My gardening year is now truly underway after a trip to the Garden Press Event, the annual meeting of horticultural media and those in the trade. This year, it seems everyone is talking about growing from seed.
Compost is always big news but after the drive to produce peat-free alternatives for multi-purpose compost, firms are now turning to peat-free seed mixes.
Melcourt, who produce the SylvaGrow range of composts near me in Gloucestershire, were just one of those showing off a new seed compost.
Although it’s already much finer than their usual mixes and I was told there are plans to sieve it still further. I’m hoping to put some of it to the test this season.
Kings Seeds, unsurprisingly, are usually known for their seed range but they were also talking about a new seed and cutting compost at the Garden Press Event.
Made with coir, a waste product from the coconut industry, it comes as a compact block. Add water to this and it will swell to make 15L of compost. Added perlite helps drainage. Again, this is a product I’m hoping to try out.
On the Westland stand, they had a new product designed for use in raised beds. It has added “stabilised wood granules” that will stop the compost ‘slumping’. I know the soil levels in my greenhouse raised beds have dropped quite a bit since they were filled.
Fothergill’s were launching a new range of coir-based pots and sowing kits. Both are designed to be planted out without the need to transplant as the coir will decompose. I’ve always been a bit dubious about coir pots as I find they rarely break down quickly. However, David Turner from Fothergill’s, assured me that they wouldn’t restrict plant growth even if the pots didn’t fully break down immediately.
“Once they get into the soil, the roots can break through,” he explained.
The firm also has ‘mini greenhouse’ kits with pellets that will take a single seed, a clear lid to raise temperatures, and a water reservoir to help ensure seedlings are neither over nor under-watered.
Johnsons and DT Brown are in the same group as Fothergills and both have had a makeover. The Johnsons range is now devoted to cut flowers and the seed packets were eye-catching with lovely photography. DT Brown’s new style vegetable seed packets not only tell you how to grow, they also have serving suggestions for your crops.
These seed packets also caught my eye thanks to the beautiful photographs. It was hardly surprising as I discovered Stocks & Green was founded in 2021 by Trevor Jennis McDermott and Iben Lund Gladman, who also run GAP Gardens, one of the UK’S garden photo agencies (and somewhere that stocks my images).
Trevor told me that they have grown more than 90 per cent of the range – primarily so that they can photograph the results but it also means they have put things to the test from a horticultural angle.
Getting rid of plastic in the garden is something many of us are trying to do and Andermatt have a new product to help. Last year at the Garden Press Event, I talked to them about their plastic-free fleece (read about it here). This year, they have a light-weight version (BioFleece 18) that’s ideal for covering early sowings as it will let in sufficient light while still protecting plants from late frosts, pests etc.
The BioFleece is fully biodegradable – unlike most fleece, which has plastic in it. It’s also made in the UK so has a lower carbon footprint. The firm also produces plastic-free, biodegradable insect protection.
Burgon & Ball were launching their BoronGreen®collection of tools made from boron steel, something that has long been used for making cars and agricultural machinery. The range uses 80 per cent recycled steel while the handles are made of FSC-certified wood.
There was a sneak preview of three clematis that will be launched at this year’s RHS Chelsea show by The Guernsey Clematis Nursery, a sister firm to Raymond Evison Clematis, whose Chelsea displays are always a highlight for me.
‘Baroness Fookes™’ (pictured top) is a beautiful purple flower with a darker stripe down the petals. It’s a compact variety that would be suited to a container as well as borders.
‘Bridgewater’, named for the newest of the RHS gardens, has soft pink flowers, whiule ‘Elpis’ has deep red blooms. ‘Elpis’ has been named in association with two charities – MUG (Male Uprising Guernsey) which works to increase awareness of male cancers, and The Prostate Cancer Research charity. ‘Elpis’ is the Greek Goddess or spirit of hope.
Also promoting their Chelsea display were The Farewell Flowers Directory who will be bringing funeral flowers to the show for the first time. These aren’t the usual wreaths of chrysanthemums though but personalised displays that are fully compostable.
The directory has been set up by two florists, Gill Hodgson, founder of the Flowers From The Farm co-operative, and Carole Patilla. They are trying to show how it’s not necessary to use plastic floral foam in funeral floristry – the boot tribute above uses jam jars to hold the flowers and would be perfect for a gardener.
“We’re making the flowers fit the person and not just being a clone of somebody else’s flowers,” explained Gill. “We’re all unique and it would be nice if funeral flowers were also unique.”
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Very good content today, thank you.