GTN February 2026 - Christmas Awards Winners Issue - Garden Trade News UK by Garden Trade News

Plus ça change

With moregardencentreacquisition activity already this year andmore in thepipeline, one of thequestions we get asked most often is“Is it agood thing for the industryorsomething to worryabout?”

Our answer is that provided thegroup operator knowswhat they aredoing and will run the centres well then that is agood thing,and the otheranswer is that groups buying up centres has been happening fora long time andthat hasprovided many an opportunity fora smaller businesstogrowintoanew space or niche.

Themorethingschange, themoretheystay the same

In fact, overthe past 10 yearsthe numberof garden centres that areoperated by groups of morethan 10 centreshas actually dropped from 305 in 2016 to 290asthis issuegoestopress

Wheretherehas been significant change is in thenumber of groups withlessthan10centres andwecan expect this to continue as singlesite operation getsharderdue to increased costsand theattraction of sharing back-office costsacross anumber of locations becomes more appealing. Things do continue to change on thesupplier front, significantly this spring with theclosureof AMES UK at theend of March. We wishall of the affected staff well forthe futureand hope that theliquidators areableto find buyers forstock that will be much needed as theseason gets growing.

Have agreat spring season!

Trevor Pfeiffer

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We did it!

After many years of hardwork Ruxley Manor Garden CentreinKenthas becomethe GCA’s Destination Garden Centreofthe Year.Directors Jamesand AndrewEvans talk to GTNabout the pride in theirteams and secrets to success.

For the last 18 years, theaccolade of DestinationGarden Centre of the Year,awarded at theGCA annual conference, has ricocheted between BentsGarden &Home and BartonGrange. Testament to their outstanding quality of retailing andcustomer service, they have between them, setaveryhigh bar

At conferenceinJanuary, therewas a bitofa shake up,withneitherofthe two northofEngland giants on thepodium Their standards havenot slipped. What we areseeing is othercentres namely RuxleyManor which wonthe title,with Perrywood Tiptree and Haskins Snowhill taking second and thirdplace,aiming higher and workingwith their teamsto improve everyaspect of retailing

Infact, Ruxleywon thetitle in spectacular fashiongaining the highest scores on both of its2025GCA audits in recorded history.

Aspirations

Ev up

GardenCentreinKent, have hadtheir eye on theprizefor some time. “Weremember coming to conference around 20 years ago, andwewould be scraping into thetop 100 Perhaps 85th or 86th place,” says Andrew “I remembersitting andwatching Guy Topping gethis trophy andthink ‘hemust be so proud’ andwhatanamazingfeeling it must be to be thenumber one garden centre in theUK”

"Wewould come back withour shoulders slightly slumped becausewe were so far oﬀ everyone else. But at the same time, we were excited about the opportunity aheadofus." recalls James.

Andrew’s father,Richard is Chairman of thebusiness, which celebrates its150th anniversarythisyear. Richardwas Chair twiceofthe GCA, in 1978 and1985, and the centre hasbeena member almost sinceits foundation.But it is only in recent years that accoladeshavestartedtocome rolling in.

So, what and how

“Itwas always oneofour aims and ambitions to be aCentreofExcellence,” says James

“Atconferenceone year,” recalls Andrew,“aspeaker wastalking about visualisingyour goal. He talkedabout a thousand-day countdown which we put up as adigital display in themanager’s oﬃce.It wasour target to become agarden centre of excellencein1000 days.”

So hat changed dh have Andrew dJ number eg

Ruxleydidn’tmakeit, but undeterred, Andrew andJames reset the counterand aimedtoachieve theirgoal withinthe next 1000 days. After 2000 days, and following the2022inspections, theyhad doneitand have kept theaccoladeevery year since Afterthe ﬁrst award, Andrew and James began to really focus on the GCA and itsstandards.“It wasn’t just about being numberone,”says Andrew.“It’s about drivingstandards andthe team to makethe businessasgoodasitcan get.”

“And it is so true that better standards mean better business,”says James. “The more we drive ourstandards the better customerexperience we aregiving.And we'reseeingthisthrough the tills and increases in terms of performance of the business.”

This hasbeen illustrated with a17% increase in turnoverlastyear,arecordbreakingyear,which foranestablished businessisimpressive. But it couldn’t be done without theteam which buy intothe same ethos of raising standards. “We'refull of cliches at themoment, but we absolutely couldn't be whereweare without them,” says James. “We'vegot abrilliant team that reallyget behind us andeverythingwe're trying to create. Theyand us arereally proud.”

Andrew and James Evans, ﬁfth generation and cousins heading up Ruxley Manor

and James made Ruxley the UK’s one garden centre.

(left) and James Evans

“It'ssotruethatwecould buildthe most amazing garden centre with the most modernbuildings but if we haven't got the right team,thenitmeans nothing,” says Andrew

Special anniversary

Starting as anursery business, HEvans and Sons back in 1876 by HenryEvans, thecompany’s history, especiallyall the people thatwork within it, willbepartofits 150anniversarycelebrations.Originally in nearbySidcup,the nurseryrelocated to the presentsiteinthe early 1960’sand in 1964, partofitbecamea retail garden centre

Family connections area bigpartof thebusiness andatthe endofMarch, Ruxleywill hold aspecial anniversary weekend. Viaemail and social media, it is askingcustomersand former staﬀ for photographsand recollections offamily visits,sotheycan be captured and shared through displaysand amural or mosaic. Specialoﬀers will be available andbranding in theform of black and whitedisplayswill link throughoutall departments.

“Weliketo shout about thefactthat Ruxleyisstill afamily business,”says Andrew. “Weare here allthe time -welive andbreathe it.” James’s sister Samanthais Ruxley’sLifestyle Manager and Buyer,while Andrew’s sisterJoisCatering Manager Ruxleyisalsoa biglocal employer, currentlywith 180permanentlyon the team,risingto320 at Christmaswiththe grottoand iceskating.And instancesof seasonal team members returning during thefestive season andofgenerations working at Ruxleyare not isolated.

Developments

RuxleyManor GardenCentres is set on 25 acres inside theM25 southofLondon -prime real estate, so Andrew andJames areworking to maximise everysquare meter.The site comprises thegarden centre, warehousing andGrace's Nursery andPreschool (named afterJames and Andrew’s grandmother).

Back in 2009,afire nearlydestroyed thewhole gardencentre. With80fire fighters on site theEvan’s family were just minutesawayfromlosing everything.“But it ended up beinga catalystfor arebuild,” says James. “Withcontinued investment, we’vedeveloped thebusinessand every department hasbeen rebuilt. It’s been slow but we’vealways said ‘infor apenny,infor apound’.Ifwe'regoing to do something, we want to do it properlyand we only want to do it once.”

