Last week was the 12th anniversary of the ‘Garden Press Event’, bringing together exhibitors of garden products from all over the UK and Europe to showcase their new and innovative products. Below are a few of the items that caught my eye this year.
GREENFINGERS
The ‘Garden Press Event’ raises money for the charity ‘Greenfingers’ which does vital work supporting children and families who are under considerable stress and life-limiting conditions. By creating gardens and outdoor spaces especially for children in hospices, the charity provides safe and beautiful places where they can enjoy the fresh air, leaving the side of their hospital beds for a little while to benefit from the fresh air and peaceful surroundings. Link: www.greenfingerscharity.org.uk
NEW PRODUCT OF THE YEAR
Over the course of the day, guests are asked to vote for their choice of over 60 entries for ‘new product of the year’ and the winner was The Posh Shed Company for their Tin Shed – part of the new Tin Hat range. There are also two sheds in the new range one called ‘The Gardener’ and another called the ‘The Anderson’. Both have been designed to appeal to those who want a solid, well built and affordable shed while still allowing them to configure the modular designs to the particular size they need. Link: www.theposhshedcompany.co.uk
BRIERS TOOLS
Appealing to the interior market and a renewed interest in paint colours and wallpaper, Briers have launched a range of tools and garden equipment in Pantone colours, as well as a range featuring designs created by William Morris. I was particularly fond of the tin can products which would look great in a lovely shed. Link: www.briersltd.co.uk
With urban/city gardening on the increase and now that buyers look specifically for products catering for smaller spaces, I found several companies offering new, lightweight products aimed at easing both the weight issue and help fitting into tight spaces:
COLOURFUL PLANTERS BY ELHO
Elho, always a favourite of mine, is a Dutch company that creates beautiful, light-weight and colourful planters which are frost- and uv-resistant – and, unbreakable. They offer a great range of colours, my favourite was ‘Leaf Green’. Their easy hanger pots have also always been a popular choice for balconies – they even have a pot called a ‘door stopper’ which acts neatly as a door stop and, by adding plants to it, it definitely looks better than a rolled up newspaper! I love the small watering can and sprayer, perfect for use inside or outdoors. I was also very keen on the ‘Brussels’ oval orchid pot and the ever popular sturdy and colourful garden trug. Learn more about their product range at: www.elho.com
RECYCLABLE CONTAINERS BY CADIX
Another range of lightweight pots called ‘Tutch’, were developed in Holland by Cadix. These fully recyclable containers have a natural stone finish and come with a 10-year warranty. The pots are particularly aimed at customers who may be renting and need to be able to easily move pots in or outdoors and are therefore looking for a lightweight but attractive alternative to lead or terracotta. Link: www.cadix.co.uk
GARDENA TOOLS FOR CITY GARDENERS
Gardena has launched a selection of tools aimed at city gardeners. The range includes a compact, lightweight hose and a neat waterproof box which can be screwed onto a wall, just the right size to store all your small garden tools. One of the newest innovations by Gardena however is their ‘smart system app’ which allows gardeners to control their garden tools anywhere – and anytime. You had better watch out in the garden now! Link: www.gardena.com
GENUS GARDEN WEAR
Genus garden wear is a must for gardeners and really does live up to the claim of ‘high performance’. The clothes have been made for both men and women and have been cleverly thought through to every last detail. No more wet and painful knees in your jeans or jogging bottoms, no more damp legs or lost secateurs. The 3-season trousers for women come in three colours and the jersey tops have new, functional features. I love my Genus trousers and would never be without them in the garden. Link: www.genus.gs
POP-UP GARDEN and BUGLIFE
Pop up Garden are limited-designer editions of pop-up bird boxes and wildlife habitats including butterfly boxes, bee hotels, flower boxes and herb garden products. They have teamed up with International Wildlife charity ‘Buglife’ to raise awareness and encourage the younger generation, especially those living in cities where there are limited green spaces, to help nature along. Link: www.pop-up-garden.com
THE NO-DIG GURU
