Features


With Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Easter all on the horizon, providing retailers with an opportunity to create some fabulous displays, we take a look at some stand-out pieces on the market. From gorgeous collectibles to trend-led planting, there are plenty of new products on the market which will refresh your stock and enhance the shopping experience for your customers. Garden Trade Specialist editor Victoria Galligan reckons these spring gifts will have everyone reaching for the chip and pin this spring…   1. Famed for creating the Liberty Christmas Bear, Grin & Bear London’s…

Emma Bryan Greeting Cards
Emma Bryan is an independent greeting card publisher supplying contemporary paper goods to businesses around the world.  Emma’s hand-painted illustrations and distinctive colour palette are at the heart of her business and her designs are full of pastel hues, hand-painted florals, and inspiration from the natural world.  “I’m surrounded by British birdsong and flowers all day in my garden studio, so it is no wonder they find their way into my designs but I enjoy exotic flora and fauna too.  I live in an area of Surrey which has the largest population of wild parakeets in the UK, and they…

Deko-Pak Nestbox for National Nestbox Week
The BTO’s National Nestbox Week, a highlight of the ornithology calendar, returns on February 14th – 21st February and leading garden decoration specialist, Deco-Pak is encouraging customers to get their gardens, yards and balconies ready for our feathered friends.   The RSPB recently reporting that the song thrush population has plummeted by 76% in 40 years, and house sparrows along with other small garden birds are also witnessing a similar decline as hedgerows and woodland habitats are continuing to be lost. With the loss of natural places suitable for nesting increasing,  it has never…

Henry Bell new nest box for national nest box week
LEADING QUALITY WILD BIRD FOOD MANUFACTURER - HENRY BELL - CELEBRATES NATIONAL NEST BOX WEEK WITH A WIDE RANGE OF BOXES AND CARE ADVICE Ahead of National Nest Box Week (14–21 February 2020), leading quality wild bird and pet food producer, Henry Bell & Co, is focusing on nest box education with advice on how to select and care for the right nest box this spring. The Henry Bell range of Nest Boxes are specifically designed to encourage different bird species, including Robins, Blue Tits, Great Tits, House Sparrows and Wrens. They are all crafted to provide adequate insulation from the…

Resolva Weed Preventer - 100% natural weed prevention
Gardeners in the UK can now manage weeds in an organic, natural way with the launch of an innovative new weed prevention product from Westland.  ‘Resolva Weed Preventer’ is a first in the UK marketplace, offering gardeners an organic, timesaving, preventative solution to weeds. The highly effective new product is made from 100% plant based natural ingredients and is safe for both children and pets. Research shows that whilst gardeners enjoy a certain amount of weeding, it can be frustrating if it gets too much.  Resolva Weed Preventer is proven to stop weeds before they start, reducing the…

Hawkesmill Nurseries Two & Three Litre Perennials
The Hawkesmill Nurseries team have created an extensive collection of over 1500 varieties that appeal for all seasons.  Now available all year round in 2 and 3-litre pots, these are presented with large 'lock-in labels' to give maximum impact and uniformity throughout the range. There is a selection of promotional lines for this year too of the most exciting and popular varieties, which are hand-picked for the customer for the suitability, appeal and seasonality.  These are all supplied with full-colour POS. Details of the full variety list can be emailed on request, these include many…

artificial grass samples
Why would anyone replace a key sustainable component of our living environment with a coal and oil-derived product, one of only limited life span and almost impossible to recycle? When the entire planet is waging war on unnecessary plastics and the climate emergency, what is it that persuades consumers to make this terrible choice? And why cover children’s sports fields in products that can harm their health? Why on earth does anyone choose artificial grass? And why does the Government do nothing about it? The reason is threefold: 1) skilful marketing, 2) the absence of product and consumer…

Scruffs® exhibiting at Spring Fair
Scruffs® will be located on Hall 9, Stand A70-B71 at Spring Fair between the 2nd – 6th February 2020. The show is located at the NEC in Birmingham. As the company enters is fifteenth year of trading, it is expected to launch several new product lines and potential retail display solutions over the coming months. Spring Fair is the UK’s all-encompassing sourcing marketplace - facilitating connections between retailers, exhibitors and marketers. We offer certainty that only scale can provide. Encompassing 16 carefully edited show sectors, including the co-located Jewellery & Watch, Spring…

