OPINION
POSITIVITY through PROPAGATION Hortus Loci is finding ways to thrive since Britain left the EU, as Mark Straver explains
MOVING ON POST-BREXIT
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t the time, leaving the EU was a horrific struggle for British nurseries like us, who imported rare and wonderful plants from across the channel. But three years on, we've moved forwards with a new focus on innovation and propagation. As I write this article, our team are preparing to export an order of plants to Europe for the first time since Brexit. Using the Defra website (which appears to have been developed around the same time they cracked the 'Enigma' code) to list the 28 different plant species was a trying experience, to say the least! The online system brought up 141 errors, with no indication of what the errors actually were; but with a bit of patience and a few phone calls, we finally got it right and the delivery is set to arrive in the Republic of Ireland on time. Despite frustrating processes like this, we're now pretty accustomed to jumping through these new post-Brexit hoops. There's no arguing that withdrawing from Europe CERCIS CANADENSIS F. ALBA MULTISTEM
hugely impacted the UK’s horticultural industry when it first happened, and it felt like we were watching a slow-motion car crash happen in front of our eyes. With all
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the extra paperwork, plant health inspections, VAT reconciliations, and new admin costs now involved with importing plants from the EU, many of our fellow nurseries either gave up or went broke trying to make it work. But three years and one pandemic later, we've managed to hit our stride, give or take a few bumps along the road. We hired a great clearing agent, and we now have a designated member of staff who spends the majority of their time managing the mountain of paperwork and clearance documents. We've re-kindled our valuable relationships with most of our European suppliers by finally visiting them face-to-face (something Covid stopped us from doing), and we're successfully shipping 300 to 400 lorries full of European plants across the channel per year. While we're proud of these achievements, if Brexit taught us anything, it's to prepare for the unexpected and we wanted to find new ways to safeguard our future. When we left the EU, Boris urged everyone to "buy British!" But while we can be proud of our British bedding plants and perennials, that’s easier said than done when it comes to things like trees, topiary and hedges, which we have always typically sourced from our European friends. We knew we had to look for ways to become more self-sufficient in our own plant production while still offering our customers the extraordinary variety of plants they’re used to seeing at our nursery. We, therefore, established a new propagation facility and hired industry legend Dave West, who joined our team as head of propagation in the autumn of last year. Dave was originally a propagator at Hillier Nurseries for nine
ONE OF DAVE WEST’S PROPAGATION TUNNELS
We've moved forwards with a new focus on innovation and propagation
years before setting up and running Fromefield Nurseries in 1988. He's been a member of the International Dendrological Society for over 30 years and co-wrote 'The Story of Trees: And How They Changed the Way We Live,' a beautifully illustrated book published in 2020. Not only has Dave been instrumental in helping us to grow plants and trees that are typically difficult to produce for our customers, but he's also played a significant role in training the next generation of propagators.
MARK STR AVER Mark Straver is a thirdgeneration nurseryman based in Hampshire and has worked with plants since the age of 16. He is joint owner and director at Hortus Loci, which he founded with Robin Wallis in 2011. He’s known in the gardening world for his ability to source the best wholesale plants internationally, using his extensive knowledge, connections, and experience in the industry. hortusloci.co.uk
Pro Landscaper | August 2023
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