All sales of peat to amateur gardeners in England will be banned by 2024, the government has announced today (Saturday).

Peatlands are the UK’s largest carbon store but only approximately 13% of our peatlands are in a near-natural state. This degradation has occurred due to drainage for agricultural use, overgrazing and burning, as well as extraction for use in growing media. Bagged retail growing media accounts for 70% of the peat sold in the UK and is frequently misused, for example being used as a soil improver rather than a medium in which to propagate plants. When this extraction takes place, the carbon stored inside the bog is released as carbon dioxide, contributing to climate change.

Peat extraction also degrades the state of the wider peatland landscape, damaging habitats for some of our rarest wildlife such as the swallowtail butterfly, hen harriers and short-eared owls, and negatively impacting peat’s ability to prevent flooding and filter water. A significant proportion of the UK’s water supply lands or flows through peatlands. 

The measures announced today will contribute to efforts to achieve our ambitious target of restoring 35,000 hectares of peatlands by 2025 and wider efforts to achieve Net Zero. 

The announcement follows an extensive public consultation, which received more than 5,000 responses with over 95% in favour of government taking action to ban retail peat sales. The Government has also pledged to continue to work closely with the professional horticulture sector on speeding up their transition to peat-free alternatives ahead of a ban for the professional horticulture sector, recognising that the professional horticulture sector faces additional technical barriers that will take longer to overcome.

The Government is also launching a new £5million fund to promote the use of peatlands for sustainable farming. It will support the uptake of paludiculture – the practice of farming on rewetted peatland – which will help, further safeguard food security, produce alternatives to horticultural peat and reduce environmental impacts.

Environment Minister Richard Benyon said: “This Government understands the importance of keeping peat healthy and in the ground, here and around the world – to lock up carbon, strengthen drought resilience and serve as a powerful nature-based solution to climate change.  

“The actions announced today mark a new chapter in the story of our iconic peatlands – safeguarding their long-term health and vitality as part of our commitments to achieve Net Zero and deliver our 25 Year Environment Plan.” 

Chair of Natural England, Tony Juniper said: “Peatlands are precious ecosystems that harbor beautiful and fascinating wildlife, shape the character of iconic landscapes, purify water and help to reduce flood risk. They are also out largest natural carbon stores, locking away over 580 million tonnes. This ban on the sale of peat-based compost and work to phase out use in other areas is an essential step toward protecting these valuable natural assets and allowing for the recovery of degraded areas.

“We are working with Defra and partners on the ground to restore thousands of hectares of peatland habitats, and today have awarded over £11 million to restore lowland sites in the south-west of England, and upland sites in the north of England. These projects will have multiple benefits, holding carbon, helping some of our scarcest wildlife to recover, reduce flood risk and render landscapes more resilient to climate change impacts such as drought and fire.”

Professor Alistair Griffiths, Director of Science and Collections at the Royal Horticultural Society, said: “Peatlands are the world's largest carbon store on land, with great potential to store carbon long term, helping to reach Net Zero. They reduce flooding, when rewetted reduce fire risks and provide valuable habitats for both plants and animals. To tackle the climate and biodiversity crises, it is essential that we have a sustainable transition to peat-free alternative growing medias. The RHS stopped selling peat-based growing media bags in 2019 and will continue to work with Defra, industry and gardeners to accelerate the transition to peat-free."

Through round two of the Nature for Climate Fund Peatland Restoration Grant, Natural England has today awarded nearly £11 million to six projects to support restoration works on over 7,000 hectares of peatland, adding to more than 8,000 hectares already funded through round one.

Round two of the Restoration Grant has supported a blend of lowland and upland restoration works, with the Somerset Peatland Partnership convening to restore lowland sites in the south-west of England, and the Great North Bog and Moors for the Future partnerships restoring upland sites in the north of England. We will also shortly be announcing the winners of our second round of Discovery Grants.

New alternatives to horticultural peat, produced through paludiculture and otherwise, present the opportunity for England to protect nature through green job creation, as well as become one of the global leaders in the production and sale of sustainable growing media.   

Response to Defra announcement on the sale of horticultural peat on behalf of James Barnes from the Growing Media Taskforce (GMT).

“We have provided hard data and practical solutions to Defra from across our industry. However, it is disappointing that today’s decision does not appear to be based on the evidence available. The UK is leading Europe in peat removal and while this consultation process has been running, the industry has developed and put into progress a plan to remove peat voluntarily that is already seeing significant results. Any reluctance to embrace peat-free growing media is based on the significant red tape and technical barriers to removing peat which government needs to work with the industry to address.

“Due to the current lack of quality alternative materials to peat, an immediate ban on peat could impact significantly on the availability of growing media. This would mean that the UK’s 30 million gardeners would be faced with products which have not gone through a lengthy enough quality assurance process, and which would have higher costs. All this at a time when so many are already challenged by the extremely high cost of living.

“The industry is developing new products and alternatives to peat and is making real progress on this journey. It has voluntarily committed to removing peat from growing media in retail as early as 2025 and last year made real strides, removing 30% of peat from compost in one year alone.

“Defra’s announcement does not support progress and we repeat our ask to government that it put its energies into addressing the barriers to alternatives rather than unnecessarily legislating.

“We welcome Defra’s acknowledgement of the complexities of removing peat from professional horticulture, and of the need for exemptions from any ban. And whilst the announcements on investment in paludiculture are to be welcomed, the more immediate need for industry in the context of removal of peat by 2024 is to unlock access to more of the materials like wood chip and digestate fibre that could be available at the scale required by 2024 ”

Background information

Organisations like HTA, GMA, NFU, Garden Centre Association, represent and have consulted with thousands of businesses which employ tens of thousands of people dependent on a responsible transition away from peat. Around 30 million gardeners rely on the sector’s expertise and commitment not only to make the UK’s compost more sustainable, but also to perform well in the garden, and in the production of our plants, trees, and food crops. 

Defra’s consultation was delayed throughout 2021 and 2022. In the same period the industry has:

• removed over 600,000 cubic metres of peat from growing media.
• launched the responsible sourcing scheme for growing media and a consumer education campaign to help gardeners move away from peat (growpeatfree.org).
• trained retail staff in best practice in the responsible retail of growing media, including peat removal.
• implemented a knowledge transfer programme to help commercial growers remove peat.
• identified barriers and red tape that the government could address to speed up the use of peat alternatives such as wood chip, green compost, and anaerobic digestate fibre.

The Growing Media Task force brings together organisations from across horticulture representing thousands of garden centres and retailers, commercial plant and food growers, and growing media manufacturers. It includes the NFU, Horticultural Trades Association, Garden Centre Association, Growing Media Association, and the Responsible Sourcing Scheme for Growing Media.

Around 0.5m tonnes of CO2 is emitted from UK’s use of peat in growing media in the UK, out of total UK CO2e emissions of 405m tonnes; peat in UK growing media accounts for 0.12% of the UK’s carbon emissions and is already rapidly falling

Peat extraction in the UK is from around 1,000 hectares or 0.04% of the UK’s peatlands, and is falling rapidly

The industry reduced the volume of peat it used in 2021 compared with 2020 by 0.5m (30%) cubic metres in the growing media supplied to gardeners

Peat is no longer the most voluminous component in growing media sold to gardeners, having been overtaken by wood-based materials such as wood fibre.

Ailis Watt, peat policy officer at The Wildlife Trusts, says: “It is fantastic to see tangible progress on this critical issue after decades of campaigning. Using peat in gardens is bad news for our climate and leads to the destruction of beautiful wild places on which many of the UK’s rarest and most threatened species depend.  

“The ban is expected to apply to around two-thirds of peat currently sold in England. What we need to see now is the Government taking action towards a total ban on peat extraction and its use in horticulture – only then can we put an end to the decline of peatlands both in the UK and further afield.” 

Some uses of peat will remain legal beyond 2024, and so it is important to recognise that while Defra’s proposed ban targets a chunk of the UK peat market, it does not eliminate peat use entirely, nor does it directly address the issue of peat extraction. 

The Wildlife Trusts are calling upon the UK Government to: 

• Ban the extraction and commercial trade of peat immediately

• Ban all horticultural uses of peat as soon as parliamentary timeframes allow, or by 2024 at the latest 

• Restore all bogs damaged by the removal of peat by 2035  

Pictured: Peat bog © Mark Hamblin

Garden Centre Association members in Scotland and Northern Ireland are celebrating after picking up awards during a presentation evening at Klondyke Polmont Garden Centre.

In Scotland, Simpsons Garden Centre (above) was awarded Garden Centre of the Year in the Destination Garden Centre (DGC) category and Klondyke Garden Wise, Dumfries (GC) category. In Northern Ireland, Creative Gardens Bushmills (GC) received the accolade.

Tammy Woodhouse, GCA Chairman, said: “Our final regional awards presentation evening was a great success and it was great to hear from inspector, Gordon Emslie, who presented his findings from his inspections, which took place earlier in the year.

“We’d like to thank Klondyke Polmont for being fantastic hosts for the evening and all our attendees for taking on all the feedback as we know they will be taking it back to their own centres in order to make any improvements straight away.”