Thetillhallisnext in line for improvement as James and Andrew feel it isn’trepresentativeofthe businesstoday Sadly,the lastofthe growing houses have nowbeen demolished after becoming unsafe andunusable, but warehousing is replacing it on thesamefootprint. This adds to warehousingbuilta fewyears ago which, with thetrend forbulkyoutdoor furnitureand Christmas stock,has quickly been ﬁlled.

Developments areessential to agrowing business, but both James and Andrew believeitcan take up to ayear forteams andthe newareas to settle in. “You have to grow into anew area and ﬁndyour feet abit.Lastyear wasthe ﬁrst time we didn’t have anydevelopments so we were able to focus on getting our standardsasgood as they could be,”says James.

Grace's Nurseryand PreSchool have 300 children on their books and around90 staﬀ,and says James, it’sgood to also run businesses that arenot dependentonthe vagaries of theweather.Set within former family homes,the nurseryand preschool gaveJames andAndrewthe opportunity to set up anew businessfromscratch. Much of thelearning gained through theexperience hasbeen fed intoand beneﬁtted thegarden centre.

TheRuxleyRose…and whereisit? Eventhough thereisaGCA awardcalled TheRuxleyRosetorecognise excellence in plantarias,itisonly this year that Ruxley has, forthe ﬁrst time, been aﬁnalist taking thirdplace.

“Traditionally,plants haven’tbeen a strength of Ruxleybut we haverelayed the area andare passionateabout growing it,

suppliers.

Above: Leaning on its history and adhering to standards of customer serviceset by previous generations.

getting thequality up andgetting it better

more,” says Andrew

Below: Black and white frames have beenchosen for the 150th anniversary and appear in all departments.

We haveagreat team in place nowand obviously,would love to win it oneday,” says Andrew Winning would bring The RuxleyRose full circle as it wasanaward startedby RichardEvans during one of histenures as Chair.The originaltrophy wasagold rose, modelledonone created by Richard’s father for his wifeasa gift fortheir golden wedding anniversary.“Iremember it on a little stand and Grandmakept it beside her bed,”says Andrew.“When Iﬁrst startedto work at Webbs, Iwalkedintothe plantaria oﬃce one day andsaw Grandmas rose on thedesk! It appeared Webbs hadjust won the award, at aGCA conference.”

modelled on one Richard’s

If Ruxleydid win, it wouldn’tget the original golden rose awardasithas gone missing ......does anyone know where it is? Today recipientsare given atrophy and wooden plaque.

Talking to the teams

At acompany meeting (heldtwice ayear) following the conference,the centre was

opened latesoawardscould be givenout to the relevant team members. Company results were presented, plans andvisions forthe coming months unveiled, the management team served breakfast,and a Q&A washeld

Team members arefreetoask anything they want,and if questionscan’tbe answered then andthere, they areturned into an action plan.“We need to makesure all our teamshavethe tools they need to do theirjob to thebest of theirability.Ifthe Wi-Fi isn’tgoodenough, we'll ﬁx it,ifthere aren’tenough scanners or radios, we'll get

“Wealways sayyou spendthe majority of your waking time at work. So we want to createanenvironmentwherepeopleenjoy coming into work,”says James.

create an environment where people enjoy into work,” says James.

Raising standards

standards

Innovationinthe gardenretail industryis at an all-time high andthis doesn’t seem to be changing.“We’vetaken our teams up to Bentsand Barton Grange and been inspired. Thesephenomenal businesses have reallyset thebar for alongtime,but its lovely to seeothercentreschompingat theirheels,”says Andrew

Innovation in the garden retail industry is at an all-time and this seem be changing. “We’ve taken our up to Bents and Barton Grange and been These phenomenal really set the bar for a long time, but to see other centres chomping at their heels,” says Andrew

This desiretokeep on improving and givingcustomers ﬁrst classshopping experiencesisperhapsstronger nowthan it ever hasbeen andbodes well forthe future of theindustryand centres like Ruxley.

“Winning is onething,but keepinghold of atitle is another.Wedon't want to be aone hitwonder,” says James. “When you look back, youcan seeeachgeneration hasput its mark on thebusiness. Our grandparents wouldsee it’sverydiﬀerent nowand Iwouldliketothinkthat, it will developagain. We look at ourselves as custodiansofthe businessand hope we will be passing it on,” says James

Ruxleywas also recognised for its clothing department.

Ruxley’sFood Hall hasbeen newly expanded.

Award-winning performancefor thegreat indoors

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Trustedbyprofessionalgrowers andkeengardeners acrossthe UK,our SylvaGrow® range is nowwidely recognised as thebestpeat-free compostyou canbuy.

Your customer votesare in

Garden centrecustomerssupportedtheir favouriteteams this Christmasbytaking part in GTN’s Customer Vote.Wecounted morethan9000 onlineand on-paper votesfor 140gardencentres across thecountry.Manycongratulationstoall thewinners and finalists in the regions, and ofcourse to British Garden Centres, Albrighton Garden Centrefor recording thegreatest number of votes overall.

Teams from Albrighton, Birkacre and Fakenham collect their awards for being the top three voted for garden centres in the UK.

The Greatest Centre Christmas Teams, as votedfor by customers

OVERALL UK GOLD: Albrighton BGC

OVERALL UK SILVER: BirkacreGardenCentre

OVERALL UK BRONZE: Fakenham Garden Centre

The Greatest CentreChristm Teams in their regions, as votedfor by customers

EAST

Centre Christmas & SOUTH

GOLD: Fakenham Garden Centre

SILVER: Summerhill Garden Centre

JOINT BRONZE: Bloﬁeld Garden Centre@ Norwich Camping &Leisure andPerrywood Tiptree

HOME COUNTIES &SOUTH

GOLD: Longacres Bagshot

SILVER: KeydellNurseries

BRONZE: Ransoms GardenCentre

MIDLANDS

GOLD: AlbrightonBGC

SILVER: Planters, GardenKing

BRONZE: Wolseley Bridge BGC

NORTH

GOLD: BirkacreGardenCentre

SILVER: BentsGarden& Home

BRONZE: WoodbankGardenCentre

GOLD: Munro’sNurseries

SILVER: HillmountGardenCentre, Belfast

SOUTHWEST

GOLD: NewquayGardenCentre

SILVER: Monkton ElmGardenCentre

BRONZE: TrevenaCross

SCOTLAND &NORTHERNIRELAND

JOINTBRONZE: Gouldings GardenCentre, and KirktownGardenCentre

WALES&WEST

GOLD: Snowdonia Nurseries and Garden Centre

SILVER: Trioscape Garden Centre

BRONZE: Fron Goch Garden Centre

South West

Scotland & Northern Ireland

Wales & West

Christmas at its festive best

Garden centresacross the countrycontinue to raise thebar when it comes to Christmas Greatness. At SpringFair,awardstothe very best of the134 centres we visited across the country, were presented and takenhometobeshared with creative andtalented teams.

