To celebrate 80 ‘trusted years,’ British greenhouse and glasshouse manufacturer Hartley Botanic has unveiled a ‘provenance and history’ themed trade stand at RHS Chelsea this year which provides a snapshot into the incredible stories and plant hunter origins behind some of our best loved and most familiar plants.

Designed and planted by RHS winning Lee Burkhill ‘the Garden Ninja,’ with landscaping by award winning G.K. Wilson landscape services, the stand celebrates the fearless work of ‘orchid hunters’, the passion and ambition of Victorian plant collectors and the pivotal scientific discoveries which came about through botanical study. The stand’s provenance and history theme has been inspired both by the increasing importance of thoughtful plant sourcing as a way to control quality and stop the spread of disease, and by its central importance in Hartley Botanic’s own story – for 80 years the company has been making its beautiful, handmade aluminium greenhouses from the same Lancashire factory, beneath the base of the dramatic Pennines’ Chew Valley.

Provenance continues to be a subject of key importance and concern for the food industry and it is growing in momentum as an issue to take seriously within the horticultural sector. There is an increasing commitment to support UK plant production as a means to stop the spread of plant pests and diseases and this year, the RHS has banned some high-risk plants from the flower show. The use of chemicals is also a key argument in the battle for more responsible and informed plant sourcing with studies showing some plants for the domestic market contain the same levels of neonicotinoids as agricultural crops. Industry experts are also more vociferously encouraging consumers to use independent growers and nurseries. The Hartley Botanic stand will encourage visitors to discover more about where plants come from, allowing this to inform their own gardening at home. Where possible, all plants on the stand have been grown and sourced in the UK.

Of the stand Tom Barry, Managing Director of Hartley Botanic said; “Our 80^th anniversary is a time of celebration but is also an opportunity to speak to customers of our company’s heritage and back story. While our greenhouses and glasshouses look very beautiful and enticing on our stand, it is Hartley Botanic’s long history and our products’ provenance which points to their quality and uniqueness. This is what we wanted to communicate through our stand, mirroring our heritage message with the history and stories behind plants as prosaic as the humble pea. We hope it will give gardeners an even greater appreciation of the plants they already love and encourage them to interrogate new additions to their garden – not just according to look or personal taste but also according to their provenance.”

Garden designer Lee Burkhill of The Garden Ninja added; “It's a great honour to have been chosen by Hartley Botanic as the designer for their 2018 stand at the Chelsea Flower Show. Working with Gareth Wilson of G.K. Wilson Landscape Services, who have been taking the RHS Show Garden category by storm over recent years, is really exciting for an up-and-coming designer like me. Gareth and I will be looking to ‘break the mould’ this year with our combined design energy and plant enthusiasm. Taking inspiration from the plant explorer stories, the design will showcase the history of UK garden planting in an immersive and arresting way, paying homage to those who risked it all for our gardening pleasure.”

80^th anniversary – The Hartley Patio Glasshouse

Also on the stand is a special edition of Hartley Botanic’s Patio Glasshouse which is available for a limited time in an arresting ‘ruby red’, allowing customers to mark the manufacturer’s 80^th anniversary this year. Founded in 1938 by brothers Vincent (RHS fellow) and Norman Hartley, Hartley Botanic is one of Britain’s oldest and most trusted greenhouse manufacturers and was, to their knowledge, the first to develop and make entirely aluminium structures, representing a new class of greenhouse building in terms of practicality and engineering design. Vincent and Norman Hartley’s drive and ambition to create the finest greenhouses money can buy is still central to the company’s ethos which still specialises in handmade, made-to-order horticultural buildings which truly stand the test of time. Some of Hartley Botanic’s original structures are still standing and in full use, such as the Hartley Botanic greenhouse at Belgrave Hall, installed in 1950 and the glasshouse in Glasgow Botanical Gardens installed in 1988.

Hartley Botanic's impressive 1958 glasshouse for The Royal Floral Hall, Rhyl – the glasshouse showcases the company’s original, ‘clear span’ aluminium greenhouse design

All Hartley Botanic’s greenhouses and glasshouses are handmade, bespoke and made to order. Garden Centres interested in adding a Hartley Botanic greenhouse to their planteria should visit: http://www.hartley-botanic.co.uk or call 01457 819 155 for more information.