GTN January 2026 - Christmas Awards Finalists & Sustainability Directory - Garden Trade News UK

Phew!Whata Christmas!

Judging our GreatestChristmas Awards is always achallenging but uplifting experience, and this year it has been even morechallenging anduplifting due to the amazingly high standards of garden centre Christmas retailing we sawand the wonderful teams of garden centrestaff we met.

As aresult, the judgingprocess hastakentwice as long as in previous yearswith each judge making impassioned plea’sfor theteamstheysaw to be thewinners acrossthe 16 judged categories. As this issue goes to pressthe final decisions and judges’scorings arecoming through ready forthe winnerstobeannounced on Monday 2nd February at 1:00pm in theGlee@Spring Fair area of Spring Fair at the NEC.

Inthisissue we listall the finalists in each categoryand you’llsee that in the Mid-Sized and Large Garden Centre Teams the finalists lists reached record levels,testament to the high quality of Christmas delivered to customers by these teams andjusthow impressed our judges were Of course, the finalsay hastogotoalmost 10,000 garden centre customers and on Monday 2ndinGlee@Spring Fair we will also announce the regional winnersofthe GreatestChristmas Awards customer voting,aswell as the overall Greatest UK Garden CentreChristmas Teams of theyear We do hopeyou canjoinusatGlee@Spring Fair See youthere!

Trevor Pfeiffer

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Gardening forgood

As the new Chief Executiveofthe National Gardens Scheme, Dr RichardClaxton sayshenow hasthe ‘dream job’. He shares his thoughts onfutureplans andthe positive role gardenretail can playinthe health andwellbeing of peopleand theplanet.

OHe was o ering his experience as a GP to some of London’s homeless via the charity’s drop-in centres.

verChristmas, while many of us were tucking into festivefair with friends and family, Richard Claxtonwas donating some of his free timetothe charity Crisis at Christmas. He fferinghis rienc saGP t ch for charity.But as well

With ethics like that, it’s good to know that Richard is now heading up the National Garden Scheme (NGS) which brings gardening to a wide audience through the opening of private gardens. Many retailers will be familiar with the NGS through its ‘Yellow Book’ which lists gardens open throughout the year, all of which help raise just over £3.8 million for charity. But as well as offering the book for sale at the tills, Richard believes there

Social prescribing

is room to build astronger relationship betweenthe NGS andthe gardenretail sector forthe goodofthe nation’s health, especially thosewithanopen garden nearby. ng e, his ing ts ntal charity,withwhich

Richard took on the role in October last year, ending a 25-year career as a GP caring for communities in and around Tonbridge, in Kent. During that time, lifetime love of gardening and a clear medical understanding of its positive effects on physical and mental health led to the creation of a local social prescribing charity, with which Richard is still involved.

are each year with 1.6m booklets listing local

Below: Around 20,000 copies of the Yellow Book are printed each year along with 1.6mbooklets listinglocal openings.

Dr RichardClaxton, CE of the National Gardens Scheme believesgardening is asolution to many health and wellbeing problems faced today.

“I learntatanearly agethat gardening wasrewarding andcreative–itwas asmall miracle everytime Isaw whathappened to aradishorcarrot seedinthe ground. But it wasn’t until Iwas ajunior doctor,that Istartedtorecogniseits value forme,” explainsRichard.“I'm not averysporty personand wasn’t in to going to the gym (nor am Istill)but it wasaway of keeping in shape andde-stressing.”

Above:Aswell as funding health care charities, the NGS is a major financial contributor to the Professional Gardeners Trust. It sponsors apprenticeships at the Garden Museum, The National Botanic Garden of Wales and the English Heritage Historic and Botanic Garden Training Programme as seen hereat Osborne House on the Isle of Wight.

Richardalsobelieves it was(andstill is)a wayofconnecting with his late grandfather, who first ignited hisgardening fire, andall the generationsthathavegone before.

ancestors the way lived their we, as a to be hunter-gatherers, live outdoors, lead active lives and and hunt for our own food.

we've started to buy and sell, and it's on our and order the things a lot of cancers, and cognitive problems, and related problems, all of which be traced

“A lotofwhat Ihavesincelearntabout society's andpeople's collectivehealth problems is down to adisconnectwith our ancestors and theway they livedtheir lives. Evolutionarilyand through natural selection, we,as a species, developed to hunter-gatherers,liveoutdoors, leadacti livesand grow andhuntfor our ownfood. It's only very recently in our historythat we'vestarted to buyand sell,and it's only much more recently we'vestartedtosit indoors on our sofas andorder thething thatweneed, including ultraprocessed food. As GPswehaveseen an avalanche of metabolic and cardiovascular issues, a lotofcancers, mental health andcognitiv problems, plus immunological and allergy relatedproblems, allofwhich can betrace to that shift.

“It'snoaccident thatthe biggest grow drug in theNHS in 2025 wasMounjaro. Actually,it's usuallythe lifestyle that's at fault for theweight gain andifwewere to addressthe lifestyle then we'd seethe other impacts of theobesity crisis being addressed as well.”

compared to justthree forthose who don’t. “And people whoare gardening are burning off 250to500 caloriesanhour as well as helping enhancethe biodiversity of your neighbourhood,soall thesefactors areinterlinkedinterms of working towards ahealthier human being andahealthier society.”

“It's no accident that the growth address the then we'd see the

Richardsaysthatdatashows that those whogrowtheir ownfoodare likely to eat6.7 portions of fruitand vegaday

Witnessing these medialtrendsand evolutioninaction,combined with his personalconnectionsled to Richard recommendinggardeningtohis patients andultimately thecreation of his charity Gardening4Health. From Richard’sdesire to knowmoreabout therapy gardensand mappingtheirwhereabouts, Gardening 4Health resulted in ashort lived, but successfulin-action programmein Tonbridge withits ownallotmentand team helping thosewho had been prescribed gardening as ameans to better all-round health.

Alack of funding meantthis practical element wasunabletocontinue, but thecharity is stillofferinghelpthrough itsweb-based map and directory. “It’sa support network forthoseworking in therapygardens with best practicetips andresourcesand tellspeoplewheretheir nearest oneisand howtheycan volunteer ForGPs’italsohas social prescribing links,” says Richard Thecharity haslinks with Trellis, Thriveand theNational Academyof Social Prescribers, and organises an annual symposium in partnership with, forexample Serge Hill in Hertfordshire, bringing together peopleworking in therapeutichorticulture.Itoffers atoolkit forthose wishing to set up anew therapy garden, combiningthe do’sand don’tswith theprosand cons and different models.

“Itsaves youfeeling like youare the first person to have ever doneit,”says Richard.

Above:With an NGS grant, The Fathom Trust in the Brecon Beacons, created an apothecary garden to expand its social and therapeutic gardening activities

He adds that any garden centre can use the website to find their nearest therapy garden, which will welcomehelp, support and involvement with open arms

Forging stronger links

Along with previously being atrustee for Greenfingers, volunteering at theNational Trust’sSissinghurst Gardens, designing hospiceand mobility-friendly gardens andhelping to generateclear health and wellbeing messagesfor theProjectGiving Back gardens at theRHS Chelsea Flower Show, Richardhas takenonhis newrole with enthusiasm.

became clearer.“Many of charities that benefitare familiar to us GPsbecause they help makeupthe shortfall in what theNHS isn't providing,”says Richard Leaving hisGPpracticewas hard wrench, andRichard is nowgrapplingwithasteep learningcurve of newchallenges suchas financing andbudgets.But something he seesaslow hangingfruit, is thelinkthe NGS should have with gardencentres, andvice versa.

big,actually thecoreoftheir offer is pretty much thesameacrossthe board. If you're visiting an NGS gardenand youwalk away with theinspiration to recreatesomething youhaveseenthere, whereare yougoing to go? You're going to stop off at the nearest gardencentre.