GCA Inspector Gordon was responsible for inspecting member garden centres in the Scotland and Northern Ireland areas.

He said: “It was lovely to be back visiting Scotland and Northern Ireland again. The overall operating and service standards being delivered in every centre was excellent.

“None of the centres have stood still over the last five years and the businesses have all invested heavily in developing their offer, growing sales and giving customers a unique retail shopping experience. There was a great level of consistency experienced across all centres which demonstrates their practical use of the inspection process.”

Simpsons Garden Centre picked up a total of six awards on the night.

Andrew Simpson, Director at Simpsons Garden Centre, said: “Being presented ‘Scotland’s Destination Garden Centre of the Year’ is a huge honour. This has been without doubt the most challenging few years we have ever faced as a business, and I want to thank our staff for their amazing and continued hard work, determination and dedication.

“Going forward we are committed to investing in the business and our team, so that we can continue to deliver an exceptional retail experience for our customers and create new employment opportunities for the local community.

“We set out to create a business that was rooted in the Highlands and we firmly believe that we have achieved this. We have a bold, exciting vision for Simpsons that we believe will set us apart from other garden centres.”

Creative Gardens Bushmills was also awarded the Award for Catering Excellence for Best Garden Centre Restaurant.

The full results for the Scotland region GCA area awards are as follows for the GC and DGC categories:

Garden Centre of the Year: Simpsons Garden Centre (DGC) and Klondyke Garden Wise, Dumfries (GC)

Customer Service Award for Best Customer Service: Klondyke Polmont Garden Centre

Environment and Sustainability Award: Joint winners Klondyke Garden Wise, Dumfries, Klondyke Mortonhall Garden Centre and Simpsons Garden Centre.

The Barton Grange Trophy for Commercial Innovation and Creativity: Klondyke Garden Wise, Dumfries

The Dick Allen Award for Most Improved Centre: Klondyke Polmont Garden Centre

The Award for Catering Excellence for Best Garden Centre Restaurant: Simpsons Garden Centre (DGC) and Klondyke Mayfield Garden Centre (GC)

The GIMA Award for Best Garden Products Retailer: Simpsons Garden Centre (DGC) and Klondyke Garden Wise, Dumfries (GC)

The Indoor Lifestyle Award for Best Indoor Lifestyle Retailer: Simpsons Garden Centre (DGC) and Dunbar Garden Centre (GC)

The Outdoor Living Award for Best Outdoor Living Retailer: Simpsons Garden Centre (DGC) and Klondyke Polmont Garden Centre (GC)

The full results for the Northern Ireland region GCA area awards are as follows for the GC and DGC categories:

Garden Centre of the Year: Creative Gardens Bushmills (GC)

Customer Service Award for Best Customer Service: Creative Gardens, Donaghadee

Environment and Sustainability Award: Creative Gardens, Donaghadee

The Barton Grange Trophy for Commercial Innovation and Creativity: Creative Gardens, Logwood

The Dick Allen Award for Most Improved Centre: Creative Gardens, Donaghadee

The Award for Catering Excellence for Best Garden Centre Restaurant: Creative Gardens Bushmills (GC)

The GIMA Award for Best Garden Products Retailer: Creative Gardens, Donaghadee (GC)

The Indoor Lifestyle Award for Best Indoor Lifestyle Retailer: Creative Gardens, Bushmills (GC)

The Outdoor Living Award for Best Outdoor Living Retailer: Creative Gardens, Donaghadee (GC)

After months of research and development, countless prototypes and ‘back to the drawing board’ moments, bringing a new product to market can be a nerve-wracking experience. In the case of Sipcam Home and Garden, however, all this hard work was instantly rewarded, as the company’s two latest innovations scooped highly coveted awards just hours after being unveiled to the world.

All-new Organic Superfood and Peat-Free Compost Booster have been added to the ecofective® portfolio of products ahead of the 2023 season. As part of the brand’s mission to nurture happy plants and a happy planet, these new introductions were explicitly designed to work in unison with products already on the market, to add additional value for retailers and gardeners and to support the peat-free movement. It is this added value and a fresh look at the category that made this year’s Glee New Product judges select the products as joint winners of the ‘Growing Materials’ award.

Talking after the awards ceremony, Managing Director at Sipcam Home & Garden, Matt Jones, said: “It feels amazing to have won a Glee New Product Award. We’ve worked hard to bring both Peat-Free Compost Booster and Organic Superfood to market. From the research phase to sourcing and reviewing products and creating a packaging design that will help consumers understand the need for feeds like these, it’s been a long but rewarding process and one that is imperative as the consumer shift toward more environmentally conscious purchases. To be recognised for our efforts makes it all worthwhile and shows that we’re on the right track.”

Since the award win, the team has been inundated with well wishes, and has also been contacted by both new and existing customers who want to investigate more collaborative opportunities across the supply chain. Nigel Thompson, Head of Sales at Sipcam Home & Garden, said: “There is no question that the award has placed these new products at the forefront of many people’s minds; something that is already benefiting us and helping to expand our retailer network and stockist listings for 2023. Obviously, this is hugely exciting for us, but we are equally excited about the fact that we are helping to accelerate the popularity of peat-free gardening by giving consumers the confidence in their peat-free gardening projects. For too long, there has been a fear that peat-free equals lesser results, but we’re ready to shout from the rooftops that this could not be farther from the truth and are here to support peat-free growing media suppliers in the same vein.”

To support the introduction of both Peat-Free Compost Booster and Organic Superfood, it has been confirmed that new merchandising tools will be made available to retail customers, including updated wooden stand deals and ‘shelf takers’. Nigel added: “The new products’ packaging has been specifically designed to look different than traditional styles on the shelf. Offering a more high-end feel and benefiting from clear and concise product features and benefits, the Peat-Free Compost Booster’sweather-proof packaging will open new opportunities to locate beyond the typical and increase cross-merchandising opportunities within outdoor growing media displays.”

So, what’s next for Sipcam Home and Garden? Matt Jones says it’s a matter of continuing to innovate and ensuring that its mission of ‘happy plants, happy planet’ continues to resonate. He said: “We have done a lot of work to communicate more effectively regarding our eco credentials, including on-pack information to our recycled packaging and eco formulations, and this is something we will continue to develop in response to retailer feedback. Our ecofective® refills are another element of this. With the RTU to refill ratios holding firm, we believe this is demonstrative of the fact that consumers are moving away from single-use plastic reliance and are looking for ways to minimise its use throughout the home and garden.

“We’d also like to take this opportunity to thank our retail customers for their ongoing support. Every piece of feedback and every order placed is helping to strengthen the Sipcam offering, and we will not take this for granted. We have a great NPD pipeline incoming and know that our brands and their ethos are not just for now but fit for the future of gardening, and we look forward to showing this off in all its glory in 2023 and beyond.”

Find out more

To find out more about the leading product range from Sipcam Home & Garden, visit www.sipcamhg.co.uk. 

The British Garden Centres Christmas Elves have been working hard at Tarporley Garden Centre to create their biggest and, arguably, best Christmas Department!

Working through some of the highest ever temperatures recorded at the centre, the team has pulled out all the stops and completed the festive task in record time, so the department has already opened (20th August).

Phillippa Stubbs, Group Director, and part of the family that bought Tarporley in 2019, went on to say, "Christmas is one of our busiest seasons and we see thousands come though the centre doors and talking to customers over the last few weeks we know that people are planning a great festive celebration this year BUT also want to spread the cost over a number of months. By getting the department open early we are helping them to do this. We have 61 centres in the group now and we decided to open the department at Tarporley first this year as we know how popular the displays are with customer, young and old".

Tarporley Garden Centre employs over 60 people, this has more than doubled since the centre joined the British Garden Centres Family. Talking of the future, Phillippa went on to say, "we are very excited to have planning permission to develop the centre further. We're getting to understand the area and have some great ideas for Tarporley that I and the team look forward to revealing next year."

This is the first year British Garden Centres have launched a Christmas department before the August bank holiday, beating most of the high street retailers to being the first to launch for the season. This is a massive achievement for the group and something they hope to continue in the next few years.

In the run up to Glee, GTN's Trevor Pfeiffer hosted a round table discussion in the Glee Studio with Marcus Eyles, Roger Crookes and Adam Wigglesworth about making peat free gardening work for everyone with a special focus on making the most of the opportunities for the future.

“The past is gone,” says Roger. “There's an exciting future ahead. We're not powerless in this. We have huge power to influence and co-operate with this amazing trend. I'm excited.”

Adam says the industry shouldn’t let perfection in gardening get in the way of progress. “We need to go forward and customers want us to do that and they want to do the right thing. We need to facilitate it. We shouldn’t let perfection hold us back.”

Marcus says the industry should now be proactive and has seen it coming together on the peat free issue, which has fast tracked and gained momentum really quickly. “We should be sharing [the issues], discussing them and getting on the front foot rather than being caught lagging behind.”