Phil and Mark join GCA team of inspectors
THE GARDEN Centre Association has announced Phil McCann and Mark Taylor will be joining its team of inspectors.   The pair will be responsible for inspecting member garden centres in South Thames with Phil inspecting those in the Garden Centre category and Mark checking members in the Destination Garden Centre category.   Iain Wylie, GCA Chief Executive, said: “We’re thrilled to have Phil and Mark joining our established team of inspectors.   “Phil has vast experience in the horticultural industry and graduated as a Plant Scientist and Mark studied at Writtle Agricultural College and has a…

DJ Turfcare from Viano Fertilisers
The lawncare sector is poised for a buoyant spring. Months of rainfall have left the nation’s green expanses lacklustre in appearance and riddled with unsightly moss. When it comes to lawn renovation, however, the tide is turning against synthetic treatments. In a sector where chemicals once dominated, a transformation is being driven by a new generation of natural lawn treatments that are not only kinder to the planet, but reward consumers with outstanding results and levels of performance that were once only available to turfcare professionals.  Natural & organic lawncare solutions from…

Glee at Spring Fair
The doors are set to open on the third annual Glee at Spring Fair concession event in just a few short weeks. Retailers and buyers from across the garden, landscaping, and home and gift sectors are invited to register for the show to secure their free ticket ahead of the annual exhibition. To register, simply visit www.springfair.com and click on the ‘Get your Free’ ticket button, and follow the instructions on screen. Your ticket will provide access to both the main show, as well as Glee’s second edition within its new-for-2020 location in Hall 7.   Retailers visiting the Glee at Spring Fair…

Vuba Easihold – gardening product review
Garden Trade Specialist Victoria Galligan tried out a brand new gardening product and says both traders and their customers will love it. Brand new to the market, Vuba's patented gardening product is nothing short of genius. Designed especially for house plants, Easihold is a spray which sets stones that have been laid on top of soil – and it's completely permeable, allowing users to water and feed plants as usual. If, like me, you've got young children who like to play with houseplants and find the taste of soil delightful, or have pets who are partial to knocking over a potted plant every…

David Domoney - Chartered Horticulturalist - holding up bag of Evergreen Garden Care as he becomes their new brand ambassador
Evergreen Garden Care announces David Domoney Chartered Horticulturalist as brand ambassador   Evergreen Garden Care, which encompasses leading garden care brands such as Miracle-Gro®, Levington, Roundup and Tomorite, is delighted to announce it has appointed one of the UK’s most prominent Chartered Horticulturalist and TV broadcasters, David Domoney, as its brand ambassador.   The partnership will see David produce a wide range of stimulating content to motivate and support all gardeners to have successful gardening experiences and help unlock the love of the garden for all to enjoy. The…

Elizabeth Dixon - printmaker
This month is National Hobby Month, so we spoke to Elizabeth Dixon, a Printmaker from Lancashire. She explains her return to Printmaking, and how you can get hold of some original art to decorate your home. It has taken me many years to have the confidence to call myself a Printmaker - years of pursuing other creative pastimes which seemed easier to fit in around work and family life. But the imminent approach of my 60th birthday in 2019 was the catalyst that changed everything and sent me back 40 years to rediscover my love of colour, pattern and printmaking. At the end of the 1970s I was…

Purple flowers - top plant trends 2020
The Hawkesmill Nurseries team have to keep an eye on the top plant trends when producing perennials, wildflowers, grasses, ferns, herbs and more.  Fashionable colours and varieties are more important than ever when choosing ornamental plants.  And with all of us being much more aware of climate change, it is also important to look at growing your own herbs and vegetables to ensure the food on our plate has a smaller carbon footprint. The Pantone colour of the year has now been announced as 'Classic Blue', a hue that will instil calm and confidence, not only in your wardrobe and on your…

Treadstone Clipglove Range
TREADSTONE PLACES UNIQUE ‘SAFETY DNA’ OF CLIPGLOVE RANGE AT RETAILERS’ FINGERTIPSTreadstone Products has just launched a range of Industrial Safety Gloves, showcasing the expertise and technology behind the company’s ground-breaking ClipGlove gardening gloves. The industrial division will ensure a continued new product development stream, bringing its know-how to the ClipGlove range. At a time when there are so many ‘me too’ gardening glove products on the market, this affords stockists much-needed enhanced sales opportunities.  The new range of high quality safety gloves will be used in…