THE GREATESTSMALL GARDEN CENTRE CHRISTMASTEAMSSponsored by Woodmansterne

GOLD: Munro’sNurseries

SILVER: Cook’s Garden Centre

BRONZE: Pengelly GardenCentre, The Garden Society

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Snowdonia Nurseries and Garden Centre

THE GREATESTMID-SIZED GARDEN CENTRE CHRISTMAS TEAMS –Sponsored by Kaemingk

AirDrain solution

Constantly evolving, Eco Tiffin, abuildingand surveying business, has its sights on the gardencentre market to bringits AirDrain to anew audience.

Withorigins dating back to 1695, Eco TiffinLtd has developed on generationsofpractical building knowledge, craftsmanship and invention. Across more than fivecenturies, the Tiffinname has evolved alongsidethe built environment itself-adaptingskills,services and thinking as buildings, materials and environmental pressures havechanged, especially with the onset of climate change.

Under the leadership of Director Robert Tiﬃn, the businesshas made adecisiveshift toward sustainable, evidence-led buildingperformance,conservation and retroﬁt.

climatechange head on and desiretoseizethe opportunity to promoteits product to awider audience

“Welaunched the AirDrain last year Surveyors, architects and engineers love it and can’tunderstand whyithas not been invented before;’ says Robert

Climate change is exposing weaknesses in buildings that were never designed fortoday’s conditions.

With increasingchallenges from heavyrain and flashfloods, Robert’s invention of the Air Drain, and understanding of howitwillbenefit the gardening and landscape sector,isan example of the company’scommitmenttofacing

Seeingthe invisible Robert invented the Air Drain in direct response to the recurring ground-level moistureproblems on housing stock identiﬁed through thermographic surveys. Acrosshundreds of thermographic surveys, ground-level moistureand cold bridging,often linked to raised external groundlevels and restricted evaporation at the baseofwalls, wasa recurring cause and commonly misdiagnosed

RobertTiffin continues the evolving the family businesssothe needs of todays homes can continue to be met in the face of climatechallenges.

RobertTiffin’s Air Drain has the potentialtobesold in garden centres.

as rising damp Conventional damp solutions frequently failed because they treated internal symptoms, notthe external source of wetting

Using thermography (thermal imagery), heat loss frombuildings with paving butted to the wall of thehouse can be clearly seen. This was acatalystbehind the creation of the AirDrain,which reduces heat loss caused by damp earth andpaving makewalls saturated “Wet walls arecold walls”.

Crucially as the effects of climate change bring about heavierand more frequent rains and flash flooding,higher ground moisturelevels and splashbackfrompaving and garden borders ontoproperty walls, willonly increase. This along with no drying potential and greater temperaturedifferences areplacing growing pressureonolder and traditionally builthomes.

Problems that were once intermittentare nowpersistent, leadingtodamp,mould and reducedthermalperformance. “Climatechange is exposing weaknesses in buildings that were neverdesigned fortoday’s conditions Understandingthisand theidentification of thecauses of damp related defects is ‘key’to your home surviving another 100 years,and remainingwarm andcomfy,” says Robert.

AirDrain is apatented, passive moisture management system designed to encourage natural evaporation at thebaseofexternal walls, helping masonryremain dry, warmer and more resilient. Thesystemcomplies with

TheAir Drain system has beensuccessfully installed across local authorityhousing stock, oftenin collaboration with landscape gardeners. This enables councils andhomeownerstoachievetheir desired external finishes without therisk of bridging damp proofcourses —acommon and costly issuewhere ground levels arealtered.

Air Drain has beenHighlyCommended at theProperty CareAwardsfor innovation andsustainability, recognisingits technical effectiveness and environmentally responsible design.

BS 6576 -the BritishStandardfor the controlof risingdampand works by removing the source of wetting from thestructureand increasing

Sinceits inception, EcoTiffin has worked to find solutions to problems from controllingbed bugs through to timber treatment and damp control.

ventilation. Thisapproachaddresses the cause of moistureingressrather than masking its eﬀects internally

“The key;’ says Robert,“is that Air Drain stops bridging betweenthe property,its damp proof course and its garden. “Itremovesthe source of wetting-not just thesymptoms.”

Eco Tiffin’sdatarecords an average20% reduction in dampreadings in the first six weeks of installation,and asteady drop thereafter.Crucially,Air Drain differsfrom atraditional French drain as it doesnot allownaturallyevaporation via diffusion from themasonry.Instead, it works with the existingstructure, preserving stability while allowing moistureevaporation andthermal performance. See image left.

Builders,architects andsurveyors already agreeonthe benefits of the Air Drain and recommended as general good practice. Eco Tiffin’sroutetotheseareas of expertise is already established but its benefits to gardeners, either thosetakingontheir own

Experiencefromhistory

Recordsofthe Tiffinfamilybusinessgo back to the 1695(that’snotypo!) when it wasemployed by thethenroyal family, to eradicatebed bugs. Throughoutthe 20th century thebusinessexpanded into timber treatment(1930s), dryand wetrot remediation(1940s),and damp-proofing and building protection (1950s). In 1965and again in 1974 theacquisitionoftwo established building companies furtherstrengthened its capability to deliver comprehensiveproperty and constructionservices. With morethan45years’experience in construction, building diagnostics and conservation, RobertTiffinhas always taken an investigativeapproachto understanding buildings. From decades of training and experience–His motois“everyday is a school, it is allsointeresting!”

AirDrain can be installed as astand-alone solution or integrated into wider retrofit, conservation and remediation projects. Made of resin by EcoTiffin in the UK, its comes in standardlengthsof1.2m and can be cut to size.

AirDrain removes the source of wetting

-not

just the symptoms

projectsoremploying professional landscapers, has great potential.

Additionally,Air Drainiseasytoinstall and gives designers greater freedom to create gardenswithborders and patios to the same levelasthat of the house whilestill protecting the fabricofthe building

Roberthas spoken to severalgarden centres, all of which can see the beneﬁt to the retail sector and customers. Aworkingmodel could be having ademonstration area withinagarden centreand passingorders directly through to EcoTiﬃnfor delivery. He alsosees potential

in stockingAir Drainalongside pavingand hardlandscaping for customers considering pavinguptothe walls of their homes.

