Grab a warm drink, and catch up on the latest below…

NEWS FLASH

Discover the lethal plants behind Agatha Christie’s famous murders

The BBC’s just posted a video where historian Lucy Worsley tours a garden of deadly (but you wouldn’t know it!) plants used as ‘a woman’s weapon’ in famous crime writer Agatha Christie’s novels. She reveals how Christie’s fascination with these poisonous plants stemmed from her time working as a nurse in the First World War.

Watch the video here.

INFLUENCER SPOTLIGHT

Galena Berkompas

Galena Berkompas is the grower behind an urban flower farm in the Pacific Northwest, where she focuses on organic, regenerative methods and high-yield growing on just one acre. On Instagram, she shares practical advice and inspiration for anyone wanting to grow more flowers in a small space, drawing on her hands-on experience as a flower farmer.

Follow Galena here.

INFLUENCER SPOTLIGHT

I visit Ten Have Plant & Junglestar

As part of Decorum’s Grower for a Day series, I spend a day at two very different Dutch nurseries, each with its own story, its own plant, and its own way of doing things.

First up is Ten Have Plant - one of the largest Campanula growers in the Netherlands and a family business that has been perfecting its craft for nearly 100 years. Then I heas to Junglestar, a specialist Bromeliad grower with 25 to 30 years of experience in one of the most tropical and colourful corners of the houseplant world.

Watch the video here.

READ NOW

19 cool things that caught my eye at Zieleń to Życie (Green is Life)

I’ve been in Poland this week exploring Warsaw’s Zieleń to Życie (Green is Life) fair, where there are SO many new plants, products and trends to see. If you missed out this year and want to see the fair through my eyes, read my latest article on Substack!

PRODUCT

Single head paniculata Hydrangea

Isn’t just the polar opposite of what you’d expect from a hydrangea?? But could it also be time to overturn your expectations! I spotted this single-headed Hydrangea by Hortensje at Zieleń to Życie and it blew my socks off!

See it here.

BOOK

In Your Garden: The Complete Guide to Home Vegetable Gardening with Jean-Martin Fortier

In Your Garden: The Complete Guide to Home Vegetable Gardening by Jean-Martin Fortier brings professional market-gardening techniques into the home garden, showing readers how to grow abundant, healthy vegetables efficiently and organically, even in small spaces. Drawing on more than two decades of experience in ecological farming, Fortier covers everything from garden planning and soil health to sowing, harvesting, storage and year-round growing, with practical step-by-step methods designed for both beginners and experienced gardeners.

Buy it here.

PLANT OF THE WEEK

Fusion Hydrangea

Have you ever seen a Hydrangea with a head this big….??? Mind blown. The Fusion Hydrangea is almost reaching garden centres across Europe- make sure your name is on the list!!!

Watch my video about it here.

DECORUM GROWER

Winco Holland

Winco Holland specialises in cacti and succulents, with its own nursery in Spain allowing it to supply strong, colourful plants throughout the year. Its range includes up to 600 varieties, from Echeveria and Crassula to Haworthia, Euphorbia, Kalanchoë and Sedum, alongside its Mecx and Wincx cut-succulent lines for florists and designers. The company continues to seek out unusual varieties while responding to changing market trends and demand.

Find out more about them on Decorum.

WHAT TO DO NOW

School of Horticulture 90th Anniversary

I’m going to be a speaker at the School of Horticulture’s 90th Anniversary event on Saturday, September 19 at Niagara Parks, Ontario. Following a curated boxed lunch, explore the gardens through exclusive guided tours led by horticulture students, whose knowledge and passion will offer a deeper appreciation of the extraordinary collections at the Botanical Gardens.

Find out more about it here.

Read more

I was also there giving my own plant discovery presentation, so naturally I spent the rest of the fair doing what I love: nosing around stands, talking with growers, spotting oddities, eating extremely efficiently and making lots of mental notes.

So, before I leave Poland with too many photos on my phone and not enough storage space, here are 19 cool things that caught my eye at Zieleń to Życie (Green is Life) 2026.

Subscribe now

1. A New Layout like IKEA meant that no stand went unvisited.

2. My plant discovery presentation collected together 40 new, different and unusual plants at the show.

3. A herbaceous-style, fragrant, sexy blue Clematis!

4. The most fun branding ever, with the Plant Daddy plant care range - super cheeky!

5. Hibiscus are having a moment this summer for sure!

6. Cottage garden shorties such as Delgenius Delphiniums!

7. Lunches that fill you up all day, yes please and thank you!

8. Goth gardening specimens found on every corner, lovely Albizia.

9. Showstopping giant hydrangeas, ready to dazzle in the garden centre!

10. Heptacodium, the future proof tree that you don’t know yet.

11. Berberis, yes really! The car park plant is all grown up now.

12. Drought tolerant Yuccas are our saviour for modern gardens.

13. Hydrangeas becoming trees when they’re not pruned, and I rather like it.

14. The most curious rose I had ever seen!

15. Another comeback on the cards: border hardy Chrysanthemums

16. Conifers get a rebrand - I’m going with “Tuscan evergreens”

17. Many displays at Zielen to Zycie are as good as Chelsea Flower Show!

18. Dahlias sold through YouTube and social media power!

19. The novelty awards throw up a surprise winner (to me!) - this landscaping Rose!

Subscribe now

No sooner have I stepped into the halls, but I have been browsing the Novelties competition, and there are some proper cool plants, and ones I haven’t seen already (how does that happen when I am always poking my nose in everywhere!!)

Read on for a FRAGRANT Clematis, a GREEN trailing Hydrangea, a MONSTER Delphinium, and lots more! (Note: I’ve translate this article into Polish for my Polish readers who are interested in visiting Green is Life (Zieleń to Życie)!)

Subscribe now

Właśnie wylądowałem w Polsce, gdzie odbywają się targi Green is Life (Zieleń to Życie) – przeczytaj tutaj, dlaczego to wydarzenie, na którym po prostu trzeba być...

Ledwo wszedłem do hal, a już zacząłem przeglądać rośliny zgłoszone do konkursu nowości. I są tam naprawdę świetne okazy – w tym takie, których wcześniej jeszcze nie widziałem (jak to w ogóle możliwe, skoro zawsze wszędzie wtykam nos!!).

Czytaj dalej, jeśli chcesz zobaczyć PACHNĄCEGO powojnika, ZIELONĄ zwisającą hortensję, POTĘŻNEGO ostróżkowca i sporo więcej!

Hydrangea ‘Fairytrail Green’

A real head-turner, Hydrangea ‘Fairytrail Green’ is a TRAILING variety of Hydrangea, from the same stable as Runaway Bride. It brings something a verryyyyy different with its fresh green flower heads and kinda romantic look?? Perfect for baskets, patio displays or tumbling over walls, Aubreita can’t even…

Its unusual colouring makes it a great talking point on the sales floor, while the reliable garden performance (and multi-blooming from every leaf axil) makes it an easy sell. Excuse the fact it wasn’t in flower at the show, but I am so glad I have witnessed its launch…

Available soon.

Hortensja ‘Fairytrail Green’

Prawdziwy przyciągacz uwagi. Hortensja ‘Fairytrail Green’ to ZWISAJĄCA odmiana hortensji, pochodząca z tej samej grupy hodowlanej co Runaway Bride. Wnosi coś baaardzo innego dzięki świeżo zielonym kwiatostanom i temu nieco romantycznemu wyglądowi?? Idealna do wiszących koszy, donic tarasowych albo do przewieszania się przez murki. Aubrieta może się schować...

Jej nietypowy kolor sprawia, że na ekspozycji od razu staje się tematem do rozmowy, a niezawodne zachowanie w ogrodzie – wraz z wielokrotnym kwitnieniem z każdego kąta liściowego – sprawia, że łatwo ją sprzedać. Wybaczcie, że na targach nie była akurat w pełni kwitnienia, ale i tak bardzo się cieszę, że mogłem zobaczyć jej premierę...

Echinacea ‘Bolero Yellow’

Bright, bold and guaranteed to bring sunshine to the perennial bench! Echinacea ‘Bolero Yellow’ might be better describd as ‘cream’, but who cares, it is VERY cool, and stands from the crowded Echaincea crowd.

It’s compact, colourful and pollinator-friendly, ticking all those boxes for today’s garden shopper.

Available in wholesale here when back in stock.

Echinacea ‘Bolero Yellow’

Jasna, wyrazista i gwarantująca trochę słońca na dziale bylin! Echinacea ‘Bolero Yellow’ może tak naprawdę bardziej przypominać kolor kremowy niż żółty, ale kogo to obchodzi – jest BARDZO fajna i naprawdę wyróżnia się w zatłoczonym świecie jeżówek.

Jest kompaktowa, kolorowa i przyjazna zapylaczom, więc spełnia wszystkie najważniejsze oczekiwania dzisiejszego klienta ogrodniczego.

Salix ‘Iceberg Alley’

We always talk about dry soils but what about wet, waterlogged soils?

