GTN August 2025 - Garden Trade News UK

AUGUST 2025

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Advice & information for garden centre professionals

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THANK YOU, what a year it’s been SOLEX SUCCESS

news from the outdoor leisure show

THE BEST OF THE GCA

Regional Awards results 2025

INNOVATION IN KOLN GTN’s spoga+gafa report

Comment

We’ve been everywhere, man!

I n the words of the Johnny Cash song it certainly feels as though the GTN team have been everywhere in the past few months.

Four days at the NEC for a fabulous SOLEX, where retailers and suppliers alike had smiles on their faces and plenty of business was done.

Alan spent 2 days in Germany at spoga+gafa checking out the innovations on show in Europe that could be coming our way next.

Anisa has been up to her ears in plants and shows visiting Ball Colegrave, RHS Hampton Court Flower Show, The HTA National Plant Show and plenty of garden centre visits.

We’ve also managed to squeeze in a whole load of supplier factory visits in the UK and Europe, some of which are featured in this issue with more to follow in the September Glee Preview issue.

On top of that we’ve decided to get what was The Greatest Catering Awards back up

and running. Now renamed as GTN’s Greatest Garden Centre Food & Drink Team Awards we will be celebrating all that’s great in garden centre catering at Glee on Wednesday 17th September.

Full details can be found on pages 10 & 11. We really hope your garden centre team and your customers will get involved.

Oh, and we’ve just started work on the Glee Show Guide, the Glee New Product Awards and of course Floral Thursday at Glee for Greenfingers.

Phew, it’s going to be another busy month!

We are looking forward to seeing you all at Glee in September – remember to wear something floral on Thursday!

Below:Guy Topping collects his Greenfingers Special Award at the Greenfingers Floral Ball, the same week that it was announced Barton Grange Garden Centre was being sold to Blue Diamond. The Floral Ball raised over £60,000 for Greenfingers to help build more gardens at Children’s Hospices across the UK.

EDITORIAL & ADVERTISING Garden Trade News Potting Shed Press Ltd Dairy Drove Thorney Peterborough PE6 0TX Tel 01733 775700 www.gardentradenews.co.uk THE GTN TEAM Editor Trevor Pfeiffer trevor@pottingshedpress.co.uk Features Editor Anisa Gress anisa@pottinghsedpress.co.uk Advertising Sales Alan Burdon Alan@pottingshedpress.co.uk Digital Editor Neil Pope neil@pottingshedpress.co.uk Subscriptions Karen Pfeiffer karen@pottingshedpress.co.uk Design & Production AT Graphics Ltd www.atgraphicsuk.com Lucy Carnell – Design Alun Jones – Production Manager Robert Tipping – Managing Director James Tipping – Technical Director Printing CG Print Ltd Do you qualify for a copy of GTN?

If you’d like to be added to the GTN distribution list, please send your details to Karen@pottingshedpress.co.uk to see if you qualify to be included.

In this issue...

5

6

BGC thanks the industry -

18

200 years of Henry Bell

Advertisers in this Issue

GTN exclusive

23

SOLEX 2025 review –

2

Glee

winners and new products

4

Smart Garden Products

Director Trevor Pfeiffer

15

UK Greetings

21

Evergreen Garden Care

Hat’s off to our growers – plant supplies this year

8

The heritage behind Durston

10

GTN’s Greatest Food & Drink

Garden Products Awards – Enter NOW!

16

Potting Shed Press Ltd Garden Trade News is published by Potting Shed Press Ltd who also publish: GTN Bestsellers, GTN Xtra, Glee Daily News and the Glee Catalogue, and the Solex Sun. Potting Shed Press also supply Garden Radio to over 100 garden centres across the country.

industry views on excellent

12

Alternatively, if you prefer your Garden Trade News digitally, sign up for GTN Xtra, our weekly e-mail newsletter at www.gardentradenews.co.uk

29

Invest in the experience with Fordingbridge

30

Latest innovations from Spoga+gafa 2025

32

All the regional winners of

22

Feathersnap

22

PATS 2025

the 2025 GCA inspections

26

Zest

life for Pelsis Doff

35

Get ready for PATS25 in Birmingham

28

Handy

Greenfingers Summer

36

Planteria

34

Jagram

FUNdraising update

39

HTA Viewpoint

40

SOLEX 2026

Power Up – a new lease of

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SMALL PRINT: All material © Potting Shed Press Ltd 2025. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form whatsoever, either for sale or not, without the express permission of the publishers. The information supplied in this publication is published in good faith and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. Potting Shed Press Ltd cannot accept responsibility for any error or misrepresentation. All liability for loss, disappointment, negligence or other damage caused by reliance on information contained in this publication or in the event of any bankruptcy or liquidation or cassation of the trade of any company, individual or firm mentioned, is hereby excluded.

August 2025 3

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BGC Thank You

Thank You to Our Industry – What a Year It’s Been While at Solex, Scott McCabe, Buying Director for British Garden Centres asked if BGC could send a message of thanks to the industry after an amazing first half of the year for the group. Of course you can Scott, over to you…

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s we reflect on an extraordinary year, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of our suppliers, partners, and friends across the garden retail industry.

“This year, our business grew its estate by nearly 20%, a milestone we couldn’t have achieved without your unwavering support. From growing plants, securing stock, managing transport, to building stands and assisting with merchandising, each and every one of you went the extra mile. Despite the fantastic growth we experienced, you consistently delivered stock without interruption. Your dedication and commitment have played a vital role in our success, and we’re truly grateful.

“Having worked in this industry for 37 years, I can say with confidence confidence that no two trading years are ever the same, but this one has certainly been on our side. A strong early season, a fantastic spring, and a warm summer all came together to create a year to remember.

“As a business, we are ambitious. We will continue to grow, and working closely with our suppliers, partners, and friends will be critical to that journey. Collaboration remains at the heart of everything we do.

“I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank our own teams. British Garden Centres has a wide range of departments, and this year we’ve truly come together to make things happen.

“While planning for Christmas, the buying team and I are also working on 2026 selections across furniture and gardening.

It was great to see many of our suppliers at Solex, and I look forward to discovering new ideas at Glee.

“As we now embark on our Q3–Q4 journey, we remain very positive about the upcoming autumn and Christmas

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season. Our focus is now turning to working with our Gift and Christmas suppliers, and the early signs are encouraging, stock is already starting to arrive.

“There’s a lot to look forward to, and we’re excited to continue building momentum.

“Once again, thank you all for your continued support in making British Garden Centres the largest family-owned garden centre group in the UK. “I look forward to seeing many of you at Glee or the GIMA Awards.

“Thanks again, Scott, BGC Buying Director.”

And Charles Stubbs, British Garden Centres CEO, adds: “I would like to echo

Scott’s sincere thanks to everyone across our industry who has played a part in our success this year. The resilience, dedication, and teamwork we’ve witnessed, from our suppliers to our incredible team, have been truly remarkable.

“As we look ahead, I am confident that by continuing to work closely together, we will navigate the challenges and opportunities of the coming seasons with the same passion and commitment. Together, we will ensure that British Garden Centres not only grows but thrives as the UK’s leading family-owned garden centre group.

“Thank you once again for your ongoing support.”

August 2025 5

Plant retailing

Hat’s off to the growers Customers bought plants by the truck load this spring and thanks to the growers, retailers have kept their shelves and tables full of colour.

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ven though we are facing hose pipe bans after weeks of warm, dry weather it would be remis of GTN to not forgot the successful spring. A collective sigh of relief was almost audible this spring when the sun shone, the days were warm, and customers were keen to buy plants. Growers worked hard to keep up supply and even though the pressure was on, GTN heard very few reports of plants not being available. In fact, judging by our interviews carried out at the HTA National Plant Show and SOLEX, it was quite the opposite with growers going above and beyond to keep their retail customers happy.

VIEWS FROM THE GROWERS Dave Higginson. MD New Leaf Plants, Evesham. F “You’ve got to make hay while the sun shines and you can’t use the excuse of being ‘too busy’. It was all hands to the pump – making sure we were getting out there to fulfil all the orders, so we’ve not let anybody down.

“Nobody had a good year last year, but we’re quite fortunate with our product because generally whatever we didn’t sell got cut back.

Yes, there was a bit more cost involved but actually it makes a much better plant the following year.”

6 August 2025

Dougie Moore, UK National Sales Manager, Craigmarloch Nurseries, Glasgow.

“Bedding was probably earlier this year for us because of the decent weather so we managed to get that started a lot quicker. It was really good up until maybe middle of April and then it really kicked off for a manic five or six weeks.

“It was all hands the pump at that stage and with our logistic partners we made sure stock went to the centres within a quick timeframe.”

availability, and no one has really run out.

“I think all our customers would say we’ve managed to meet their expectations. The crops have performed very well because the weather’s been lovely. Sometimes things have come ready earlier than you really wanted but the demand has been there to take it all.. and more anyway.

“I think 2025 will be a year that everyone will look back on and think, ‘if only we could have a few more like it’”.

Simon Catterall, General Manager, Garden Centre Plants, Lancashire.

“This year we have been trying to manage everyone’s expectations.

“Every nursery has got a maximum they can put out in a week.

And some of the weeks the demands far exceeded what you thought you were capable of doing. But the key is how you manage that. How do you try and still get some form of delivery out to all your customers so that everybody’s getting something from you?

“In years like this, all the nurseries have been selling through all the crops and the only surprise is that if someone had told me how many units we’d sell this year, I would expect to go back to the nursery to find gravel and plants that weren’t yet ready for sale. But we still have

Lizzie Russell, Quality Assurance at Happy Plants, Merseyside. H “It’s been an absolutely crazy few weeks and the best season in my lifetime in horticulture so far.