“We’ve got an opportunity,” says Adam. “Let’s grasp it”.

https://www.gleebirmingham.com/news-and-views/successful-peat-free-growing-world

The wealth of experience at PP8 Marketing in the Home, Garden and Sustainability sectors has bloomed with the addition of Carrie Burgess. Carrie joins as Marketing Coordinator to support client delivery and account management as PP8 Marketing continues to grow.

Like founder Paula Parker, Carrie has worked throughout the gardening sector in various roles and brings with her experience as a buyer, as well as from account management and marketing. She has worked across both sides of the fence, as retailer and supplier, so clients will benefit from her all-round experience.

Carrie initially started working in the sector as a buyer for Crocus across all non-plant categories - anything from fertilisers to garden furniture! She also launched the Waitrose Garden website during this time, responsible for managing email campaigns, online merchandising and promotion of the Waitrose branded range of garden products.  

Working for Hygeia Garden Care, Carrie was responsible for building their presence in the UK across various trade/supplier shows as well as driving their UK social media accounts.

Tom Stolworthy, former UK Country Manager for Hygeia, has experience of working with both Paula and Carrie, and said:

"Super easy from start to finish, Paula and PP8 Marketing were influential to how our products were received by the end user and to the trade through professional video and voice overs. Working in line with our corporate strategy and budget we were able to achieve what we set out to within a very tight deadline.

Carrie will be a strong addition to the PP8 team bringing a wealth of knowledge from her previous roles. Carrie is conscientious, diligent, and has the foresight to understand a businesses longer term as well as short term goals.”

Paula adds: “I am very excited that Carrie is joining the PP8 team, her skill set, and experience complements mine perfectly bringing my clients phenomenal value add. Our joint passion for the gardening sector is a force to be reckoned with!”

Whether you’re looking to offload your marketing to a safe pair of hands or you need strategic input to stand out from the crowd at your next trade event, the team at PP8 Marketing are here to help. Paula is always happy for a no obligation chat.

Call Paula on 07500 225293 or visit www.pp8marketing.com.

Furniture and barbecues were the best sellers at garden centres across the country in July, according to the latest Garden Centre Association’s Barometer of Trade report.

Sales in this department at garden centres were 19.88% up compared to the same month last year (2021).

GCA Chairman, Tammy Woodhouse, explains: “As a country we saw our driest July since 1935, with temperatures exceeding 30°C and as much as we love the sunshine, it meant that a lot of gardeners couldn’t spend as much time on their plots as they would have liked to, which meant a decline in sales in traditional categories.

“Thankfully, the non-traditional categories were able to make up for this, as we saw furniture and barbecues sales soar compared with 2021, as people wanted to make the most of the hot weather but also because, by this stage in 2021, furniture was in short supply whereas there is plenty around this year.”

Houseplant sales were down -13.81%, sales in outdoor plants were down -16.69% and seed and bulb sales were also down -8.76%.

Sales in garden sundries were down -17.12%, pets and aquatics sales were down -13.67%. Gift sales were also down -12.53%.

Hard landscaping sales were down -19.22%, food hall and farm shop sales were down -6.66%.

Clothing and catering sales were the only other two categories that performed well at 6.08% and 2.71% up.

Overall sales for the month were down -6.53% with a year-to-date variance of -1.32%.

The GCA BoT reports are compiled using actual sales figures and provide an up-to-date trading position statement. They are made available mid-month following the end of the prior month after all member garden centres have submitted their results.

The BoT reports allow members to compare their trading positions with other centres.

Dobbies Garden Centres marked the opening of its second Waitrose foodhall on Thursday (August 25), with Brighton being the next store to feature the new offering.  

The foodhall at the Warren Road store brings Waitrose’s wide range of high-quality food, grocery products, and everyday essentials.  

Shoppers at Dobbies’ Brighton can choose from an extensive selection of products including the Essential Waitrose range, which is the biggest value tier of any supermarket, plus its premium range - Waitrose No. 1 - and Waitrose Duchy Organic. Ready meals, free-from and vegan ranges, prepared fruit and vegetables, snacks and cupboard staples will also be available.  

The Waitrose foodhall is one of more than 50 that are to be launched at Dobbies’ stores across the UK and which will bring the supermarket brand to 20 new towns and cities. 

Graeme Jenkins, CEO of Dobbies, said: “As we continue to build on the success of our foodhalls, Waitrose was the natural grocery partner as they share our commitment to great value, quality and sustainability. We look forward to welcoming shoppers in Brighton to our new-look foodhall.” 

The first Waitrose to open in Dobbies was in Edinburgh. 

To find out more about the partnership, visit www.dobbies.com.  

The doors might be closed on the 2022 edition of Glee, but the generosity of visitors and exhibitors alike continues to echo as the show’s latest initiative ‘Giving at Glee’, designed to protect the planet and raise vital funds for the Greenfingers Charity, unveils its impact.

Grow My Tree 

Launched as part of Glee’s ‘Power of One’ programme - which looks to empower change and action by encouraging individuals to make small changes that add up to more significant positive changes for the planet – Grow My Tree saw Glee join with its first official climate change partner. Through this partnership, everyone attending Glee was given a chance to plant a tree free of charge within one of Grow My Tree’s local operator territories, including Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania.

Since June, over 204 trees have been planted on behalf of Glee attendees, together helping to offset over 4,488kgs of C02 annually and providing 2.4 days of work for those within the global south communities supported by Grow My Tree. 

With the Grow My Tree in its infancy at Glee, these numbers are expected to rise as more and more visitors take advantage of the accessibility of this initiative to fight climate change.

Raising funds for Greenfingers

As the industry’s chosen charity, Glee is a hotbed of fundraising activity for the Greenfingers Charity. Whether it’s Floral Thursday, where the show is awash with floral attire, or show specials where fundraising products are launched, Glee’s exhibitors and visitors go above and beyond for the national children’s hospice garden charity. 

This year, entrants to the Glee New Product Showcase were given the opportunity to donate their products to Greenfingers, with the charity’s auction partners, W & H Peacocks, placing the donations under the gavel to raise much-needed funds. With brands such as Kent & Stowe, Elho, Evergreen Garden Care, AMES UK, Woodlodge, Gardman, Westland and many more, kindly offering their products for auction, it comes as no surprise that the Glee New Product Showcase auction raised over £1,200 for Greenfingers.

The fundraising total for this year’s Floral Thursday – the biggest one yet – is set to be revealed shortly. Watch this space for more information.

Talking post-show regarding ‘Giving at Glee’, Glee Event Director, Matthew Mein said: “As an exhibition organiser, we feel it is our responsibility to provide the opportunity for our audience to engage with initiatives that uphold important standards. We believe these latest additions to our offering are invaluable yet representative of a much longer journey we want to take Glee on. We must thank every single person that got involved in Grow My Tree and fundraising for Greenfingers, and we look forward to building on this as we look ahead to the 2023 event.”

Find out more 

Glee is the UK’s leading garden retail show, focussing on building year-round profits for buyers and suppliers within the core gardening and outdoor leisure product categories. To keep up to date on the latest Glee news visit www.gleebirmingham.com. To enquire about exhibiting at Glee 2023, which will take place June 27th – 29th, please call +44 (0)203 3545 9752.

2022 is the start of a great partnership for LOFA and the LANDSCAPE Show. The synergy between these two shows is undeniable. They both work to promote great products and innovation within the outdoor industry. This partnership will be sure to bring a new level of excitement to both events.

At this year's LANDSCAPE show, you'll be able to view a small selection of products from some of the best brands within the outdoor leisure industry which will give visitors an insider taste into what LOFA members have available for their landscaping needs. 

The LANDSCAPE how takes place in Hall 3, NEC Birmingham, on 28-29 September.

The LOFA Lounge will feature eight LOFA members.

Outback International UK Ltd 

Since its formation as a family business in 1979, the Outback brand has stood for quality, innovation, and total customer commitment, providing a comprehensive range of cutting-edge British-designed barbecues, spare parts and accessories that leads the way in quality and value.

Outback will have their signature 6 Burner Hybrid Gas BBQ on show, this full stainless-steel BBQ has interchangeable cooking surfaces enabling users to replace grill with hot plate, pizza stone, paella dish or wok.

https://www.outbackbarbecues.com/

Bramblecrest 

Bramblecrest creates outdoor furniture of the highest standard. A keen eye for detail combined with quality craftsmanship, are the guiding principles that have been with them from the word go and established their reputation as a market leader. 

They recognise that durable, comfortable outdoor furniture is paramount whether reclining by a pool, lounging on a sofa or dining with family and friends. They use the finest materials to produce furniture whose function and aesthetic are regarded in equal measure. It_’s_ _their attention to detail that makes them stand out from the crowd and a brand synonymous with alfresco style. 

Bramblecrest will be showcasing their Tetbury bistro table set with its classic style armchairs. The bistro table, with its tree-free top, features eye-catching skirting and the two dining chairs have gently rounded seat backs and arms. With its neat proportions and durable, lightweight weave, this small-scale set will complement any setting, indoors or out.

https://www.bramblecrest.com/

Beefeater Europe 

BeefEater Europe is a long-established supplier of high quality and powerful gas barbecues produced by Electrolux Australia. 