Salix ‘Iceberg Alley’ brings strong garden performance, especially in problematic areas, and has attractive silver growth and handsome catkins. It’s a great option for adding height and interest to larger borders and contemporary planting schemes.

Preorder here.

Salix ‘Iceberg Alley’

Ciągle mówimy o suchych glebach, ale co z tymi mokrymi i podmokłymi?

Salix ‘Iceberg Alley’ bardzo dobrze radzi sobie w ogrodzie, szczególnie w bardziej problematycznych miejscach, a do tego ma atrakcyjne srebrzyste przyrosty i efektowne kotki. To świetna opcja, jeśli chcemy dodać wysokości i struktury większym rabatom oraz bardziej współczesnym nasadzeniom.

Delphinium ‘Delgenius Chantay’

Big colour, big impact and a guaranteed border showstopper! See my REEL here for the buzz about it back in June…

Delphinium ‘Delgenius Chantay’ produces impressive flower spikes, in quantity too - it’s a true shrub of a plant. The strong vertical habit and classic cottage-garden appeal keeps it firmly on the customer favourites list. A brilliant perennial for adding premium impact to the garden centre bench.

Buy it here.

Delphinium ‘Delgenius Chantay’

Dużo koloru, duży efekt i gwarantowany hit na rabacie! Zobacz mój REEL tutaj, żeby przypomnieć sobie, ile szumu zrobiła ta odmiana już w czerwcu...

Delphinium ‘Delgenius Chantay’ tworzy imponujące kwiatostany – i to w dużej ilości. To naprawdę potężna, niemal krzewiasta roślina. Mocny, pionowy pokrój i klasyczny klimat ogrodu wiejskiego sprawiają, że wciąż pozostaje wśród ulubieńców klientów. Świetna bylina, jeśli chcesz dodać ekspozycji premiumowego charakteru.

Cercis ‘Garden Gems Amethyst’

Small tree, big personality! Cercis ‘Garden Gems Amethyst’ is one to watch!!! This new compact Cercis offers the kind of seasonal interest that makes shoppers stop and take notice, check out my recent REEL.

With its ornamental character, attractive foliage and beautiful flowering display, it makes a superb feature plant for patios, borders and smaller gardens. It’s also very much in proportion, with smaller leaves and stems on those compact plants. Super heat and drought tolerant too. A winner.

Available soon.

Cercis ‘Garden Gems Amethyst’

Małe drzewko, wielka osobowość! Cercis ‘Garden Gems Amethyst’ to odmiana, którą naprawdę warto obserwować!!! Ten nowy, kompaktowy judaszowiec oferuje właśnie taki sezonowy efekt, który zatrzymuje klientów przy ekspozycji. Zobacz też mój ostatni REEL.

Ma ozdobny charakter, atrakcyjne liście i piękne kwitnienie, więc świetnie sprawdzi się jako roślina akcentowa na patio, rabatach i w mniejszych ogrodach. Zachowuje też bardzo dobre proporcje – ma mniejsze liście i pędy odpowiednie do kompaktowej formy. Do tego świetnie znosi upał i suszę. Zwycięzca.

Spiraea ‘Rick Star’

A reliable performer that earns its place on the retail bench, despite some people being snobbish about the genus! Spiraea ‘Rick Star’ brings plenty of charm with its attractive form and generous flowering display.

Its more manageable size makes it ideal for smaller gardens, containers and mixed borders. It’s a versatile, low-fuss shrub and you shouldn’t be embarrassed to grow it!

Available soon.

Spiraea ‘Rick Star’

Niezawodna odmiana, która zasługuje na swoje miejsce na ekspozycji, nawet jeśli niektórzy podchodzą do tawuł z pewnym snobizmem! Spiraea ‘Rick Star’ ma mnóstwo uroku dzięki atrakcyjnej formie i obfitemu kwitnieniu.

Jej bardziej kompaktowy rozmiar sprawia, że dobrze nadaje się do mniejszych ogrodów, pojemników i mieszanych rabat. To wszechstronny, mało kłopotliwy krzew – i naprawdę nie trzeba się wstydzić, że się go uprawia!

Clematis ‘Sweet Wave’

OK WOW. A truly SCENTED clematis, ready to wow consumers around Europe. Every garden centre needs this new arrival.

Beautiful, denim blue, elegant flowers and a neat climbing habit, it adds instant vertical interest and romance. Perfect for walls, trellis and containers, it’s an urban style clematis, with a game changing, super sweet fragrance!!!!

Available in the EU here.

Clematis ‘Sweet Wave’

OK WOW. Prawdziwie PACHNĄCY powojnik, gotowy zrobić wrażenie na klientach w całej Europie. Każde centrum ogrodnicze potrzebuje tej nowości.

Piękne, eleganckie kwiaty w odcieniu denim blue i zgrabny pnący pokrój od razu dodają pionowego akcentu i romantycznego charakteru. Idealny na ściany, kratki i do pojemników. To powojnik w miejskim stylu, z prawdziwie przełomowym, bardzo słodkim zapachem!!!!

Miscanthus ‘Piccolo Rubino’

Compact, colourful and bang on trend! Miscanthus ‘Piccolo Rubino’ is a fantastic ornamental grass for adding movement, texture and a contemporary feel to planting schemes.

Its attractive foliage and decorative plumes keep the display going well into autumn, giving customers more seasonal value - especially when it flips to autumn red shades! Consider me seduced.

Available here.

Miscanthus ‘Piccolo Rubino’

Kompaktowy, kolorowy i idealnie wpisujący się w trendy! Miscanthus ‘Piccolo Rubino’ to fantastyczna trawa ozdobna, która dodaje nasadzeniom ruchu, tekstury i współczesnego charakteru.

Atrakcyjne liście i dekoracyjne wiechy utrzymują efekt aż do jesieni, dając klientom większą wartość sezonową – zwłaszcza gdy roślina przebarwia się na czerwone odcienie. Uznajcie mnie za przekonanego.

Subscribe now

From water restrictions and peat uncertainty to biosecurity, climate resilience and the changing demands of clients, specialist tree production is facing pressure from almost every direction. For Eliot Barden, Operations Director at Majestic Trees, those challenges are also creating opportunities to rethink how trees are grown, selected and planted for the landscapes of the future.

In this interview, Eliot talks candidly about the realities facing UK tree nurseries, why climate-resilient planting needs greater diversity, the move away from conventional chemical inputs at Majestic Trees, and the responsibility he believes tree specifiers have to think not just about how a tree will perform next year, but decades into the future.

What are the biggest challenges you’re facing in your day-to-day work at the moment?

Tree production is facing so many challenges at present, which I find difficult to understand because the UK desperately needs more trees produced and planted in the ground to help cope with climate pressures.

This season especially, having enough water has been a major stress, especially as the Environment Agency issued a notice for the nursery to stop abstracting water from our borehole on June 1^st with zero prior notice. With no significant rainfall since early spring, there has been a constant adjustment of our water resources in both our reservoirs, combined with costly mains abstraction which will be needed until the end of summer.

The uncertainty of the future of peat has been another challenge which, thankfully, while we have mostly overcome the horticultural side of growing peat-free, there is no getting away from the fact that it costs a lot more and requires more management. I am hopeful - but more importantly, what is needed is a decision made about the future of peat with no U-turns, so that industry knows where it stands. Several NGOs have not been helpful in the process of transitioning away from peat. Unfortunately, it has been rushed - and while progress has been made commercially, gardeners have been left with an expensive, substandard product which offers marginal, if any, sustainability gains.

Above: An aerial view over Majestic Trees’ site near St Albans

What do you think sets Majestic Trees apart from other specialist tree growers in the UK?

Firstly, Majestic Trees is such a personable business with an incredible culture in the team, which shows in the product we produce and the service we give.

There are several tangible differences - while not unique, producing trees in AirPots means they develop the finest root systems which are the foundations for successful tree establishment.

Our ‘complete’ level of service is the main difference from others, from initial site visit consultations, tree specification, supply, delivery, guaranteed planting and aftercare which is unique within the industry, especially as the whole process is carried out by our own specialist team.

From your perspective, what do your clients really value most from a tree nursery today?

People buy from people. Respect and the highest level of customer service is first and foremost. A fantastic product is also expected, plus sound advice and honesty.

I have noticed that people are becoming increasingly interested in the process of tree growing and how we are leading the industry to become more sustainable, but also leading future-proof tree selection so that there is longevity in what people plant and more widely in the treescape.

In my opinion, all tree specifiers have a moral obligation to select the right tree for the right place and for the right reason. This might not always be the tree which a client initially came in to buy, but it is important to be honest and will ensure the tree will thrive not only next month, but into the next decade and century.

Read more

Both are major professional plant and garden shows, both celebrate innovation, and both offer an extraordinary range of new plants.

But the plants that really catch the eye reflect two very different gardening realities….