“We are set up to handle 1500 trolleys leaving us every week and at peak, over the bank holiday, we were doing 2000, so hugely over capacity. It’s really thanks to our growing team who are absolutely phenomenal.

“We have three really wonderful growers and normally their main job is to hold things off and keep plants just within spec, but they’ve just pushed things on which has been absolutely fabulous. So we’ve been able to meet the demand and then some. We’re really grateful for the good weather and the really fantastic team of growers we have.”

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Plant retailing

We’re very lucky to have these family businesses and they work really hard to keep it all going, so we need to be there for them.

“The weather has been perfect…it’s been right on the button and they’ve kept up with it very, very well this year, and hats off to them because it’s not been easy.”

VIEWS FROM RETAILERS Cath Quinney, Bennybeg Plant Centre, Perthshire F “As a buyer, you have had to be really on the ball. It’s a bit like it was during Covid when there was a shortage of stock, I just sat in front of my computer, waiting for new availability to come on and then pounce on it. Even plants I’ve had on reserve had gone!

“But there’s always something good out there. And I guess one thing we learnt is that you can’t always get exactly what we want, but sometimes it forces you to try something you might not have considered.

It’s also true for things like garden sundries.

We took a lot of stock from new suppliers that perhaps we wouldn’t have chosen, and it’s worked really well for us.

“I think suppliers have done extremely well. When we were really, really busy towards the end of April and some of our staff were tearing their hair out because of the number of plants coming in, I showed them little videos from companies like Far Plants which showed just how many trollies they were sending out. It was just phenomenal. They have really risen to the occasion.”

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Ed Boult - Grovewell Garden Centres, Kent F “The season just went from the word go and kept rolling and the growers adapted very well. There were a couple of little wobbles in April on bedding, but they all seem to adapt fairly quickly and pulled stock through pretty well. Allensmore and Parkers were very good and we had to get a bit of support from some suppliers we don’t use as much.”

Sarah Homells – Codsall & Wergs Garden Centre, Wolverhampton.

“It’s been a bit of a mixed story here in the Midlands. Not all our grower suppliers managed to keep up, but because we have our own wholesale and a Dutch connection, it’s like a flick of a switch. We can order at 3:00 in the afternoon and it’s delivered the next morning.

“It’s not been a terrible season by any means, but it hasn’t been as good because when the weather gets too hot, everyone goes to the park or has a bbq. Nobody buys pants so sales just fall off a cliff.”

Richard King – Kings Garden and Leisure, East Devon. F “The growers have been brilliant this year. We have always supported local growers. and without them we’re done for.

Sam Bosworth – Bosworth’s Garden Centres, Northamptonshire. G “We have a broad supplier base that we can dip into if we need to and we put reserves into most of the bigger UK growers but I think it’s the Dutch guys that have taken up the expansion and contraction. We probably bought more Dutch stock this year than we probably normally would have done to take up the slack.

“But I also can see that, to a certain extent, customer’s buying habits have changed.

Generally, they’re coming in because they’ve got a pot, basket or border to fill. They’re not coming in with a shopping list, for example, of a lavender and a rosemary and Spriaea. Those gardeners are quite happy to buy something else if we haven’t got the Spriaea. As long as we’ve got something that ticks their boxes to do that job, they’re happy. Having that flexibility from a customer’s perspective means that as long as we’ve got our benches full of something, then that’s fine “It’s been a great year for plants, and it’s been nice to focus on that because plants have a feelgood factor and are just lovely things to sell.”

Colin Barrie, Coulders Garden Centres, central Scotland. G “It’s been great. There’s been no problem with plant supplies.

The season started early in the middle of March and went on to the end of May, but it hasn’t gone on any longer than usual.”

David Yardley, Klondyke Garden Centres, Scotland and northern England. H “Allensmore has been great and so has David Austin Roses.

Roses have been really good for us this year, just great, as they started flowering early and we got some good early sales. June was a good month, even though it wasn’t a five-week month this year.”

August 2025 7

Promotion

Heritage shapess the future Durston Garden Products has a long history of supplying growing media, and when your name is on the bag, what’s inside has to be the best.

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or more than 150 years, six generations of the Durston family have been beavering behind the scenes, supplying gardeners with growing media. The knowledge and experience gained in that time, along with data from independent research and trialling, enables Durston Garden Products Ltd to engineer and offer a range of refined and specialist products to suit the needs of every gardener.

Durston Garden Products might not be as well-known as many growing media producers, but Chris, Steve and Dan Durston think now is the right time to increase their share of the market. Recent significant investment means it is on the verge of repositioning itself as a leading growing media supplier, and at Glee next month all will be revealed. Dan’s eldest daughter is also keen to join the business ensuring the Durstons’ family continues its association with growing media.

8 August 2025

Then and now Started as a business cutting peat for heating fuel, and dairy farming in Somerset, the company has been nimble enough to change with the times. In the 1960’s Durston began to supply peat as a raw material to other growing media manufacturers and in 1973 they sold the dairy herd to focus on their own compost production. “Dad was convinced by Steve and myself that there was more money in peat than there was in milking cows,” says Chris. The family then began to blend their own growing media with the first bagging line coming on stream in 1989.

Since then, Durston has created peat-based, peat-reduced and peat-free mixes. Dan Durston joined the company in 1998 and is now National Sales Director. Part of his role is refining the perfect balance of high-quality raw materials and bespoke fertiliser formulations. These innovations will ensure the next-generation of growing media products deliver top-tier performance, helping consumers to make a

Chris and Dan Durston.

seamless switch to peat free.

Success and forecasting means production has now moved to a new site in Meare on the Somerset Levels. With better access, road system and more space, the move will secure the company as it moves towards an inevitable peat-free future.

To help further, Durston Garden Products has had support from experienced consultant Simon Blackhurst. Simon is also the Head of the Growing Media Association and Project Director of Enrich the Earth, which has been working with the whole gardening industry to help gardeners with advice on going peat free.

His expertise has been central to the company’s extensive trials and transition towards a highperformance, peat-free product range.

Revolutionary ingredients Exclusive to Durston Garden Products are two ingredients which, when blended with other peat-free materials promote a range of benefits.

Gro Fibre is wood fibre from a single tree species. “Because it’s always from the same

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Promotion

Windrows are turned every week for ten weeks, and in that time, the growing media changes visually and physically during the composting process.

species, it’s consistent and we know exactly how it’s going to react,” says Dan. It is treated with a patented thermodynamic refining process and enhances water retention, air circulation, and provides an ideal environment for root growth. It also ensures optimal moisture control without nitrogen lock-up and prevents the compost from shrinking or slumping in a container.

Gro Boost, a 100% natural material from local ingredients and is produced by Durstons.

It has a strong water holding capacity, boasts a beneficial microbiological profile together with both major and minor nutrients, is 100% renewable, and vegan friendly.

When used in growing media the result is an outstanding peat-free compost that provides better air space and greater moisture availability, enabling plants to establish strong roots, quickly.

Along with coir, additions of 14 vital plant nutrients, lasting up to three to four months promote abundant, healthy growth.

Rewilding Along with researching and developing effective new solutions to help gardeners grow successfully without reliance on peat, Durstons

Trials performance

has also been making significant investments in restoring its peat bogs and wildlife habitats.

To date, it has restored 100 acres (40ha) of peat bogs creating wetlands where wildlife now thrives. The surrounding area is home to more than 18 bird species, including egrets and great bittern, alongside deer, hare, otters, dragon flies, and butterflies.

Durstons works closely with regulatory bodies including Somerset County Council, Defra, the Environment Agency, RSPB, English Nature, and Somerset Wildlife Trust to implement strict practices for the restoration site where peat has been extracted. The process includes the formation of clay banks before the bog is re-wetted, which creates a series of lakes. Islands are built in the lakes and reed beds factored into the scheme, generating an attractive natural habitat for wildlife. The clay banks are then topped with rich, fertile topsoil and sown with meadow grasses. On the islands, and around the perimeter of these sites, birch, goat willow and alder whips, have been planted to created wooded areas.

“The heritage of our business has its roots in peat farming but our long-term vision is peatfree and we firmly believe it is our responsibility to do the restoration work,” says Dan.

In trials Durstons’ peat-free MultiPurpose Compost: • achieved over 70% bigger plants than a professional peat-reduced product on the market.

• outperformed both peat and peat-free competitor products on the market • increased blooms by 50%.

Peat-free Tub & Basket Compost: • achieved over 150% bigger plants than a professional peat-reduced product • outperformed both peat-based and peat-free competitors on the market • increased blooms by 50%

Blocks of peat stacked for heating homes in the 1960’s and how the site looks now after restoration.

On the production line.

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Durston Garden Products Ltd Avalon Farm, Sharpham Street, Somerset BA16 9SE 01458 442688 info@durstongardenproducts.co.uk

August 2025 9

Greeatest Food & Drink

Who are The Greatest Food & Drink Teams in garden centres?

Back by popular demand are GTN’s Greatest Awards for garden centre catering teams. Recognising the excellence of Garden Centre Food & Drink Teams across the country, the awards will be announced and presented at Glee on the “Feed Your Business Stage” at 5:00pm on Wednesday 17th September.

Will your teams be among the winners?

Your customers will be the judges of Greatness.

As customer service and customer satisfaction are the keys to the ongoing success of garden centre catering, the winners of The Greatest Food & Drink Team awards will be decided by the number and quality of customer votes your teams receive before the closing date of September 7th 2025.

Your customers can vote online by scanning the QR code or you can get them to vote in store and then send completed voting forms to the GTN office for counting.

