Latest trends and products from the Garden Press Event

Latest trends and products on show for the gardening press

The Garden Press Event in March was the place to be for suppliers to get products noticed by leading journalists and influencers.

Gardening journalists, bloggers and social media influencers descended upon the Business Design Centre, Islington in March to see and hear about the new trends and products for the coming year. The Garden Press Event’s aim is to equip garden writers and anyone involved with the press or media, with everything they need to promote gardening to consumers whether it’s being read in traditional magazines, presented in articles and videos online or through podcasts.

Around 90 companies promoted their latest projects and newest products. Here are some of GTN’s highlights:

Greenman Garden Tools are traditional and hard wearing

Fourth-generation business Greenman Garden Tools takes a traditional approach to the craftsmanship of its hand tools. Handles are made from ash, a tough, sustainable wood said to cause less vibration than fibreglass or metal. For its digging and cultivation ranges, handles are longer than most and attached with extra-long lipped sockets and multiple rivets. Greenman’s Half Brite Border Spade and Fork are a little different to anything else. They have a bright polished lower section to the carbon steel head and forks traditionally done to show off the quality of the metal. Greenman says these carbon steel tools are hard wearing and get better the more they are used. Greenman supports its customers with numerous how-to videos fronted by Adam Greenman and a monthly newsletter with information on tools and their care, gardening tips, planting guides and recipes.

Tools from Fiskars for every gardening job

Fiskars is offering a range of new and innovative tools to tackle every garden to-do list with ease. New pruners appear in three ranges - Solid™ which are simple, effective and affordable; Plus™ designed for more rugged everyday use, and X-series™ for exceptional performance. For cutting back flowers, herbs or snipping blooms for flower arrangements its ReNew Gardening Scissors are an ecofriendlier choice. They are made from recycled and 100% recyclable materials, including the 21cm stainless steel blades.

New planting tools in the lightweight but sturdy Solid range include the Hand Bulb Planter and the Planting Stick to aid seed sowing.

When it comes to harvesting the X-series tools provide everything gardeners need from the Folding Produce Knife with precision blade and push button lock for easy closing and safe, compact storage to the sleek Plus Garden Harvest Basket.

Packaging focus for Spear & Jackson

As well as introducing new products for 2022, Spear & Jackson has reviewed its packaging to reduce or remove entirely materials such as single-use plastics. With backing cards made from FSC certified materials and secateur packaging reduced to partial blisters in PET plastic, the company has made huge strides recognising the importance of sustainability to customers. These changes will be rolled out across its whole range but have already been implemented on The Kew Gardens Collection, which for 2022 has a new look with the packaging designed around botanical illustrations.

To support new and existing customers, Darlac boosts it online advice

Darlac has appointed Damian McEvoy as Technical Lead to strengthen its in-house product development. As a user of Darlac’s range Damian speaks from experience when it comes to recommending the right tools for the right job. A current focus for Darlac is investing more time in its customers by getting out and about and supporting them with product information and know-how while having knowledgeable staff that lead to better sales and fewer returns as customers purchase the right tool in the first instance. Darlac supports this with extra resources on its website including ‘how-to’ videos and also highlighting five essential tools for new gardeners – namely a pruner, lopper, saw, shears and a sharpener. With spares available across its whole range the sustainability message is also key as is, educating consumers about the importance of maintaining tools to make them last longer.

Barrus products help boost health and wellbeing

With several key brands such as WOLFGarten, Wilkinson Sword, Town & Country and Cub Cadet under its umbrella, Barrus took the opportunity to highlight how gardening products help improve health and wellbeing. Whether through making tasks easier with lighter tool ranges or creating more family time by using a robotic mower, this is a great tip that could be used in-store for selling the benefits of tools and equipment, especially to new gardeners.

Capi Europe’s pots are kind to the planet

One of the first in the industry to do so, Capi Europe has been awarded the CO2-Neutral label for its commitment to reducing its carbon footprint. Every flowerpot made at the factory in Holland will be awarded this quality mark. Pots in the Capi Waste Collection are made from 100% waste with raw materials coming from fishing nets, waste cork and recycled Capi flowerpots. Robust but also lightweight, the Waste Collection Pots have a contemporary design with either smooth or organic ribbed finish and are suitable for indoor and outdoor use as they are resistant to fracture, frost and UV.

Bespoke designs from Crocus

Online retailer Crocus displayed a number of decorative items. Designed by its in-house designer and only available through Crocus, items include rain gauges that while functional also make stylish sculptures, obelisks and poppy head bird feeders (as stakes and hanging). It has also recently introduced Iris – its consumer app – aimed at providing novice and experienced gardeners with inspiration and plant care tips throughout the year. This is helping to build a social community in which consumers can ask and answer questions building their knowledge and expertise over time.

