Plants brighten
gloom
at Woking Nursery
An encouraging turnout of buyers braved relentless lashing rain and horrendous traffic problems on surrounding motorways to attend Woking Nursery Exhibition last week.
The mood, although cautious in the light of the up-and-down plant sales season, was far removed from the gloomy picture many had predicted. Garden centres, tempted by deals on looking-good stock for late summer and autumn sales and a clutch of new introductions, were ordering enthusiatically.
The mood, although cautious in the light of the up-and-down plant sales
season, was far removed from the gloomy picture many had predicted. Garden centres, tempted by deals on looking-good stock for late summer and autumn sales and a clutch of new introductions, were ordering enthusiatically.
Elsewhere on our News Extra pages: More hot plant news from Woking; LOFA used their new SOLEX show to announce the LofaMark environmental and ethical accreditation scheme; A new HTA report says 30 per cent of the population visit garden centre cafes or restaurants every year.
WINNING FOLIAGE Patrick Fairweather with the trophy-winning heuchera
Delphinium ‘Coral Sunset’, a runaway success this summer, is great for late season sales, report Allensmore Nurseries…
> ECO-St FRANCHISE OPEN FOR BUSINESS ECO-St is a new shop at the garden centre, which sells products that can help people reduce the impact they are having on the planet...
IS A SELL-OUT
A new cordyline with ‘best yet’ bright pink markings is heading for a sell-out, say Lowaters Nursery…
BEEF UP SALES
Sexy Sustainability, inspiring displays, great sales ideas for fruit & veg – boost sales with Hamptons Court’s display ideas...
There is evidence that 30 per cent of the UK population visit garden centre cafes and restaurants every year, say the HTA in the first-ever market research report to be produced on garden centre catering.
The report estimates that customers spent £132 million on 36 million visits to garden centre cafes and restaurants in the year to February 2008 – growth of 24 per cent over the past 3 years.
A hammock made from recycled airplane seatbelts and a model in a bikini made out of recycled material? It can only be the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show. All products used are natural and have a negative CO2 footprint.
'Sustainability Can Be Sexy' won Floral & Hardy Gardeners Bronze Flora on Monday. Their Sustainable Family Garden encourages sustainability and eco-friendly living with a small vegetable plot to grow crops and herbs, as well as a wildflower and grass ‘meadow’ area to attract wildlife.
The contemporary design uses naturally availableresources, from walls of Hemcrete (hemp mixed with powdered lime) to a Hobbit House built from turf. Sponsors include Coolings Garden Centres, Ecoscape and RBS.