Subscribe now

Iberflora

Iberflora, at Feria Valencia, is one of Europe’s major professional green-industry events, bringing together nurseries, growers, landscapers, technology companies and garden businesses. The 2026 show runs from 6–8 October.

Walking around Valencia, however, it is the plants themselves that tell the most interesting story. Here, the future of gardening has to contend with heat, intense sunshine and increasingly unreliable rainfall - does it sound familiar where you are??

The most exciting plants are therefore not ones that just look good: they are plants capable of earning their place in a garden where water can’t be taken for granted.

There is a strong interest in plants that can tolerate drought once established, shrug off intense summer temperatures and still provide a long season of colour and structure.

Mediterranean shrubs, tough perennials, ornamental grasses and drought-tolerant trees are getting more and more relevant. The message is that gardeners want plants that work harder.

Zieleń to Życie

Then there is Zieleń to Życie in Warsaw, Poland’s largest trade fair for plants, horticultural technology and landscape architecture. The 2026 event takes place at EXPO XXI Warsaw from 3–5 September.

The atmosphere and plant palette are quite different. Here the challenge is not primarily how a plant survives a baking Mediterranean summer, but how it survives a Polish winter, followed by spring frosts, summer heat, fluctuating moisture and sometimes prolonged wet conditions.

What impressed me was the toughness of many of the plants on display. There is an obvious appreciation for plants that are hardy rather than just chugging along and surviving in a sheltered British garden. Trees, shrubs, perennials and grasses have to cope with a much broader range of conditions.

The two shows therefore demonstrate two sides of the same problem. Climate resilience is getting increasingly important, but resilience means different things in different places.

What to look for at these 2 shows

Iberflora, Valencia: drought tolerance, heat resistance and plants that perform with limited irrigation.

Zieleń to Życie, Warsaw: exceptional winter hardiness, frost resistance and plants able to cope with fluctuating conditions.

Both shows: new cultivars, breeding breakthroughs and plants selected for greater resilience.

And yet there is a common thread: innovation now means finding better plants rather than just inventing more technology.

Both shows demonstrate that innovation isn’t always a new machine or clever piece of equipment. Sometimes it is a plant that has been selected, bred or discovered because it has the characteristics tomorrow’s gardens need.

Zieleń to Życie has its own Plant Novelties Competition, while Iberflora runs its Iberflora Innovation Awards.

Visiting advice

If you are planning to visit either show, allow at least a full day. Both are professional fairs, so it pays to arrive with a plan rather than just aimlessly wandering the aisles.

For Iberflora:

• 6–8 October 2026

• Feria Valencia

• Tuesday and Wednesday: 9am–6pm

• Thursday: 9am–5pm

• The organisers recommend registering in advance and using the Feria Valencia app to find exhibitors, appointments and the show layout.

For Zieleń to Życie:

• 3–5 September 2026

• EXPO XXI, Warsaw

• Thursday and Friday: 9am–5pm

• Saturday: 9am–4pm

• The official visitor area provides the exhibitor catalogue, programme and plant-novelty information, making it particularly useful to study before arriving.

For a hort professional, visiting both is really rewarding. Valencia teaches us to look for drought tolerance and heat resistance; Warsaw reminds us to value hardiness, toughness and adaptability.

The real takeaway may lie somewhere between the two. As climates become less predictable, perhaps the plants of the future won’t be those that tolerate one particular extreme. They will be the survivors of variability… plants able to cope with heat and drought, but also cold, heavy rain and sudden changes in weather.

That, ultimately, is what makes both shows so exciting: beneath all the new introductions and commercial displays is a glimpse of the garden of the future, and it is likely to be built around plants that are not just nice to look at, but resilient too!!

Subscribe now

Grab a cold drink, and catch up on the latest below…

NEWS FLASH

Council plants fake flowers to save water

North East Lincolnshire Council has installed artificial flowers in planters on Grimsby’s A180 flyover, citing drought conditions, a hosepipe ban and the high cost of watering real displays. The move has divided residents, with some criticising the environmental impact of plastic flowers and arguing that drought-tolerant planting would be a better option, while others see them as a practical, low-maintenance and economical way to brighten the area. What do you think??

Read the full story here.

SOCIAL NEWS

I hosted a Botanical Banquet at PLANTARIUM|GROEN-Direkt’s Autumn Fair

This week, I’ve been at the incredible PLANTARIUM|GROEN-Direkt Autumn Fair, and while there I hosted my first Botanical Banquet - 3 courses featuring new and interesting plants, future proof plants for a range of purposes and dessert/desert, which is full to the brim with drought tolerant specimens!

INFLUENCER SPOTLIGHT

Camilla Perkins

Camilla Perkins is an East Sussex-born artist and illustrator whose work explores the relationship between colour and memory. Using vibrant oil pastels, paint and expressive mark-making, she creates richly textured, dream-like scenes inspired by moments in nature and travel.

Follow Camilla here.

SOCIAL NEWS

UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens pays tribute to Dolly Parton

UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens is displaying a striking Alcantarea imperialis nicknamed “Dolly the Bromeliad”, named after its former owner, Dolly Parton. Donated by Mountain Paradise Nursery, the plant is nearing the end of its life cycle and has produced a dramatic final flower spike. Visitors can see it in the Carnivorous Courtyard of the McMillan Greenhouse.

See the post here.

PRODUCT

Heuchera Fyre Wing series

The Heuchera Fyre Wing series is a fairytale-inspired collection created from an exceptionally rare plant discovered and refined through generations of breeding. Its defining feature is highly divided, lace-like foliage that resembles wings, with seven varieties representing distinct colours and characters: Jadeite, Heliodor, Rhodonite, Amber, Jet, Spinel and Hematite.

Although presented through a storybook-style narrative, the series has been developed from a real breeding breakthrough focused on distinctive foliage, vigour and stability, with further colours and refinements planned for future generations.

Find out more here.

BOOK

The Creative Gardener: Inspiring People, Remarkable Gardens by Stephanie Mahon

The Creative Gardener by Gardens Illustrated editor Stephanie Mahon and award-winning photographer John Campbell explores some of Britain and Ireland’s most imaginative private gardens, created by artists, writers, designers and other tastemakers. Featuring figures including Nigel Slater, Matthew Rice, Sarah Price, Charlie Harpur and Jonny Bruce, the book looks at how creativity, personality and horticulture come together in spaces ranging from city courtyards to wild country gardens.

Buy it here.

PLANT OF THE WEEK

Begonia BIG® DeluXXe® Rose Espresso

Begonia BIG® DeluXXe® Rose Espresso from Benary pairs rich, espresso-bronze foliage with vivid rose-pink flowers for a particularly dramatic display. Part of the BIG® DeluXXe® series, it has been bred to grow around 20–25% larger than original BIG® begonias, reaching approximately 60–80cm tall and 55–60cm wide with strong branching and abundant flowers. Suitable for containers and borders, it performs in both full sun and partial shade and continues flowering throughout summer.

Read more about it in my latest edition of Beneath the Glass.

DECORUM GROWER

Van Schie

Van Schie has specialised in potted lilies since Wim van Schie became the first grower to cultivate them in the Netherlands in 1985. Now run by Marcel, Martin and Michel, the nursery offers a broad range of varieties and pot sizes, including the double-flowered, pollen-free Roselily and Chrysanne® potted chrysanthemums. Working closely with breeders to select high-quality plant material, Van Schie also continues to invest in more sustainable cultivation while offering tailored products and added-value options.

Find out more about them on Decorum.

WHAT TO DO NOW

GLEE: 8-10 September, NEC Birmingham

Glee and Autumn Fair will co-locate at the NEC Birmingham this September, creating Europe’s largest combined home and garden trade show in the second half of the year. Glee, the UK’s leading garden retail trade event, runs from 8–10 September alongside Autumn Fair from 6–9 September, with both shows overlapping on 8–9 September. Visitors can discover suppliers and source products spanning garden, outdoor living, home, gift, fashion and lifestyle in a single trip at no additional cost.

Find out more about it here.

Read more

Here’s my pick of the best - selected as I know gardeners will love them, but they also perform great commercially, and they’ll keep our ever important growers satisfied!

Chitalpa ‘El Niño’ by Colorchoice Plants

Chitalpa ‘El Niño’ is a real eye-catcher, with an open, elegant shape and masses of soft pink flowers in summer. It brings something different to the usual flowering shrub range, which can help retailers create a unique offer, of a heat and drought tolerant specimen.

For growers, it has the draw of a strong-looking, garden-ready plant, while for the home gardener it’s a plant that has lots of presence with exotic foliage and fancy purple, foxglove-esque flowers!

Buy it here.

Buddleja ‘Butterfly Candy Little Blackberry’ by Van Son & Koot

‘Little Blackberry’ packs plenty of colour and pollinator fancy into a compact Buddleja. A world away from the rough Butterfly Bushes which grow on the railway tracks!

The deep purple (some might say black) flowers are easy to spot on the garden-centre bench, or dazzle you in a mail order catalogue, while the smaller habit makes it useful for patios, containers and smaller gardens.