To get your customers voting, all you have to do is download the voting posters and voting forms artwork from the link in the GTN Xtra e-mail newsletter: www.gardentradenews.co.uk, display them in your restaurant or coffee shop and add voting links into your websites and social media pages.

As well as overall Greatest Food & Drink Team Awards for different sizes of garden

10 August 2025

centre catering operations there will be regional awards too. What better way to promote your Food & Drink offerings during the Autumn than with a GTN Greatest Awards win, especially as it will be thanks to

your customers. Customer voting is live now and runs until midnight on Sunday 7th September, when the votes will be counted in readiness for the presentations at Glee.

The winners of GTN's Greatest Catering Team Awards in 2017

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Greeatest Food & Drink

Glee 2025: where insight grows and innovation blooms When Glee returns to the NEC Birmingham from Tuesday 16th –Thursday 18th September 2025, it will bring with it a dynamic and future-focused seminar programme, designed to spark insight, drive profitability, and energise the garden retail sector.

The Feed Your Business Stage, located in the newly launched Food @ Glee area, will take a deep dive into the commercial opportunities within catering, hospitality, foodservice and food retail as well as design.

Do you serve The Greatest Garden Centre Afternoon Tea? One of the most eagerly sought after catering awards that GTN ran in the past was for The Greatest Afternoon Tea Team.

The judges really had a tough job going out and tasing them all!

This year, if you believe your team currently serve The Greatest Garden Centre Afternoon Tea, you have the opportunity of bringing your Afternoon Tea to Glee to be displayed on the “Feed Your Business Stage” and judged by a panel of experts who will decide an overall Afternoon Tea Team winner plus regional awards too. The judges will also be looking for The Greatest Garden Centre Scone, and The Greatest Garden Centre Traybake within the Afternoon Teas displayed. Both sweet and savoury Afternoon Teas can be entered.

The competition takes place at 3:00pm on Wednesday 17th September with the entered Afternoon Teas taking pride of place on the “Feed your Business Stage”.

There will be a food prep area available for your team to compile your Afternoon Tea ready for display and judging.

To reserve your teams place in the display

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and be in with a chance of winning The Greatest Garden Centre Afternoon Tea Award please send and e-mail to Trevor@ pottingshedpress.co.uk stating why you think your team should be part of the competition.

Who has The Greatest Catering Support Team?

Every good garden centre Food & Drink operation is only as good as the back of house support they get from their Wash-up teams, their Marketing Teams and increasingly their EPOS teams.

This award is for The Greatest teams that keep it all going without ever being seen by the customers. For that reason, to enter your Catering Support Teams all you need to do is send an e-mail to trevor@ pottingshedpress.co.uk with: • photos of the team • their names and roles • plus a 200 word citation as to why they should be crowned The Greatest Garden Centre Catering Support Team at Glee on Wednesday 17th September at 5:00pm.

We can’t wait to receive your nominations.

Feeding growth On the Feed Your Business Stage, content is all about delivering ROI through food and catering. From expertled sessions on menu engineering and kitchen design, to talks on food truck partnerships, the power of farm shops, technology-driven cooking methods, and the evolution of the high-street coffee model, attendees will walk away with actionable ideas to increase dwell time, margin, and customer loyalty.

Sessions from Brakes, Whitco, Debag, the Foodservice Equipment Association, Choice Marketing, Perrywood Garden Centres, Raemoir Garden Centre, Warbeck Garden Centre and others will equip businesses with the tools to make smarter decisions in layout, procurement, sustainability, and even menu insight, making Food @ Glee an essential destination for garden centres evolving their food and beverage offer.

Celebrating excellence New for 2025, GTN’s Greatest Food & Drink Garden Centre Team Awards joins the line-up, recognising the teams behind the UK’s most successful catering offers.

Categories will celebrate excellence in everything from afternoon tea to traybakes to customer service, shining a spotlight on the F&B teams helping redefine the garden centre experience.

Glee 2025 promises garden buyers an unrivalled opportunity to discover an exceptional mix of new, returning and long-standing exhibitors. From fresh innovation to trusted favourites, the show is the ultimate destination to explore the latest products, connect with industry leaders, and gain valuable insights into emerging trends. Make sure to mark your diaries for 16th–18th September 2025 and be part of the event that continues to define the future of garden retail.

For more information or to register to visit Glee, visit www.gleebirmingham.com.

August 2025 11

GTN promotion

Power Up

A new lease of life for Pelsis Doff GTN visits the Pelsis Doff factory in Hucknall, Nottingham to find out about the background to a long-standing garden care manufacturer and the future development following the acquisition by Pelsis this time last year.

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TN’s visit to the Pelsis Doff factory in Nottingham last month delivered several surprises.

Firstly, the realisation that freshly milled flour, made from locally sourced wheat, is the base ingredient for Doff's slug pellets.

This came as a surprise to GTN's editor, who has been using slug pellets for over 45 years, as he was not aware of this fact.

Secondly, due to the state-of-the-art on-site milling facility, making slug pellets can be dangerous work. Due to the risk of explosions, Pelsis Doff take great care in meeting DSEAR standards and have invested millions of pounds in protective equipment to ensure that specific safety requirements are in place. That is why there is a “no shorts” policy in place, which meant a quick change of attire for GTN’s editor before the tour.

Left: Power Up 3% slug pellets being bottled Right: Snapshot of the UK's only Slug Pellet Mill

12 August 2025

The third surprise was the breadth of products offered by Pelsis Doff, not just slug and snail control products, but a full complete range of garden ferts and chems, including plant feeds (all formulated, bottled and packed on site), lawn care, pest control, and even peat-free composts.

Doff started in 1946 trading in the local market at Hucknall, Nottingham. Initially selling products such as ant powder, they quickly became the experts in slug control, pioneering the original blue mini pellet in 1958, branded as Slugoids.

Operations Director, Terry Cooper, explains: “Doff, as a business, has truly stood the test of time and has grown tremendously over the years. From being

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GTN promotion

Terry Cooper, Kim Huynh and Scott Gammon

a big business in the middle of town, they begun to outgrow their facilities and expand their pipeline of products. This lead to a purpose-built facility being built in 2001.

“The growth and expansion lead to a new mill, the UK's only authorised Slug Pellet mill, being put in place in early 2000s.”

Over the years Doff has seen a lot of changes. Starting out as Doff Portland, as a lot of the land in the area was owned by the Duchy of Portland, by the Doff family, to then be taken over by 151 Products thirteen years ago.

"With the 151 management coming in and backing the Doff business with their business model, with plenty of investment in equipment and safety procedures, they managed to turn Doff into a good, viable busines - with year-on-year growth for the past 5 years,” added Terry. “Then on 1st August 2024, Pelsis Group acquired the business, moving Doff to become apart of the Pelsis Group, and strengthing the retail arm of the Pelsis offering.

Scott Gammon, General Manager for the UK, Ireland and Rest of World told GTN: “Pelsis own one of the market leading garden companies in Europe with the brand, Edialux.

It has a lot of experience in the retail market, covering garden care and pest control.

Therefore purchasing the Doff business made sense, as there is a lot of synergy between the two businesses. We're here to support bringing together the best of both, to deliver the best products and continue the high-level service to our customers.”

www.gardentradenews.co.uk

Above: Pelsis Doff Nottingham Showroom Below: Doff vintage products and marketing materials from the 1950's on display in reception

August 2025 13

GTN promotion

Left: Pelsis Doff labelling capabilities Right: Weedkiller in production

As the only producer and registration holder of slug pellets in the UK, Pelsis Doff don’t just make them for home gardening use, they also manufacture pellets for the agriculture market across UK and EU. These pellets are manufactured slightly differently to accommodate farming practices and machinery, with all their slug pellets being approved for organic growing.

Now the active ingredient of the pellets is Ferric Phosphate, which Doff gained the first UK accreditation for back in 2018.

“Last year when there was a high demand for slug pellets we didn't have a problem” explained Terry. “We've got capacity and good flexibility within our team structure. When we hit the height of season in 2024, slug pellet demand seemed to surge and we didn't want to miss that opportunity. With our UK manufacturing it allows us to not be restrictive in terms of running hours and capacity, allowing us to fully service the demand of our customers.

When we put it to the test, we proved we

can do it, and if we have to go again, we are capable of doing that.”

Product development is key to the success of retail for Pelsis Doff products. Kim Huynh, Head of UK Marketing for Retail, is currently building out the product portfolio for the premium Power Up brand. Power Up launched in 2020 with the UK's strongest Slug Control pellet - that includes 3x the active ingredient to competitors. This year at Glee the brand is looking to launch new products across plant feeds, peat-free composts, weedkillers and more. She said: “Pelsis Doff are committed to servicing the independents and garden centres, for example this season we launched special initiatives such as our 'VIP Club' - where we've offered exclusive point of sale and retail product training to our VIP members. At Glee we'll be launching new feeds with different bottles, different designs, just specifically designed for the garden centre market.”

“What's really exciting for us this year is the work that we have put into our

Power Up feeds, that have been specially formulated to work with Peat-Free composts. We've invested a lot in doing trials at NIAB with the Peat-Free compost and the feeds working together, and we cannot wait to showcase the extraordinary results. We've done a lot of research to back up the claims so that we now have points of difference out in the marketplace.”

Scott added: “We've got to differentiate between going to a garden centre, where really you're talking about premium products as opposed to the discount retailers.”

When it comes to stocking Pelsis Doff products, as well as dealing with the Pelsis Doff sales team, the wide range of products can also be supplied via Decco and Stax. This means you don’t have to be a major garden centre to benefit from sales of the products and the associated POS that is available.

“Decco were a Pelsis customer and a Doff customer” said Scott “We're now able to pull all the products together and properly meet retailer needs asone company.”