“Thereisridiculousscope for commercial partnerships, even if it’sjust encouraging gardencentrecustomers to sign up forthe NGSnewsletters and socialmedia alerts whichthrough the gardenopening season areasource of up-to-date information,”says Richard. He alsosays it wouldbeterrificallyhelpful if garden centres could flagupintheir own newsletters, theopeningofgardenslocal to them

Increasing footfall

Below: Visitorstoan open garden in Little Missenden Garden, Buckinghamshire.

The post of Chief Executiveofthe NGS,following theretirement of George Plumptre, after 15 years, wasnot at first an obvious opportunityfor Richard. Butafter considering it is about visiting gardens, supporting garden owners, promoting gardening andhealth, andraising millions forhealthcarebeneficiaries, thelink

for healthcare beneficiaries, the link companies, some very small, some very

“Weshould look at thecoremarkets forboth. TheNGS has3500gardens that areopen, all of whose owners and gardeners will be core customers fortheir local gardencentre. But more than that, the600,000 people whovisit arealso interested in gardening.There's aridiculous synergy which we shouldbeworking together to foster andcapitaliseupon because whilst thegardencentreindustryis aheterogeneous one withmixed different companies,someverysmall, some very

Gardenvisitingisstill ahugely popular pastime,but in 2025,the NGS noticeda tiny reduction in thefootfall which needs to be addressed.“What Ihavetodois increase both footfall and the number of gardensthatopen. In particular,what we're interestedinare thesmaller gardens that open as groups in villagesand towns,” says Richard.“People arerightly so proud and want to sharetheirsmall,beautifulgardens whichtheyloveand carefor,but maynot be thepinnacle of horticultural expertise. I want to makethe openings more accessible which will expandthe demographic of our visitors.”

“The newjob formeismassive, Ifeel like thecat that gotthe cream. Notjust being ChiefExecutiveofthischarity,but because of thepies that it enablesmetostick my fingers into; be that talking GPsabout green social prescribing, City University food securityunit, or YeoValley about permaculture andregenerativegardening. Although we recognisethe industryhas a huge role to play, itsmuch broader than justgardenvisitingorgarden centres. We’resoluckythatasanation,87% of us have outdoor green space.Our gardens are afundamental partofthe solution to so many of theproblemsweface.”

Garden centres who want to find out howtheycan forgestronger links withtheir localNGS gardens canemail:anna@ngs.org.uk

Forinformation about stocking the Yellow Book or county booklets email: hello@ngs.org.uk

Garden centresARE the Greatest at Christmas

As this issue goes to press, GTN’s teamofjudges arenearing the end of their deliberations to find winnersofthe judged categories in GTN’sGreatest Christmas Awards, and we arenow able to announce all of thefinalistsand bring youmore photos of thewonderful teamswemet.

GTN’steam of GreatestChristmas Awards judges visited over130 garden centres during November andDecember 2025 seeking out examples of wonderfulteamworkand ChristmasGreatnessacross16categories. With standards so high across the board, allofthe teams listed as finalists can takea pat on theback. Well done!

The winners of each of thecategories willbe announcedonMonday 2nd February at 1:00pm in the Glee@Spring Fair area of Spring Fair at the NEC. We look forward to seeing youthere...

