There’s just days to go until the HTA National Plant Show, sponsored by Hortipak, opens its doors for the fifth time on Tuesday 24th and Wednesday 25th June at Stoneleigh Park, Coventry.

The show, which celebrates its fifth birthday this year, provides a showcase for UK plant suppliers from seed, plug and liner suppliers to specimen plants and trees. Visitors will be able to see thousands of plant varieties from over 100 UK growers under one roof.

The HTA National Plant Show offers an array of inspirational special features to enable visitors to get the most out of the show. These include:

A New Plant Area which hosts the New Plant Awards, sponsored by the RHS, and showcases the best in new plant introductions from UK plant suppliers. There have been a record number of entries this year across the five award categories (annuals, herbaceous perennials, house plants, trees & conifers, and shrubs & climbers) putting this at the heart of the show. The Visitor Vote, sponsored by Floramedia, will also provide the chance for visitors to vote for their favourite new plants to decide for themselves.

The Seminar Area, sponsored by Barclaycard, which will host three diverse and captivating talks over the course of the show themed around getting the next generation interested in plants. Speakers include horticulturalist and broadcaster Chris Collins, David Arnold from the Garden Industry Marketing Board and Steve Jones from ReSharpen.

The British Plant Fair Marketplace, sponsored by Container Centralen, gives visitors the opportunity to view shelf samples from many of the growers exhibiting at the show. Buyers simply make one order of any combination of stock and it will be delivered the week after the show in one load with one delivery note and one invoice.

ProVaR will be showcasing a range of new varieties for the UK trade that represent the best breeding from around the world. ProVaR is a not for profit organisation established to promote protected plants to its members in the UK and to collect royalties. It represents 17 breeders and 187 plants from the UK and Europe offering the widest range of protected plants available to UK growers in a single catalogue.

The Garden Industry Marketing Board stand will reveal more information about the cross industry campaign which is aimed at encouraging 30-45 year olds to make greater use of and enjoy their outdoor space. Delegates are encouraged to visit the stand and discover how you can become involved in this exciting new campaign and how it can benefit your business.

Over the two days of the Show a selection of HTA Staff, Council Representatives and Advice Line Providers will be on the HTA Members' Hub stand ready to answer visitor questions on subjects ranging from regional issues and policy activity to market research and renewable energy. Full details of who will be available and when can be found on the website http://www.nationalplantshow.co.uk/features/hta-members-hub  

Visitors are advised to arrive early in order to take full advantage of all the show has to offer and register in advance on line. They can download the HTA National Plant Show App, sponsored by Garden Connect, which provides all the latest information on the Show direct to their phone in order for to stay up to date on the move.

Exhibitors are encouraged to get snapping for the 'Plant Selfies' photo competition with visitors are encouraged to vote for their favourites! Simply take a photo on your phone or digital camera and email it to media.office@the-hta.org.uk  stating your name, company, email and category.

New for 2014 is a comments board where visitors can leave their feedback on the show, what they liked, what they didn’t like and anything in-between!

The HTA National Plant Show Team can be contacted on Twitter @HTAplantshow, email enquiries@nationalplantshow.co.uk or phone 0118 930 3132. For further information about the show visit www.nationalplantshow.co.uk

As part of the show’s fifth birthday celebrations visitors to the HTA National Plant Show have the chance to win one of five prizes if they discover one of five golden labels hidden in the goody bags.

 The five golden label prizes are:

• A personal appearance at your garden centre from horticulturalist and broadcaster Chris Collins
• A day visit to your business from Ian Boardman from iBBis
• Two tickets to RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2015
• A years’ worth of Plant of the Month point of sale materials from Hortipak
• A free place at HTA Garden Futures Conference which takes place in London on 15 October 2014

The HTA would like to thank to Chris Collins, Ian Boardman, RHS and Hortipak for providing the golden label prizes.

There have been a record number of entries for the New Plant Awards at the HTA National Plant Show.

The New Plant Awards, sponsored by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), have attracted 121 entries across the five award categories (annuals, herbaceous perennials, house plants, trees & conifers, and shrubs & climbers).