The Pelsis Doff team are looking forward to Glee where they will be able to meet existing and new customers on one stand.

This year we are all brands under one roof, showcasing complete home and garden care and pest control ranges with our brands Doff, Power Up and Pest-Stop.

Terry summed up the change of ownership last year: “It's very important to say, when the acquisition happened, there were a lot of questions with certain customers. But I think coming on nearly a year now, it's just taken us from strength to strength. We've just had a new lease of life”

Get in touch For sales enquiries please contact: nottingham.sales@pelsis.com For marketing enquiries please contact: kim.huynh@pelsis.com

14 August 2025

www.gardentradenews.co.uk

Greenfingers Charity

Summer of FUNdraising

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Flower show gardens raise the Greenfinger’s profile while the Silver Anniversary Appeal comes to a blooming end and exceeds its target.

he Greenfingers Charity marked a major milestone with its magnificent Floral Ball, at Coombe Abbey Hotel in June which raised £60,000. To celebrate the charity’s 25th anniversary, 300 guests gathered for an evening hosted by TV personality Chris Clarkson.

It was filled with heartfelt speeches, star-studded entertainment, and generous fundraising efforts in support of the charity’s mission to create magical gardens for children in hospices across the UK. “The Floral Ball exceeded all our hopes and was a truly magical evening of celebration NS generosity,” says Linda Petrons, Director of Fundraising & Communications. ”Raising £60,000 is an extraordinary achievement and a powerful reflection of the kindness shown by every guest, sponsor, and supporter.”

16 August 2025

Awards were presented to those that have supported the charity including Boyd DouglasDavies who received the President’s Award for his outstanding contribution including facilitating the raising of more than £1 million through Garden Re-Leaf Day since 2012.

Naturally, fundraising took centre stage during the evening, with a Champagne Auction, sponsored by Westland and brought to life by Bob Marley. A live auction, led by Guy Topping, raised more than £40,000; a silent auction, powered by A Star Experience, raised a fantastic £9,500 and a raffle featuring more than 100 prizes further boosted the evening’s success.

A significant highlight of the evening was the announcement of the Silver Anniversary Appeal total. Launched in 2022, the appeal aimed to

raise £2,000,025 by the time of the ball. The final figure exceeded expectations, reaching a remarkable £2,168,025

All aboard the Dragon Boats In a tightly contested final, the Westland Warriors went home victors of the Greenfingers Charity Dragon Boat Race for the second year running. Taking place in early July at Grendon Lakes, Northamptonshire, the day was filled with thrilling races, fierce competition, and plenty of family fun. Simon Mulholland led the Westland Warriors which not only won, but also secured the fastest time of the day.

Evergreen’s Miracle (G)rowers, which included Colin Stephens, finished a close second while third place were taken by The Notorious BGC,

www.gardentradenews.co.uk

Greenfingers Charity update

Arit Anderson and Joe Swift on the Together Garden at the RHS Wentworth Woodhouse Flower Show in July. The garden was created for the Greenfingers Charity by Joanna Charlton and Phil Hirst and took home a Silver Guilt medal. Curving timber benches provide spaces to pause and sit together sheltered by a bespoke canopy and two sculptural forms evoke hands held together. After the show, the plants and elements will be carefully relocated to Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice in Sheffield, where they will be become a permanent garden outside a bereavement suite and a peaceful space for families to make memories and find moments of solace.

The 25th Anniversary Show Garden, at BBC Gardeners’ World Live in June was voted as runner up in the Visitors’ Choice Award. Designed by Pip Probert and brought to life with support from a host of generous sponsors, the garden marked 25 years of making gardens in children’s hospices across the UK. It featured vibrant, eye-catching planting schemes, kindly donated by British Garden Centres and will live on with key elements relocated to Acorns Children’s Hospice in Walsall and Chestnut Tree House in Arundel.

one of two teams fielded by British Garden Centres, who turned heads all day long with their commitment to fancy dress and face painting.

“These events not only bring our industry together in the most fun way, but they also help fund the beautiful gardens we create for children’s hospices across the UK,” said Linda Petrons. “Thank you to everyone who rowed, supported, dressed up, donated, and helped make the day such a success – we’ll see you next year!”

www.gardentradenews.co.uk

August 2025 17

Promotion

200 years and counting Garden centres can be assured that when they stock Henry Bell wild bird feed and accessories, they can rely on two centuries of business and manufacturing expertise.

H

aving arrived on the garden centre scene within the last seven years, the Henry Bell branded range of bird feed and feeders may still be considered a new kid on the block. This may be true for the range, but it doesn’t accurately reflect the reality of the company. Celebrating its 200th anniversary this year, Henry Bell & Co now has Managing Director Thomas Lee, the fourth generation of his family, at the helm.

“It’s a lovely position to be in because you own your destiny,” he says.

“You start with something which is absolutely fantastic but then you have to build on it.”

Each year, the plant in Grantham, which has been on this site since the 1970s, processes 70,000 tonnes of cereals and pulses destined for animal foods. Its business in Cornwall prepares fish-based dog food treats, and its equine products are made under the EquiGlo Horse Feeds brand. Wild bird seed and related products for garden centre retail may account for a small percentage, but it’s an important

18 August 2025

element and one that has grown on the back of the skill, knowledge and trust generated from centuries of experience from the company’s whole portfolio.

Diversification Tom explains how, over time, the family firm was ‘demerged’. His great grandfather firm had four boys, and each was given a part of the business to run – steel, hat making, sack and cloth trading, and a cold roller mill making flour.

Eventually in the 1970s Henry Bell & Co (Grantham), an agricultural company trading in grain, seed, feed and fertiliser, came to his father, and in 2000 was passed to Tom who ran the seed plant and seed desk. “We still did all the grain trading but were small compared with everybody else and were struggling to compete, so we diversified.”

This came in the form of a contract with Mars to make the micronised flakes as an ingredient for Pedigree Pet Foods’ dried dog food, which proved successful.

Eventually Tom acquired

Thomas Lee is Managing Director of Henry Bell and fourth generation of his family to run the business.

a brand which blended dog, small animal and bird food, which came with its own portfolio of customers. “This suddenly got us into th he pet food d and d pet sh hop businesss,” he says. “We stopped grain trading and sold the seed business so we could major on the micronising process, as well as grinding and milling.”

From m here, a high street retailer requestted pet food but under its own brand. “And that opened the door for us to make own label products for other people,” says Tom.

Tom and Carol

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Promotion

Inside the factory

Packaging ready to be filled.

A contract with Gardman came next which expanded Henry Bells experience in the wild bird care sector followed by approaches from independent and group garden centres. A range of 120 products was created alongside its own brand, the Henry Bell Wild Bird Care Collection. “If we are going to put our name on it,” says Tom, “it has to be right….and we don’t sell our product in any of the discounted retailers.”

Pricing is key and its range stretches from an rrp of £1.99 up to £134.99. “We want to protect the brand and the value for garden centres,” says Tom. “We make an excellent product and try to get it delivered on time, because, as I tell our guys here, we’re only as good as our last delivery.

“We’re very proud the brand has been well received. It’s a good, quality product, and range and not just about price,” says Tom. “If our feed is a pound or two dearer, it’s for a reason. We are not compromising on what we put in the pack. Our feed brings the right birds into the garden, so the customers are happy and the retailers are happy because they keep coming back.”

The Henry Bell range has now become synonymous with quality. “We spend such

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Micronisers were introduced in 1980.

a long time with everything we make, checking against specification. Everything leaves here on a positive release. It’s a continual process for members of staff who are constantly monitoring,” says Tom.

The process and more Carol Foster, Finance Director, explains how the micronising process is basically

cooking. “Animals can’t digest raw cereals and pulses so we cook it. It’s like a gas flame at a high temperature. We then roll it and the maize comes out looking like corn flakes. It’s a large part of our business - around 35% of our business is purely processing cereals, pulses and seeds. We blend them to make our own rabbit, small animal and

Drawing of the Henry Bell business in the 19th century

August 2025 19

Promotion

Computerisation keeps Henry Bell at the forefront of milling and blending.

Ingredients

Everything that goes into Henry Bell wild bird feed has been carefully selected using only the best quality ingredients. “Cheaper feed can be full of wheat and the small garden birds that customers enjoy seeing won’t be so keen, but it will be extremely attractive to pigeons and rats,” says Tom. The company is seeing sales of No Mess and No Grow ranges rising as customers become more knowledgeable and upgrade their purchases. Also increasing are feeds tailored to specific birds.

wild bird food. We also make 1 tonne bags for customers to put into their own branded packaging.”

Most products are UK-based, with ingredients sourced via local grain merchants from farms within a 40-mile radius. As part of the Feed Materials Assurance Scheme, Henry Bell has its own laboratory facility that samples everything as it arrives on site. If any form of infestation is detected, a load will be rejected. Separate moisture testing and physical microscope inspections check that everything is clean.

Along with micronised cereals, The team looks linseed and pulses, Henry Bell forward to meeting existing and new is a leading manufacturer of customers at Glee in sugar beet equine products September. that are exported worldwide.

The company is accredited to the British Equestrian Trade Association’s NOPS feed assurance scheme.