Commercially, a quick-to-finish Buddleja gives growers and retailers a broader market than traditional, larger, cumbersome Buddleja. It also taps into two strong consumer trends: compact plants and pollinator-friendly gardening. Boom and boom!

Buy it here.

Chamaecyparis ‘El Paso’ by Edens Creations

Chamaecyparis ‘El Paso’ is the plant I wet my knickers over last year all over my socials. A conifer unlike any other - ‘El Paso’ looks like a cheeky little cactus!

As an evergreen and remarkably drought tolerant (why we often overlook conifers for this I don’t know), it gives growers and retailers a reliable product that isn’t tied to a short flowering window.

The thoroughly distinctive form makes it stand out from more standard conifers, giving it a stronger retail story.

Buy it here.

Hydrangea ‘Incrediball Stormproof’ by Valkplant

“Annabelle” is slowly starting to look like a very outdated variety, as there are plenty more weatherproof and shorter varieties that give the same level of impact.

Big flowers, yet strong stems and a good compact branching habit: ‘Incrediball Stormproof’ is bred by one of the best breeding stables in the world - Proven Winners, are made to deliver impact and stand up well in the garden.

The large white flower heads give growers a product that looks impressive at retail, while the stormproof angle gives retailers a clear selling point.

Buy it here when back in stock.

Hibiscus Rosa-Lyn by Kwekerij Roos

Hibiscus like this are actually pretty easy to grow and love a hot summer. For growers, new Rosa-Lyn is the kind of plant that does the selling for you, with large, showy flowers giving a hint of colour change.

For consumers, it feels like an instant way to bring a little holiday atmosphere into the garden or patio - continuous Canary Isle vibe no less!

Available soon.

Dark, espresso-coloured foliage topped with vivid rose-pink flowers gives it lots of presence. It’s a reminder that begonias have come very far from the bedding plants I grew up with as a boy in the 80s, where there were plenty of mass-market tuberous varieties, and not a lot else!!

This begonia is destined for big things!!

This isn’t a teeny tiny wallflower begonia - in fact, the clue is in the name!! Part of Benary’s BIG® DeluXXe® series, Rose Espresso has been bred to produce plants around 20–25% larger than the original BIG® begonias. That extra vigour shows in every part of the plant, from its sturdy branching to its generous, rounded shape and wow-worthy flower power.

Reaching around 60–80cm in height and 55–60cm across, it doesn’t take long before it becomes the focal point of a container or border.

The perfect contrast between foliage and flower

Some plants rely on flowers alone, but this begonia earns its keep even before a single bloom has opened!! Wowee…

The rich bronze foliage borders on chocolate brown, creating a dramatic backdrop for bright rose-pink flowers. Together, the colours have lots of depth, giving the plant a richness that works well in lots of different garden types, from sleek, contemporary gardens to traditional summer displays.

Sun or shade? It doesn’t mind

Gardeners are forever trying to match the right plant to the right place. Rose Espresso makes life lovely and straightforward.

It performs happily in full sun or partial shade, continuing to flower through the warmth of summer without losing momentum. That flexibility opens up plenty of planting possibilities, from bright patios to lightly shaded borders.

Built for British summers (a future-proof plant!!)

Our summers have a habit of keeping gardeners on their toes… One week it’s glorious sunshine, the next you wanna build an ark.

Luckily, Rose Espresso takes changing conditions well. It’s been bred to cope with heat, heavy rain and short dry spells once established, while also showing good disease resistance. Even after a spell of less-than-perfect weather, it soon settles back into producing more flowers.

The perfect plant for growers and retailers

There’s plenty to like from a production point of view, too:

Uniform growth, strong branching and a naturally balanced habit make BIG® DeluXXe® Rose Espresso a great choice for larger pots, mixed containers and landscape planting.

The dark foliage gives plants real shelf appeal long before they’re in full bloom, helping them stand out on the sales bench early in the season.

Some impactful planting ideas for you:

The colour palette opens up all sorts of combinations. Try surrounding it with silver foliage such as Helichrysum or Dichondra for contrast, or pair it with lime-green leaves to make its bronze tones stand out even more. White and pale pink flowers create a softer look, while deep purples produce a more dramatic display.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with giving it a pot all to itself. This plant is well capable of carrying the whole display.

It’s really easy to grow

Despite its dramatic appearance, Rose Espresso isn’t demanding.

Plant it in fertile, well-drained soil or a good-quality compost, water during prolonged dry periods and feed every couple of weeks with a balanced liquid fertiliser. Removing faded flowers will keep it looking neat, although it naturally stays tidy throughout the season.

A new favourite

Some new varieties arrive with plenty of fanfare before fading into the background after a season or two. I have a feeling this won’t be one of them!!

With richly coloured foliage, vibrant flowers, dependable performance and the versatility to grow in sun or partial shade, BIG® DeluXXe® Rose Espresso is defo a begonia that gardeners will keep coming back to.

Have you spotted it on your travels?

Home gardeners aren’t the only ones who’ve discovered the appeal of BIG® begonias.

The series has featured in seasonal displays at locations including the Eiffel Tower, the White House, the Kremlin, the Vatican Gardens, the Sydney Opera House and Tiananmen Square.

Landscape designers return to them because they need plants that can cope with changing weather, maintain their impact over a long season and still look impressive in places seen by millions of visitors.

It’s rather nice to think that the same breeding programme responsible for brightening some of the world’s best-known landmarks could also bring a little pomp and circumstance to a typical back garden.

Grab a cold drink, and catch up on the latest below…

NEWS FLASH

Barbican Conservatory hands out cuttings as it closes this week for four years

The Barbican Conservatory is closing for three years for a major refurbishment, with 1,500 cuttings from its plant collection being given away across three adoption events. The first saw 500 plant lovers collect species including Swedish ivy, peperomia and monstera, with huge demand for tickets. Head gardener Marta Lowcewicz plans to retain as many existing plants as possible while selecting bold, leafy species suited to the changing climate, with the conservatory due to reopen in 2030 with improved climate control, irrigation and accessibility.

Find out more here.

INFLUENCER SPOTLIGHT

Pamela Anderson

Who knew that THE Pam Anderson would become an inspiration in the gardening world? Her garden tours are mesmerising, presenting a cottage garden that looks like it’s straight out of a fairytale.

Follow Pam here.

SOCIAL NEWS

Mittens the Cat picks her favourite pumpkin

The Turner Ranch has five giant pumpkins growing on their 11-acre farm this year, and annually, their cat Mittens picks her favourite to laze on - but which one will she go for?

See the post here.

PRODUCT

Mangelwurzels

She Grows Veg is bringing the mangelwurzel back for Halloween, reviving the traditional British practice of carving the knobbly root vegetables into spooky lanterns before pumpkins became popular. Available in red and yellow varieties, mangelwurzels offer a distinctive way to celebrate the harvest and connect with horticultural heritage, with Mammoth Red and Yellow Eckendorf seeds available from She Grows Veg for £4.55.

Find them here.

BOOK

Rome: City of Gardens by Gregory Long

Rome: City of Gardens by Gregory Long takes readers on a journey through Rome’s rich horticultural history, exploring three golden ages of garden design through 23 remarkable outdoor spaces. From ancient sites such as Hadrian’s Villa and the Villa d’Este to contemporary gardens by designers including Dan Pearson and Laurie Olin, the book explores the stories, people and artistry behind Rome’s most beautiful gardens. Featuring specially commissioned photography and historic prints, it offers an evocative tour of the city’s gardens from ancient times to the present day.

Buy it here.

PLANT OF THE WEEK

Calibrachoa series MiniFamous® Oro

MiniFamous® Oro (known as Evo in the US) is an ultra-compact, double-flowering calibrachoa series. Its naturally dwarf, rounded and well-branched habit produces dense, intensely coloured plants, while its fully double blooms resemble tiny roses or miniature petunias.

Ideal for 9–12cm pots and compact mixed planters, it offers a neat alternative to more traditional trailing calibrachoas.

Read about this and more plants bred by Selecta one in my latest edition of Beneath the Glass.

DECORUM GROWER

Gova Nursery

Gova is a family-run Dutch grower with roots dating back to 1932 and is now Europe’s largest specialist in Laurel. Run by brothers Charl and Jack, the company focuses exclusively on Laurel, offering a wide range of forms and sizes, from classic spheres and pyramids to twisted stems, columns, hedges and heart shapes. Known for its flexible, customer-focused approach and commitment to quality, Gova also places a strong emphasis on sustainable, circular growing practices and researches the potential uses of Laurel leaves in its own laboratory.

Find out more about them on Decorum.

WHAT TO DO NOW

Annual Colichum Day

Perennial’s annual Colchicum Day takes place at Fullers Mill Garden in Suffolk on 10 September 2026, with experts Rod Leeds and Kit Grey-Wilson giving talks on the fascinating genus. Visitors can learn about colchicum identification, propagation, spring- and autumn-flowering species, and the best varieties for growing in gardens, as well as see nine colchicums in flower. A selection of plants will also be available to buy, with standard admission prices applying.