“Intoday’sworldwesee the link and the necessity of the AirDrain. Notjust to beneﬁt the buildingbut to alsobeneﬁt the gardens aroundus;’says Robert

TheAir Drainhas 3standardcolours, but can be ﬁnished in any RAL colour

The impact of increased rainfall

In the last 6years from 2019 to 2026, rainfall has been extraordinary, with the last six to nine months being record-breaking.Rainfall,especially during storms has beenparticularly challengingand during thesestorms, exposed masonrycan be exposedupto 100litresofwater per square metre.*. Waterand moisture areamong thegreatestthreats to buildings and preventing moisturefrompenetrating thebuilding fabric, both externally andinternally,iskey to avoiding damp-related issues. In recent times, dampnessinbuildingshas increased due to changingweather patterns and regardlessofits constructionmethod, damp can cause homes to feel cold becausewet wallslose heat more quicklyand areharder to heat.”WET WALLSare cold walls” understanding howand whythisoccurs/happens is thekey to preventing expensive future repairs andproviding warm comfy buildings/homes.(*BRE) remediation (1940s), and and (1950s) In 1965 and to comprehensive property

Deeply involved in theearliest establishmentofthe retrofitsector. Ecotiffin is contributing to andworking alongsidethe same principles of thecoreretrofitacademic learningcentres suchasthe Green register, LPOC, RetrofitAcademy,SPAB, English Heritage &ASBP.

To discuss stocking AirDrain or for moreinformation visit: www.ecotiﬃn.co.uk. email: enquires@ecotiﬃn.co.uk phone: 01442819332 https://youtu.be/921lsmpwM3s?si =ktDIWl5ikexbTcHW

Damp caused by rain and watersplash back.Increased drainage andventilation with Air Drain

HenryTiffin(Grandfather) &Frank Tiffin (Father) in their office in George St (1948).

Inspiration station

Not surprisingly, whilevisiting 130 garden centres, judges for the GTN Christmas Awards came across inspiring displaysand brilliant marketing ideas. Here are some of ourfavourites, many of whichare simple and easy to adopt.

High-leveldisplays of jumpersand socks were cleverly created at Longacres Garden Centre, Surrey to leave customerswithnodoubt they were in the giftand clothing department.

Laser cut intowood, QR codesatCastle Garden Centre,Dorset,led customers straighttoinformation about Christmas trees. Long lasting, thenatural wood signswere very much in keepingwith planteriadisplays.

Adding to theexcitement of choosinga Christmas tree, children visitingSunshine Garden CentreinLondon getto wear special high-vizjacket whileinthe planteria and give theirchosen tree aname. When they reachthe till they can ask fortheir tree and hear its name called foronin-storeradios, enhancing thepersonal touchevenmore.

In Gloucestershire, Trioscape Garden Centre optimises on displayspace by attaching bowls to Christmastrees and filling them with baubles and decorations.

Flashes of Christmas sparkle

Brightening up the houseplant area at BGC Burford House, Worcestershire, wasaneyecatching Christmastreeshape displaycreated with indoor plants and lit up with festivelights.

Simple yeteffective, at Squires Twickenham, Middlesex, wrapping paper wasdisplayedinboxes decorated with paperofthe samedesigns. Tape, scissors, gift tags and storage bags were close by foreasy add on sales.

Trees, completewith colour-coordinated decorations and lightsprovedtobepopular at KlondykeByrkleyPark, Staffordshire. They were displayed on one side of an aisle with corresponding boxesofstock easytopick up on the opposite side

Within its Christmas pet display, ParkersGarden CompanyinEssex decoratedatreewithphotographs of the team’spets. It created alovely personal touch and made abig impact froma smalldisplay

In Aberdeenshire, Raemoir Garden Centre created itsown hampers, with each curated rangegiven itsown name. Among those forcustomers to choose from were RedRobin, Santa’sDay Offand Festive Delights.

Usingasimple system, BotanyBay Garden Centresin Worcestershire, hungits Christmas treesfromtunnelsupports. By spinningthe trees, customerscould seethemfromall angles, andthere wasthe added bonus of treesnot being damaged while on display.

Aselfie stationjust forpets, wasanattractionatWebbs WychboldGarden Centre in Worcesterhire. Another great waytodrawincustomersand promote thecentrebyasking forphotographs to be shared on social media.

ThecaféteamatHaddenham Garden Centre, Berkshire, went theextramile and presentedit’s menus as Christmasscrolls

GTN’s Greatest Christmas Awards 2025 are only possible thanks to the sponsorship from Festive, Glee, Kaemingk, Melcourt, Museums & Galleries, Pelsis Doff, Pleydell Smithyman, Smart Garden Products, Solex and Woodmansterne.

AWA

Festive: www.festive.co.uk

Glee:www.gleebirmingham.com

Kaemingk:www.kaemingk.com

Melcourt: www.melcourt.co.uk

Museums &galleries: www.museumsgalleries.co.uk

Pelsis Doﬀ:www.pelsis.com

Pleydell Smithyman: www.pleydellsmithyman.co.uk

SmartGarden Products&Three Kings: www.sgpuk.com

Solex:www.solexexhibition.com

KINDLYSPONSORED BY MELCOURT

THE GREATEST Winter&ChristmasHouseplant Teams

GOLD

Webbs,Wychbold, Worcestershire

Houseplants areseen as youenter and leave the centre, and the team ensures the displays are highimpact and make use of vertical space. This means customers can see and aretemptedby the houseplants from a distance. An extensive range of plants, the team is focused on plant care and housekeeping both evident from the impressive selection and visual appeal.

Houseplants at Hayes areall in greatcondition anddisplayed in imaginative andeye-catching ways throughout the department. Christmas decorations,including a fully decoratedChristmas tree in the department, were weaved in by the team to enhancethe festivefeel. The use of POS wasexcellentwith lots of helpful adviceand information. Giftwrapped plants were readily available andpot covers conveniently displayed to simplify buying decisions andcreateadd on sales.

SILVER

BGC Hayes Garden Centre, Cumbria

BRONZE

Knights

Betchworth, Surrey

Congratulationstothe KnightsBetchworth team which hadcreated ahouseplant area with atmosphere. Signage andbenchesfestively decoratedadded to theChristmasfeelwhich wasenhancewithceiling decorationsand its closeproximity to thecoﬀee shop

BRONZE

Gates Oakham, Leicestershire

Alarge houseplant area withgreat signagetelling themagicstory of poinsettias. Theteam was commended forthe careofits extensiverange, thegreat linked sales of pots and sundriesand promotion of plants as gifts. Tempting!

KINDLYSPONSORED BY DOFF/PELSIS

THE GREATEST Outdoor Plant and Christmas Tree Teams

GOLD

Blue Diamond, BartonGrange Garden Centre, Lancashire

Theplanteria at BartonGrange generatesawarmwelcome, with quality plants, great lightingand Christmas allthe waythrough.Displays created lotsoftheatre andplenty of photoopportunitiesand the judges were particularlyimpressed by thesignage for Christmas trees andrecyclable sack.