GTN’s Greatest Christmas Awards 2025

Finalists by category –Judges visit awards –A-Z order

The Greatest Small Garden CentreChristmas TeamsSponsored by Woodmansterne

•Cooks

•Munros

•Parkers

•Pengelly

•Poundbury

•Snowdonia

•The Garden Society

The Greatest Mid-Sized Garden CentreChristmas Teams –Sponsored by Kaemingk

•Bosworths

•Brimsmore

•Coolings Lifestyle

•Fakenham

•Glendoick

•Haddenham

•Jacksons Boutique

•Kirktown

•Morris of Usk

•Moss&Moor

•Newquay

•Parkers

•Pughs Wenvoe

•Silverbirch

•Southwood

•Sunshine

•Trioscape

The Greatest Large Garden CentreChristmas Teams –Sponsored by SmartGarden

Products–Three Kings

•Birkacre

•Castle Gardens

•FronGoch

•HenryStreet

•Old Railway Line

•Perrywood Sudbury

•Poplar Nurseries

•Pughs Radyr

•Raemoir

•StPeters

•StewartsChristchurch

•Summerhill

•Wentworth

•Woodbank

The Greatest Giant Garden Centre Christmas TeamsSponsored by Kaemingk

•Bents

•Garsons Esher

•Gates Oakham

•Perrywood Tiptree

•Simpsons

•Webbs

The Greatest Group Small Garden CentreChristmas Team

•AllbrightonBGC

•BurfordHouse BGC

•Caulders Cupar

•Caulders Linlithgow

•CharlecoteBGC

•Daleside Klondyke

•HarrogateBGC

•Squires Reigate

The Greatest Group Large Garden CentreChristmas Team - Sponsored by Festive

•BartonGrange BD

•Gloucester BGC

•Langlands BGC

•Blackdown BD

•BriggBGC

•ByrkleyPark Klondyke

•DerbyBD

•Garden King

•Haskins West End

•MortonHall Klondyke

•Longacres

•Squires Twickenham

•Van Hage BD

The Greatest Winter & Christmas Houseplant Team –SponsoredbyMelcourt

•Gloucester BGC

•Hayes BGC

•Langlands BGC

•Brimsmore

•ByrkleyPark Klondyke

•Daleside Klondyke

•Deans of York

•DerbyBD

•Duchy of Cornwall

•FronGoch

•Garden King

•Gates Oakham

•MortonHall Klondyke

•Knights Betchworth

•Notcutts Solihull

•Poplar Nurseries

•Snowdonia

•Sunshine

•Webbs

The Greatest Outdoor Plant and Christmas Tree TeamSponsored by Doff /Pelsis

•BartonGrange BD

•Bosworths

•Botany Bay

•Byrkley Park Klondyke

•Castle Gardens

•CauldersLinlithgow

•Coolings Rushmorehill

•Deans of York

•FronGoch

•Garden King

•Millbrook Staplehurst

•Munros

•Notcutts Solihull

•Old Railway Line

•Old Well

•Pengelly

•Perrywood Tiptree

•Polmont

•Pughs Wenvoe

•Ruxley

•StPeters

•Sunshine

The Greatest Gardening as a Christmas Gift Sales Team

•Castle Gardens

•Fakenham

•Gates Oakham

•Old Railway Line

•Planters Tamworth

•Wentworth

The Greatest Christmas Gifts Team – Sponsored by Museums and Galleries

•Birkacre

•Duchy of Cornwall

•FronGoch

•Gates Oakham

•Glendoick

•Gordale

•Haddenham

•Holt

•Old Railway Line

•Raemoir

•Notcutts Rivendell

•Squires Twickenham

•Trentham BD

•Wentworth

The Greatest Christmas BBQ &OutdoorLeisure

Team–The SOLEX SizzleSponsored by SOLEX

•Blofield Garden Centre@

Norwich Camping &Leisure

•Cambridge Home &Garden

•Fakenham

•FronGoch

•Gordale

•Knights Betchworth

•Polhill

•Trioscape

The Greatest Christmas Food &Drink Popup- Sponsored by Food @Glee 2026

•Bents

•Birkacre

•Codsall &Wergs

•Gates Oakham

•Gates Stapleton

•HenryStreet

•Ruxley

The Greatest FestiveRetail Food Team – Sponsored by Pleydell Smithyman

•BartonGrange BD

•Bents

•DerbyBD

•Gates Oakham

•Longacres

•Morris of Usk

•Notcutts Solihull

•Poplar Nurseries

•Pughs Radyr

•Raemoir

•Ruxley

•Stewarts

•Wentworth

The Greatest Christmas Wild BirdCare&Pet Team

•BartonGrange BD

•Castle Gardens

•Fairways Ashborne

•Fakenham

•Haddenham

•Howden Klondyke

•Munros

•Notcutts Solihull

•Old Railway Line

•Ruxley

•StPeters

•Webbs

The Greatest Garden Centre

GrottoTeam

•BartonGrange BD

•Baytree

•Hayes BGC

•BurfordHouse BGC

•Chessington

•Coolings Lifestyle

•Dobbies Chesterfield

•Garden King

•Gordale

•Gouldings

•Keydell

•Planters Tamworth

•Rosebank

•Ruxley

•Wentworth

The Greatest Garden Centre

Christmas Promotion

•Allbrighton BGC

•Langlands BGC

•Botany Bay

•Bow Aquatics

•Glendoick

•Gordale

•HenryStreet

•MortonHall Klondyke

•Monkton Elm

•Pughs Radyr

•The Garden Society

•Trioscape

9,512 customer votes –

whoare

top in each region

Thecounting of customervotes forGTN’s

Greatest Christmas Awards hasbeen completed and amassive9,512 voteshave been verified across on-line, in-store and in-post votes.

As aresult, we can nowrevealthe Top

50 most votedfor Christmas Garden Centreteams in regional splits. Theyare, in A-Zorder

EAST

•Blofield Garden Centre @Norwich

Camping &Leisure

•Fakenham Garden Centre

•Perrywood Buckhatch

•Perrywood Sudbury

•Perrywood Tiptree

•Summerhill Garden Centre

MIDLANDS

•Albrighton BGC

•Botany Bay Garden Centre

•ByrkleyPark Klondyke

•Garden King

•NewtonRegis BGC

•Planters Tamworth

•Rowena Leicester

•RugbyBGC

•Trowell Garden Centre

•WolseleyBridge BGC

HOME COUNTIES &SOUTH

•Chessington Garden Centre

•Conkers Garden Centre

•Dobbies Ashford

•Haddenham Garden Centre

•HenryStreetGarden Centre

•Keydell Nurseries

•Longacres Bagshot

•Ransoms Jersey

•Wolvercroft Garden Centre

NORTH

•Arcadia BGC

•Bents

•Birkacre

•HarrogateBGC

•Langlands BGC

•Owl LaneFarm Nurseries

•Woodbank Garden Centre

SCOTLAND &NI

•Glendoick GardenCentre

•Gouldings ValleyView

•Hillmount Bangor

•Hillmount Belfast

•Hillmount Carrickfergus

•KirktownGardenCentre

•Mains of Drum

•Munro’sNurseries

SOUTH WEST

•Bow Gardenand AquaticCentre

•Chacewater Garden Centre

•Monkton Elm

•Newquay GardenCentre

•Old Well GardenCentre

•Trevena CrossNurseries

WALES&WEST

•BrockworthBGC

•FronGoch

•GloucesterBGC

•Old Railway Line

•Snowdonia Nurseries

•Trioscape Garden Centre

Thewinners of theRegional Customer Vote awards,and theoverall winners willbeannounced at GTN’sGreatest Christmas Awards presentationinthe

Glee @Spring Fair section of Spring Fair on Monday 2ndFebruary2026at1:00pm, Hall 6atthe NECBirmingham

Please make adateinyour diary to come and join us at Spring Fair on Monday 2ndFebruaryatlunchtime. It will be atruegathering of all whocreatethe Greatest Christmas retailing experiences in theUK.

Celebrate Christmas Greatness at SpringFair

GTN’sGreatest Christmas Awards 2025 will be announced and presentedat1:00pm on Monday2nd Februaryinthe Glee @Spring Fair area of Spring Fair at theNEC.You are all cordially invited to join us alongwith our generous sponsors to rub shoulders with the purveyors of Christmas Greatness.

The

Greatest Christmas Sponsors

GTN’sGreatestChristmasAwards 2025 areonlypossiblethanks to the sponsorship from

Festive, Glee,Kaemingk, Melcourt, Museums &Galleries, PelsisDoff,PleydellSmithyman, SmartGardenProducts, Solex andWoodmansterne.

Flower power…. it’s back

Adapt or Dieis a newseries by leading industry experts including John Stanley,Sid Raischand Dries Jansen. Published exclusively in theUKby GTN, it addressesfutureopportunities, changesand challengesfacing independentgardencentres aroundthe globe in the next few years.

Beforewestareintoour crystal ball to see what the future holds, we need to takea look back.

The first garden centreinthe world, it is believed, wasdeveloped by Edward Stewart, a nurseryperson in Dorset, Englandin1955. This wasfollowedbySiebenthaler’s GardenCentrein Dayton, Ohio,and Lasscock’s GardenCentre in Adelaide, South Australia.

By the time Scott McKenzie wassinging ‘be suretowear aflowerinyour hair’in1967, garden centres were apartofthe marketplaceinmost developed countries. Horticultural colleges were full of students, and the industrywas booming Garden centres were the places of innovation as nurseryowners developed newways to display and grow plants, and newproduct categories related to gardeningwereintroduced. Their customers, whom we nowcall babyboomers, purchased plants based on flowerand colour

What happened next

Independent garden centres had awonderful decadeofinnovation thatcarried on until around the mid-80s and from thatperiod on, three things happened.

One wasthat hardwareretailers eyed up the garden categoryand decided theycould construct product-led garden centres alongside their hardwarestores. These departments haveproved to be very successful and continue to takemarket shareunder the format of ‘boxstores’ Secondly,mostindependent garden centreshave failed to evolve. Theyoften look the same as they did adecade ago -inmanycountries,the only visual differenceisthe addition of branding for plants. Now, the consolidation intosmall chains and emerging privateequity-controlled groups willchangethe cost structures but notthe consumer experience.

Thirdly,babyboomers havebeen replaced by gen Yand gen Z, who arelooking for sustainability and plants that attract pollinators, birds, and butterflies, and often producefood.

As aresult, many independentgarden centres have disappeared from the retail scene.

Changing the model

In the same period, retailers in other sectorschanged their models to reflect the changes to the market

As ageneral rule in retailing,you shouldmakeminor changes to your retail model everytwo to three years andamajor overhaul everyfive to sevenyears. This is whyMarks &Spencer food stores in the UK

look completely different to adecade ago,asdoes McDonald’sand other leading retailers.

Many retailers have become experiential,such as RH gallery stores in the USA and Canada. This luxuryhome furnishings storewas formerly known as Restoration Hardware. These stores are large, gallery-likeshowrooms that often featurea restaurant, wine bars, and interior design studio Another experiential storethat comes to mind is Seed to Table.This grocerystore is part of the OakesFarms familyofcompanies, owned by Alfie Oakes. Oakes Farms, which has3,500 acres of farmlandinImmokalee, Florida,grows avariety of fruits and vegetables distributed to their retail stores. This is aunique grocerystore as you’ve neverseen before, featuring severalrestaurants, bars, and live entertainment sevennightsa week. Every other categoryofretail haschanged, becomingmoreexperiential. And nearly allother retail segments arenow completely omnichannel Companies like Walmartand Amazon areleading the wayintobecoming media companies. Changing the model means your customers will notget bored with your store. It enables youto keep up with trends in themarketplace,evolveas customer preferences evolveand is often driven by data insights intothe industry and your business.

Thequestion for garden centres

It is not why we shouldchange or what we should change, it is that as an industry we need to change, as soon as possible, or independentgarden centres will die.