With a diverse range of products including built in and mobile barbecues, outdoor kitchens, fridges and build in doors, drawers, and accessories they offer a complete outdoor cooking solution. 

Beefeater will be bringing along a Cabinex 5 Burner Classic Outdoor Kitchen which will change the way you think about entertaining outdoors. As well as plenty of cupboard space and a generous working surface, these high-end DIY kitchens come complete with market leading appliances which include a 120 litre fridge, 4 or 5 burner barbeque and matt black sink & tap. 

https://www.beefeaterbbq.com/en-au/

Tripod Home

Tripod Home is a family-owned business. The business has been running for over twenty-three years operating as a wholesaler for outdoor furniture, statues, and giftware. Tripod Home operates sustainably through the use of recycled materials in many of their products such as the traditional window shutters from Javanese houses and the boat wood furniture range. Tripod Home’s products are great for adding statement pieces to the garden as well as offering complementary pieces to perfectly complete a space.

Tripod will be showcasing their cast stone Buddha head, which can be used as a water feature or stand-alone statement piece in any garden.

http://tripodhome.co.uk/

Maze Rattan

Maze is one of the UK’s largest and fastest growing premium outdoor furniture brands, committed to delivering style, comfort and quality. As an independent business they’ve had a different approach since launching in 2009, introducing new products and collections to match evolving consumer needs.

Maze Pulse Square Corner Dining Set with Fire Pit Table is the perfect way to combine relaxation with comfortable casual dining, The corner sofa style seats allow you to make the most of the space in your garden, and the large square table means there is plenty of room for everyone.

https://maze.co.uk/

Rotospa

Multi award winning company RotoSpa are recognized as the UK’s ONLY spa manufacturer. A family run business with over 18 years’ experience, RotoSpa has become the name synonymous with reliability, durability, and portability. You can view the Dura Spa, one of Rotospa’s most luxurious and prestige spa’s on the LOFA stand. Modern soft flowing lines provide a shape carefully contoured to give full depth seating including relaxed twin lounge positions and a dedicated master seat. Market leading features include multipoint turbo air jet system, LED mood lighting and soothing waterfall feature. The Dura spa offers unrivalled performance and value for money.

https://www.rotospa.co.uk/

Ginique

Ginique based in Shropshire, they are the exclusive UK distributors of Glowbus a Belgian manufacturer of Corten steel fire sculptures. Each piece in the Glowbus collection is a handmade, functional work of art. The unique design makes an eye-catching and beautiful garden structure. When lit the design and light play, takes an evening around a crackling fire into a completely different dimension.

Made from Corten steel the Dewdrop is the foundation of the Glowbus® collection. Its unique and eccentric design makes it the eye-catcher in any outdoor space. This outdoor fire sculpture is a real statement piece.

https://www.ginique.co.uk/

Celtic Spa 

Celtic Spas are UK distributors of a number of products within the home leisure market. They the UK sole distributor of Hanscraft products, a European manufacturer of quality hot tubs, swim spas & saunas. The Hanscraft OKA 3 Sapphire Hot Tub features 56 air jets for a thorough, effective, and relaxing massage for your whole body and will be on show in the LOFA Lounge.

The Oka 3 includes an ozonator and UV medical lamp sanitizer keeping the water clean at all times. Other features include colour LED lighting, anatomical head rests, a waterfall, a touch screen control panel and titanium heater system, a thermocover, and aquatic AV audio system.

https://celticspas.co.uk/

Glencrest Seatex

Trading since 1981 specialising in Garden and Cane Furniture Cushions, the company has grown from strength to strength and over the years have increased their colour palette and designs.

The Ashbury, a new contemporary garden furniture collection is designed for maximum comfort. This new collection achieves a unique blend of casual elegance and durability with generously deep upholstered cushions carefully engineered to enhance comfort within sturdy streamlined aluminium frames.

From casual lounging to all year al fresco dining, Ashbury’s co-ordinating furniture options will provide a beautiful cohesive outdoor living area and optimise any outdoor environment.

http://www.glencrestseatex.co.uk/index.php

Plastics Recycling Charity, RECOUP have called on packaging designers and specifiers not to forget the basics when it comes to plastic packaging recyclability.

Although current trends may seek to explore new innovations in packaging, often the fundamentals for designing for recyclability are forgotten. RECOUP is guided by the recycling industry regarding rules for recyclability. It is crucial that packs no longer claim ‘recyclability’ if this cannot be supported by UK infrastructure systems and without the need for considerable intervention by consumers before disposal.

In revisiting this issue RECOUP has produced a Recyclability by Design - Back to Basics Case Study outlining some of these key principles covering labelling, single polymer construction and adhesives.   The study looks at several pack types such as PET bottles, pots, tubs, and trays. It offers feedback on the recyclability of the products and looks at ways in which the producers can improve the capture rates of plastic packaging without intervention from the consumer. Stuart Foster, CEO of RECOUP, commented “You cannot change the recyclability of a pack by passing onto the consumer the responsibility.”

The study highlights the issues surrounding tear off strips and questions whether it is ethical to ask the consumer to remove a part of the packaging before recycling, as the implications if they fail to do so would be that the pack could fail to be correctly sorted for recycling, regardless of the main component. Claiming recyclability on a pack where such fundamental principles are ignored, RECOUP state is adding to consumer confusion.

Paul East, Head of Packaging, Recycling and Design RECOUP commented “While packaging needs to perform its main function, to protect and preserve the product, above anything else; recyclability guidelines exist to help packaging designers to make sure their packaging is designed with recycling in mind from the outset.”

RECOUP have been guiding their members for over 30 years on how the basic pack design principles can be incorporated to ensure that packs, when placed for recycling, can be sorted, captured, and reprocessed to promote a circular economy.

It is envisaged that this issue will be keenly debated at the RECOUP Conference on 29th September. Registrations can be made both for the Conference and pre-conference dinner at www.recoup.org.

The case study is available to download from the website and any organisations wishing to join RECOUP, to benefit from their expertise, are encouraged to contactenquiry@recoup.org for further information.

One of the country’s leading commercial nurseries has supplied a multitude of trees and shrubs for a project taking place in Birmingham from September 2-18.

Wyevale Nurseries has provided stock for the event, which reflects on the UK’s complex histories surrounding migration and diversity while celebrating people’s differences, roots, and the future too.

Head of Business Support, Carol Dickinson explains: “PoliNations in Birmingham looks really exciting and it’s wonderful to be involved with this project. As well as looking at history, migration and diversity and celebrating this, it will also be emphasising the importance of access to green spaces and having a healthy planet too.

“We’re supplying a lot of the trees and shrubs such as Sambucus nigra, Liquidamber styraciflua Worplesdon, Acer x freemanii Celebration and Betula albosinensis Fascination, so we hope it’s a huge success and generates lots of interest from city residents and further afield too. We’re also encouraging as many of our staff as possible to visit it and asking them to feedback to us on anything that they found interesting as part of a personal development initiative we’re running.”

The event organisers are inviting visitors to step into a city-centre garden of magical proportions, where they will be welcomed by an array of colour and nature. 

Carol adds: “Giant architectural trees and thousands of plants will transform Victoria Square in Birmingham into an urban oasis, which will host free events, workshops and performances including live music, dance, spoken word and drag.

“As the event’s website explains: This supernatural wonderland uncovers the origin stories of the plants we know so well – daisies, pansies, apple trees, roses – in fact these, and most of the plants we see in our gardens are not originally from the UK. They tell the story of journeys, movement, dispersal, and new roots. To find out more about the event, please visit its website: www.polinations.com.”

Wyevale Nurseries’ product selection is envied across the industry and the talented team regularly introduces new, award-winning plant varieties.

Its main business is to supply garden centres, landscape contractors, local authorities, foresters and landowners with a comprehensive array of trees, shrubs, hedging, herbaceous and specimen plants.

For further details about Wyevale Nurseries, which is based in Hereford, please call 01432 845 200 or visit www.wyevalenurseries.co.uk.

Blue Diamond has announced a long-term collaboration with the National Trust. The five-year collaboration will see the development of an exciting collection of seeds, bulbs and other plants that are inspired by the gardens the National Trust cares for.   

Through sales generated from the National Trust Collection by Blue Diamond, a minimum of 10% of the retail sales price per product will be given to the National Trust to help look after nature, beauty and history for everyone, forever. In the first year of the collaboration Blue Diamond have committed a minimum of £180,000 which will fund vital conservation at National Trust gardens and parks. 

Examples of the pack shots soon to be in Blue Diamond Garden Centres.

The National Trust look after the greatest collection of historic gardens and garden plants under single ownership in Europe. They encompass more than 500 years of history and a vast range of garden styles and fashions. With more than 200 gardens in their care, from kitchen gardens to colourful displays of spring bulbs and heritage rose gardens, the National Trust bring a shared passion for gardening to this collaboration. 