New designs for Woodlodge and the RHS

Woodlodge and the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) have unveiled the designs for their outdoor planter partnership, presenting something fresh and exciting for gardeners in 2022. The two companies have joined forces to produce on-trend designs in garden pottery resulting in terracotta, glazed and fibre clay pot ranges such as Borders, Vintage, Arches, Rosemoor, Wildlife, Flora and Lattice. All are licenced under the RHS brand.

With demand for outdoor décor higher than ever, Woodlodge has also added to its Honey & Wild portfolio helping to embellish outside spaces. Recognising the increased interest in nurturing wildlife in the garden, a range of insect and butterfly hotels, bird feeders, and hedgehog houses have been added. New novel wall art includes solar mirrors in both contemporary heart and gothic church designs to bring warm light and a sense of enclosure to outdoor spaces.

Cordless innovation from Stihl

Among new products that Stihl has brought to market this year is the versatile SHA 56 – a cordless shredder vacuum and blower that speeds up the process of clearing and collecting garden waste. Using the AK battery system this ergonomically designed tool is suitable for blowing, vacuuming and shredding leaves, hedge clippings and green waste. In addition, the new HTA 50 cordless pole pruner is compact and lightweight (weighing only 3.6 kg) while offering a highcutting performance and making life easier when it comes to maintaining tall and hard to reach trees and hedges.

Primeur turns tyres into planters

In the last year alone Primeur has helped repurpose more than 5 million tyres through the manufacture of its recycled planters. With rubber tyres taking at least 80 years to decompose when discarded in landfill this initiative ensures that more tyres, turned into rubber crumb and formed into new products. A single tyre can make 2 medium planters which are not only eco-friendly but virtually indestructible. With a range of stylish designs, the pots make a great contemporary addition to outdoor spaces.

Natural and contemporary indoor gardening with Burgon & Ball

This season Burgon & Ball is adding fresh flair to its indoor gardening selection, with stylish new plant pots. Two new designs combine to give six new choices across a range of colours, patterns and sizes. Picking up on the ongoing themes of bringing the outdoors into the home and for all things natural, the Provence glazed pot features a design of grasses and flowers in a loose, sketchy style. In contrast, the Bilbao indoor pot is strikingly contemporary, picking up on the trend for bold geometrics. It also reflects the hottest trends in interiors are with two colour options, subtle pale jade, and a soft mid-blue with a touch of neutral grey. Burgon & Ball also has a new addition to its RHS Gifts for

Gardeners range. The new British Meadow design collection of delicate flowers and butterflies, reflects the trend for more informal gardens where nature can find a home where the love for native British wildflowers and wildlife can be rekindled. The collection also introduces a new option with gift-boxed RHS-endorsed gardening snips. What’s more, with gorgeously designed plastic-free packaging, the collection demonstrates that style can go hand-in-hand with concern for the environment.

Scheurich has pots for every room in the house

Among new lines from Scheurich is the Material Mix series which combines natural looking wood, linen and woven designs in the Palma,

Legno and Juta range. With textural finishes cleverly made through poly print, the designs are versatile and suited to different rooms within the home. The Lagom range (translated as ‘just the right amount’) provides a playful mix of Scandanavian charm and realistic finish in yellow, grey and blue shades. Every pot is individual and features a distinctive and glossy finish.

Westland’s wealth of new products for gardeners

To help boost sales and raise awareness of its new Visiroot range of modular seed trays, Westland has carried out a targeted advertising campaign in magazines including Garden Answers and Garden News. Activity on its own social media platforms is also kicked off to chime with the seed sowing season as has a television advert for its new liquid plant feeder Boost. “Everybody needs to get ready in April because there’s going to be a big bang. It’s a really, really exciting new advert with a nice, catchy bit of sound so you’ll be singing along from April onwards,” says Jo Wilkinson, Westland Head of Communication and Insight.

Recognising that although seed and modular trays are essential for every keen gardener, they are also notoriously difficult to retail because their bulk limits how many can be displayed on a shelf. Its solution is retailready pallet displays offering a combination of new Visiroot products including the Twin Propagator Set which better fits a standard window sill and enables home growers to start off two different types of seed at the same time rather than growing a large batch of one type.

Made from recycled bottles and manufactured in the UK, the Visiroot range is a first for consumers as the transparent sides of the trays enable them to check on root growth without having to disturb the plants and compost. Trays can be used multiple times but at the end of their usable life can be fully recycled in all councils across the country.