SILVER

Bosworth’s Garden Centre, Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire

Theknowledgeableteam at Bosworthscreated a seasonally beautiful planteria filledwithtempting plants Little vignettes added to thedisplay,wreath making was on offer andplantedarrangements available from just£5. As spaceinthe shop is limited, theplanteria wasthe place forcustomers to findartificialand real Christmastrees

BRONZE

Castle Gardens, Dorset

Christmas plants were boughtinside andout,withkey displayswrapped in awarm, white light. Plants were promoted aspresentsand arranged with interesting and diﬀerentplantsincluding freshherbs forcooking. QR codes printed on wooden blocks led customers to careinformation and agift-wrapping service wason oﬀer and clearly communicated

BRONZE

The Old Well Garden Centre, Devon

Alarge planteria, it wasﬁlledwithlights,colourand Christmas trees. Thefun team addedtothe choice withimpressivebenchesof inspirational plants.

Aplanteria ﬁlled with fur-lined benches along alamp-lit windingpath. Red painted backs to some of thedisplay benches addeda festive and easy to recreatetouch. Theknowledgeable andexperienced Sunshineteam looking afterChristmastrees run an eﬃcient and fun wayofchoosing trees which especially appealstochildren.

THE GREATEST

Gardening as aChristmas Gift Sales Teams

Astrong range, well promoted with added Christmas décor andtheatrical displays. As fast as theycould makethem, the enthusiastic team were selling their ownbespokegardencare hampersasgifts for gardeners at greatvalue prices.

GOLD

PlantersTamworth, Staﬀordshire

Gates Oakham, Leicestershire

Gardening gifts couldbefound in multiple locations throughout thestore andpromotedassuchinevery department. Theteam have aclear understandingofthiscategory and cooperateacross departments to makeitasuccess

Castle Gardens, Dorset

Despitelimited space, theteam at Castle Gardens stillmanage to ﬁnd opportunities fordisplays to inspire thepurchasing of gardening gifts. From pop up displays to thoseinthe covered outdoor area, the team brought Christmas to this categorywith the cleveruse of garlands, lights, bows and signage.

SILVER

THE GREATEST ChristmasGiftsTeams

Thelevel of gifting forChristmas at Birkacrewas aone oﬀ.The team incorporatedgifting into everydepartment to createimpressivecross merchandisingopportunities. Indoor furnitureset within rooms, blended gifts with Christmas ranges andtoystoact as aseamlessjourneyintothe main Christmas department.

SILVER

Gordale, Cheshire

KINDLYSPONSORED BY MUSEUMS & GALLERIES GOLD

Birkacre, Lancashire

An interesting mixoflocal andfamousrangeswas invitinglyand commerciallymerchandised with Christmas décor.The ‘perfect gift’ messageswas repeatedthroughout. Theteamwas friendly and the housekeeping of an excellentstandard.

Beautifully curated displayswithChristmasstylishly incorporated, includeda number of unusual or locally sourcedproducts. Teamsworked hard to emphasis on 'natural' and'sustainable'and successfullymadeevery stock linelookattractive.

BRONZE

Gates Oakham, Leicestershire

BRONZE

Duchy of Cornwall Nursery, Cornwall

With its advantageofhavinga vast area forgifting, theteam took everyopportunity to promote gifts andChristmas, including in the toy area. Thespaceallowsarange to meet everyneed anddemographic.InmainGiftarea, Christmas enhanced displaysinasubtle way, and increasing in itspresenceasthe shoppingjourneytravelled towards theChristmasdepartment.

HIGHLYCOMMENDED

Haddenham Garden Centre, Buckinghamshire

Theteam at Haddenhamsuccessfullycreated aspirational displays wovenwith baubles, lightsand festiveﬂoristry

KINDLYSPONSORED BY SOLEX

THE GREATEST BBQ &OutdoorLeisureTeams

GOLD Polhill Garden Centre, Kent

Putting ahugeeﬀortinto Christmas,Polhill has doubled the footprint of Yeti productsand increased itscast iron cook ware range to promoteasgifts. Its BBQ School has taken oﬀ with twosold out Christmas sessions andthe small team wasoverwhelmed with customers forits Christmas dinner demos from Traegar and Kamado Joe. Social media is playingabig role in promotingbbq’sand outdoor cooking

The outstanding team has seized theopportunity forbring Christmas into the bbq area –also using itasadual spacefor light sales. Displays were festive, stock wasclean andinviting and sales of cookers, fuels and accessories areonthe up

Trioscape Garden Centre, Gloucestershire

Agood selection of products and strong promotion of associated gift lines lead to thesale of large bbq’sonthe run up to Christmas for which the team wasrightly proud.

THE GREATEST Food &Drink Pop-up Teams

With awiderange of cateringoptions, the now huge event at Bentsruns from October until just after Christmas. Ateamof60temporarystaff arerecruitedinSeptember and trained to ensure everything goes smoothly.Nighttime events including lighting trailsand an AliceinWonderland theme, keep the customers pouring in.

GOLD

Bents Garden &Home, Cheshire

Anew venturefor RuxleyManorGarden Centre, the WinterFood Hall is acompletely in-house project, to keep quality control tight. Livemusic during the week appeals to a broad demographic, the strawberries and hot chocolatesauce was ahit and an elf photo booth adds to the fun. Teams havestepped up to the mark to makethe newventureasuccess

SILVER

Gates, Oakham, Leicestershire

Carefully thoughtout in terms of theareadesignated for catering, merry-go-round rides, and agood range of innovativemenu offerings –including for children, the Gates Oakham pop up is a local attraction. Twodays aweek aguest appearance from Hoggy’s Grill helps promoteBBQ sales.

BRONZE

Ruxley Manor Garden Centre, Kent

KINDLYSPONSORED BY PLEYDELL SMITHYMAN

THE GREATEST FestiveRetail Food Teams

GOLD

Poplar Nurseries, Essex

In thegarden centreFestive Food seamlessly morphsfromhouseplants and the team haveput great eﬀortintoamplifyingits Christmas appeal Excellent visual merchandising lifted theextendedrange which includes local produceand morefood-based giftinglines while wider aisles this year improve accessibility.Inthe separatefestively decorated Food Hall local food is ahighlight, especiallycheeses and meat, in In theonsite kitchen, the team makeseasonallythemedreadymeals, cakesand bespokeplatters keeping food wasteto aminimum

SILVER

Gates Oakham, Leicestershire

Excellent food hall withlocal meat, fresh vegand festive lights throughout. Hampers aremadetoorder andthisyear theteam had success displaying food in otherparts of thegardencentre. Judges also commended sign posting to thefoodhalltopromote awarenessinother departments.