The collaboration between Blue Diamond and the National Trust will result in the development of an exclusive collection of plants, bulbs and seeds which tell stories from the historic gardens cared for by the National Trust.  These stories will include plants, seeds and bulbs from some of the rare, heritage varieties that would have otherwise been lost, without the National Trust’s care.

Alongside a shared passion for gardens, both Blue Diamond and the National Trust are committed to caring for the environment - the National Trust is Europe’s largest conservation charity and this ethos flows through everything it does.  

Blue Diamond has taken many positive steps to reduce its impact on the environment and has implemented measures to reduce its carbon footprint. In 2021, Blue Diamond partnered with the Soil Association and is working with them to promote environmentally friendly and organic gardening.

Bulbs will be the first product launch within this collaboration, available from the end of August 2022. The collection will expand to include trees, bare root-roses, compost and plants by the end of 2022. 

Michaela Davies, Brand Licensing Manager at the National Trust said: “We know that not only do our visitors love to explore the gardens we care for, but they also leave inspired to make changes in their own green spaces – however large or small. Therefore, this collaboration with Blue Diamond is a very logical one.

With both organisations also sharing a commitment to sustainable product production and featuring heritage, rare and unusual varieties; varieties that would have been lost without the National Trust’s care. This is a wonderful collection for both passionate gardeners and those just dipping their toes.”

Alan Roper, Managing Director of the Blue Diamond Group said: “The National Trust is a much loved and cherished institution and I am pleased that our collaboration with the National Trust will provide funding for this charitable organisation who for the past 127 years have preserved our heritage and open spaces for all to enjoy. I look forward to unlocking their rich heritage of plant species which will be grown on our nursery, and be on sale over the coming years within our garden centres.”

The National Trust bulb collection will include a narcissus fill-a-box with a selection of 28 varieties as well as a collection of bulbs for naturalizing including tulips, alliums, fritillaria and snowdrops in pack sizes and ready-to-plant hand biodegradable bulb trays. 

Powis Castle, whose gardens inspired the Powis Rose bare root collection, available to pre order late September.

The collection of bulbs will be available at Blue Diamond Garden centres from the end of August 2022.  Prices starting from £4.99. We look forward to launching trees later in the year, the Powis Castle bare root collection of roses in late September/early October and a full collection to include seeds, roses and plants are in the pipeline and will be launching in Spring 2023. 

British home and giftware supplier, Ivyline, has confirmed that next month it will be running a special open-door showroom event for its retail customers.

Taking place from Monday 5th - Friday 9th September at Ivyline’s dedicated showroom at Stoneleigh Park, the Ivyline event will be the perfect opportunity for retailers to get up close and personal with the company’s trend-led AW22 and SS23 collections, including indoor and outdoor pots and planters, home décor and accessories, and outdoor living ranges comprising furniture, mirrors, lanterns, and stylish outdoor heating solutions.

Open to new and existing customers, Ivyline’s ‘Open Week’ has been designed to provide a relaxed environment for retailers to view the complete product offering, including a “second look” for those that were able to join the company on stand at Glee 2022. Whether buyers are looking to secure stock ahead of the 2023 season, want to maximise autumn and festive sales or are looking to place top-up orders, the ‘Open Week’ will make it easier than ever to place orders and spend time discussing needs with the Ivyline team. Available throughout the event, the team will be on hand to walk visitors through the complete offering, helping them to identify those products best tailored to their customer base as well as outlining the bespoke merchandising solutions to support sales in store.

Talking ahead of the event, Ivyline Managing Director, Scott Thomas said “The Ivyline proposition is perfect for those independent gift retailers and  garden centre buyers that are looking to stock something that will differentiate themselves from traditional high street stores. Our offering is not just varied, but it has been carefully curated to ensure it not only works within current trends but also offers longevity of design.

“Stylish and timeless designs are further strengthened by our commitment to sourcing closer to home, using ethically audited manufacturing partners and sustainable materials wherever possible, meaning shorter lead-times and products with a story to tell.

“At Ivyline we want to arm our customers with something that will stand out in the retail environment, create customer loyalty and entice new customers into store. More than this, we want retailers to know that we stand proudly as a supply partner that never compromises on quality or design, and we will always offer flexible options to make stocking Ivyline as easy and profitable as possible.”

Flexible ordering

Recognising that stock holding is an ongoing challenge for many retailers, Ivyline offers a wide range of unrivalled resources to make it easier than ever to access the full product portfolio.  UK-held stock, rapid delivery times and no minimum order value enables Ivyline customers to order what they need when needed most. All account holders also have the option to log-in to the Ivyline trade portal to place their orders - no matter how large or small they might be - or they can call one of the company’s many sales representatives to receive advice on merchandising options or to discuss requirements in more detail.

Find out more

To book your place at Ivyline’s forthcoming ‘Open Week’ event please contact the Ivyline team direct by emailing sales@ivylinegb.co.uk, or by calling 024 7633 9180. For more information regarding the full Ivyline offering please visit www.ivylinegb.co.uk

British outdoor storage and garden furniture brand HEX Living will be showcasing its unique lifetime warranty metal sheds and storage solutions at the prestigious BBC Gardener’s World Live events.

One of the largest UK consumer events, BBC Gardener’s World Live attracts over 91,000 visitors a year and is the highlight of the gardening calendar.

Attending the Autumn and Spring Fair events, new British brand HEX Living will be unveiling its leading garden products as the UK’s only manufacturer to offer a lifetime warranty across the entire range.

Managing Director Paul Clews said: “We are excited to be showcasing our new product range at BBC Gardener’s World Live events this year. The prestigious events are a great opportunity to showcase our leading technology to gardeners across the UK. As the only manufacturer guaranteeing a lifetime of use across our metal shed and storage solutions, we are leading the drive for quality design and lasting value in the industry.”

Attending both the BBC Gardener’s World Live Autumn and Spring Fair events, HEX Living specialises in powder coated, durable, galvanised steel sheds, storage, deck boxes and planters.

Unveiled at the beginning of the year, HEX Living is a brand-new British outdoor storage and garden furniture brand incorporating 30 years of design and manufacturing expertise. Manufactured in the Midlands, the major benefit of all HEX Living products is the unrivalled lifetime warranty for added peace of mind.

Based in Staffordshire, HEX Living is a division of the multi award-winning business, The HEX Group, established in 1988.  They are the only UK manufacturer to offer this level of buyer protection with each metal shed and storage solution designed to last a lifetime.

Paul added: “Our products are revolutionising the way gardeners create storage and planting solutions in UK gardens. Using materials which deliver our unrivalled lifetime warranty, HEX Living provides quality design and functionality that lasts.”

BBC Gardener’s World Live Autumn Fair is held at Audley End House and Gardens in Essex from Friday 2nd September to Sunday 4th.Launching this year, it follows the success of the UK’s largest gardening brand’s annual Spring Fair last year.

HEX Living will then also attend the 2023 Spring Fair at Beaulieu, in Hampshire. The event runs from Friday 28th April to Sunday 30th and is expected to attract 20,000 visitors after a sell-out launch in 2021 and 20% increase in visitors last year.

More information on HEX Living is available at www.hexliving.co.uk.

To book your tickets and join us at the events visit https://www.bbcgardenersworldlive.com/autumn-fair/.

A career at Hillier provides the opportunity to work for one of the UK’s leading horticultural businesses that supports growth and encourages achievement. These exciting new apprenticeships offer students the opportunity to gain experience in a chosen field alongside their studies, providing them with the tools required to progress and grow throughout their career.

The launch of the new apprenticeships comes following Hillier becoming an accredited Government Employer Training provider earlier this year as part of the company’s new Learning and Development department.

There will be a variety of different Hillier Apprenticeships to choose from across various divisions in the company including Horticulture, Hospitality, Supply Chain Operative, Retail, Customer service, and Management.

Championing and supporting future generations within horticulture is at the core of the company and Hillier is working in partnership with Pershore College, a national center for horticulture, to provide its Level 3 Crop Technician apprenticeship. Retail and hospitality are equally important sectors at Hillier, as their customers are at the forefront of everything they do. Therefore apprenticeships are being offered in these areas as well as they pride themselves on the quality of service provided. The apprenticeships available currently start from Level 2 and range in duration between 12 and 24 months. 

They are:

• Customer Service Practitioner – Level 2
• Retailer Apprenticeship – Level 2
• Retail Team Leader Apprenticeship – Level 3
• Team Leader/ Supervisor – Level 3
• Crop Technician Apprenticeship – Level 3
• Hospitality Team Member Apprenticeship – Level 2
• Production Chef Apprenticeship – Level 2

Hillier already has many success stories with its apprenticeships, helping current employees grow and succeed through their employment with the company. One of these is George Bailey (pictured above) , who began his career at Hillier through work experience, before advancing to a Level 3 Crop Technician apprentice. Since completing his apprenticeship, George has gained the necessary skills to move into a professional Grower role on the nursery. Discussing his experience and Hillier apprenticeships, George commented: “An apprenticeship with Hillier really enables you to enjoy hands on involvement right at the heart of the company. For anyone looking for an apprenticeship, Hillier is the place to be!”