Find out more about it here.

Read more

It’s quite curious that in the 80s, when I grew up (yes, really), they were houseplants. Yet now, they’re amazing border plants, who have enjoyed this warmer summer very much.

One of the joys of celosia is the massive variety of flower shapes. Plumosa types produce upright, feathery plumes, giving them a lighter, more airy appearance. They’re wonderfully useful for adding height and movement to summer containers and borders, and their flowers have an almost flame-like quality.

Cristata types, meanwhile, are really showy, and certainly get people talking. Their flowers form extraordinary, densely packed crests that can look like coral, velvet brains or ruffled fans. They’re chunkier and more sculptural than plumosa, suiting pot growing the best.

Here’s my pick of the selection…

Brainiac Raven Red

This Celosia is super dark, dramatic and moody. It’s Brainiac Raven Red, and it brings rich red blooms to the garden. The way it emerges from the soil is kinda otherworldly.

Available soon.

Dracula

Dracula lives up to its name, bringing a gothic presence to sunny borders. Its bold, crested blooms look spectacular planted en masse or even more impactful in a container… maybes!

Available to buy here.

Fresh Yellow Orange

Fresh Yellow Orange is pure sunshine, with glowing yellow and warm orange tones. It brings a lot of energy to borders, and shock horror - it’s bright orangeeeee, a colour many of us try to avoid…

Available soon.

VIP subscribers can read on to find a variety that people have gone mad about over on Facebook, a hot pink brain-like type, and a Celosia that is summer epitomised!

Read more

Everywhere you look there’s something cool: benches filled with experimental varieties, breeders discussing the next generation of plants, and glasshouses packed with crops destined for gardens across Europe. With almost 100 different genera under development and around 65 million rooted young plants produced every year at the Stuttgart site alone, the scale is really, really staggering.

Subscribe now

But once you get past the “wow” factor, you quickly realise this is a business built on brilliant foundations: meticulous planning and organisation, effective systems, scientific research and decades of horticultural knowledge.

Breeding and production side by side

One thing that really impressed me was that breeding and commercial production happen on the same site.

That means breeders aren’t developing plants in isolation. They can walk straight into production and see exactly how their new varieties perform in real growing conditions. It’s a simple idea, but one that defo speeds up the whole process of refining new plants.

During my visit, one crop dominated the glasshouses: Poinsettias. Producing millions of them each year is no small task.

People often talk about automation being the future of horticulture, but it’s not quite that straightforward. With so many different species, growth habits and production techniques under one roof, fully automating everything would be hugely expensive and incredibly complicated. Instead, skilled growers remain one of Selecta one’s greatest assets.

Peat-free isn’t coming… it’s already here

One of the biggest changes happening behind the scenes is the move towards peat-free production.

Both Poinsettias and pot carnations are now being grown in peat-free substrates, and what I found particularly interesting is that breeders are selecting future varieties while growing them in peat-free compost too.

That matters because a plant that performs brilliantly in peat may behave very differently once it’s moved into an alternative growing medium.

Rather than treating all peat-free composts the same, every substrate is tested individually. In some cases, rooting has actually proved slightly faster thanks to better structure, although nutrient programmes often need adjusting.

Petunias have presented one of the biggest headaches because they’re particularly sensitive to pH levels. Fortunately, spotting that early means the breeding team can select plants that cope better with those conditions.

Breeding plants for tomorrow’s gardens

I was lucky enough to spend time with Dr Dominik Losert, who’s been breeding ornamental plants for the last decade after beginning his career with agricultural breeding of cereals and sugar beet.

He’s one of 15 breeders working across Selecta one’s international programme, with teams based in countries including Italy, France and Colombia.

The company also works closely with independent breeders, helping bring promising new genetics to market through its global network.

The largest breeding programme focuses on Dianthus, followed by calibrachoa, Poinsettia, pelargonium and petunia.

Coleus is one of the newest priorities after the team spotted opportunities to improve disease resistance and build on what’s already available, while pot chrysanthemums are also becoming increasingly important.

Around 85% of the breeding programme concentrates on bedding and balcony plants, with the remaining work focused on cut flowers at another production site.

Even seed production has become a truly international operation, often taking place across three different locations in Kenya at the same time.

Climate change is changing breeding priorities

Long ago, a lot of breeding was centred around producing prettier flowers. Well, for the most part, it’s not just about that anymore!

Increasingly, it’s about producing plants that cope with hotter summers, grow well in peat-free compost and require fewer chemical inputs.

Rather than waiting for legislation to change, Selecta one is trying to stay several steps ahead.

The compact Calibrachoa series MiniFamous® Oro (US series title: Evo) is a great example. It carries a natural dwarfing gene, reducing the need for plant growth regulators as restrictions on these products continue to tighten.

Before any variety reaches the market, it’s trialled in at least two very different climates to see how it performs under contrasting conditions.

Only the strongest candidates make it through.

Not every beautiful plant becomes a commercial success

Once breeders discover an outstanding seedling, they don’t suddenly have thousands of plants ready to sell.

In fact, everything starts with a single seedling, from which 10 cuttings are transferred to the ‘Elite’ selection to begin large-scale propagation. From there, years of testing begin.

A new variety has to root well, produce plenty of cuttings, perform consistently for commercial growers, tolerate different climates and still look fantastic when it reaches someone’s patio or flower border.

Growing a beautiful plant is one thing. Breeding one that’s commercially successful is something else entirely.

Some jobs simply can’t be skipped

Not every part of production involves cutting-edge science. Young Dianthus plants, for example, have to be de-flowered before sale.

Removing early flowers is labour-intensive, but it’s essential because open blooms increase the risk of Botrytis developing during transport. Light levels, nutrition and other environmental factors can all encourage plants to flower too early.

I also spotted one of the most impressive displays of PINK KISSES® Dianthus I’ve ever seen…

The nursery grows some plants using a clever double-stick technique, training two plants together until the flowers meet in the middle to create a full, symmetrical display. Wowzer!

Following trends without chasing them

Breeding also means keeping one eye firmly on what gardeners want.

Colour-changing flowers remain hugely popular with consumers, even though they can cause headaches in production because crops don’t always look uniform while they’re growing. Protecting these genetics can be equally challenging when colour expression varies.

Even so, these are exactly the kinds of innovations breeders can’t afford to ignore.

If one company waits too long, someone else may get there first.

Another crop attracting increasing attention is Mandevilla, which is beginning to replace pelargoniums in some markets.

Meanwhile, intellectual property continues to evolve. In Calibrachoa, for example, molecular patents are now protecting specific combinations of genetic traits, including those behind the compact, double-flowered MiniFamous® Oro series (US series title: Evo).

Sometimes the simplest solution is the best

For all the technology, laboratories and scientific expertise, one of my favourite discoveries involved... flies. Yes!! 😂🪰

Some of the controlled pollination work happens inside outdoor mesh cages where flies are released to carry pollen between carefully selected parent plants.

There were no tiny paintbrushes or robotic pollinators. Just flies buzzing about and getting on with the job. It’s super simple and effective, and probably my favourite fact from the entire visit.

After spending time with Dominik and the team, one thing became very clear. Whether they’re producing a total of 500 million cuttings a year, developing plants for a changing climate or searching for the next garden superstar, there’s no single magic ingredient.

It’s a slick combo of science, experience, curiosity and patience. And a few hardworking flies!!

Subscribe now

Grab a cold drink, and catch up on the latest below…

NEWS FLASH

Recent hot weather causes Cornwall banana plant to fruit

A banana plant growing in a garden in Cornwall has produced 24 bananas after thriving in the recent hot weather, a rare achievement in the UK. Horticultural experts say warming temperatures are making it increasingly possible for heat-loving plants such as bananas, olives and figs to flourish outdoors, although fruiting banana plants remain an unusual sight.

Find out more here.

INFLUENCER SPOTLIGHT

Fern Freud

Based in Sussex, Fern Freud founded Foraged by Fern to help others connect to the natural world through guided workshops, walks and events. On her Instagram page, she posts about the delicious dishes she’s made with foraged ingredients, her life as a forager, and tips to help you get the best out of foraging - safely and legally!

Follow Fern here.

SOCIAL NEWS

Service95 covers guerrilla gardening

Dua Lipa’s book club-turned-media-site, Service95, talks about guerilla gardening - what it is, why it’s happening, and how you can get involved.

See the post here.

PRODUCT

Plant-based ribs by Juicy Marbles

Juicy Marbles have outdone themselves with the look of their ‘Baby Ribs’, which are 100% plant-based, including the edibles bones!

Find them here.