This series of articles willlook at the future evolution of the independent garden centre.Itwill look at why we need to changenow,and more importantly, what we need to changeand why.We also plan to develop the series intoaworkshop

JohnStanley:

John has been aconsultant to the industrysinceits origins 50 years ago.Heisanauthor of numerous books on gardenretailing and operates in 35 countries.John is based in Western Australia,where, along with his wife,Linda, they operateanaward-winning sweet chestnut agritourism farm. john@johnstanmley.com.au

SidRaisch:

Sid has worked with garden centres acrossthe USA for many years and is based in California.Sid and John have joined many times to present workshops across the USA. Sid hasthe capability of challenging your thinking andwill bring that insight to thearticles. sid@advantagedevelopment.ai

Dries Jansen:

Dries, along with his business partner Fred, arethe owners of Garden Center Advice,an internationaladvisorycompany to garden centres based in the Netherlands. Theyhave advised on garden centres from IcelandtoDubai info@gardencenteradvice.com

Festive exclusives at SpringFair

Not just forgifts and homewares, Spring Fair hasa refreshing selection of ranges, someofwhich areexclusivetothe show, to add atouch of difference to Christmas.

Among the gifts, clothing and toys at Spring Fair from 1-4Februaryat

NECBirmingham, visitors can find an ever-increasing range for Christmas

TheChristmas, Festive&Floral sector has been strategically repositioned intoHall 6tocreateastrongeralignment withHome, Living &Décor,The Summer House Edit, and the returning Glee at Spring Fair sector

Glee at Spring Fair brings edited selections of garden and outdoorbrands backtothe showfor thefirsttimeinsix years. Helping to createamorecohesive buyingjourney, the changeallows visitors to exploreChristmas décor,floristry, home accessories and garden gifting within one connected destination.

In abid to meet the challengeoffinding theunusualtoadd apointofdifference to Christmas displays,Spring Fair is also highlighting exhibitorswhichcan only be seen at this show.

Canadian spirit

Basic Spirit.Stand: 5G63

All theway from Nova Scotiacomes a handcrafted pewter range of hanging decorations. ForChristmas 2026,the Santa Canoe ornament captures the spirit of adventureand generosity.Double-sided, ithangs from an elegant redsatin ribbon andcan be admired from everyangle. Also addinga touchofdifference, is itsgraceful hummingbird ornaments. Charitieshelping to preserve wild spaces benefit from 10% of the profits.

EXCLUSIVE to Spring Fair

Festivegreetings

Woodmansterne. Stand:3M10-N11

For2026, Woodmansterne is bringing arange of advent calendarsfromthose formuch-loveddogsand cats through to beautifullyillustrated traditional designs Designedtobehung,its 3D advent calendarscan also add depth to aroom by sitting independentlyontablesor sideboards.

Its card rangesare boosted with fresh designs, andits charitycardpackallows customerstosupportgoodcauseswhile sending festivewishes. Forthose wanting atouchofdecadence, theluxuryboxed Christmas cards feature beautifully finisheddesigns presented in elegantbox formats

Packagingwillalso be on showwith the Graffiti Christmas giftpackaging range adding afresh,contemporaryfeelto festivegifting,featuring roll wrap,giftbags, tissue paper and gift tags.

Hand painted designs

By Jo Crafts. Stand:4C44

EXCLUSIVE to Spring Fair

Colour andvibrancy areat

theheartofdesigns By Jo Crafts,bringing artwork intothe home. All designsare hand painted by Jo and then printed onto the ceramics with an unusual, embossed textureand gold embellishment. Hanging ornaments forChristmas measure7cm diameter andfeature adifferent design on each side, finished with agold string

Eleganceand style

March Muses. Stand: 8A33

Featuring black angels andblack Santa baubles, which areIndividually handmade withclose attention to skin tone, hair design, bodyshapeand size,comes a range from March Muses. Decorations of colour embody diversity,elegance and ensureeveryone feels included in theChristmas magic.

Forever floral

EXCLUSIVE to SpringFair

felt

Black YakLtd.Stand: 3C31

The trend for decorations made from felt continues and Black Yak’sHatty Penguin and Highland Cowbring fresh designsto the range. Hand made from pure wool, BlackYak ranges of jumpers,socks and gloves, supportfamilies in disadvantaged countries and apercentage ofall sales additionally going to producersinNepal.

Winter wonderlands

Fay’sStudio.Stand: 3P43

As an alternativetoChristmas, Fay’s Studiobrings arange of wildlifeand natureinspired winter artcards and prints.Madefromrecycledand compostablepaperand hand-finished with biodegradable glitter

Wordsfromawisefox

Joe Davies. Stand:4C10-D11

Scottish Everlastings Ltd(SEL) Stand:D64

Forthe first time, Scottish Everlasting will be exhibiting at Spring Fair with a thoughtfully created autumn, winter and Christmas offer Inspired by the changing landscape and rooted in an appreciation for seasonal living, the latest collections of artificial floral and home accessories sit comfortably within everyday interiors and festive settings

Sustainable wrapping

ABlackbirdSangStand:4E74

Aperfect alternativetoplastic tape, A BlackbirdSang nowhas arange of eight Kraftpaper tapes. This includestwo new designs forChristmas.

African artisan

Ankole. Stand:8A49

Hand-cut from Ankolecow horn, these hanging symbols of Christmas, intricately shaped andadorned with atouch of gold thread, bring an individual and o-friendlycharm holidaydecor Made by families Uganda out of horn that would otherwise be burnt, each ornament atestament to sustainability, craftsmanship,and the spiritofthe season.

Having itslaunch at Spring Fair is a licensedgift collection inspiredbythe creativetalents of Stacey McNeill.Fox Under the Moon, brings Stacey’siconic characters and uplifting messagesinto giftable productranges. Spanning multiple categories the jewellery, stationery, ceramics andjigsawsaim to be giftableand collectible

Award-winning performancefor thegreat indoors

IntroducingSylvaGrow® Houseplant 5L

Endorsedbythe RHSand winnerinthe New ProductCategoryatGLEE2025, this premium peat-freecompost hasbeenspecifically developed to give indoor plants thenutrients ey need forhealthy growth in the first4–6 weeksbeforeroutine feeding.

Also available

Desert Plant5L

Acoarse, free-drainingmix ideal forcacti andsucculentsthat prefer drierconditions.

Orchid 5L

Agradedpinebarkmix offeringexcellent aeration, drainage andlong-termstructural stability forPhalaenopsis, Dendrobium, Cattleya andmore.

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

Sustainability Directory 2026

With a special focus on sales at Christmas, the GTN 2026 Sustainability Directory is the place to find suppliers working hard to improve their environmental credentials.

Sustainability is at theheart of allthe decisionswemakeatWoodmansterne.

Asa family business, we understand theimportance of protecting our environmentfor future generationstoenjoy

We continually inspirenew ways to improveour sustainability effortsby workingwithleading suppliers, whilst researchingand investinginnew skills andtechnologies. We’recommittedtoimproving processessustainably,while preserving thequality ourretailers love

• 100% plastic-free andrecyclablecards andgiftpackaging

• Greetingcards designed andprinted by us in theUK

• Vegetableinksusedonpaper from only FSC® certified sustainableforests

• Envelopesmadefrom100%post-consumer wasterecycledpaper

• Distributedbyusfromone of thegreenestwarehousesinthe UK

SELECT

CATEGORYMANAGEMENT

Aseamlessend-to-endmanaged servicefor your greetingcardand gift packagingdisplays, alreadyenjoyed by many of theverybest retailersacrossthe country.