Another Hillier apprentice who has progressed through the ranks is Toby Fielding (left) who joined Hillier in 2015 as a General Assistant and went on the complete the Retail Team Leader apprenticeship before taking on his current position of Shop Manager. Toby commented: “The apprenticeship was instrumental in helping develop my managerial skills by teaching the knowledge as well as how to implement the skills in your current work environment. I plan to use the apprenticeship to continue my development towards being a Garden Centre Manager and further develop the skills of my team.”

Emma Fell, Head of Learning and Development at Hillier, commented: “An apprenticeship at Hillier is the first step onto a road to success and can lead to a fantastic and fulfilling career. We’ve got some great examples of previous apprentices who have gone on to great things within the company, so it’s brilliant to now be able to offer this as an accredited provider. We are continuously expanding and innovating and therefore the opportunities at Hillier are endless as our business grows.”

If you are interested in finding out more information about the Hillier apprenticeship you can visit their website at www.hillier.co.uk/careers/apprenticeships or email talent@hillier.co.uk.

For further information, visit www.hillier.co.uk, find Hillier Garden Centres on Facebook, or @Hilliergardencentres on Instagram.

British garden equipment manufacturer Handy has announced a raft of promotional offers across a substantial range of garden machinery ideally suited to Autumn tasks. Retailers can benefit from increased margins on leaf blowers, log splitters, chainsaws, hedge trimmers and more, of up to 34%.

Autumn is a busy time in the garden as the big post-summer tidy-up begins, planting for spring takes place, and gardeners around the nation prepare for the dormant winter months ahead. Having the right Autumn gardening machinery in stock is essential to meet customer needs and provide valuable sales opportunities. 

The unusually hot summer months the UK has witnessed this year have left lawns parched and worse for wear. Repairing and reviving the lawn is an early Autumn task, which starts with scarifying to remove thatch and moss. The Webb WEESR electric lawn scarifier and rake from Handy is a quick and easy way to achieve this and now has a retailer margin of 32%.

A further convenient piece of garden kit is the garden blower, which makes clearing up those seemingly endless Autumn leaves a breeze. Handy has special offers on blowers, and combined Vacuum/Blowers that also shred debris into a compostable mulch, across its Greenworks cordless, The Handy and Q Garden electric, and McCulloch and Webb petrol models. There is a wide range to choose from to suit all budgets.

Autumn is the time you’re most likely to hear chainsaws in the garden, as larger trees get pruned and turned into firewood. Handy has a comprehensive range of chainsaws and log splitters. There are ten chainsaws included in the Autumn promotions, including Greenworks cordless, Webb electric and petrol, and McCulloch petrol models. Log splitters on promotion are from The Handy brand, from an 8 Ton Vertical Electric Log Splitter through to a 4 Ton Electric Log Splitter with Guard, all with a 32% retailer margin. 

When it comes to getting rid of all your leaves and branches after pruning back those trees, a shredder is ideal. Three shredders are included in Handy’s special Autumn promotions: The Handy Electric Impact Shredder with Box & Detachable Hopper, the Webb Electric Silent Shredder with Box, and The Handy Petrol Drum Chipper Shredder.

Over 70 garden machinery products have been included in Handy’s new Autumn garden machinery promotion, which is available on orders placed before the end of September 2022.

For more information, visit www.handyonline.co.uk/blog/news/plan-ahead-our-autumn-promotions.

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Phlox 'Olympus' (Paniculata Group) was proclaimed the best KVBC Novelty at PLANTARIUM|GROEN-Direkt 2022. The plant was submitted by Rijnbeek and Son Perennials BV from Boskoop and Compass Plants BV from Hillegom.

“Phlox 'Olympus' has striking variegated foliage and red young shoots. This Phlox is a welcome new addition to the range, especially with its purple flowers. It’s very suitable for use in both private gardens and public green spaces. The plants are healthy and attractively presented,” was the KVBC jury’s conclusion.

Seven silver and eleven bronze medals

Besides the gold medal for the Best Novelty, the jury also awarded silver medals to seven plants and bronze medals to another eleven novelties. 

38 plants evaluated 

A total of 46 plants had been submitted for the Best KVBC Novelty at this first edition of the PLANTARIUM|GROEN-Direkt fair. 38 of those plants were eventually evaluated, because some participants were sadly forced to withdraw their plants from the contest due to unforeseen circumstances. The novelties were evaluated in the Best KVBC Novelty category by expert inspection committees of the Koninklijke Vereniging voor Boskoopse Culturen (Royal Boskoop Horticultural Society).

About PLANTARIUM|GROEN-Direkt

PLANTARIUM|GROEN-Direkt will take place on the 24th and 25th of August 2022 and is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The fair will be held in and around the GROEN-Direkt hall at the International Trade Centre in Hazerswoude/Boskoop, the Netherlands. More information can be found on the website https://plantariumgroendirekt.nl/?lang=en.

The Wild & Inheems (Wild & Native) perennials concept submitted by Griffioen Wassenaar B.V. from Boskoop was proclaimed the Best Market Introduction at PLANTARIUM|GROEN-Direkt 2022. 

The jury unanimously voted for Wild & Inheems, finding everything right about this concept that so perfectly meets current demands. “It’s an attractive selection of wild and native plants that are cultivated using sound (PlanetProof) methods, the plants are presented in recycled plastic pots, even the labels can be recycled, the plants help promote biodiversity, the concept can be adapted to any region, and both the sustainability aspect and the concept’s story correspond to reality,” said the jury.

The Best Market Introduction award was presented by the jury’s chairman, Mr Luc De Bruyne, Impact Creator at ympa and co-founder of The Green Community from Belgium. 

Second and third places

The jury evaluated a total of 21 submitted market introductions. The second place was for NATURE 2 NATURE submitted by Van Son & Koot from Kaatsheuvel. The jury’s comments on NATURE 2 NATURE were as follows: “The story around this concept is very appealing, especially the way in which it is subdivided into four categories, making it fun for children too. It’s very topical, responding to the need for sustainability and biodiversity, and it has a positive impact on the way in which people experience gardens”. Third in this contest came Miscanthus Eco2Grass submitted by De Jong Plant bv from Boskoop. “Miscanthus naturally absorbs large quantities of CO2. The Eco2Grass concept smartly focuses attention on this positive property. It closely meets consumers’ and governments’ current desire to help reduce levels of CO2, nitrogen and particulate matter,” spoke the jury. 

Jury

The jury for the Best Market Introduction comprised experts from different countries with different expertises in the trade channel. The plants and concepts submitted for evaluation in this category were assessed from a trader’s viewpoint, focusing on aspects such as keeping quality, availability, sound production methods, the extent to which they meet current market demands (biodiversity, drought, climate) and target group requirements, and intrinsic qualities of the plants, such as heat tolerance and durability.

Brimsmore Gardens in Yeovil is one of 80 garden centres in the UK to have been selected by Evergreen Garden Care to take part in a trial it is running in collaboration with Veolia PROcycle, to recycle used compost bags and turn them into new compost bags.

With an Evergreen Garden Care PROcycle Compost Bag Collection Scheme point now installed, Brimsmore Gardens is urging customers to return their plastic compost, soil and bark bags to the garden centre, in the process stopping them from ending up on landfill. 

Since it was rolled out across the UK in June 2022, the scheme has already seen 3-tonnes of compost bags diverted from landfill and turned into garden furniture and recycled bin bags. The aim is to recycle enough bags to achieve a 3% reduction in the amount ending up on landfill by 2024.   

Adam Wallis, manager of Brimsmore Gardens, explains: “Compost bags are notoriously difficult to recycle, so this is a really exciting development. Our own initiative to reuse returned compost bags in store has been really successful, so I am confident that this will be another well-received offering for the local community. It will help everyone to reduce their waste and demonstrate how gardening can be a force for good when it comes to people and planet.” 

Perennial is exhibiting at Four Oaks in September and will be carrying out some blood pressure checks at its stand.

Perennial is the UK’s only charity dedicated to helping everyone who works in horticulture, and their families, when times get tough. 

The charity provides free and confidential advice and support. Its friendly, experienced, and professional team of caseworkers and debt advisers help individuals and their families as they deal with life-changing events such as serious injury, long-term illness, family bereavement, redundancy or family breakdown.

As part of Know Your Numbers Week 2022, the Perennial team will be joined at Four Oaks by NHS ‘Heart Heroes’ volunteers. Visit stand E251 and get your blood pressure checked –it’s free, simple and might just save your life.

To recognise Ukraine’s National Independence Day, Levington Village in Suffolk has created a beautiful display of sunflowers across a number of homes throughout the village.

The initiative, organised by local residents, aims to show support to Ukrainian Nationals, including the Ukrainian individuals currently residing in the village.

Margaret Angus, the local resident who initiated the project, says “My husband Ian and I were inspired to show our support to Levington’s current Ukrainian residents after seeing the brilliant display of sunflowers at the Levington research grounds. The village will be filled with 120 sunflowers on Wednesday, with every house gifted a stem for their gate, to show support and encouragement to our Ukrainian residents from our local community on the Ukrainian Independence Day.”

