Our Story

The story of Bruinsma Grasstrees began in the 70's when Bob Bruinsma saw an opportunity to salvage and market these stunning specimens.

Bob was an entrepreneur and a lateral thinking man. He saw a market for “blackboys” in the 70's when these plants were considered a nuisance to farmers. Knowing that the coastal land where these trees grew thick would one day be subdivided and cleared, Bob began transplanting grass trees into pots. Breaking new ground, and doing what many thought couldn’t be done, Bob was preserving these ancient specimens from future destruction.

In 1982, Bob sold his first trees to some nurseries in Sydney. This is the earliest known date for the commercial sale of grass trees, making Bruinsma Grasstrees the first and longest serving grass tree supplier in the world. 36 years on and the nursery is still family owned and operated.

Bob and his children developed harvesting techniques that gave rise to such a reliable survival rate, even the Commonwealth Government Biodiversity Group wanted to know about it. Bruinsma Grasstrees recorded a previously unheard of survival rate of 99% in the first 12 months after harvest. The NSW Government Office of Environment and Heritage sought Bruinsma Grasstrees to be advisors on the regulation framework for managing the commercial harvest, salvage, and growing of protected whole plants.

Bruinsma Grasstrees is known in the nursery and garden industry for supplying premium and well established grass trees. Their dedication and commitment to sustainably giving people the opportunity to have a slice of the iconic Australian bush is the secret to their success.

Bob’s daughter, Grace (in the middle of the picture), successfully operated the business for many years and saw significant growth. 

In 2013, Bob’s Grandson, Mitch (on the left with the grubby face), took over the reins. Mitch has made it his mission to cultivate sustainable harvest practices that provide the opportunity for many people to enjoy stunning grass trees in their own garden without diminishing the wild population.