HTA Chief Executive Carol Paris said ‘At the very heart of the show the New Plant Awards showcase the best in new plant introductions from UK plant suppliers. It is fantastic that we have so many entries this year. Garden retailers have seen strong plant sales this year and the HTA National Plant Show will be the best place to view new plants coming onto the market.”

Judges for this year’s awards include HTA President Stan Green, Jane Templar from Homebase, Mark Heath from the RHS, Chris Young, editor of The Garden and Chris Spanton from Suttons.

The award winners will be announced and presented by the judging panel on the morning of Tuesday 24 June. Gold, Silver, Bronze and Best in Category awards will be allocated from which the Best in Show plant will be selected.

Winners will be selected for the quality of plant, suitability for the market and whether it is an improvement on other plants currently available. All entries and winners will be displayed in the New Plant Area for visitors to see. 

All entries will be entered into the Visitor Vote, sponsored by Floramedia, where visitors have the opportunity to vote for their Best in Category and Best in Show. Voting closes at 3pm on Wednesday 26 June and the Visitor Vote awards will be presented at 3.30pm that day.

Last year New Leaf Plants took the crown of ‘Best in Show’ with Clematis ‘Beautiful Bride’ (pictured above), which also won the Visitor Vote award.

Sales and negotiation expert Steve Jones from ReSharpen will provide visitors to the HTA National Plant Show with hints and tips on how to strike the best deal when it comes to buying and selling plants.

In his talk on Wednesday 25 June (10.00-10.30) titled ‘They sell themselves don’t they?’ he will explore what goes on behind the scenes to ensure that plants are on sale at the right place, in the right numbers and in the right conditions for sale. Steve (right) will examine some of the crucial deals which need to work for both sides before the customer makes their choice from the display bench.

The Seminar Area, sponsored by Barclaycard, will host three diverse presentations over the course of the Show which focus on a theme of adapting to challenges and change.

David Arnold (above left), Project Manager for the Garden Industry Marketing Board will share key messages from the latest research into what 30-45 year olds want from their gardens during his seminar at 3pm on Tuesday 24 June.

In a talk entitled 'Looking for the next gardener', horticulturalist, landscaper and broadcaster Chris Collins (above right) will use his experiences to provide inspiration about ways in which to get the next generation interested in the wonder of plants. His talk will take place at 10am on Tuesday.

Over the two days of the show a selection of HTA staff, Council Representatives and Advice Line Providers will be on the HTA Members' Hub ready to answer burning questions on subjects ranging from regional issues and policy activity to market research and renewable!

Tuesday 24 June

10am Alan Standring from Greenline Plants (Council Representative for West Midlands)

11am John Adlam, Dove Associates (Nursery Stock Advice Line)

12pm Neil Grant , Ferndale Garden Centre (Council Representative for Yorkshire)

1pm David Denny, HTA Market Information Manager (for all market research questions)

2pm Gavin Cooper, Orchard Park Garden Centre (Council Representative for West of England)

3pm Donna Hanlon, HTA Business Development Manager (for all questions on BOPP and APL)

Wednesday 25 June

10am Raoul Curtis-Machin, HTA Head of Horticulture (for all questions on policy and specialist groups)

11am Anil Champaneri and Sue Barker, Alcumus (HR and Health and Safety Advice Line)

12pm Tony Budd, EcoVision (for any questions on renewable energy - HTA CRoP partner)

1pm Alan Goold, Henry Street Garden Centre (Council Representative for the Thames & Chilterns Area)

2pm Helen Cranstone, Membership Services Manager, HTA (for all questions on membership)

The Best Plant Display, sponsored by Flowering Plants Ltd, highlights the innovation of exhibitors in demonstrating how plants can be displayed to show a clear theme, provide inspiration and attract attention.

The judges for 2014 include Ian Boardman, IBBIS UK Ltd; Mike Wyatt, Garden Trade News; and Adam Wigglesworth from Aylett Nurseries. They are fully prepared to face a difficult decision when selecting the winner of this Award considering the outstanding displays seen in previous years.

In 2013, after much deliberation, judges gave the Award to Parker’s Nurseries (pictured) as their stand had such great takeaway ideas for garden retailers.