I was so excited to meet Charles Dowding, the ‘no-dig’ garden guru, on his stand this year. I have admired his work and followed him on Twitter, reading for many years about the benefits of simple, no-dig gardening which leads to healthy soil and fewer weeds. Charles is passionate about the system and its benefits. He has produced a wonderful Diary, beautifully illustrated with pictures from his lovely garden which gives tips and advice month-by-month. A true “mini-manual of gardening” as Darina Allen, from the Ballymaloe Cookery School, puts it in her introduction to the diary. Link: www.charlesdowding.co.uk
CROCUS PRODUCTS
Apart from their great online website for plants, Crocus have been designing a range of good-looking products for the garden now for many years. This year I really liked the small, hanging containers in gold and the hanging plant pot holders – they are currently all the rage and fast coming back into fashion thanks to the growth of the indoor plant market, especially for cacti and succulents. Link: www.m.crocus.co.uk
SUTTON SEEDS
Walking around the press event, as an avid plants lover I am always on the lookout for new introductions and Sutton seeds did not disappoint, with a most magnificent display of long-stemmed clematis varieties which will last for ages (or so I'm told) as a cut flower in water. The stems were indeed quite strong and I look forward to seeing them in a lot of bouquets in the future. Suttons also launched at the show their world exclusive ‘miniature mulberry bush’, developed specifically for small spaces and urban patios. Link: www.suttons.co.uk
FOREST BOOT STORE
Forest returned to the press event this year after a two-year break, with a range of new products which included a unique boot store that caught my eye. Again with small spaces in mind, the boot store is perfect for placing just inside a porch or positioning by a back door. It can store four pairs of adult boots, hung on two rows of pegs, neatly holding them upside down with enough space to house extra small outdoor equipment. Link: www.forestgarden.co.uk
BACK DOOR SHOES
My love of Back door shoes goes back to when these were first launched and I was lucky enough to be given a pair of their British designed, lightweight, washable, durable and colourful slip-on shoes for the garden. I have never looked back and was delighted to be given another pair this year with a grass pattern so I blend in whilst out and about! The range of designs has gone from strength to strength and there are now shoes for men, woman and children in sizes 3-8 for ladies and 8-14 for men. There are also new grip soles on the men's shoes and a few have lovely, quirky designs to suit all tastes. Link: www.backdoorshoes.co.uk
DAVID AUSTIN ROSES
David Austin Roses is always a delight to see at any show and this year they were previewing their new English roses which will be launched at the Chelsea Flower Show in May 2017. A rich, apricot rose named after ‘Dame Judi Dench’ is a tough reliable and healthy grower so I'm sure she will be popping up in a great deal of gardens this year! The ‘Vanessa Bell’ has free-flowering, soft yellow blooms named after the painter, interior designer and founder of the Bloomsbury Group with ten per cent of each sale of this rose going to The Charlston Trust and lastly but not least, the ‘James L. Austin’ rose has large, deep cerise, sweetly scented pink blooms. This rose has been named after the son of David Austin senior with again 10 per cent of each sale being donated and divided between to two Parkinson’s charities. Link: www.davidaustinroses.co.uk
GARDENERS’ WORLD LIVE
Gardeners World Live were also present at the event to mark the 50th anniversary of BBC 2 Gardeners’ World for 2017. The ever-popular garden show which runs along-side the food show, takes place at the NEC Birmingham from the 15-18th of June 2017 and will feature some exciting, vintage inspired gardens ranging through past decades.
Additionally, there will be a special one-hour anniversary TV broadcast. The Nostalgia Garden has been designed by Paul Stone and the Anniversary Garden by Professor David Stevens. I too will be wearing my other hat at the BBC's Gardeners' World Live show this summer, having designed a garden for Wyevale Garden Centres. Please do come and see me and say hello at this wonderful and inspiring event this summer. Link: www.bbcgardenersworldlive.com
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: If you would like more details about the garden I have designed and will be exhibiting for Wyevale at the NEC in June, please email me at: claudiadeyong@icloud.com
The backdoor arrangement of shoes looks like areal garden
Posted by: ROSELINE | Friday, 30 June 2017 at 11:10