From planning to presentation,you canexpect:

• Tailored planning andbespoke assortmentscreated foryourstore

• Access to multiple publishers.Woodmansternerangesplustrusted partners

• Expert merchandisingwithprofessionally designed andregularly updateddisplays

• Cost &environmental benefits realised by efficientstock management andreplenishment

Contactusto find outhow we can helpyourbusiness flourish 01923 200600 sales@woodmansterne.co.uk

Settingsustainability standards

At the 2025 GIMAAwards,companies andtheir products were championed fortheir commitment to sustainability.

GTNbrings them all together to help youmakeeasier buying choices.

Getintocomposting

Retailing at around £69.00, the Elho Green Basics Composter with acapacity of 200L, is aimed at getting morepeople intohome composting. With its roundedshape, soft green colour and easy to open lid and hatch, it looks perfectlyathome neara house, on the patio or agarden in any rural or urban setting

Adhering to Elho’sexactingsustainability credentials, thecomposter is made from 100% recycled materials and is 100% recyclable at the end of its life. Elho has an arrangement with Dobbies stores to host bins for collectingcustomer plastic potsand trays and has BCorp status,with products made in the Netherlands using wind and solar energy.Not onlydoes the composter havegreat sustainable credentials, it helps the environment further by encouraging the recycling of brownand green wasteturning it into something useful forplantsand thegarden, and reducing the wastesent to municipal recycling depots.

Long lasting andstrong

Growing media boo

media booster rootgrow™ and beneficial Bioactive

PlantWorks

Ltd is easy to add to any peatgrowing media to plants with stronger roots, vibrant growth, and more flowers and fruit.

Enriched with rootgrow mycorrhizal fungi and bacteria, Empathy Bioactiv CompostImprover by Ltdiseasy to addtoa free growingmedia to encourage plantswith strongerr growth,and more flowe Aperfect linkedsale, it threeyears of trialsdata growing media. Conta tested green waste, plant-derived amino acids, andbeneficial microbes it is sold in recyclable,weatherresistant packaging.Bysupporting microbial life,the product enhances long-term soil health andstructurekeytoregenerative andsustainable growing practices. It alsoreduces relianceonsynthetic inputs, aligning with eco-concious gardeningand can be mixeddirectly into bags of growing media or incorporated directly on to raisedbeds

A perfect linked sale, it is backed by three years of trials data in peat-free media. Containing PAS100tested green waste, plant-derived

Stronger,tougher andmoredurable than high-carbon steel, Burgon& Ball’s BoronGreen RHS-endorsed gardening ha25-year guarantee. nthe automotive gricultural sectors, the used in BoronGreen arange with above and beyond e-for-like carbon teel madefrom 80% recycled materials, is th wood handles ably managed FSC®urces. Packaging is cardused is recycled.

Bor RHS-endorsed tools each come with a 25-year Long used in the automotive and agricultural sectors, the boron steel tools delivers a range with performance beyond that of a like-for-like carbon steel tools. Steel made from is partnered with from sustainably FSC®certified resources. is minimal and card used

From bottles to

es to cushions ffabricused forthe Cushions is made from recycled waterbottles with the label of each clearly specifying thenumber of 500ml plasticbottles used for each one

The waterproof fabric used for the Woodlodge Eco water bottles

Growing for nature

ing or ture

Lawn Seeds Lawn and supports UK native perennial wildflower

grasses attract and sustain pollinators like bumblebees. Resulting are low maintenance, shade tolerant

Johnsons Lawn SeedNature’sLawn enhances lawn ecology and supports biodiversity by combining UKnative perennialwildflower seeds with lawn grasses to attractand sustainpollinators ke butterflies and bumblebees.Resulting lawns arelow maintenance, drought and shadetolerant andrequireno feeding or herbicides. Slowgrowing grassesreducethe need for mowing andonceestablished, lawns providea rich habitatfor pollinators, attracting them for up to sixmonthseach year.Johnsons produces its ownnative wildflowerseed without pesticides using GPS-guided sowing and hoeing to virtually eliminateherbicides.

Shed solution

More than justa storagesolution,the KeterPotting Shed can also be adedicated workspaceand vibrant creativehub for any hobby. Its hybrid roof design features atranslucentsectionto bringinnatural sunlight, and an opaque sectiontoprotect plants andtoolsfromunpredictable weather. Fiveuser-friendlywindows open for ventilation while twofixedcorner windows, helpmakefor abright and airy environment. All componentsare resinand 100% recyclable.

Making abee line towards sustainability

Primeur’s Mighty Mats EcoDoormat Collection is astylish, sustainable range designed to deliver high performance

andlong-lasting value.Offeringsuperior durability (leadingtofewer replacements) forhigh-trafficareas, each mat hasbeen made from recycled materials, offering asolution forconsumers whowant to maintain afunctionalhomewhile supportingsustainability.Designs include barrier matting, rubber scrapers and colourful machinewashable mats and runnerstogiveconsumers theperfect blendofsustainability,practicality,and style –all at acompetitive pricepoint,

Beingwater wise

SealStopbySealStop is an automatic watershut-off devicetoprevent overflow andsubsequent waterwaste when filling up buckets, containers,ortroughs.The entire concept is built aroundonly using thewater youneed, reducing waste, and promotingresponsible wateruse.SealStop is manufactured entirely in theUK, supportinglocal businessesand reducing thecarbonfootprint associatedwith overseas production andtransport. Every aspect of thebusinesshas been carefully considered to minimise environmental impact, from the recyclablevalve to thefully recyclable packaging andlocalproduction.

aspect of the business has

Garden beauties

Year-roundinterestinthe garden comes from LVBespokewith its Glass&Steel GardenFeatureStakes Collection.Made in theUK, they offer retailers another sales opportunity be organisingphotographic competitionsofpictures taken through glassorb.MadefromUKsteel components andhandfinished in Norfolk reduces air miles

Libertybrings colour andstyle

Premium andlightweight, the Liberty pots from WoodlodgeProducts haveahigh-end glazed ceramic effect and areperfect for indoor andoutdoor use. Made from 100% recycled materials and fully recyclableafter use,potsare alsotransported in ecoconscious PET wrap packaging.Availablein 10 stylish coloursand three versatilesizes, they offer customers choice, aesthetic appeal andaffordability

Towardsa sustainable Christmas

BeforeChristmashas been packed away,the Harrogate Christmas &GiftFair luresbuyersinto avision of Christmas future. While exploring theevent, GTNfound some great productstoboostsustainabilitywithin adepartment whereglitter andsparkles will always dominate.

Itcould be that garden retailersare milesahead in theirthinking,but from what we hear themajorityof garden centrecustomers haven’tfully embraced sustainabilitywhen it comes to Christmas. Glitter,sparkle and pricecontinue to be the strongest drivers, but that isn’t stopping suppliers from coming up with interesting and ingenious newsustainableproducts andoptions.

At January’sHarrogateChristmas &Gift Fair some suppliers, likeThe Handmade Christmas Company arehoping to break

into thegardening retailmarket with bespokeproducts, containing arange of tailored gifts, highly attractive to the garden centresdemographic

Louis Porter is thecompany’s CoFounder and says it currentlyoffers 23 crackerdesigns with nine contentoptions from retrosweets to candles, teaand coffee,seed balls,cocktailsand games

“Theyall have differentprice pointsso theretailer can buildtheirown ranges by choosing their designsand contents,and there is about a50% margin,” says Louis.

Additionally,crackers can be branded and have owncompany products inside to makethemevenmorebespoke. And on topofthisall thecrackers arehandmade in London so reducing transport miles and arefreeofplastics.

“We’re really proud of the rangeand the fact they offer anew take on traditional Christmas crackers,”says Louis.“As well as makingcrackers forfamilies, we makethem forChristmasparties,dinners and any kind of customerincentive.” RRP’sstartaround £35withthe majority in the £40-45 bracket.

