledge alive.

Rather than winding down, there’s an opportunity to rethink how we transition ownership—by treating the sale of nurseries as a means to inject new blood into the industry. Commercial landscapers and allied businesses, for example, could see value in acquiring wholesale nurseries to vertically integrate and boost margins. But that potential can only be unlocked with the right guidance.

That’s why it’s critical to engage brokers who truly understand horticulture—not generalists used to flipping cafes and fish and chip shops. Horticulture businesses are nuanced. The value isn’t just in the land or stock—it’s in the plant IP, propagation techniques, grower relationships, and the staff who know how to bring it all to life.

If we want to preserve and grow the future of Australia’s horticulture industry—economically, environmentally, and culturally—we need to sell with purpose.

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