The sunflowers, which are the national flower of Ukraine, have been kindly donated by Miracle-Gro who have a research centre based in Levington. 

The sunflowers will be displayed from Wednesday 24th August in Levington.

The Garden Centre Association will be exhibiting at Four Oaks Trade Show next month and will be available to meet current and potential new members.

The show, which will be a belated celebration of its 50th anniversary, takes place on Tuesday, September 6 and Wednesday, September 7 at Farm Lane in Cheshire.

Tammy Woodhouse, Chairman of the GCA, said: “We’re thrilled to be attending this year’s Four Oaks Trade Show on stand E188. Not only is it a great opportunity for garden centre staff to find out the latest horticultural news and see the newest products on offer, it is also a chance to catch up with other GCA members.

“We are also looking forward to chatting to anyone who would like to find out more about the association and will have a few copies of ‘Best of British Garden Centres’ magazines and GCA Directories 2021-22 available.”

The Four Oaks Trade Show is an international exhibition covering the whole of commercial ornamental horticulture. The event takes place on a 23-acre nursery site in Cheshire, close to the Jodrell Bank Radio Telescope, covering an area of 13,000m² under glass with additional outdoor areas.

Four Oaks 2022 will be a belated celebration of the 50th anniversary of the trade show and held in honour of the late Pat Coutts.

Displays of plant material form the heart of the show, with young plant producers using the platform to launch the next season’s lines. Mature stock and specimen plants from across Europe create showcase displays. Machinery, growing media, sundries, retail products, Christmas ware, services can be found at Four Oaks.

Spring and Autumn Fair, the UK’s leading marketplaces for wholesale Home, Gift, Fashion & Sourcing, has announced the appointment of Nicola Meadows as Portfolio Director for Spring Fair, Autumn Fair, and Moda, and Alejandra Campos as Event Director for Moda at Spring and Autumn Fair as the shows look ahead to a new era.

Nicola brings to the SAF portfolio her 15 years’ experience leading world class brands across multiple channels including ecommerce, digital, sponsorship, publishing, and exhibitions. More recently managing consumer shows at Immediate Media including Country Living Fair’s, The Cycle Show, Adventure Travel Show, The London e-Bike Festival, Move It, the Knitting and Stitching shows, and the awards winning Festival of Quilts which held best consumer show in 2019 with both the AEO Awards and Exhibitor News awards. She has also worked at Amazon UK and has previously worked on Spring Fair. Nicola is an active member of the Women in Exhibitor network and is passionate about engaging young talent and empowering women in the industry whilst helping to nurture the next generation of female leaders.

Nicola says: “I am very excited by my new role as Portfolio Director on Spring Fair, Autumn Fair, and Moda. I will bring a deep knowledge on visitor experience and knowledge in the direct-to-consumer sector to these market leading events. I am looking forward to working with the talented and driven teams on the shows and welcome the appointment of Alejandra as Event Director of Moda.”

Alejandra Campos has high-level experience working on pioneering and successful trade exhibitions, consumer shows, conferences, and awards ceremonies across a variety of countries and sectors including homeware, fashion, wedding, giftware, healthcare and automotive. Whilst heading the National Wedding Show portfolio at Ocean Media, Alejandra launched the Luxury Wedding Show, and her passion and vision left a strong mark on the bridal fashion industry with the conception and launch of White Gallery London. She eventually went on to found London Bridal Fashion Week independently. More recently, she was the event director of award-winning design-led trade event, Top Drawer London. Over her 20 years in the events industry, Alejandra has developed a strong interest in innovation and the implementation of technology and has spearheaded the development of marketing and learning platforms to improve customer ROI and reinforce brand positioning.

Julie Driscoll, Divisional Managing Director at Hyve Group plc says; “As the retail industry continues to evolve and undergo transformational change driven by consumer behaviours and new technologies and innovations, so too must our events. I am delighted to welcome both Nicola and Alejandra to the Spring and Autumn Fair portfolio who bring many years of invaluable experience in the industry and a combined vision to drive progress, innovate, and develop the shows to ensure they continue to meet the needs of our community and deliver return on time and investment. They have joined at a very exciting moment in the history of the shows with the recent launch of Connect @ Autumn Fair that we believe will change the face of trade shows forever.”

Autumn Fair  has announced that retail expert, broadcaster, author, and businesswoman Mary Portas will take to the Inspiring Retail Stage for an insightful conversation with Forbes’ Retail Contributor Mark Faithfull at 1.30pm on Tuesday 6th September.

Visitors can expect a perceptive discussion with one of retail’s leading voices, as Mary Portas talks through her insights into how businesses must adopt kinder ways of behaving and how the secret to saving your store lies in the relationships you build with your customers to make shopping more brilliant. Infamous as the ‘Queen of Shops’, Portas’s latest book Rebuild draws on Mary’s decades of business experience and outlines how to thrive in the new ‘Kindness Economy.’

Mary states that how we live, buy, and sell is changing, and argues that over the past thirty years the business of what we buy has been dominated by the biggest, fastest, and cheapest. But those values no longer resonate and it’s time to put people and planet before profit. The 'Kindness Economy' is a new value system where, in order to thrive, businesses must understand the fundamental role they play in the fabric of people’s lives.

Rebuild is about resetting the dial. It gives businesspeople pause for thought about how to make money, as well as the practical tools to build back post-pandemic. And it speaks to anyone who votes with the pound in their pocket - all of us who, with social progress in mind, want to spend our money differently and better.

Victoria Pope, Head of Content at Autumn Fair, says: “Mary Portas is a retail powerhouse and her new guiding principles of the Kindness Economy offer a common sense and practical approach to moving forward and rebuilding for a new era of doing business. Her talks are always fascinating, and our visitors come away inspired with invaluable insights and advice.”

Autumn Fair takes place on the 4th - 7th September 2022 at NEC Birmingham. For further information and to sign up please visit www.autumnfair.com, register at https://www.autumnfair.com/visitor-registration, and download the official Autumn Fair App.

Adrian Hall Ltd, which runs Feltham Garden Centre in Middlesex and Sheen Garden Centre in South West London, has ceased trading.

A statement on the company’s website reads:

“It is with sadness and regret that Adrian Hall Limited have had to cease trading and appoint FRP as liquidators of the company.

“Adrian Hall were working towards a sale of the company but regrettably the buyer pulled out and liquidators had to be appointed.

“Thank you to all our staff and customers for your service and custom over the years and sorry - this is not the way we wanted it to end.

“For any queries relating to the liquidation or outstanding orders/balances, please contact Mohammed Khan at FRP - mohammed.khan@frpadvisory.com.”

The Garden Centre Association Chief Executive has announced he has resigned from his role to pursue other opportunities.

Iain Wylie, who has been in the position for nine years, has grown the GCA to its highest level and has overseen the development of existing benefits and the addition of new ones.

He said: “It has been a privilege to work with the GCA for the past ten years and see the Association develop with membership at an all-time high.

“The highlights during this time have been the introduction of Garden Retail Online Workshops (GROW) e-learning platform, which is now used by more than 10,000 garden centre staff, organising the conference each year and being part of the team that worked to get garden centres reopened during the pandemic and seeing our wonderful industry come together with one voice.

“Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and it is time to pass the baton onto someone else to oversee the next phase of the GCA’s development.”

During his time at the GCA, Iain has also overseen the organisation of its International Garden Centre Congress and the co-ordination of the annual GCA inspections and awards.

Tammy Woodhouse, GCA Chairman, said: “Over the last nine years Iain has worked as GCA Chief Executive Officer, overseeing the day to day running of the GCA and in particular supporting the industry through the challenges of COVID in the last few years. We would like to thank him for this and wish him every success in the future.

“The recruitment process to find a new Chief Executive will begin in September and further details will be released at that time for anyone interested in the position.”

Through sharing information and its inspection programme the GCA helps members to achieve high standards in customer service, plant quality and reliability.

For further information, please visit www.gca.org.uk.

Following the easing of restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, the return of consumer confidence and a surging interest in gardening, Notcutts delivered a strong trading performance during the year ending February 2022. Turnover at £79.6m was up 23.8% on the prior year. Operating profits grew strongly to £8.42m underpinned by additional sales, strong gross margin and close cost control.

The 2021/22 financial year, ending in February, saw Notcutts resume its capital development programme with projects in Woodbridge, Solihull, Dukeries (Worksop), Ashton Park (Aston Under Lyne) and Oxford. Significant investment was also made with the commencement of two IT system replacement projects.

Nick Burrows, CEO of Notcutts, said: “It’s terrific to have completed phase 2 of our Woodbridge redevelopment project. Woodbridge was the first Notcutts garden centre and also the site where it all began for us when the company was originally founded by Roger Crompton Notcutt in 1897. A sparkling new entrance, a new canopy with a rainwater harvesting installation, the introduction of wild meadow zones, extended car parking and the addition of a new garden buildings showcase were all part of this project. These works have complemented our new restaurant which was completed in March 2020 and our woodland nature walk which we opened in 2019.”