BOOK

Gardener’s Almanac 2027: A month-by-month guide for gardening enthusiasts by Greg Loades & The National Trust

Gardener’s Almanac 2027 is a month-by-month guide packed with practical gardening advice, seasonal inspiration and helpful tips to support gardeners throughout the year. Featuring weather information, timely gardening tasks, pruning advice, houseplant care, wildlife highlights, gardening trivia and details of key garden events across the UK, it offers a comprehensive companion for making the most of every month in the garden.

Buy it here.

PLANT OF THE WEEK

Snapdragon Crackle & Pop Appleblossom

This apple blossom shade consists of lovely, soft colours that create an abundant, frothy effect thanks to the bushy habit of the plant. It’s great for containers, giving a lot of bang for its buck.

Read about this and seven more beautiful snapdragons in my latest edition of Plants You Must Grow.

DECORUM GROWER

Hofland Flowering Plants

Hofland Flowering Plants is a fifth-generation family business specialising in high-quality flowering plants, with decades of expertise in growing Schlumbergera alongside Argyranthemum, Dianthus, Lobelia, Bidens, Nemesia and Calibrachoa. By producing its own cuttings, using organic fertilisers and biological pest control, and heating its greenhouses with geothermal energy during winter, the company combines exceptional plant quality with a strong commitment to sustainable growing practices.

Find out more about them on Decorum.

WHAT TO DO NOW

Autumn Plant Fair in Highgate, London

The Autumn Plant Fair in Highgate, London, takes place on Saturday 5 September, bringing together specialist plants from Plant Heritage London and independent nurseries, alongside a selection of garden gifts. From 9.30am to 2pm, visitors can browse plants, meet fellow enthusiasts and support plant conservation, with entry costing £2.50 (free for Plant Heritage members, under-18s and those with carers).

Find out more about it here.

HORTICULTURAL TRADES ASSOCIATION

HTA launches new retail finance partnership to help members boost sales

The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) has partnered with Novuna Consumer Finance to help eligible retail members offer flexible finance on purchases over £250, including Buy Now Pay Later, interest-free and interest-bearing credit. Available online and in-store, the scheme aims to make higher-value garden purchases more accessible while helping retailers increase sales and average transaction values. The partnership is open to eligible HTA retail members with annual turnover above £500,000, with no upfront or set-up costs for the standard offer.

Read more here.

Read more

The AGM is a prestigious award bestowed upon plants, not just for their performance, but also for their hardiness in UK gardens, consistency in flowering and colour, and their availability - because who wants to be enticed by a plant that they can’t purchase anywhere??

I’m super fortunate to be one of the judges on the RHS AGM committee, which means I get to give my input on which plants are most deserving of this award!! And, this year, we’re testing out Antirrhinums, commonly called snapdragons.

They’re a cottage garden favourite… and for your dose of cottagecore, I’ve selected 8 that will magnify your meadow. There’s one for every preference, whether you want to enjoy the fragrance as a cut flower, or if you want some nice bushy types in the window box!

Dazzling Lips Pink

This variety is actually propagated by cuttings, not from seed! This suggests that the performance should be better (excellent vigour, uniformity and reliable garden performance) as the plant is sterile. Plus, get a load of that super unique, hot pink shade!

Buy it here.

Sonnet Burgundy

Talking about pinks, how about something a little darker? A little more retro! This type is best suited to cut flower use. It’s actually a very traditional hue - reminds me of the snapdragons of my youth!

Buy seeds here.

DoubleShot Peach

This is part of a series by Hem Genetics, performing very well and producing amazing fully-double, Azalea-like flowers. It’s got amazingly strong stems, and it’s surprisingly bushy in the garden - great if you’re after that abundant cottagecore look.

Buy seeds here.

Floral Showers Deep Bronze

A snapdragon that looks quite miniature when planted as above in the ground, this one is actually built for hanging baskets, but also makes great ground cover. It’s a very unique colour - like a tequila sunrise!

Available soon.

VIP subscribers can read on to find a snapdragon whivh looks like it’s covered in dozens of little butterflies, one that looks like a retro ice lolly, and one that’s absolutely perfect for containers.

Read more

Petunias have never stopped doing what gardeners ask of them. They flower for months, thrive in containers and brighten up patios, balconies and front gardens with very little fuss. While tastes have changed over the years, breeders have been busy making them even better.

Subscribe now

The new petunias with traits that will surprise you

Take the TEA™ series from Beekenkamp. If your memories involve leggy plants, sticky stems and flowers that collapsed after the first summer downpour, these varieties will come as a surprise. They’ve been bred with a naturally bushy habit, producing masses of flowers over a long season while coping really well with heat and rain. They hold their shape beautifully and continue to look fresh well into autumn.

One feature that deserves a little attention is their day-length-neutral breeding. Traditional petunias often wait for longer spring days before they flower freely. TEA™ varieties don’t have that limitation, allowing growers to produce flowering plants much earlier in the season.

For growers, that creates far more flexibility when planning production and supplying retailers. For gardeners, it means finding benches full of colourful, flowering plants much earlier in the year, ready to carry on performing once they’re planted at home.

Flower power to boot!

Then there are the flowers themselves. Deep purples, vibrant pinks, buttery yellows, crisp whites and beautifully marked blooms with delicate veining or contrasting edges give the collection plenty of personality. Whether your taste leans towards bold combinations or a softer colour palette, there’s a variety to suit.

Petunias have always been favourites for containers, but the TEA™ series performs beautifully almost anywhere. Fill a hanging basket and they’ll spill over the sides in a cascade of colour. Plant them in a patio pot and they’ll create a full, rounded display. Tuck them into a sunny border and they’ll knit everything together with months of reliable flowering.

They don’t ask for much in return, either. A sunny position, regular watering during dry spells and the occasional feed are usually enough to keep them looking their best. Modern breeding has also reduced the amount of deadheading needed, making them easier to grow than many people remember.

It’s interesting how gardening fashions come and go. Plants drift in and out of favour, only to return years later with fresh appreciation. Sometimes that’s because we’ve rediscovered their strengths. Sometimes it’s because breeders have refined them to such an extent that they’re almost unrecognisable from the varieties we grew decades ago. The TEA™ series seems a bit like that, to be honest!!

A favourite for growers and gardeners

What makes the TEA™ series particularly special is that it delivers benefits right through the supply chain.

Growers appreciate the early flowering, day-length-neutral genetics, uniform growth and dependable production. Garden centres benefit from eye-catching plants that are already in bloom when customers arrive. And gardeners enjoy months of reliable colour from plants that continue performing long after they’ve been planted.

It’s a win for everyone.

Perhaps petunias never really deserved their unfashionable reputation after all.

Subscribe now

Grab a cold drink, and catch up on the latest below…

NEWS FLASH

Lemonading: The new garden trend that almost any gardener can take on

Lemonading is an emerging garden trend that encourages gardeners to work with their outdoor space's natural strengths and imperfections rather than trying to create a flawless landscape. Inspired by the saying "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade", the approach embraces resilient planting, self-seeded flowers and wildlife-friendly habitats, helping gardens recover from challenges such as heatwaves while creating beautiful, low-maintenance spaces that support biodiversity year-round.

Find out more here.

READ NOW

I go behind the scenes at a plant lab

What does it take to keep millions of plants healthy before they reach our homes and gardens? During a behind-the-scenes tour of Selecta one’s commercial plant laboratory in Stuttgart, I discovered the extraordinary science that underpins modern plant production. From teams of crop “spotters” and 800,000 disease tests each year to DNA analysis, tissue culture and micropropagation, I’m exploring how breeders and laboratory scientists work together to preserve valuable genetics, prevent disease and ensure every new variety is healthy, stable and ready to thrive.

Read it here.

@agrotonomyThis vertical farming method allows you to grow hundreds of different crops without the use of soil. The plants are irrigated intermittently with a mineral nutrient solution for a total of just 4.8 hours per day. That means the roots spend around 80% of the time suspended in air, with direct access to oxygen. The combination of water, nutrients, and oxygen creates ideal growing conditions, allowing plants to absorb nutrients more efficiently and resulting in faster growth and larger harvests. Every crop on these towers, from leafy greens and herbs to tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and eggplants, is grown using the same mineral nutrient solution, the same dosage, and the same irrigation schedule. #farming #agriculture #gardening #hydroponics #aeroponics

Tiktok failed to load.

Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser

SOCIAL NEWS

Growing vegetables vertically - without soil!

Aeroponic vertical towers offer a soil-free way to grow hundreds of crops by suspending plant roots in air and intermittently misting them with a mineral nutrient solution for just 4.8 hours each day. This highly oxygenated growing method promotes efficient nutrient uptake, faster growth and higher yields, while using a single nutrient solution and irrigation schedule across a wide range of crops, including leafy greens, herbs, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and aubergines, making it a simple and scalable solution for productive vertical growing.

Watch here.

PRODUCT

The Lucy Table Lamp from Pooky

Originally named ‘Cabbage’, this lamp is perfect for lovers of leafy greens!

Buy it here.

