History

When Adrian Byland arrived in Canada from Holland in 1953, he brought with him a family tradition of growing nursery stock. One that that dated back to the 1700s. Three years later, Adrian and wife Katie bought their first 12 acres of land near Kelowna and began growing fruit trees for the local orchard industry.

In 1958 a small 200 square foot shed was constructed that is still used by the nursery today.  The opening of a new the bridge between Kelowna and Westside in 1958 allowed customers to shop more easily at the fledgling nursery.  Over time, customers came to appreciate the friendly service and quality of locally grown plants available at Bylands. 

The demand for landscape plants surpassed that of fruit trees in the 1970s, as the Okanagan population began to expand.  It was during this time, that container grown plant material was introduced to the nursery industry, allowing nurseries to sell their plants year round instead of just early spring.  Adrian Byland was quick to recognize the importance of this development and Bylands was one of the first nurseries in Canada to grow container plants in commercial quantities.

With the introduction of plants grown in containers the Garden Centre became less seasonal and the business expanded.  In 1974 Bylands Garden Centre was built in its present location comprising of a 4,000 square feet building and a 3 acre sales yard. Additional expansions occurred in 1989 and 1995 and now the Garden Centre has over 20,000 square feet of covered space.

 

Today, Bylands Nurseries encompasses 400 acres of land and grows in excess of three million plants annually.  Despite growth, Adrian’s mission of providing the highest quality plants is still the focal point of the company. Simply put, it is family tradition!

Bylands remains a family-run enterprise with two generations working in the business. Bylands Nurseries is owned and operated by John Byland and Bylands Garden Centre is owned and operated by Maria Byland.