BRONZE

Morris’ of Usk, Monmouthshire

Theenthusiastic team at Morris’ of Usk, produceanexcellent rangeinits onsite commercial kitchen. TheFarmShopisa highlight of the garden centre, anditiswell knownlocally forits cheeses including team member Lily Morris wasnamedYoung Cheesemonger of theYear in 2023

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Blue DiamondBartonGrange Garden Centre, Lancashire

The attentive and eﬃcientteamatBartonGrange made thehealthy food

oﬀering look very festive. The in-storebakerywas well promoted and housekeeping immaculate

HIGHLYCOMMENDED RuxleyManorGarden Centre, Kent

Anew ‘marketplace’area, adjacent to therestaurant,expanded theretail food oﬀeringthisyear withgreat success.Visual merchandising wasexcellentand theteam stepped up to the mark to keep displayslookingfresh

THE GREATEST Wild Bird& Pets Teams

GOLD

Haddenham Garden Centre, Buckinghamshire

Themost festive pet area seen by the judges with great displays at entrancetothe departmentand lots of cameo displays using trees,lightsand baubles. Haddenham’s extensive rangeofpet items include extraspecial treats such as 'dog éclairs'!

Astrong pet care section doing agood line in aquariums for Christmas gifting.A competition to ﬁnd the most favouritedoggie customer andthe own made bird carehampers made Fakenhamstand outfromthe crowd

SILVER

Fairways

Ashborne, Derbyshire

The team at Fairways areproud of thegreat petgift lines, large range ofpet treats andeverything needed for winter bird care. Bespoke Fairways pethampers aremadeupbythe teams to compliment rangeswhichare festively displayed

BRONZE

Fakenham Garden Centre, Norfolk

● 14 essential nutrients –easily absorbed and accessible to plants

● Highly-effective moisture retention – reducing the need for frequent watering

● 70% bigger plants *

● 50% more blooms *

● Premium peat-free formulation – greener growing without compromise on performance

● Responsible packaging –made from 30% recycled plastic and can be recycled at most garden centres

THE GREATEST Garden Centre Grotto Teams

GOLD

Goulding’s Garden Centre, Lanarkshire

If therewas aprizefor passion,itwould certainly go to theteam at Goulding’s.Each year the team builds on its grottotooﬀer anunforgettable experience and anew addition this year wasthe animated trainride. Afulltimecleaner keeps theexperience spic and span, teamscleverly keep people moving without feeling rushed andatthe endthere’sthe treat of real reindeers and free hot chocolate with marshmallows

SILVER

Chessington Garden Centre, Surrey

At theend of autumn, theteam at Chessington transform the productivegreenhouse intoamagical grotto whereagolden ticket gives entrytoa walkthrough andrailway carriage experience Each year pieces are reused but in diﬀerent scenes andsomething newadded. Although alarge grotto,every visitor is guaranteed a personalexperience

BRONZE

BGC Hayes Garden Centre, Cumbria

Each year thewelcomingand engaged team at Hayes come up with a diﬀerentgrottoexperience.Beautifullylit andrichly decorated, there is something diﬀerenttosee around everycorner.The team is to be congratulated forthe littletouches andattention to detail which makes thegrottoanamazingexperience forchildren, andadults too.

HIGHLYCOMMENDED

Coolings Lifestyle, Kent

BRONZE

Ruxley Manor Garden Centre, Kent

Under thenorthernlights,the Ruxleygrottotakes families on a journey to see Mother Christmas, ﬁnd lost reindeer food ingredients andmakea Postie Penguintoy

Created just forRuxleybythe marketing team, Postie hashis ownstory book which each child receives from Father Christmas

An imaginativeand creative experience, which runssmoothly thanks to the eﬃcientteams including the elves.

Beginning in thelit woodland, theCoolingsgrottohad apost oﬃce themeofﬁndingalost letter to Santa. Teamsacrossthe whole centrecontributed to thegrotto’screation andattentiontodetail wassecondtonone.

Keydell Nurseries, Hampshire

Beautifully created walk throughgrottobyanengaged team and 92 year-old Father Christmas whohas no intention of retiring. Lots of photoopportunities, animation andreal reindeer

THE GREATEST Garden Centre Christmas Promotion Teams

GOLD

Henry Street Garden Centre, Berkshire

By writing and illustrating Where’sMyHusky, the centre’s RichardGould has taken the concept of aChristmas book and branded bear ontothe nextlevel. The book’s characters could be found on storyboards throughout the themeddisplays(and purchased), helping topromotesales and fundraise for the designated charity.The storywas perfect for social mediaand clevermerchandising hid the promotion’sfantastic commercial edge.

BRONZE

Botany Bay Nurseries & Garden Centre, Worcestershire

The marketing teaatthis small, plant based centre, sent 18 local schools a Father Christmas cut out to decorate.Each was displayednear the grotto withchildren and parents invited to vote on their favourite. Agreat wayto appeal to newshoppers and develop customer loyalty

Punching above its weight for the sizeofthe centre, the Trioscape GardenCentreteam organisedhighly successful charity quiznights featuring celebrities from television’sThe Chase. It’ssocial media activity wasimpressivewith a12days of Christmas competition oﬀering great prizes and lots of ‘likes and shares’fromcustomers.

HIGHLYCOMMENDED

Glendoick GardenCentre, Perthshire

Congratulations to theteam at Glendoick forcreatingasimple, yeteﬀective12Days of Christmas promotion throughout the store.

Kate,celebrating thenew Essoldo Design Gift Packaging range at Spring Fair,with Woodmansterne’s Mark Timlett, Head of Independent Sales,and Mark Curtis, Regional Sales Manager.

Artinthe garden centre

Author,artist and former Head of Marketing at Woodmansterne, Kate Leach bringsher distinctiveEssoldo Design style to anew gift packagingcollection.

Teams at many centres around the UK will recognise Kate Leachfrom her daysasHeadofMarketing at Woodmansterne. While in the post (2018-2024), Katecelebrated with the company when it wasnamed GCAAssociate of theYear votedfor by GCA members, and successfully marketed the W-Select programme which makes the planning and managementofgreeting cardsin retail easy

“Through my engagement withgarden centreindustryIalso madesome lifelong friends,”she says

Oftenthe twoskills of being creativeand having ahead for marketing don’tgohand in hand, butKatehas bucked thetrend. Atalentedartist, shefounded her brand, Essoldo Design in 2020, focusing on it full time whenshe left Woodmansterne in the autumn of 2024.Since then, she has retained her friendship with Woodmansterne with some of her designs appearing on its greetings cards, and at Spring Fair announcedthe signing of alicencewith Woodmansterne for her designs to appear on anew gift packaging range.

“It’salovely ‘full circle’ moment to sign as alicense at Woodmansterne. Therewas always apartofmethat yearned to be inthe designstudio,soit’sbeen afab experience to work with their wonderful creativeteam to launch this newgiftpackaging collection. I

Below: Likeall Woodmansterne’sgiftpackaging collections, thenew Essoldo Design rangeisentirely paper-basedand fullyrecyclable. Everyitemhas been designed to remove plastic without compromisingon strength or finish.

will forever appreciateWoodmansterne support of this newcreativepartofmylife,”she says. The beneﬁts aretherefor Woodmansterne too.Its CreativeDirector LeeKeeper says: “One ofthe many aspectsI admire of Kate’sworkis her passion and enthusiasm and howshe shares and inspires others (around the world now!). She embodies the powerofart to uniteand inspire.”