2025 is a big year of celebration and the company’s presence at Glee will focus on In garden centres range extension – including its ingenious Henry Bell now has around 750 three-in-one squirrel defence feeder in garden centre customers. “From day black. Its forerunner in galvanised steel is one it was that real commitment to now the top selling garden centre product. support garden centres,” says Tom, A celebratory meal for suppliers and key “irrespective of if they are independent customers is planned, as is an employee or groups. Part of our development is day (for their families too) to acknowledge understanding what they want, whether their contribution to the business. “We it’s the wild bird care part or blending value being a family business and we have and processing. It’s always trying to people who have been a part of the Henry make sure we’re doing the old school Bell family for a long, long time,” thing that my dad told me which is to says Tom. always try and do what your customer He is also hoping the wants.” family line continues. His For more on The company can help customers youngest of three children Henry Bell & Co products: develop ranges and bring new products has just finished his degree Telephone: 01476 565761 to market, and drive sales through its in business and supply Email: enquiries@henrybell.co.uk www.henrybell.co.uk merchandising team and ‘silent sales chain management at assistants’ via point-of-sale material – all Northumbria University, so of which is free to retailers. he has his fingers crossed.

20 August 2025

New addition to the range this year is the three-in-one black squirrel-proof feeder.

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SOLEX 2025 review

SOLEX success Strong sales of furniture and barbeques in garden centres earlier this spring meant buyers were in a positive mood at SOLEX 2025.

New lines and plenty of innovation provided ample inspiration.

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nother Summer Outdoor Living Exhibition has come to a close, with nothing but positive comments from organisers, visitors and exhibitors.

“The beautiful spring and summer weather has helped a lot,” says Gina Hinde, SOLEX Event Director. “The stands were truly striking, featuring an abundance of fresh products, lively colours, interesting textures, and elegant fabrics. Barbecue companies gave it their all. It was fantastic to see ten new exhibitors participating, and from all accounts, the feedback points to an utterly spectacular event.”

Over the three days, awards for best stands, new and eco products were judged helping exhibitors with their promotions, and large orders were placed. Exhibitors also reported seeing not only their existing customers but new buyers too. Gina added that although she hasn’t yet seen the data, the show this year attracted new visitors.

“I do think we’ve had new and different visitors. On the build-up we advertised to a different genre of customers and hopefully that has been reflected in the visitor profile.”

LOFA Chair, Steve Millington was keen

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to thank everyone for attending. “It’s been a great show helped by the weather earlier on this year. Since Covid, there has been some residual stock kicking around so last year buyers were very conservative what they committed to. But it appears that’s all sold through and by the end of May retailers were looking for more stock.

That’s all led to SOLEX being in a great position with buyers able to come and look at all the new products and place their orders for 2026.”

Sprinkled throughout the serious business of buying stock for 2026, was the impressive variety of food to be sampled, cooked on different types of barbeques, from wood fired through to gas in the Loving Outdoor Living Zone.

The SOLEX Afterparty and Awards evening, with an F1 motor racing theme and

Dates for SOLEX 2026 7-9 July.

guest speaker Sky Sports commentator David ‘Crofty’ Croft was a huge success and via an impromptu auction of cardboard cut outs of F1 drivers, several thousands of pounds was raised for Greenfingers and Perennial. “It was just an absolutely brilliant evening and something for us to build on for 2026,” says Steve Milllington.

Steve Millington and Gina Hinde are already working on SOLEX 2026.

August 2025 23

SOLEX 2025 review

Awards and new products Ingenuity abounds with new products and advances at SOLEX while awards recognise excellence.

Easy change from sofa to bench #

Voice activated pergola $

Bramblecrest brings another innovation first to the market with a sofa that, in five simple steps, quickly converts to a bench. When not required, the two back supports can be easily lifted upwards and conveniently stored under the bench seat pad. “It’s an idea that came up internally and through our product development team and we’re really excited about it,” says Mike Dale, Sales Executive. Available in 2026, The Bramblcrest BENCH, is part of the Prague range

In another industry first, Royalcraft exhibited the first solar powered and voice activated pergola on the UK market. It’s solar panels and battery pack power led lights, the opening and closing of the roof, and it has a rain sensor which automaticallyy closes the roof when rain is detected. By using the words ‘open’ and ‘close’ Abid Mirr demonstrated the workings of the Sparta pergola’s louvres. In two sizes, 3m and 4.3m, the pergolas have to be attached to a solid stone base, and they have curtains on all four sides which can be pulled all thee way down to ground level without leaving a gap. In September, Royalcraft will also be introducing a pergola with polycarbonate louvres which enables the roof to be closed without losing of natural light.

Ornate panels, planters and pergolas $ At just 1.5m x 2.5m the new small bbq pergola in Corten effect and part of Celtic Leisure’s Saturn range (rrp £499) caused much interest at the show. Together with aluminium planters with ornate panels and larger panels to go between pergola uprights, they created an attractive and desirable display. The company’s Bart Malpass says: "The play of light when the sun comes out and rays pass through the louvers and panels is stunning and really pretty." The panels, which can be created in a range of colours, were shown to gage customer interest and a retail price has yet to be set.

24 August 2025

www.gardentradenews.co.uk

SOLEX 2025 review

New range of table lights and firepits .

Inhouse inspiration for Hartman’s new aluminium range /

Part of the Dutch company that also owns the BonFeu range, comes Happy Cocooning, which came to SOLEX with a new logo and styling. It introduced a range of firepits and table lights shown for the first time at Spoga+gafa just a few weeks earlier. Powered by a small camping gas bottle, the table lights can burn for six hours. Interest from UK buyers was high, with product and marketing material being prepared for February 2026 availability in UK garden centres.

In three colours with coordinating cushions comes Hartman’s new Avebury range of cast aluminium but lightweight, furniture.

“We’re leaders in cast aluminium and are seeing a resurgence of interest. This range has been bought in to bridge the gap between the traditional ornate design so we can offer something a little bit more contemporary,” says the company’s Michelle Bradford. “It should appeal to a larger demographic from young families to more mature customers and we offer two chairs and a small table or sets with six chairs.”

Retailing solutions from Firepits UK 0

SOLEX debut for Churnet Valley Garden Furniture 0

Firepits UK, with outdoor cooking products crafted in Great Britain, is offering retailers new accessories, include steel boot jacks with a rrp of around £20, and shown for the first time at SOLEX. Director Emma Ross says the display, created to show retailers what they could achieve in their own stores, also included the popular welly boot rack. New signage, promotional material and display stands will also support retailers in selling product all year round especially at Christmas. “We now have hooks so gloves and log bags and other accessories can be hung up rather than stacked,” says Emma.

After some years exhibiting at Glee, Paul Barker, Sales Acquisitions, says Churnet Valley Garden Furniture was ready to exhibit at SOLEX to get it’s name in front of outdoor furniture buyers. “Our products are manufactured in the UK, we’re based in Staffordshire, we are FSC which illustrates our commitment to sustainable sourcing and procurement, and we believe we’ve got the edge over our competitors with some of our range. We are able to supply on demand because we are not importing products and we’ve had a good growth in garden centres over the last two or three years which we want to continue.”

www.gardentradenews.co.uk

August 2025 25

Terraza Outdoor Kitchen Corner Set

SOLEX 2025 review

1

1. Best Eco-Friendly Product Eco Fuego with the El Grande Fire Pit "We won last year with El Campo, which was good for camping but the El Grande is more contemporary for people with larger gardens.

It has added value because we have introduced scent as well,” says Tim Jeffs, Founder of the Crop Candle Company. “We are now selling in nearly 15 different countries. The UK is our playbook and the leading force in what we’re doing – what’s working here is working in other countries as well.

So winning awards like this are really important for us to get acknowledgement for our eco credentials, especially as there are likely to be a lot of copycat products out there in the future. ”

2. Best Individual Product - Ludlow Corner Pergola – Zest Outdoor Living “We are really thrilled with the win for our corner pergola which is an addition to our range and one that people have been asking for,” says Simon Davison, Head of Commercial Development. “And it’s been well received at the show.” Created by the Zest design team, there were several iterations before they came to one with the required strength because creating a corner structure can be challenging.

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2

4

3. Best Furniture - Zest Outdoor –

4. Best BBQ

Terraza Kitchen Island Set Zest has added a number of new elements to enhance its outdoor kitchen collection and the new Terraza Kitchen Island Set has been designed for those with limited outdoor space. “It enables customers to have an eating space and entertaining island that is adaptable,” explains Simon Davison. “We’ve had fantastic feedback from customers, and again it all comes back to the work of the design team trying to make sure we get that right. Winning the award is the icing on the cake.”

Kadai - Plancher The Kadai Plancher was designed by the Kadai team and a development on a traditional way of cooking taken to South America by the Spanish.

It includes a variety of bespoke features such as a mango wood base and black limestone top. “We are delighted to have this accolade because with any new product you are never sure what the demand is,” says owner Christo McKinnon-Wood.

“We had 30 in stock, and we’ve already sold them – winning the award has definitely helped and it’s been a bonus as well.”

Awards were also given to recognise the hard work, coordination and teamwork required to create a top class stand.

Best Small Stand Broil King

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Best Medium Stand HEX Living

Best Large Stand Hartman

August 2025 27

SOLEX 2025 review

Wood effect from W Garden Living % Of the many ranges introduced for 2026 from W Garden Living is the St Lucia set – a fusion of rope and wood effect aluminium. “There are many versions of wood effect aluminium on the market, but for me, this is probably the closest match to real wood,” says the company’s Stuart Whalley. Available as a bistro set through to a modular corner dining arrangement, it comes in tones of green and terracotta. Sets are 100% rust proof and come with a 3-year guarantee.

Easy outdoor comfort & If its colourful outdoor cushions you are looking for, then Extreme Lounging has the range. Patterned or stripy, its Aquaclean cushions can be colour coordinated with plain colours to enable customers to mix and match. Available in racks to make merchandising and purchasing easy.