BOOK

Tiny Gardens Everywhere: A History of Urban Resilience by Kate Brown

Tiny Gardens Everywhere by historian Kate Brown explores the remarkable history of urban gardens across Europe and North America, revealing how communities have transformed neglected spaces into productive, sustainable sources of food for more than 300 years. Blending history, environmentalism and social commentary, the book highlights the ingenuity of ordinary gardeners whose resourceful methods have long championed biodiversity, local food production and resilience in the face of hardship, while showing how small gardens have shaped communities and driven quiet social change.

Buy it here.

PLANT OF THE WEEK

Monstera lechleriana Variegated

Creamy-white marbling across rich green leaves, with no two leaves ever looking quite the same. As it matures and climbs, subtle perforations begin to appear, hinting at the familiar Monstera look, but defo keeping its own identity.

Read about this and four more incredible houseplants in my latest edition of Plants You Must Grow.

DECORUM GROWER

Duijn-Hove

Duijn-Hove is a family-run nursery led by the Van Duijn family, specialising in an extensive range of houseplants across two sites in the Netherlands. From Aglaonema, Sansevieria and Zamioculcas to Phalaenopsis orchids in a variety of forms, the business combines a broad product offering with added-value concepts, delivering high-quality plants grown with generations of expertise as part of the Decorum collection.

Find out more about them on Decorum.

WHAT TO DO NOW

The Award of Garden Merit Trial of Celosia

Visit RHS Wisley this summer to see a garden full of colour - it’s the Award of Garden Merit Trial of Celosia, also known as Cockscomb! This head turning plant is being trialled to assess the performance of new cultivars against well‑established varieties to determine which offer the best garden value. They will compare three main groups - Celosia cristata, Celosia plumosa and Celosia spicata - and will consider traits such as colour, form and the long flowering season.

Find out more about it here.

WHAT TO DO NOW

Family: Summer Kokedama Making at Chelsea Physic Garden

Join this fun, hands-on family workshop to discover the Japanese art of kokedama, creating your own living moss-wrapped plant sculpture inspired by the colours and textures of the summer garden. With all materials provided, children and grown-ups can explore plants together, make a kokedama to take home, and learn how to care for their creation.

Friday 7 August 2026, 2pm-3pm

£20-£25

Find out more and book here.

HORTICULTURAL TRADES ASSOCIATION

New headline sponsor announced for the APL Awards 2027

Landscapeplus has been announced as the headline sponsor of the APL Awards 2027, supporting one of the landscaping industry’s most prestigious events. The partnership will see the trade supplier of lighting, irrigation and water feature systems celebrate excellence, innovation and craftsmanship alongside the UK’s leading landscape professionals at the awards ceremony in London on 12 March 2027.

Read more here.

Read more

But growing millions of plants every year doesn’t stop Costa from introducing exciting newcomers. Alongside reliable favourites, the team continues to champion unusual foliage plants that make even the most avid collectors do a double take.

Though some of the below plants are new and not yet available to consumers, you can purchase similar houseplants direct from the grower on Costa Farms’ website.

You can read more about Costa Farms’ story in my latest episode of Beneath The Glass!

Monstera karstenianum ‘Green Galaxy’

Rather than broad leaves punctuated with dramatic holes, Green Galaxy has thick, deeply textured foliage that looks as though it's been gently crumpled by hand. Every leaf catches the light differently, creating shadows and highlights that give the plant lots of depth.

Buy it here.

Monstera lechleriana Variegated

Creamy-white marbling across rich green leaves, with no two leaves ever looking quite the same. As it matures and climbs, subtle perforations begin to appear, hinting at the familiar Monstera look, but defo keeping its own identity.

Buy it when back in stock here.

Monstera subpinnata

Instead of heart-shaped leaves, Monstera subpinnata produces elegant, feathered foliage that give tropical pal vibes. The effect is quite airy, architectural and graceful.

Give it something to climb and it’ll reward you with increasingly dramatic foliage as it matures.

Available soon.

VIP subscribers can read on to find a Scindapsus pictus that looks like it’s been brushed with silver, and a lovely marbled Monstera!

Read more

Founded in 1961 by Cuban immigrants seeking a better life in the USA, the fourth-generation family business started out growing tomatoes before spotting the huge potential of indoor plants. Today, it proudly stands as the largest grower of houseplants in the world.

During my visit, I was lucky enough to enjoy a fantastic tour with plant development expert Justin, whose passion and knowledge made every stop even more fascinating.

Subscribe now

A business on a staggering scale

The scale of Costa Farms is almost impossible to imagine. The company grows on more than 1,000 acres in South Florida and around 5,000 acres worldwide, with a stock farm in the Dominican Republic helping it maintain control over the entire production chain.

While around 90% of its business is still wholesale, Costa began selling directly to consumers in 2017, creating a closer relationship with plant lovers and gaining valuable insight into what people really want to grow in their homes.

When houseplants aren't really houseplants

One of the most surprising things I learned is that many of our favourite houseplants are simply outdoor plants in Florida. Dracaena and Sansevieria were among Costa’s first crops back in the 1960s, while Pothos grows so happily in the Florida climate that it has become semi-invasive in some areas.

Travel further north through the state and you’ll eventually reach the point where tropical houseplants become bedding and border plants instead. It certainly puts our British view of “houseplants” into perspective!

Justin also explained how houseplants have become so popular that some therapists even recommend them as part of wellbeing and mental health support.

Finding the next must-have plant

Houseplants are becoming an increasingly professional category too. Costa Farms doesn’t carry out much traditional breeding, instead relying on a dedicated plant hunter to discover exciting natural sports and mutations.

That approach led to one of its biggest successes, the spectacular White Monster Monstera, which sold through almost as quickly as it could be produced.

However, the industry is beginning to evolve, with breeders now selecting for traits such as faster finishing times and improved plant habits - small but significant improvements that mirror the sophisticated breeding seen in petunias and other bedding plants.

Justin also showed me the striking Monstera pinnatipartita (below), a wonderfully bushy and architectural species that could become a real future favourite.

Clever thinking behind every plant

Innovation extends well beyond the plants themselves. Every Monstera pot contains seven carefully rooted cuttings, creating an instantly full, premium-looking plant that really stands out on the shelf.

Meanwhile, Costa’s e-commerce operation ships an astonishing two million plants each year using an incredibly efficient, algorithm-driven system that brings plants into the warehouse only when needed before wrapping them almost immediately for dispatch.

Seeing the scale, precision and passion behind the business made it clear why Costa Farms continues to lead the way in the ever-growing world of houseplants.

Subscribe now

But there’s another part to it all that I’d somehow never experienced. Despite spending years in this industry, I’d never had a proper tour of a commercial plant laboratory. In fact, I didn’t really appreciate just how much science goes on behind the scenes to keep our favourite varieties healthy, true to type and ready for production.

Thankfully, the team at Selecta one in Stuttgart decided to change that.

Subscribe now

Hidden away behind all the colourful displays is a world of microscopes, DNA testing, tissue culture and disease detection. It’s not the sort of place most visitors ever see, but after spending time with the laboratory team, I came away with a whole new appreciation for the work that happens wayyyy before a single cutting leaves the nursery.

Every plant is being watched

Disease prevention doesn’t start in the laboratory. It actually begins thousands of miles away at Selecta one’s overseas mother stock facilities.

Teams of trained staff, known as “spotters”, spend their days walking through crops looking for anything that seems even slightly unusual. A plant that looks a bit different, grows oddly or simply doesn’t feel quite right is immediately flagged for testing.

Sometimes they can use rapid diagnostic kits that work a little like the COVID lateral flow tests we all became familiar with (once upon a time!!). They give a quick indication, but if there’s any doubt, samples head straight to the laboratory for more detailed analysis.

Nothing enters or leaves the production system without being thoroughly checked. It’s an enormous operation, but one that’s essential when you’re supplying growers all over the world.

800,000 tests... every single year

One statistic really stopped me in my tracks: the laboratory processes around 800,000 disease tests every year…!!

Depending on the crop, the team uses around 40 different diagnostic tests, with every mother stock crop routinely tested three separate times. Multiple plants are sampled from each production block, giving the highest possible confidence that everything is free from disease before it reaches commercial production.

Introducing a completely new crop isn’t just a case of breeding a nice plant either. Before production can even begin, the laboratory has to identify which diseases could become a problem and develop suitable testing methods.

And there’s another challenge: speed. Most samples arrive early in the week, and growers need answers before Friday so production schedules stay on track.

The clever colour-changing test

One of the most widely used techniques is called ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay).

That sounds a bit complicated, but the principle is actually quite simple. Rather than looking directly for the disease itself, ELISA searches for proteins associated with particular pathogens using specially matched antibodies.

A small piece of leaf is taken, crushed and mixed with the testing solution. After incubation, the results are surprisingly easy to read.

If the target disease is present, the solution turns yellow. Simple!!

It’s quick, reliable and relatively inexpensive, which makes it perfect when you’re testing hundreds of thousands of samples every year.

When DNA does the detective work

Some diseases require even greater precision, and that’s where DNA testing comes in.