Forthree decades, Ascalonhas beensupplying arange of micedecorations,introducing new characters each year allowingretailers andtheir customerstogrowtheir collections

Made from recycled wool feltwith FSCcertified wood,the range has agood sustainable story. “We do tend to tell everyone aboutthe sustainabilityso garden centres can see that it’samorepremium product and lettheircustomersknow,”saysthe company’s ChloeApperley.

Forhanging decorations, Chloesaysthe mouse on the branch has been afavourite at this year’s show, while forthe freestanding option, itisthe mouse on skis.The nativity themedmiceare also in thetop of the list.With so manycharacters, Ascalon says some garden centres arenow able to createdisplayswitha festive, winter story.

Mother of Pearl Handmade, based in Manchester,has taken the Christmas market by storm with its sumptuous handmadevelvet chains. Thefounder’s Emma Howard,saystheyare everlasting takeonpaper chains, in avarietyofcolours, so can be usedfor any occasion. “It’sacompletely newcategory,”she says. “I wasmaking them myself directly forthe customer but quickly had to look at manufacturing in Manchester as Iwas selling thousands.”Tokeep pacewith the demand from the retail market, Emma has nowhad to outsource some manufacture overseas. Howevera newidea is currently beingworkedon, and this willbeUKmade.The idea is to creatediy pack with precutribbonand everythingneeded forcustomerstoput the chains (and bows) together themselves. Aperfect workshop idea forgarden centres to offeralongside wreathmaking perhaps?

When summer hanging basketshavebeentaken down,origami stars from ThreeKings, withinternal fireflylightscan take theirplace. Battery operated, theyare agreat waytoadd warm light to outdoor undercoverspaces –and the cardboardstarsincardboardpackaging also keep levels of plastic packaging low. In the last 18 months, Smartand ThreeKings have beenworking hardtopushfor cardboard packaging saving around 46 tonnes of single use plastics. Newfor 2026,the companyisalso offering arange of litdecorativehouses and lamp posts made from FSCcertified wood

Kaemingk is continuing to roll out its plasticfreepackaging andrangesof shatterproofand therefore, longer lasting baubles. By movingtocardboard, it hassaved tons of plasticfrom entering theindustry, efforts that were recognised by aSilverPentaward for thedesign of itspackaging forDecoris shatterproofbaubles.

SanderTeunissen,Senior Account Manager, UK,says cardboard is now usedfor themajorityofrangesincluding glassbaublestoo.“Theresponsefrom our customers hasbeen amazing becausethe product alsohas amore

sophisticated look and feel on the shop floor.”

As well as lookingatpackaging forits decorations, Kaemingk has been working to increase thelongevity and credentials forotherranges. It’sGreenwood Pine artificialtreeinthe Everlands range, now comeswitha12-year guarantee ensuring quality formany Christmases to come. On topofthat, it is made from 100% recycled PVCand recycledPE. “Demand is nowpickingupand prices aremore appealingwhich makes it easier forus to makethe product more commercial,” says Sander.

Sustainability Directory2026

SUSTAINABILITY DIRECTORYFOR 2026

GTN’s 2026 Sustainability Directory provides an easy way to find suppliers committed to improving theirgreen credentials in the workplaceand producing eco-sensitiveproducts.

AutoPotWatering Systems AutoPotWateringSystems allow growers of all abilities to grow any plant,anywhere, power-free, withzerowaste, and no mains waterrequired. Theseeconomical, sustainable, environmentally-friendly innovationsare RHS endorsed and produced in the U.K. from 100%recycled plastics. www.autopot.co.uk

Bulldog Tools All Bulldog toolsare designed and built to last.This is fundamentaltoBulldog Tool’s sustainability strategy,ensuringits tools last for years so theydon’t need to be replaced very often (if at all). www.bulldogtools.co.uk

Khloris Watering Systems

Khloris is the firstautomatic, power-free,fully-responsiveplantwateringsystem to be designed forliving rooms,balconies, and conservatories. Available in three colours, it combinesatasteful,sculpted, interior-friendly aesthetic with highly effective, easy-to-useirrigation technology.

This RHS Endorsedirrigation solution requires no electricityormains waterand createszerowaste Becausethe system is controlled entirely by uptake, every drop of waterand fertiliser goestothe plantsmaking it atruly economical and ecologically sustainable innovation.

Khloris by AutoPotWatering Systems

RRP: £89.95 www.autopot.co.ukmail@autopot.co.uk

MadeinHolland. Beige colour

DurstonGardenProducts, afamily-runSomerset business with 35+ years’experience, offersinnovative, exclusive peat-free growing media, outperforming competitorsintrials while meeting UK garden retailers’ diverse demands. www.durstongardenproducts.co.uk

Elho We areaDutch familybusinesswith more than 200 passionategreen fanswho produce sustainable design flowerpots and everythingthat goes withthem. Everythingtomakesurethat people surroundthemselves withasmuchgreeneryaspossible. Andwe’ve been doingsosince 1964 www.elho.com.eu

EvergreenGardenCare prioritises environmentalprotection by its transitionofMiracle-Groand Levingtonrangestobe100% peat-free. They haveinvested over £7 million,providing sustainable alternatives that preserve peatlands. www.lovethegarden.com

Thebeige colourisnew in theMadeinHolland collection.Addinganaturalcolour to the assortment.Abasiccolour that fits into any environment but stillgives your home or garden afresh look

Thepots aremadeinHollandand come with a lifetimewarranty. Availableindifferent textures, modelsand sizes.

From £47,99

Capi Europe BV (Via Treadstone) www.capi-europe.com Tel: +44(0)1978 664667

Email: sales@treadstoneproducts.com

Durstons Advanced

Durstons Advanced is ahigh-performance, future-ready peat-free compost range independently proven to deliver vigorous growth and abundantblooms.Itincludes Multi-Purpose Compost,Organic Peat-Free Multipurpose,Grow-in-the-Bag and other speciality mixes,all enrichedwith Gro Boostand GroFibrefor superior water retention and nutrients. Ideal formodern gardenersseeking sustainable,top-performing growing media.

DustonGarden Products

RRP: POA www.durstongardenproducts.co.uk

Miracle-Gro® Compost –All Purpose

Our premium, nutrient-rich compost is provento grow healthier plants -atleast twiceasbig as those growninordinary compost.Miracle-Gro® compost enablesstrong root developmentwithimproved waterand nutrient absorption, resulting in bigger plants,moreflowers and fruitsand greener, healthier leaves –guaranteed,givinggardeners confidencetogrowall aroundthe garden

Evergreen Garden Care

RRP £7.99(40L) www.lovethegarden.com evergreen@vccproar.com

EP Barrus Town &Country from Barrusisrecognised as one of the UK’s leadinggardening brands and offers oneofthe most comprehensivecollections of gardeninggloves, footwear and accessories. www.townandco.com

Firestorm Heaters Firestorm Heaters utiliseBritish wood pellets sourced from Scottish trees. All the trees arereforested and ‘GrowninBritain’ certified. It uses 100% recyclable packaging to shipits products. www.firestormheaters.co.uk

Formbar Ltd Reduce, reuse and recycle areatFormbar’s core Supplying qualityproducts that havelongevity,supporting through maintenanceand usingrecycled material.From firststep to checkout, Formbar supplies sustainable equipment. www.formbar.co.uk

Goodlifegateway LiquidOrganic Plant food,madesustainably from plants forplants,with100% recyclable packaging andzero wasteinproduction, storingand shipping.The BEST Organic Plant Food on themarket www.goodlifegateway.com

Hortiwool Hortiwool is afamily businesswhichhas worked with natural materials for almost twodecades.Hands down, our absolutefavouriteiswool. Our dream is that everyone comes to love wool as much as we do,along withbenefittingfromits awesome properties as youcultivateand create in an aroundyour home andgarden www.hotiwool.com