Burrows added: “At our Solihull garden centre, we have completed a new glasshouse which has substantially increased our covered plant area. We have introduced a range of new visual merchandising displays and are now able to offer our customers wider plant selections over an extended season. As with our Woodbridge project we have also introduced a rainwater harvesting installation here.

“Other projects completed during the year included the first stages of planteria works which form part of our wider Oxford garden centre development project; an internal refit of Ashton Park; improvements across our Dukeries garden centre which have included a new car park, the restoration of a former ornamental pond and the introduction of new wild meadow zones.

“Significantly we have also invested in two new IT systems which are due to go live within our business later this year and will support new efficiencies in our core business and customer relationship management processes,” said Burrows. “Our e-commerce operation has also been strengthened with ongoing system development and the establishment of a new picking, packing, despatch and order management centre based at our Solihull garden centre.”

Bridget McIntyre, Chairman commented: “As we look forward to the year ahead we are delighted to have completed the acquisition of Frosts Brampton in August which becomes Notcutts’ 19^th garden centre. This is a great addition to our portfolio. I’m also especially pleased to see the continuing progress we are achieving in supporting colleagues throughout the business with their personal development and skills training. We now have over 100 courses available on our My Learning platform and we are supplementing this with a variety of in-person training sessions which have included: equality, diversity and inclusion; environmental awareness; social media and digital marketing and horticultural skills where we have a three-stage learning programme available to all colleagues.

“A positive culture is something I believe is essential to a flourishing organisation and it was pleasing to see that, for the third successive time, our annual colleague survey showed another step forward on so many measures that contribute towards this. Recognition is an important part of the culture that we have in Notcutts and it was therefore wonderful to see the return of our annual awards dinner celebrations after a two year hiatus brought about by the Covid pandemic,” said McIntyre.

Caroline Notcutt, Vice Chairman, expressed great excitement about the forthcoming year: “We are continuing to look forward with a busy agenda. Bringing Brampton into the Notcutts fold will be an important area for our focus as we continue to celebrate our 125^th anniversary year. The next phases of our Oxford garden centre redevelopment with a new car park and a complete interior refit; the planned restoration to bring back the beautiful Messenger glasshouses in Dukeries; new plant area canopies in our Cranleigh and St Albans garden centres; an internal refit in Solihull; and a suite of environmental projects including solar installations at a number of our garden centres, new wild meadow and wild life zones, rainwater harvesting projects and recycling projects. All these will continue the progress we have made in recent years.”

Caroline Notcutt added: “I’ve been especially pleased to see the huge focus that Nick and his leadership team have placed on the delivery of superb customer service by our colleagues. Our customer satisfaction scores have strengthened again this year. This is so important to me and all the Notcutt family. We will be running a company wide programme this Autumn when all colleagues will be participating in team sessions on the delivery of brilliant customer experiences. These will be engaging and uplifting occasions and we will be closing our garden centres early when they take place to enable all colleagues to participate.

“Our community engagement programme has also continued to flourish. All our garden centres and our Woodbridge support office support charities and community groups within their localities. We also have an established partnership with Pennies which enables customers to support charitable causes with us. At a company level we have enjoyed a rewarding partnership with Thrive through the Charles Notcutt bursary over recent years. We have now entered into a new partnership with the Green Light Trust whose mission is to ensure that everyone has equitable access to the power of nature. Embracing the themes of gardening, wellbeing, environment and nature, Green Light Trust very much reflect our values and aspirations,” commented Caroline Notcutt.

Watering is one of, if not the, most important task for all gardeners, whether they have a small courtyard or a larger plot of land. To enable the garden to thrive, Hozelock prides itself on having an extensive range of gardening products to help a range of homeowners with differing experience and needs. 

For 2023 Hozelock will be extending its portfolio of watering products even further by introducing a new range of sprinklers. 

The leading gardening brand has overhauled its oscillating sprinkler range and will be offering two new designs to meet the demand for reliable, easy to use and sustainable sprinklers. 

The four new designs (available in 3 sizes) will replace existing models and are a sprinkler solution for any garden size and design.  The products offer innovative 3D control by avoiding wasted water, providing larger coverage and perhaps most importantly – not getting the user wet. 

Other key features include six individual jets which can be turned on and off depending on the coverage levels needed and a flow control adjustment to allow the user to stop water flow when moving the sprinkler to different parts of the garden.

Speaking of the new products Sarah Dixon, Acting Head of Marketing, said, “Throughout our 60 year heritage the Hozelock range of sprinklers have always been hugely popular with retailers and customers alike.  Whilst our existing products have great functionality, because innovation is at the forefront of everything we do it made perfect sense to revisit this category and enhance our offering.  

“The new products offer solutions to common problems, such as users getting wet, and also offer a more sustainable way of watering through flow control options. We are looking forward to rolling these new products out to garden centres in spring 2023 and seeing how they are received by gardeners.” 

For further information, visit www.hozelock.com

Known as one of the most innovative garden glove brands in the industry, ClipGlove is set to strengthen its range to become even more progressive in 2023. Many of the developments will centre around being more sustainable, including using 30% recycled materials across the production of the glove range.

An instant hit

As well as boasting a range of quality protective gloves, ClipGlove became a hit very quickly due to a first to market functionality, with each pair of gloves being held together with a carabiner clip. This clip enables gardeners to fasten the gloves onto a convenient place during and after use. This solved that age old problem, of losing gloves around the garden with the clever clip system.

Since Treadstone launched ClipGlove in 2019, the brand has gone from strength to strength, offering a broad range of protective gloves to use for garden and DIY jobs. More recently ClipGlove accessories have been added, with useful products such as bags, aprons, and tool belts to help gardeners whilst performing differing jobs at home and in the garden. These accessories also include the clever carabiner clips, synonymous to the brand.

A match made in heaven - Performance & Sustainability

Treadstone has grown the ClipGlove range to be listed in hundreds of Garden Centres in the UK and has also raised the brands portfolio by winning three BBC Gardener’s World ‘Best Buy’ product awards.

Now in 2023 customers can look forward to a more sustainable ClipGlove. This is because across the range it will now use 30% recycled materials, using materials in production that would normally go to waste. With the move to use more recycled materials in the range, ClipGlove are not only helping the UK’s gardeners and DIY enthusiasts keeping their hands protected but are helping the planet by reducing waste. 

As well as helping the environment, this move occurs without altering ClipGloves’ high-performance specification, upholding the Treadstone ‘QUALITY WITHOUT COMPROMISE’ promise for their brands and products.

Merchandising to grow sales

The brands success has been fully backed up with excellent sell through rates and winning an industry GIMA award for the innovative ClipGlove “Spinner Stand” merchandiser. 

Now customers can take sales performance to a new level with the “Glove Station” merchandising concept.

For existing customers this means they can upgrade their existing spinner by converting it to the new “Glove Station.” Keeping the spinner as the centrepiece, the glove station provides a permanent home for the fast-selling triple packs and an impactful endcap for seasonal glove promotions. The “Glove Station” provides retailers and consumers with all their garden glove needs in one high impact, informative destination unit. 

If you are an existing customer interested in upgrading your Spinner stand or a retailer interested in stocking ClipGlove, Treadstone would be pleased to discuss your requirements with you, email sales@treadstoneproducts.com. Take a look at the Treadstone 2023 brochure (click here to view) for further information about their brands and products.

Every week GTN receives and analyses epos data from a number of UK garden centres to produce the GTN Bestsellers charts and weekly bestsellers sales tips.

The full charts which provide useful insight into product sales peaks, new trends and new link sales opportunities are published in the weekly GTN Xtra newsletter.

As the year goes on we give sales volume comparisons with 2018 as well as 2019 to allow your teams to see variations over a three year period.

Access is by subscription only.  For £145.00 per year you and your team can have access to the most up-to-date gardening sales analysis that has already helped many UK garden centres increase their sales.  To subscribe call 07973 504214, e-mail karen@pottingshedpress.co.uk or buy on-line using this link.

Highlights of the GTN Garden Products Bestsellers chart for last week are here

Highlights of the GTN Plants Bestsellers chart for last week are here

Highlights of the GTN Growing Media Bestsellers chart for last week are here

Highlights of the GTN Veg-2-Gro Bestsellers chart for last week are here

Highlights of the GTN Wild Bird Care Bestsellers chart for last week are here

WARNING the GTN Bestsellers Charts seriously improve the business of our subscribers.  Invest 15 minutes each week in improving your sales using the GTN Bestsellers charts and your turnover and customer satisfaction will improve too.

Get the GTN Bestsellers charts in full every week in the GTN Bestsellers newsletters for only £145.00.

GTN Bestsellers is the only industry source of weekly garden centre sales information, collating Epos data from centres with an aggregate turnover in excess of £100m.

Use the weekly Garden Products and Growing Media Top 50 sales volumes charts to plan your hotspot and other promotions and ensure you have the right products in stock to satisfy the needs of your customers.

For further information contact karen@pottingshedpress.co.uk or call 07973504214.

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