Instead of looking for the plant’s response to a disease, these tests search directly for the genetic material of the pathogen itself.

Plant tissue is ground down, tiny amounts of DNA are amplified, and the results are separated on a gel so scientists can see exactly what’s there.

It’s an incredibly sensitive technique and produces results much faster than ELISA, although it’s also significantly more expensive. That’s why both systems continue to work side by side.

The room full of tiny plants

One of my favourite parts of the tour was seeing the tissue culture rooms.

Imagine shelves filled with hundreds upon hundreds of glass jars, each containing tiny plants growing inside a clear jelly.

This is micropropagation, and it’s where Selecta one preserves some of its most valuable genetics.

The jelly isn’t just jelly, of course. It’s a carefully balanced agar-based growing medium made on site, packed with nutrients, vitamins and precisely adjusted plant hormones.

Every crop has slightly different requirements, so each one has its own specialist technician looking after it.

Keeping plants alive... but stopping them growing

One thing I’d never really considered is that the laboratory actually wants these plants to slow down.

If they grow too quickly, flower or become too large, they’re much harder to maintain over long periods.

Different crops need different approaches. Some are kept under short-day lighting to discourage flowering. Others are stored at cooler temperatures to reduce growth, while some benefit from activated charcoal in the growing medium to help regulate development.

Every few months the plants are transferred onto fresh nutrient media because they’ve used up everything in the original culture.

Each variety is also stored in at least three separate cultures, just in case something goes wrong. And perhaps most importantly, older breeding lines are never thrown away. A variety that no longer has commercial value might still carry disease resistance or another useful characteristic that breeders need years from now.

In breeding, nothing is ever truly obsolete!!

Life outside the laboratory isn’t easy

Growing inside a sterile glass jar is a very comfortable life: plants have constant moisture, ready-made sugars, perfect humidity and never have to deal with wind, sunshine or dry compost. So moving them into the real world comes as something of a shock.

Although they appear to have healthy root systems, they often lack the fine root hairs needed to absorb water efficiently. Their leaves are different too, because they haven’t developed the protective waxy coating that helps reduce water loss. Without careful management, many wouldn’t survive.

The solution is to gradually “wean” them into normal growing conditions, initially covering them to maintain humidity before slowly exposing them to life outside the laboratory.

The success rate is over 95% - isn’t that amazing??!

It’s all about teamwork

One big thing I learned during my visit is that not every plant behaves itself in tissue culture. Some varieties are a lil bit awkward. Others refuse to cooperate altogether.

This is why the breeders and laboratory teams work so closely together. If a promising new variety can’t be reliably maintained or multiplied in the lab, breeders need to know early so they can adapt future breeding decisions.

It’s another reminder that bringing a new plant to market is never the work of one person or even one department… Behind every variety we buy is a massive amount of collaboration between breeders, laboratory scientists and production specialists, all beavering away behind the scenes to make sure that by the time a plant reaches our gardens, it’s healthy, stable and ready to thrive.

After finally seeing it allllll for myself, I don’t think I’ll ever look at a tray of young plants in quite the same way again.

Subscribe now

Grab a cold drink, and catch up on the latest below…

NEWS FLASH

New natural history GCSE to be introduced

The government has launched a 12-week consultation on a new Natural History GCSE, bringing the qualification a step closer to classrooms. Designed to prepare pupils for careers in growing environmental and sustainability sectors, the GCSE will cover UK habitats and wildlife, climate change, biodiversity, conservation and human impacts on the natural world. Students will also complete at least 20 hours of fieldwork, gaining practical scientific and analytical skills through hands-on study of local habitats, with the qualification expected to be introduced alongside the revised GCSE curriculum.

Find out more here.

INFLUENCER SPOTLIGHT

John (Hugo & Green)

Hailing from Brighton, John is one half of houseplant experts Hugo & Green - an independent shop in Brighton. But that’s no all you’ll see on his Instagram page. Follow him to see behind the scenes of his RHS flower show displays, workshops, plant spotlights, and more!

Follow here.

SOCIAL NEWS

Grower for a day: Duijn-Hove

As part of Decorum’s ‘Grower for a Day’ series, I head to Duijn-Hove, a family business with four locations and 10.5 hectares dedicated to a wide range of unique houseplants. This episode, I explore Cordylines, one of the most striking and versatile foliage plants in the industry, and get a first-hand look at what it really takes to meet Decorum quality standards.

Watch here.

PRODUCT

Ecoegg Bamboo Kitchen Towels

Made from 90% bamboo fibres and 10% PLA, these reusable, biodegradable towels offer a sustainable alternative to kitchen roll. Soft, highly absorbent and suitable for everything from cleaning and dusting to skincare, each sheet can be washed up to 85 times, providing up to 1,700 uses per pack while reducing waste and becoming even softer over time.

Buy them here.

BOOK

The Ethical Gardner by Thomas Rutter

This practical guide explores how gardeners of all experience levels can create greener, more sustainable outdoor spaces by working in harmony with nature. Filled with expert advice, inspiring case studies and beautifully illustrated ideas from around the world, it covers everything from seasonal planting and food forests to growing microgreens and making environmentally conscious gardening choices.

Buy it here.

PLANT OF THE WEEK

Fuchsia ‘Hawkshead’

Most people think of fuchsias as bright pink and purple dangling flowers, but ‘Hawkshead’ is one for the unconventional.

Its lovely white blooms are each tipped with a delicate splash of green. Better still, it’s one of the hardier fuchsias, so in a sheltered garden it’ll happily overwinter outdoors. It’ll flower for months on end, from summer well into autumn, and if you’re feeling adventurous, you can even grow it as an informal flowering hedge. A hedge covered in hundreds of dancing white flowers? Yes!!

This is one of a few plants I highlighted from the floral marquee at the RHS Sandringham Flower Show. See them all here.

DECORUM GROWER

Slijkerman Kalanchoe

Based in Heerhugowaard, North Holland, Slijkerman Kalanchoë is a modern family-run nursery specialising in premium Kalanchoë plants across four pot sizes. Combining automated production with in-house breeding and propagation, the team develops high-quality, long-lasting varieties with strong natural disease resistance, while maintaining a strong focus on sustainability and producing thousands of carefully grown plants each day.

Find out more about them on Decorum.

WHAT TO DO NOW

Join the Water Lily Weigh-Off

Led by Denver Botanic Gardens, this annual competition challenges public gardens and zoos around the world to see how much weight their Victoria waterlily leaves can hold. AND for the first time ever, home growers and garden centers can join in the fun!

Find out more here.

HORTICULTURAL TRADES ASSOCIATION

HTA Responds to Business Rates Announcement

The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) has welcomed the government's recognition of rising business costs but is urging ministers to extend planned business rates cuts beyond pubs, clubs and live music venues to include garden centres and other retail and leisure businesses. The HTA is also calling for a reduction in VAT for hospitality, arguing it would provide much-needed support for garden centres with cafés and restaurants, helping to drive investment, boost spending and support growth.

Read more here.

Read more

Everywhere you look there’s another nursery showing off its latest pride and joy, visitors leaving with arms full of plants they definitely hadn’t planned on buying, and exhibitors all hoping to catch the judges’ eye and head home with a medal.

This year at RHS Sandringham Flower Show was no exception. I found plenty to get excited about, but these five really stopped me in my tracks...

Fuchsia ‘Hawkshead’

Most people think of fuchsias as bright pink and purple dangling flowers, but ‘Hawkshead’ is one for the unconventional.

Its lovely white blooms are each tipped with a delicate splash of green. They seem to float through the plant rather than shout for attention, giving it an understated look.

Better still, it’s one of the hardier fuchsias, so in a sheltered garden it’ll happily overwinter outdoors. It’ll flower for months on end, from summer well into autumn, and if you’re feeling adventurous, you can even grow it as an informal flowering hedge. A hedge covered in hundreds of dancing white flowers? Yes!!

Buy it here.

Delphinium Highlander ‘Moonlight’

‘Highlander Moonlight’ is a particularly gorgeous delphinium, producing towering flower spikes packed with fully double blooms in the softest lavender-purple, each with a creamy white centre that catches your eye from across the border.

Mix it with foxgloves, peonies or roses and you’ve got a dreamy English cottage garden look. The bees won’t complain either!!

Buy it here.

Abutilon ‘Victorian Lady’

This is a bit of a hidden gem. At first glance, it looks like tiny pink carnations on the branches. But it’s an abutilon! The flowers are frilly, fully double and like nothing else you’ll find in the shrub world.

It flowers for months, from late spring through to autumn. It’s not quite hardy enough to brave every British winter, so it’ll appreciate a sheltered spot or some protection when temperatures really drop.

If you’re a collector of unusual plants, this one needs to be put on your wishlist.

Look out for it when back in stock here.

VIP readers can read on for an Echeveria that specialists seem to LOVE, and a two-toned pink dahlia that’s naturally compact…

Read more