Garden centrelink

As well as strengthening her link withgarden centres through Woodmansterne, Kate can alsosee other opportunities. Already hosting painting workshops aroundthe country, Kate believes the garden centredemographicwould be interested tooasthe subjectsofher images arenaturebased.

“I love working withthe gardenindustry. I’malways open to chatting about live painting demos and ﬂoral/botnaical workshops tooifyou want to createsome in-store theatreand get creativewith your customers!”

Trowell Garden CentreinNottingham, has taken things astepfurther,and commissioned Kate to createapainting of ﬁgs for itsFig and Fern Coﬀee Lounge. It has alsochosen some of Kate’s prints to decoratethe walls so is able to link these back to card, gift packaging and book sales.

Kate is based in Hertfordshire. Her debut book, CreativeAbstract Watercolor, has been published in sevenlanguagesand wasfollowedlast year by Creative AbstractMixedMedia. www.essoldodesign.com

TheEssolodo Design GiftPackaging range is available to order,withanew greeting cardrange due in March. Phone: 01923 200600 Emailsales@woodmansterne.co.uk www.woodmansterne.com

Conifer comeback

Europe-wide collective promotesconifers as plantsfor thefuture.

AcrossEurope agroup of 12 growers have got togethertogiveconifers a marketing push and present them as the plantofthe future.

We Love Conifers willpromote conifers as essential elements of modern,climateresilient gardens and public spaces and show howtheyare an answer to thegrowing demands for sustainable, year-round greenery. The campaign has been driven by the disheartening amount of space lost to hard landscaping including fencing.

As well as the versatility,biodiversity beneﬁts andornamentalvalue of specimen andhedging conifers, We Love Conifers will showtheyoﬀer asolution to rising city

temperatures, watermanagement, and poor air quality. Strong, hardy,requiringminimal maintenanceand beingextremely tidy,they bringmuch needed tranquility to gardens and public areas while being resilienttodiﬀerent soiltypes andextreme weather conditions.

LaunchedinJanuary,the newcampaign aimstoimprove the image of conifers and stimulatedemandinEurope. Aprimaryfocus is to generatehigh-quality contentfrom inspirational gardens, plant combinations, garden designs, and beautiful lifestyle imageryfor distribution acrossthe supply chain includingfor use as promotional material in garden centres. www.weloveconifers.com

UK push

Thebeneﬁts conifers bring to wildlifeis anew focus forGoldenGrove Nursery in Lincolnshire andaddstoits messaging about beneﬁtstothe environment.

“Wehavebeen promoting conifers for carbon capturefor afew years with some success,but thegeneral public aremore attuned to wildlife so we arenow also showingtheyare goodasanimalhotels

Birdsinparticular love conifers because they provideshelter,and hedgehogs like ground covervarieties because theyare goodfor hiding under,” says ZoeLarge It’s notonly birdsand hedgehogs, but alsoinsects suchasladybirdsand spiders that areparticularly fond of calling conifers theirhome.

pots. It has also created educational pack for centre teams

With every£1000 order, the nursery will include circular andeye-catching Wildlife Hotellabelstodisplay in the pots.Ithas alsocreated an educationalpack garden centreteams with sales tips andvaluable information to passonto customers.

RogerWardand ZoeLarge,promoting conifers forwildlife.

Aselection of aspirational AI generated images will help promoteconifers.

Selling simple solutions

Earthbound Plants is expanding its range of Italian stock andenabling retailers to help ease buying decisions for customers by promoting plantsfor their beneﬁts and solutions.

Already abusy market, RichardBurtsays Earthbound Plants has adopted adiﬀerent approach to help customersﬁnd the right plant for the right place.“The biggestproblem forthe gardening public is thelackof plant knowledge. The conceptofEarthbound is to simplify plant choicefor the averagecustomer Rather than bamboozling themwith science andplant names we aretrying to givethem solutions anda choice,such as plants for adry, sunny border.”

As well apoint of ordering for retailers, Earthbound’swebsiteassists as alearning resource with QR codes on everylabelleading

to further aftercareand cultural information so retailers and customers can be fully informed. However, home customers arenot able to order directly,but theycan ﬁndtheir local garden centrestockist.

“It’simportant the plants arenot just going to live,but theyare going to thrive and give customers the conﬁdencetocome back for something else,”says Richard.

Forgarden centres, Earthbound Plants has small minimum orders to keep stock fresh. It alsopre-treats plants withafertiliser to provide aboost whileinthe planteria.

Launched twoyears ago,Earthbound Plants is acollaboration between Provender Nurseries in Kent, and Innocenti Mangoni Piantein Tuscany.There are12collectionssuch as Pots &Patios, ShadeLovers andSuper Scentsand gardencentres havethe choiceofwhich plants

Winning aubergine

At the recent IPM Essen in Germany, oneofthe industry’s largest trade fairs, the ShowYour ColoursAward for thebest newplant went to an aubergine.

Displayed by Vreugdenhil Young Plants, it is partofthe Pick-&-Joyrangeof22easy to grow fruitand vegetables, most of whichcan be eaten straightoﬀ theplant.Joiningtomatoes, chilies, cucumbers and basil,the dwarfaubergine reaches a height of just 50cm so is perfect forpot growing in small, urban spaces. Additional to careinstructions, therange encourages plant lovers to cook withtheir harvests aseach has itsown recipe idea, including mini pizzas forthe aubergine.

Judgesfor the competition commented onthe appeal of the Pick-&-Joyaubergine to abroad target group and that it makes afresh and alternativegift.

Second and thirdplacewentto Rhododendron Hybrid Grazeasy® and Salix candida ‘Jefberg’respectively

theywant to buy for each collection.

Therange of severalhundred is being added to with climateresistant plantsincluding three Lagerstroemia (red, shell pink and pink) bred to ﬂowermorereliably in the UK,plus Dianella tasmanica ‘Silver Fox’ which join theWater Smartcollection

RichardBurtwith Dianella tasmanica ‘Silver Fox’ at February’sGarden Press Event.

Which futuredo youchoose

In the second of theirmonthly series, John Stanley,Sid Raisch and Dries Jansen ask if 2027 is goingbeTHE year of amazingopportunity.

Doubts about AI’simpact on society arefading as breakthrough after breakthrough becomes reality.What wasoncespeculation is nowademonstrated fact. Technologyexperts agree on the transformation ahead, diﬀeringonly on timing and which company will announce the next major advancement. Even sceptics are becoming activedaily powerusers.