Autumn Savings for Retailers

Take advantage of reduced SSPs across a wide range of popular garden tools

As long summer days begin to take their toll on gardens, Autumn becomes a key season for garden maintenance. With homeowners and professionals alike preparing for the tougher winter months ahead, demand for reliable, effective gardening machinery rises sharply.

Stocking the right Autumn tools is essential - not only to meet seasonal customer needs, but to unlock timely sales opportunities.

With Autumn comes one of the season’s biggest garden challenges - clearing fallen leaves. Garden blowers and vacuums are essential tools for tackling this task quickly and efficiently. Handy is offering special Autumn deals across a wide range of models, including Greenworks cordless blowers, The Handy and Q Garden electric units, and powerful Webb petrol models. Many of these also include vacuum and shredding functions, turning debris into compostable mulch -ideal for eco-conscious gardeners.

To secure your promotional copy, please email sales@handys.co.uk call 01793 333212 or visit www.handys.co.uk

MARKET LEADIN G PRICES!

AUTUMN

20 2025

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 now take advantage of reduced SSPs across a wide range of popular garden tools - including hedge trimmers, chainsaws, log splitters, leaf blowers, shredders, and more. + parts & accessories!

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Become a Stockist Scan Me!

28 August 2025

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Promotion

Right Top: Show-stopping new entrance at Smiith’s Nursery and d Gard den Centtre in Bagiintton, Warwickshire. Left: In Merseyside, dwell time has been increased by an elegant walkway at Lady Green Garden Centre. Above: Stylish walkway entrance at Old Barn Garden Centre, Horsham.

Invest in the experience Two of the simplest upgrades that deliver the biggest returns.

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ith a trip to the garden centre increasingly treated as a ‘day out’, there’s every reason to invest in an experience that attracts the widest possible audience to your centre and encourages dwell time once there.

So how can you do that? In our experience, two simple, cost-effective upgrades deliver in spades…

canopy at the front of the centre has created a showstopping entrance and a 400m2 allweather display space for seasonal plant and furniture ranges.

Both centres have experienced significant footfall increases since installation highlighting the rich rewards that entrance upgrades can deliver.

Transforming your entrance

The power of covered walkways is often overlooked, but it’s a simple upgrade that delivers multiple benefits – encouraging people to visit your centre in all weathers, creating better flow around your centre, inviting discovery of lesser explored areas, and expanding retail capacity.

At Old Barn Centre in Horsham an elegant timber framed walkway delivers four important functions: connecting the car park and entrance in an attractive way, providing shelter for shoppers in all weathers, creating a showstopping entrance and delivering attractive display space for hero ranges.

First impressions really do count and upgrading your entrance plays a vital role in creating all-important ‘wow’ factor. A showstopping entrance encourages new audiences to discover what you have to offer and is also an effective way of enticing in regular shoppers to explore new ranges.

As the UK’s leading garden centre canopy provider, we’ve worked with everyone from family-owned independent centres to some of the country’s biggest chains, to devise tailored canopy solutions and have helped numerous centres to create a first impression that is a lasting one.

At Smith’s Nursery and Garden Centre in Baginton, Warwickshire, a stunning new timber clad entrance way has helped attract new audiences into the centre to discover its recently upgraded retail experience.

While at Hilliers Garden Centre in Three-Legged Cross, a huge barrel-vaulted

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Creating enhanced flow

Why choose Fordingbridge for your upgrade?

• A seamless, stress-free experience – from sketch to structure, we’re one friendly team, with you every step of the way • Tailored solutions – our expert team works closely with you to devise solutions that meet your exact requirements. We also offer high-end, pre-designed solutions for those with tighter budgets and timelines • Expertise – we’ve been designing and delivering tailored solutions for the garden centre sector for 50+ years and have been trusted by some of its biggest names • Fast turnaround times – we design, manufacture and install canopies in as little as eight weeks • Quality, sustainable solutions – we only ever use sustainably sourced timber and prioritise longevity in our design and materials, enabling us to offer sector leading 25 year guarantees on all structures

Ready to take the next step?

We’d love to help you transform your vision into a reality…

Check out some of our latest garden centre transformations: www.fordingbridge.co.uk/ sectors-garden-centres-canopies To arrange a complimentary site visit, call our expert team today: 01243 55 44 55 Email your brief: info@fordingbridge.co.uk

August 2025 29

spoga+gafa 2025 review

Pushing the boundaries At this year’s spoga+gafa, outdoor living companies think outside the box when it comes to maximising on garden space.

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s the value of leisure time and garden space is increasingly recognised, the outdoor living sector continues to grow, adapt and become more relevant bringing with it new opportunities for the trade and industry. At spoga+gafa 2025, held in Colgone’s Koelnmesse, Germany in June, innovation was at the fore with new products bought to market with increasing levels of sustainability.

Despite economic challenges and global political uncertainty, the show proved it still plays a key role as a meeting

point for the international industry by welcoming around 26,000 trade visitors from more than 100 countries.

“This success not only underpins the international relevance of the event, but also stands for a visible transformation that we will consistently shape with spoga+gafa over the coming years,” said Oliver Frese, Chief Operating Officer of Koelnmesse.

Next year’s show, at the same location, will run from Monday 22nd - Wednesday 24th June. www.spogagafa.com

Contemporary designs displayed in the Boulevard of Trends & Ideas

Groundfridge comes from the imagination of Dutch designer Floris Schoonderbeek and construction studio Fiction Factory. It offers 3000 litres of underground storage space in the garden. It naturally keeps inside temperatures between 8-15 degrees C so ideal for enthusiasts and professionals, home growers, urban farmers, wine collectors, cheese lovers and farm shop owners.

30 August 2025

For 2026, Kettler is introducing the Alira new corner sofa made from recycled materials and for 2027 (no images released yet) the Latitude range with lounger, parasol, table and chairs in four on trend colours of white, beige, green and grey.

www.gardentradenews.co.uk

spoga+gafa 2025 review

Water saving innovation came from Hartman with The Rain Tony. A hollow rainbench, it collects 500 litres of rainwater through a connected drainpipe which can be extracted for use by hose or watering can with the aid of a pump. It has a removeable lid to provide easy access to clean and maintain the pump.

Nursery and garden centre with a difference

Also from Hartman is the new Sophie Lounge range in white, beige and grey.

Biohort is a 35-year-old family-owned business based in Austria with 600 employees. It specialises in outdoor living and garden storage solutions and its latest innovation is the rectangular Gardening Modular Planting Box System.

In 1994, the Alexian Monastery Garden emerged as the setting for the first agricultural workshop at the Alexian Monastery in Cologne-Porz. The monastery garden has since developed into a large production nursery and retail space with its own café. With almost 200,000 customers annually, it has reach far beyond the city limits and is also a draw for tourists.

For more than 800 years the work of the Alexian Brothers, a global order, has been to service the poor, the sick and those in need. Today in Cologne, the monastery garden employs around 250 people with and without mental or physical disabilities, offering a stepping stone in life or with the aim to find mainstream employment within two years. Horticulture, floristry, garden and graveyard maintenance are at the heart training but learning customer service skills also plays an important role.

Home grown products without using chemicals, includes perennials, seasonal plants and around 100 herb varieties. These are the backbone of sales but regional partners who meet the garden’s strict environmental requirements are also used to offer a wider range of home and garden products.

The Alexianer Monastery Café sits in the heart of the monastery gardens offering a great view, homemade cakes, coffee and a varied lunch menu.

From Witt comes the ETNA Rotante Control 13”, a compact pizza oven with three segments enabling a range of temperatures from 80-500 degrees Celsius. It features six pizza modes, a rotating pizza stone and quick 15-minute heat up offering the ability to cook a wide range of dishes all year round.

www.gardentradenews.co.uk

August 2025 31

GCA Regional Winners

Retailing at its best

GCA’s members have gathered at its four regions to celebrate the winners from the annual inspections. A full list of finalists and additional pictures also appear in GTN Xtra: www.gardentradenews.co.uk.

Garden Centre of the Year

Destination Garden Centre • Ruxley Manor Garden Centre -SE • Barton Grange Garden Centre - N • Perrywood Garden Centre, Tiptree - E • Planters Garden Centre, Tamworth - M, W & W Garden Centre • Coolings Nurseries -SE • Fron Goch Garden Centre - N • Poplars Garden Centre - E • Old Railway Line Garden Centre - M, W & W Local Garden Centre • Millbrook Garden Company, Staplehurst - SE • Fairways Garden Centre, Macclesfield - N • Pennells Garden Centre, Grimsby - E • Brimsmore Gardens – The Gardens Group - M, W&W

The GIMA Award for Best Garden Products Retailer

The team from Ruxley Manor Garden Centre, Kent celebrated with nine wins.

Destination Garden Centre • Ruxley Manor Garden Centre - SE • Barton Grange Garden Centre - N • Perrywood Garden Centre, Tiptree - E • Planters Garden Centre, Tamworth - M, W & W

Local Garden Centre • Millbrook Garden Company, Staplehurst - SE • Fairways Garden Centre, Macclesfield - N • British Garden Centres, Upminster - E • Pugh’s Garden Village, Wenvoe - M, W & W

Garden Centre • Squires Garden Centre, Milford - SE • Klondyke Garden Centre, Stokesley - N • Poplars Garden Centre - E • Old Railway Line Garden Centre - M, W & W

The Award for Catering Excellence for Best Garden Centre Restaurant

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Destination Garden Centre • Ruxley Manor Garden Centre - SE

• Bents Garden and Home -N • Perrywood Garden Centre, Tiptree - E • Planters Garden Centre, Tamworth - M, W & W Garden Centre • Henry Street Garden Centre - SE • Klondyke Garden Centre, Astbury - N • Meadow Croft Garden Centre – E (Joint) • Poplars Garden Centre – E (Joint) • Fairways Garden Centre, Ashbourne - M, W &W

www.gardentradenews.co.uk

GCA Regional Winners

Congratulations to Barton Grange Garden Centre which triumphed in five categories.