Johnsons Lawn Seed Established in 1820 JohnsonsLawnSeed is the oldest lawn seedbrand in the UK with along and prestigious record of product innovation and grassbreeding. www.johnsonslawnseed.com

Keter Keterhas designedall itsproductstobe100%recyclable and is on an ambitious trajectorytoincrease theuse of recycled contentinits productsfrom40% in 2020 to 55% in 2025.Because theearth is our home and our workplace-welikeitand the people wholivehere. www.keter.com

LAVA-LITE® provides retailerswith sustainably focused horticultureand pest controlproducts, combining responsible sourcing, reduced environmental impact and reliableperformance to meetgrowingconsumer demand for greener,compliant retail solutions. www.lava-lite.co.uk

Melcourt Melcourthas alwaystaken the protectionofour planet seriously.Infact, it has been carefullyblendingscienceand nature for over 40 years. www.melcourt.co.uk

Pelsis Doff Pelsis is committed to delivering sustainable and innovativesolutions, providingpeaceofmind, protecting public health,and working in harmony with nature.Withenvironmentally conscious pest managementand garden carebrands,including Green Protectand Green Fingers. www.doff.co.uk

PrimeurLtd Pioneers of recycledrubber,Primeur hashelped to divertmillionsoftyres from reaching landfill, witheachone reimagined to becomepartofamulti-award-winning garden product range. www.primeur.co.uk

RocketGro With unmatchedeco-story,includingthe completion of abrand-new CO2capture plant RocketGro, aBritishorganic peat-freebrand,isontrack to becomethe UK’s firstclimate positivegrowingmedia supplier. www.rocketgro.co.uk

elho,the market leader in sustainable plantpots, has expanded itsindoor range with three newcollections.Facet is a design-led round pot, available in multiple sizes and sophisticated colourways. The gradientcollection features soft,earthy toneswith aceramic-look finish. Vibes returns with itssignatureribbed texture, refreshed in contemporary colours-linen white, fern green and anthraciteto meetevolving consumer tastes elho

RRP: Facetfrom£6.29, Gradient £12.49,Vibesfrom£6.49 Website: www.elho.com/enEmailaddress:david.nicholson@elho.nl

AceLawn

AceLawnfromJohnsons Lawn Seed is alowmaintenancelawnmix designed to work with nature. Combining perennial ryegrass, redfescue and Microclover®, it requires no fertiliser,needs less mowing and staysgreen naturally.Droughttolerantand hard-wearing, AceLawnalso supports biodiversitybyproviding valuable forage forpollinatorswhen allowedtoflower.

Johnsons Lawn Seed

RRP: £10.99 (to cover20sqm) www.johnsonslawnseed.com elho

LAVA-LITE NO-GNATS

LAVA-LITE NO GNATS is asustainable natural mineral soil topper that prevents fungus gnats and promoteshealthyplantgrowth. Available in 1litre and 3litre pouches, it is reusable,mess free,and shelf ready.Perfect forhouseplants and greenhouses,itoffersretailers high margin potential, encouragesrepeatpurchases,and appeals to ecoconscious customersseeking effectiveplantcaresolutions

RRP 1Litre£9.99

RRP 3Litre£15.49 www.lava-lite.co.uk enquiries@lava-lite.co.uk

Peat-FreeMulti-Purpose Compost(50L)

RocketGro’sPeat-Free Multi-Purpose Composst is abio-active, nutrient-rich blend designed foor versatile garden use, and providesatleast 12 weeksoffeed thankstothe inclusion of Orgaanic Fertiliser Superfood.Suitable forpots, beds, borders,containers,and planting out fruit treees, it enhances plant health and yields.This compost is peat-free,chemical-free, andanimal productfree,offering asustainable choicefor gardenners.

RocketGro

RRP –from£6.00 hello@rocketgro.co.uk www.rocketgro.co.uk

Sipcam Trusted by gardeners, lovedbyplants,and backedby science, ecofective® doesn’tdopoisons orpointless plastic.Every product is packed with care, poweredbynature, and provento makeyour garden bloom. www.sipcamuk.co.uk

Treadstone The awardwinning ClipGlove range nowfeatures up to 40% recycled content per pair. Foran even stronger eco message, why not tryour BottleGlove range, with linersmade from 95% recycled plastic bottles. www.treadstoneproducts.com

UK Greetings Our worldmeans the world to us, we are committed to sustainability from the productswecreateand supply to the serviceweprovide. www.ukgreetings.co.uk

Vitavia Sustainablealuminumgreenhouses fromVitaviaare durable, corrosion resistant and recyclable. This givesthe greenhouse longevity,reducing the need forfrequentreplacement and the recyclability lessens the environmentalimpactby promoting acircular economy. www.vitavia.co.uk

Vitax Vitax offers acomprehensiverange of organic and sustainable products from fertilisers suchas 6X,topestcontrol with Slug Gone.Recent additions include anew organic house plant feed. www.gardenworld.co.uk/trade

RocketGroComposts

Webb GardenPower Bringing to the market theWebbEcoFriendly CordlessGarden Tools,designed for optimalperformance with asuper-fast battery recharge.The 20V Webb Ecocordless rangeprovidesaneco-friendly and cost-efficient alternative to traditional petrol options. Quiet to useand cordlessindesign,the newrange offerscompletefreedomwith no powercablestoget in theway or hold youup. Nowavailable to order from Britishgarden equipmentmanufacturerWebb. www.webbgardenpower.co.uk

Woodmansterne As athird-generation familybusiness, Woodmansterneunderstands the importanceofprotecting our environmentand safeguarding it for thefuture. It is committed to using sustainable materials and practiceswherever possible. www.woodmansterne.com

Zest Committed to theenvironmentand ethical sourcing, together with supply partners,Zest is collaboratingona10,000acrereplantingscheme in Eastern Europe. All productsare madefromslow-grownsoftwood from PEFCcertified forests. www.zestoutdoorliving.co.uk/our-story/sustainabilityenvironment/

The RocketGro storyisthe biggesteco storyatscale tocome out of the UK compost producing industry since modernproduction of compost began.

•Peat-Free &Coir-Free

•Soil Association Approved Organic

•100% Sustainable

•100% British

•Endorsed by River Cottage

•Powered by Digestatefibre and an added Organic FertiliserSuperfood for afull 3-month+ feed

Leadingthe way

www.gardentradenews.co.uk

ecofective® Nourish &Bloom

Nourish &Bloom is fast,simple,and effectivewithpureplant powerinevery drop This fast-acting liquid formula is perfect forbusygardenerswho want visible results without fuss. Healthy plants startwithhealthy soil, buteventhe best soil needs support. SoilActivator is the magic blendinNourish &Bloom Granular PlantFood containing sevenstrains of beneficial bacteria thatcreatericher soil, stronger plants,and moreblooms

Nourish &Bloom AllPurpose Granular PlantFood –1.2 Ltr(RRP £8.99)

Nourish& Bloom All Purpose Liquid Plant Foor Concentrate– 350g (RRP £6.99) & 800g (RRP £9.99) www.ecofective.uk.comenquiries@sipcamhg.co.uk

ClipGlove -Now with Recycled Content!

AlwaysStylish, AlwaysPractical, Always Dependable. Theaward winning ClipGlove range nowfeaturesupto40% recycled contentper pair,and with 4Gardeners’ World Best Buys in ourrange youcan be confidentour glovesare theverybest foryour customers. Foraneven stronger ecomessage,why nottry our Bottle Gloverange,withlinersmade from 95%recycled plastic bottles.

ClipGlove -Alwaysapair,never apart!