Meanwhile, aparallel revolution is unfolding Generations of children from gen Zhave been educated about sustainability their entirelives. Theyunderstand what previous generations didn’t:plants areessential to our future. Consumers aretransforming lawns intopollinator gardens, creating butterﬂy sanctuaries, buildingrain gardens, and seeking nativeplantsthat supportlocal ecosystems while enjoying the psychological and physical health beneﬁts

The shift is profound. Yesterday’s customer wanted aspeciﬁc perennial for its colour and form while today’s customer want athriving ecosystemthat attracts pollinators, supports wildlife, and contributes to environmental health.

Will we be prepared thistime?

During COVID’speak in 2020 and 2021, horticultureexperienced explosivegrowth, but here’swhat most miss: we couldn’tcapture the full opportunity.Garden centres ranout of inventory.Nurseriescouldn’tship plants quickly enough. Landscape companies couldn’t hire enough crews. Marketing budgets sat unusedbecausebusinesses were already overwhelmed.

Industryveterans estimateactualdemand could havebeen 100% higher if we’d hadthe capacity. We mayhaveservedonlyhalfthe customers who wanted to buyfromus.

Nowconsider what’sahead. Artiﬁcial intelligencewill transformsociety even more profoundly thanthe internet did. Jobs will change. Work schedules willshift.Peoplewill havemoretime at home. When that happens, will theyseek food security through gardens liketheydid during COVID?Willawarenessof plants as medicine accelerate?Willthe desire for functional outdoor spacesshift even more sharply towardcreating sustainable habitats?

DuringCOVID,wewerecaughtoﬀ guard, but we can’tuse that excuse again. We know demand surges arepossible. We understand consumer values areshifting toward sustainability. We haveevidencethatplants provide measurable health beneﬁts. We see AI transformation approaching.

Yetmanyinour industry still think small. They’re playingdefensively,focused on scarcity and fear.Othersrecognised COVID wasn’t an anomalybut apreviewand they’re capturing growth. The companies that prepare ﬁrst will be positioned for the nextsurge.

Here’sthe uncomfortable truth: the opportunity ahead maybelarger than COVID’s surge, butitwon’twait for the unprepared. Markets reward those who anticipateand act

What preparationlookslike

Startconversations nowwithyour supply chain of growers, growing media and hard goods. Discussscenarios: What if demand increases 30%? 50%? 100%? Howquickly

couldyou scale? Whatare your constraints?

Use AI toolstomodel diﬀerentfutures

Analyseyour capacity,staffing needs,inventory turns, and cash flowunder variousdemand scenarios. The technology exists today to run these projections in hours, not months. It can empowerplanning,optimise resources,lower costs, andcaptureprofit

Consider permanent infrastructure investments. If demand reachesa new plateau, temporarysolutions won’tsustain growth. Think about expanded growing space, improved logistics, training programs that createskilledteams quickly, and systems that can scale.Most importantly, shift your mindset from ‘willthis happen’to‘when this happens, will Ibeready?’

The garden industryservesanessential humanneed, ourconnection to living things, to growing our ownfood, creating beauty, improving our healthand environment.These needs aren’tdiminishing,they’re intensifying as society becomes moredigital, more automated, moreartiﬁcial

The next surge is coming.The only question is whether you’ll captureitorwatch others grow whileyou struggletokeep up.The time to prepare is now. AI advancement is happeningsooner thanpredicted andin 12-18 months, it may be toolate. Afuture opportunity like this is aterrible thing to waste.

Gardening iscomfort foodfor theoutdoors

ening is comfort food for the outdoors

Will Armitage, HTAPresident

Atthe time of writing,Ihavespent the dayatthe Garden PressEvent in London. Abrilliant one-dayevent, it attracted morethan380 members of the mediaunder one roof,alongside businesses and brands from oursector,providing the perfect opportunity to showcase someofthe products andplansfor theupcoming season.

Iwas impressed by the newproducts that arecoming to marketand noticed a bitofatheme -something my Business Improvement Schemeclients arealso reporting -strong sales in core gardening, especially the traditional grow your own products

This year’s winnerofBest NewProduct wasaworthy example illustrating the continued innovationinthis area. Fothergill’s Seeds Oh SowSimple Self-Watering Grow Kits,isaproduct where youcan easily grow your ownherbs on awindowsill; amodern twist, which I’msurewill go down well with consumers.

Reﬂection, resilience,requests

But let’sjust takea step back and think about what we’veall had to navigateoverrecent months. Political uncertainty has weighed heavily on consumer conﬁdence. Last year waschaotic, and this year looks set to bring moreofthe same.

It typically takes agrowing season for consumers to findtheir newnormal after political or economic upheaval. Afterayear of ourindustryadapting to an accumulation of rising costs and confidencetaking aknock, Iremainconfident that horticulturewill, in time, reclaimits priority in people’stime and budgets. However, as we enter another year of uncertainty,itmay taketwo seasons beforewesee that newnormal fully return. Alongside this resilienceinconsumer demand, the HTAhas written to the Government ahead of the Spring Forecast to makeclear that oursectornow needs the right conditions to investand grow Environmental horticulturecontributes £38 billion to the UK economyand supports more than 722,000 jobs, yetrising employment costs, increased National InsuranceContributions and energy pressuresare adding significant strain. We haveurged Ministers to pull every available levertoincentivise investment, improveproductivity and ease unnecessary burdens, including aligning timelines for ExtendedProducerResponsibility and SimplerRecycling so our members arenot unfairlypenalised for disposing of fully recyclable plant pots, revising SIC codesso energy-intensiveglasshouse production can access appropriatesupport,and creating a

moreresponsiveand transparent business ratessystem. With the right framework in place, oursector could unlock growth to £51.2 billion by 2030 and continue delivering the environmental, economic and wellbeing beneﬁts the UK increasingly relies on.

It’sworth remembering that in times of uncertainty,people turn to gardening and home produce,not just as an economical waytohelp feed the family,but because it feedsthe soul. It’scomfortfood for the outdoors. We knowhow good it makesus feel, and moreconsumersare discovering that for themselves

Coupled with the awful weather we’ve been having,thereisclear evidenceofpentup demand, so makesureyou areready. As ourYourGardenYear campaign says, the season starts with apot. Perhaps this year we’ll see moreofthose pots turning into patiovegetable plots as grow your owntruly comes intoits own.

Find outmore

TheHorticulturalTrades Association is the UK industry’s leading membership organisation and welcomes all sectorsofenvironmental horticulture.

To learnmore, pleasevisit www.hta.org.uk or to enquire aboutmembershipplease email: membership@hta.org.uk

CongratulationstoFothergill’sSeedsonwinning the New Product Awardatthe GardenPress Event.