• Perrywood Garden Centre, Tiptree - E • Webbs Garden Centre, Wychbold - M, W & W Garden Centre • Squires Garden Centre, Milford - SE (Joint) • Ransoms Garden Centre - SE (Joint) • Millbrook Garden Company, Gravesend - SE (Joint) • Cowell’s Garden Centre - N • Aylett Nurseries - E • Fairways Garden Centre, Ashbourne - M, W &W

Local Garden Centre • Millbrook Garden Company, Staplehurst - SE • Klondyke Garden Centre, Howdens – N (Joint) • Klondyke Garden Centre, Holland Arms, Anglesey – N (Joint) • Klondyke Garden Centre, Daleside - N (Joint) • Klondyke Garden Centre, Stringers – N (Joint) • Rutland Nursery - E • Raglan Garden Centre - M, W & W

Food Hall/Farm Shop Award Destination Garden Centre • Ruxley Manor Garden Centre - SE • Barton Grange Garden Centre - N • Blue Diamond, Bicester - E • Gates Garden Centre - M, W & W

Garden Centre • Garsons Garden Centre, Titchfield - SE • Bellis Brothers Farm Shop & Garden Centre - N • Coton Orchard Garden Centre - E • Old Railway Line Garden Centre - M, W & W

• Webbs of Wychbold - M, W & W Garden Centre • Garsons Garden Centre, Titchfield - SE • Fron Goch Garden Centre - N • Poplars Garden Centre - E • Old Railway Line Garden Centre - M, W & W Local Garden Centre • Knights Plant Centre, Betchworth - SE • Fairways Garden Centre, Macclesfield - N • Pennells Garden Centre, Grimsby - E • Brimsmore Gardens – The Gardens Group - M, W&W

Ian Boardman Award for Best Indoor Plants Retailer Destination Garden Centre • Ruxley Manor Garden Centre - SE • Bents Garden and Home - N

Local Garden Centre • Knights Plant Centre, Betchworth - SE • Klondyke Garden Centre, Daleside - N • Pennells Garden Centre, Grimsby - E • Brimsmore Gardens – The Gardens Group - M, W&W

Outdoor Living Award for Best Outdoor Living Retailer

Destination Garden Centre • Ruxley Manor Garden Centre - SE • Bents Garden and Home - N • Scotsdales Garden Centre -E • Webbs Garden Centre, Wychbold - M, W & W

Garden Centre • Garsons Garden Centre, Titchfield - SE • Fron Goch Garden Centre - N • Poplars Garden Centre - E • Fairways Garden Centre, Ashbourne - M, W &W Local Garden Centre • Millbrook Garden Company, Staplehurst - SE

Local Garden Centre • Dunbar Garden Centre - N • Pennells Garden Centre, Sleaford - E • Brimsmore Gardens – The Gardens Group - M, W&W

Indoor Lifestyle Award for Best Indoor Lifestyle Retailer Destination Garden Centre • Ruxley Manor Garden Centre - SE • Barton Grange Garden Centre - N • Perrywood Garden Centre, Tiptree - E

www.gardentradenews.co.uk

Winners in the East region.

August 2025 33

GCA Regional Winners

• Fairways Garden Centre, Maccllesfifielld - N • British Garden Centres, Charlbury - E • Brimsmore Gardens – The Gardens Group - M, W&W

In the Midlands, Wales & West, Brimsmore Gardens took home six winning certificates.

The Barton Grange Trophy for Commercial Innovation and Creativity

Destination Garden Centre • Ruxley Manor Garden Centre - SE • Bents Garden and Home - N • Perrywood Garden Centre, Tiptree - E • Planters Garden Centre, Tamworth - M, W & W

Plantaria (Ruxley Rose)

Destination Garden Centre • Ruxley Manor Garden Centre - SE • Barton Grange Garden Centre - N • Perrywood Garden Centre, Tiptree - E • Planters Garden Centre, Tamworth - M, W & W Garden Centre • Millbrook Garden Company, Gravesend - SE • Cowell’s Garden Centre -N • Perrywood Garden Centre, Sudbury – E • Old Railway Line Garden Centre - M, W & W Local Garden Centre • Thompson’s Welling - SE

• British Garden Centres, Harrogate - N • British Garden Centres, Charlbury - E • Brimsmore Gardens – The Gardens Group - M, W&W

The Paul Cooling Award for Environment and Sustainability

• Haskins Garden Centre, Snowhill – SE • Bents Garden and Home - N • Perrywood Garden Centre, Tiptree - E • Castle Gardens – The Gardens Group - M, W &W

Customer Service Award for Best Customer Service • Coolings Nurseries - SE • Fron Goch Garden Centre - N • Poplars Garden Centre - E • Old Railway Line Garden Centre - M, W & W

The Dick Allen Award for Most Improved Centre

• Thompson’s Canterbury - SE • RHS Harlow Carr - N • British Garden Centres, Tring - E • Webbs Garden Centre, West Hagley - M, W & W

Larch wood on the rise

With strong sales in Europe, no treatment required, and a positive impact on plant health, Jagram asks if it’s time to reconsider your timber options?

W

hile pressure-treated timber remains a go-to choice in UK garden retail, many buyers may not have explored the benefits of larch— an increasingly popular, naturally durable softwood gaining momentum in the planter and decorative sectors throughout Western Europe.

Jagram is introducing a dedicated range of planters, screens, and garden structures made from 100% untreated, sustainably sourced larch, offering UK retailers an eco-conscious option alongside their standard product lines.

The bestseller from the range, the Larix Planter, was shortlisted for the New Product Award

34 August 2025

at Glee 2024, and its record sales in 2025 confirm its growing popularity. Other larch products are also proving popular across Western Europe.

“Larch contains up to 8% resin content— nearly double that of pine—which acts as a natural preservative, helping to resist fungal decay, rot, and insect damage without the need for chemical treatments,” say the Jagram team. This makes it an ideal choice for edible gardens, pollinator-friendly planting, and environments where soil purity matters. Larch wood is classified as Durability Class 3–4 under EN 350, placing it on par with many treated softwoods in terms of performance, but without the risk of chemical leaching.

“We don’t see larch as a replacement, but as an intelligent extension of the timber range,” the team adds.

See it for yourself at Glee 2025. Visit our stand to discover the potential of this revolutionary wood. A natural, chemicalfree choice for smarter garden solutions.

Jagram SA jagram.co.uk +48 575 750 037 contact@jagram.com

www.gardentradenews.co.uk

PATS 2025 preview

Pet and aquatics trade meet to do business

Excitement builds for PATS 2025 at the NEC Birmingham for the first time.

F

ollowing a record-breaking PATS 2024, which saw the largest ever increase in both exhibitor and visitor numbers, the 2025 event is set to offer companies even more opportunities as it moves to the UK’s largest exhibition centre.

It’s new venue, the NEC Birmingham, means more than 400 exhibitors can be accommodated in the centre’s Hall 1 and more of the latest launches can be showcased to a wider audience of pet store, garden centres and international buyers.

Show features The ever-popular New Product Showcase gives buyers the chance to feel and touch new products for stocking in the coming seasons.

Entries will be judged by a panel of independent retailers to decide the winners of the New Product Awards.

There will be two exciting zones: the New Starter Zone, where buyers can source products from new businesses and start-ups; and the Aquatics Zone, a focused area for the key aquatics, reptile and water gardening exhibitors.

And with an increasing number new grooming salons, PATS will be presenting state-of-the-art demonstrations in the Grooming Workshop.

PATS offers free show entry and catalogue.

With good catering facilities and plenty of seating areas, visitors can concentrate fully on the main business of the day – seeing top-class products from the biggest range of suppliers and manufacturers under one roof.

PATS, The Pet & Aquatics Trade Show 2025

NEC Birmingham, Hall 1 Sunday, 28th September Tuesday, 30th September.

Retailers and buyers can register for PATS 2025 and find the latest show information at www.patshow.co.uk.

www.gardentra adenews.co.uk

August 2025 35

Planteria

Show stoppers in the headlines Planteria news roundup from shows so far this summer. the 1990’s. “This hasn’t had any human intervention – it’s nature doing what she does best and making amazing creations,” adds Stephanie.

Trees have been trialled on the nursery for a decade, and it’s now available for garden centres to order. There are also plans to enter it into the RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year competition in 2026 for its consumer launch, where it will certainly garner more publicity.

I

t’s been a busy few Italian agreement Garden centres throughout the months with trade UK can now access a much larger and consumer flower range of stock from New Leaf shows fuelling demand Plants following an agreement and enthusiasm for plant with Italian grower Zelari Pinate, buying. From BBC Gardeners’ JAPANESE LANTERN based in the Tuscany region.

World Live, through to the HTA Dave Higginson, New Leaf Plants National Plant Show and the RHS Managing Director says stock is imported Hampton Court Garden Festival, there and held at the Worcestershire nursery have been plants galore to add colour allowing garden centres to take plants when and interest to benches this season and they want them. “We can drip feed it into those in the future. garden centres, so stock is kept fresh, and Awards for flowering cherry because they don’t have to deal direct with The team from tree grower Frank Italy, they avoid all the paperwork. They can P Matthews took home two awards have one, two or three items or whatever from the HTA National Plant Show. It’s they need,” he says. “They are also not new flowering cherry Prunus sumaura having to invest a huge amount of money ‘Fugenzo’ JAPANESE LANTERN was to have a direct delivery so it’s ideal for the named Best in Show, and loved by the public as it took the Visitor Vote. The cherry stood out because of its most unusual blooms. Stephanie Dunn James says: “It’s show stopping…..and probably the most beautiful flowering cherry you will ever see.” Densely double and frilled, up to 30 petals per flower open with a mix of white, yellow and green, deepening to a dark pink as they mature and remain for up to five weeks. An exceptional choice for the garden, this medium-sized spreading tree has bronze young leaves and vibrant autumn colour.

