The nursery began operations on 10 acres of land on the outskirts of Strathroy Ontario in 1919. Initially, it grew fruit trees and sold them to farmers and home owners in the surrounding area.

In 1925, Howard Downham incorporated the business as the H.C. Downham Nursery Company, with increased acreage and a sales staff of 5, each with a brand new 1925 Model T Ford truck with which to make sales calls and deliveries.

As the nursery expanded, it evolved into a landscape nursery, growing and selling a larger and larger variety of landscape plants. By 1950, Downham Nurseries operated and sold stock from farms at Strathroy, Bowmanville and Fonthill, Ontario, and St. Paul d’Abbotsford, Quebec. Sales Representatives called directly on farmers and on homeowners in towns and cities to sell and deliver bareroot nursery stock.

By 1975, distribution of nursery stock had changed with the emergence of garden centre retailers and retail chains such as hardware outlets now selling nursery stock to homeowners. Downham Nurseries evolved into a wholesaler, selling to independent garden centres and mass merchants.

During the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s, the industry and Downham Nurseries converted their offerings substantially to container grown stock from packaged and bareroot which had previously predominated.

Today, Downham Nurseries operates on 575 acres and sales are primarily container grown stock supplemented with potted field grown items. Customers include mass merchants and independent garden centres. All sales are at the wholesale level. Sales are to customers throughout the eastern half of Canada, and to Michigan and neighbouring U.S. states.

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Downham Nurseries headquarters are located at 390 York Ave. in Strathroy, a short drive west of London, Ontario. Two growing farms are located in the Strathroy area, with other farm groups located south of Melbourne, Ontario, just three kilometers from Highway 401 west of London.

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About three quarters of Downham shipments are made on pallets (flat or stacked) and shelved pallets. The remainder, primarily container trees and larger potted stock, are shipped as stacked loads.