Treadstone Products www.treadstoneproducts.com sales@treadstoneproducts.com

Get readytojoin other retailers across the UK forGarden Re-Leaf Day,atime for fun and fundraisingfor Greenfingers.

Feel-good fundraiser

Garden Re-Leaf Day2026: the industry’s feel-good fundraiser returnson Friday 20thMarch

Garden Re-Leaf Dayisnow an integral dateinthe garden retail calendar –when the seasontruly beginsand the industrycomes together fora shared purpose. To date, theevent hasraised morethan £1 million forthe Greenfingers Charity,and in justa fewmonths-Friday 20th March 2026 -supporters from across the UK will again unitefor days of activity, colour and community,and raise vital funds. Through sponsoredwalks,cakesales, quizzesand raffles, Garden Re-Leaf Day brings together suppliers, garden centres, teams and individuals, allpassionate about makinga difference.

Best footforward

Back by popular demand, themuchlovedsponsored walksinvitehundreds of fundraisers to takeonthe challenge across twoinspiring routes. Thelong-established SouthWalk, startsand finishes at Tring Garden CentreinHertfordshire, while the NorthWalkhas its beginning andending at ThePickled Pheasantinthe Holme Valley Both routes takeinspectacular countryside and, in thenorth, thebeautiful landscape surrounding the Peak District National Park.

Storeorindividualsupport

Garden centres playa starringrole, with Blue Diamondand British Garden Centres pledgingtheir supportthrough arange of activities to keep customers engaged overthe Garden Re-Leaf weekend. From

plant sales andquizzes to currynights and creativefundraising events, it looks like manymoregarden centreswill join in this year as plans continue to takeshape. ButGarden Re-Leaf Day isn’tjustfor thosehostingin-storeevents. Whether you’re celebratingonyour own, with colleagues or as part of awider team, thereare endlessways to get involved. Pull on your boldestfloral shirtfor afabulous day of flowers in the office,host abake sale, organiseacar wash,danceparty or face-painting session,ororganise your ownchallenge. Whatever youchoose, the message is simple: havefun,get involved and fundraise your way.

Themoney raised during Garden ReLeaf Dayhas helped createmorethan 70 therapeutic gardens in children’shospices acrossthe UK. In 2025 alone, fivenew gardens opened their gates, afitting wayto mark thecharity’s 25th anniversaryand a powerful reminder of what theindustry can achieve together

To joininand pledge supportfor Garden Re-LeafDay 2026 visit: www.greenfingerscharity.org.uk

Gold medal standards

Kicking offanew year with awardwinning plants andexcitingcollections.

HelianthusannuusAlwaysSunny Gold offers something foreveryone.For growers, plants arecompact during production andinretail,but when inthe garden theyrewardconsumerswithrobust and bold displays with a big splash of colourright until the end of thesummer.Flowers arepollen-free andrichinnectar which is aplus forinsects butalsofor consumersasthe flowerslend themselvestobeing used in cut arrangements.

Each year Fleuroselect,which coordinates promotion, trialling of newornamentalsand advancement of theindustryonaninternational basis, unveilsGold Medal winners deemed to represent breakthroughs in breeding.This year’s newbies were grownlastyearand evaluated for innovation, beautyand garden performancein10European countries to ensuretheyare suited to arange of climates and growing conditions. This meansUK garden centres choosing to stock plants with aFleuroselect Gold Medal havea high levelof confidencetheywill be healthyand produce vibrant displays in most gardens.

Thisyear’s five Gold Medalwinners are:

• Helianthusannuus Always SunnyGold (PanAmericanSeed)

• Heuchera sanguinea HeucherettePink (PanAmerican Seed)

• Suteracordata Bacopa Galactic Mist (PanAmerican Seed)

• Verbena bonariensis ‘Flair’ (Benary)

•Zinnia Profusion Double White Improved. (Sakata)

Long grownfor theirfoliage attributes, heuchera have become agarden staple. Heucherasanguinea Heucherette Pinkdoublesmarket appealwithfirst class foliage coupledwithexceptionallystrong,and bold flowersonsturdy stems. Bloomsappearearly in the season and plants perform in containers or mixed borders.

Dahliamania continues

It looksasthough dahlias will continue to be bigsellers this year following the unveiling of curated collections from twoonline plantsuppliers Crocus and Sarah Raven. Both have tappedintothe artistic talents of leading names in other creativesectors andtakethe guess work outofchoosingvarieties.Each collection combines colour andgrowing habits whichwork well in thegarden and as cut flowers.

Crocus is promotingFriends of Crocus described as its‘most extensiveand thoughtfullycurated range’.Garden designer LucyWilcoxhas devised three collections, whiledesigner Leah Lane and floral artist BexPartridgebring twomixes each.CrocusHead Gardener Ashely Edwardshas chosen twocollections specificallyfor urban andsmallergardens. Sarah Ravenhas devised TheDahlia Collective of five collections. Lucinda Chambers,former Fashion Designer of Vogue; JohnnieBoden,ofthe clothing brandBoden,and PatrickGrant bring theireye forcolourfromthe worldof fashion, whileTriciaGuild brings talents from luxurylifestyle andhome. From the world of landscaping comes acollection by ButterWakefield.

time to picture

Take timetopicture your future

Will Armitage, HTAPresident

The startofa NewYear is atime to look forward and an opportunity to reviewthe past 12 months. Thereare many memorable highlights, and of course, some things we could havedone differently Without dwelling toomuch, it’satime to think abouthow to tackle the year ahead. So,what do Ihaveinmind and what will shape my approach to 2026?The last year flewby, and the brilliantly favourable weather at thestartofthe year gave theindustrythe head startitneeded. Alas, we cannotcontrol the weather,and drought followed, hitting almost everycorner of the UK and severely limiting the gardening our customers were able to do

With the springseason brought to an abrupt and early close, we were left with anoticeable gap beforeautumn planting and amoreconfident Christmas forretail, providing amuch-sought-after end-ofyear boost. Could we havedone anything differently? It is aquestion we should always ask ourselves.

It wasamixed year forall and formany, thereweresome good parts. Most retailers Imeetfeel stronger than ayear ago; however, we must always remember that our growers,asour vital plant suppliers, also had aprolonged drysummer and the

accompanying sales gap.For the year ahead, Icannot stressenough howimportant it is to work with those suppliers. Aconversation nowabout what youare planning for this year canmakeareal difference, especially as forward ordering or reserving stock happens lessand less.

Visualisetomakeithappen

Afew years ago,I wasluckyenough to listen to the wise wordsofthe professional speaker, Marcus Child. Marcus told me that hisfamily, or ‘the laboratory’ as he calls it, wouldspend NewYear’s Evecutting out pictures from

Aconversation now about what you areplanning forthis year can make areal difference…

magazines and newspapers to represent what each of themexpected to see in the coming year.These pictures would thenbepastedon aboard,framed and put up in the home for the familytosee everyday.What thiswould do is highlight the importanceofvisualising or creating apictureofwhat could happen

Perhaps we do notask of others or ourselves what the vision is?

It can be incredible how, onceyou manifest an ideaand communicate it well, it will happen. With this in mind, Iwas wondering if youwill spend timewithyour teams over the next fewquieter weeks, painting the pictureofwhat youwant your businessordepartment to achieve overthe next year? In aworld whereweare often going from meeting to meeting,challenge to challenge, taking the time to stop,reflect, and prepareasteams,asfamilies, and as businessesworking together will surely put us in abetter position to tackle the year ahead together,whatever the weather

From gardenertogardencentreto grower,let’sset outour vision for 2026 Whilst the detail will differ,Ihope the commonthread is that it is aprosperous, healthy and, of course, happyyear ahead

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