JAPANESE LANTERNS is a naturally occurring sport found in Japan in

36 August 2025

smaller garden centres.”

Dave says he has been looking into such an arrangement for a few years. “I’ve known Stephano, who owns Zelari, for a number of years, and it is a family business like ours so it’s a good working relationship.”

The arrangement has already bought in some new leads with landscapers, a few smaller customers and groups too.

Anyone for a cocktail?

Coconut Daiquiri is a new addition to the Whetman Cocktails range of dianthus bred by Whetman Plants International which has now become Selecta-One UK Ltd. Along with the other four in the range and cocktail-themed labels, it offers garden centres great visual merchandising opportunities around summer and cocktails. Coconut Daiquiri is free flowering and has strong upright stems. One plug can quickly fill a 2L pot while three can create an impressive 5L product for instant impact sales.

The company has also created a promotional poster and flyer to boost the sales of a new alpine dianthus called ItGirl. At the HTA National Plant

Coconut Daiquiri.

It-Girl merchandising.

www.gardentradenews.co.uk

Planteria

Thunbergia alata Sunny Susan (White Wedding) from Volmary is proving to be a hit on mainland Europe for its clear white blooms and long flowering period. Pure white, and without Thunbergia’s trademark black eye, the company’s Jack Cruickshank, says it’s popular for decorating wedding venues as it can be easily grown around arches, up pyramidal supports and in hanging baskets.

Cobbins Nursery is growing both of the new ‘blue’ cyclamen in the Dragon series for retail sales later this year.

Cyclamen Super Serie Dragon Deep Blue won the Best in Flowering Houseplant Category in the HTA New Plant Awards. James Lisher, Director of Cobbins Nursery, a family business which also owns nearby Highdown Garden Centre, says he has 3,000 of Deep Blue and Blue plus a good number of Cyclamen Illusia which won the same category last year.

Golden Grove Nursery, Lincolnshire, has added to its impressive list of around 180 varieties of conifers with Picea aibes ‘Wild Strawberry’ bred in Poland. A slow growing spruce, it reaches a height of 0.4m and spread of just 0.5m in 10 years. Notable for its pink young cones, it is the perfect novelty for rock gardens and containers.

Show, Selecta One showed off an easy to create display for this bright pink and highly scented cultivar. Other points of interest include plants being drought tolerance and attractive to insects. The concept will be ready next year.

British first While retaining a majority of houseplant grown in the UK, The Horti House is now also sourcing a limited selection of plants from The Netherlands. Andy Burton, Managing Director of Double H Nurseries in Hampshire, says Dutch stock includes foliage and flowering plants and enables

www.gardentradenews.co.uk

The Horti House to offer garden centres a complete range. “British always comes first and the Dutch plants won’t compromise our British identity. But it does mean we can now be a primary supplier for garden centres,” he says.

New bespoke care tags are also being rolled out across the range to simplify growing instructions for consumers. They also include sustainability benefits the pictures the Union Jack.

Ordering on the move A new app, allowing customers to order plants from their phones while out and about in stock and planterias no matter what time of day has been rolled out by Andy Burton, The Horti House.

Bransfords Webbs Plant Company. It’s taken around six months to develop the app with b2b ecommerce company SwiftCloud.

“Customers use the webshop but our main point of contact with our customers is still the phone, and we speak to them on a regular basis. But we have seen many customers placing orders on the webshop at weekends and in the evening, when we are not contactable,” says Sarah Allen National Account Coordinator & Digital Content Creator at Brandsfords Webbs Plant Company.

“Most of our customers have smartphones and we’ve been listening to their comments. They said it would be useful to order while walking around the plant area,” says Sarah. The app is linked to a new online webshop which Sarah describes as ‘smooth and slick’ with

August 2025 37

Planteria

Limited quantities of Dahlia LaBella Grande Chocolate Rose will be available this summer and should be a big hit with customers if it’s win as the Best Annual, Tender Perennials and Container & Basket Plants category is anything to go by.

Deep purple blooms fading to a paler pink appear are offset by dark foliage and its one of four in the series bred by Beekenkamp Plants.

The company’s Johan Heemskerk says plants were trialled last year in quite hostile conditions to ensure they will be a success in gardens. “We are really testing it to the limit, because we want to see how good the genetics really are,” he says.

Grande Chocolate Rose is one of four currently in the range, but Johan says more are being trialled.

information and orders automatically updated.

New features include images of crops plus pdf’s with plant information such as height, spread, flower colour and maintenance tips. It also remembers ‘favourites’ and shows any plants that may have already been reserved.

“Ultimately, we are using the new app as an extra salesperson and so far, the reaction has been very positive,” says

From Javado UK, Michel Heemskerk proudly shows off two plants which won the Foliage Houseplant and the Cacti & Succulents categories. Calathea ‘Velvet Glory’ brings a new wavy-edged leaf effect to the range while Cotyledon tomentosa ‘Green Footprint’ with feet-shaped leaves, is sure to attract the attention and curiosity of younger shoppers. It differs from what is sold as Bear’s Paw because it has green, rather than red tips.

38 August 2025

Hibiscus syriacus ‘Purple Chiffon’ and ‘Ruby Chiffon’ are new to the market from G.C.Stolwijk & Co. Both display dramatic coloured and shaped blooms.

Judges of Hot Off The Potting Bench, the new plant competition at BBC Gardeners’ World Live gave the top prize to Dahlia Gardenetta® Velvet Crush from Ball Horticulture. An impressive plant, it has a double lavender-purple two-tone flowers which contrast with deep bronze leaves.

Promising robust garden performance, plants are sturdy, well-branched plants and look great in patio containers.

Harkness Roses boosted its range of literary themed roses with the introduction of ‘Jane Austen’s Emma’ and ‘Jane Austen’s Persuasion’ at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival. The former is a delicate pink hybrid tea with a sweet fragrance. Blooming from June until the autumn, it is a compact grower in the garden and stems make for attractive cut flowers.

‘Jane Austen’s Persuasion’ is a deep pink floribunda, perfect for beds, borders and patio containers.

www.gardentradenews.co.uk

Viewpoint

Never a dull moment Will Armitage, HTA President

Please do drop by our stand at Glee in September to say ‘hello’ and discuss how the HTA can help your business.

W

e’ve made it to August! Not to rub it in, but I’m writing this with the warm Mediterranean sun beating down, with a cool breeze from the south giving the water in the harbour a slight shimmer and keeping the temperature just below a beautiful 30 degrees.

Like me, most garden centre customers will either be on holiday, or they’ll be out enjoying their gardens this summer. This means that after a busy last few months, August will really feel quiet, but perhaps not for those who are already preparing for Christmas. It will be all hands to the pumps - stock pouring in, ready to be priced and stored for the big build - as final adjustments are made to the display plans, and stock inspections to see the final quantities as it all arrives. But we ask ourselves the same question every year... how soon is too soon?

Do you, like many major retailers, start with cards and wrap for the August bank holiday?

an opportunity to talk to members of the Senedd about all thing’s horticulture and its contribution to the economy.

Following on from the success of the announcement of the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement in May we have also been to the Czech Republic for the European Nurserystock Association meeting to see how we can all work together to make sure the new agreement works for everyone.

It doesn’t seem like two minutes since we held the HTA National Plant Show (18th-19th June), SOLEX has been and gone, and Glee is only a few weeks away. The HTA will of course be there, so please do pop onto the stand and say hello. We not only represent our members, but we also work by default for the wider industry. If you haven’t been able to attend any of our regional events and you have something to tell us, please come to our stand at Glee. We would love to meet as many members there as possible.

HTA on the road

Annual conference

he’ll join Jennifer Pheasey, the HTA’s Director of Public Affairs, in a compelling fireside chat, Making Sense of the UK’s Economic and Political Future.

Josh McBain, a leading global foresight expert, will deliver a keynote session titled What’s Shaping Our Industry? A Strategic Perspective, where he’ll explore the key global forces shaping the future of UK environmental horticulture.

And don’t miss BBC Breakfast presenter Jon Kay as he chairs our Business Leaders and Business Efficiency session. Our panel of business experts will explore what makes a modern leader effective, from strategic thinking and infrastructure planning to people management and communication.

I hope you’ve got your tickets to join us for a day of insightful discussions and networking. We hope to see you there!

• For all the details about the conference, Grower of the Year Awards and the postconference dinner visit www.hta.org.uk/ conference

Members of the HTA team are not having a quiet summer at all. Following a really successful Plants in Parliament event during the week of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, we have taken the show on the road.

With the help of HTA Council members, Old Railway Line Garden Centre, has recreated Plants in the Senedd, giving us

And finally, it’s the big one next month, Horticulture, The Conference. At the time of writing, we’ve confirmed some fantastic speakers for the event at the iconic Barbican Centre in London on Thursday 25th September.

Dr Tim Leunig, Economist and Policy Expert, is back by popular demand, where

The Horticultural Trades Association is the UK industry’s leading membership organisation and welcomes all sectors of environmental horticulture. To learn more, pleasse visit www.hta.org.uk or to enquire about membership please email: membership@hta.org.uk

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TRADE EVENT

Save the date SOLEX 2026 7 - 9 July NEC, Birmingham solexexhibition.com

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