HortWeek Podcast

For about a decade, former ad man Dan Parker decided to deploy his marketing talents for the good of the nation's youth. Veg Power was the result and their campaigns have been a phenomenal success, leading to an estimated 1.4 billion extra portions of vegetables being bought over a three year period. In this week's HortWeek Podcast, Veg Power CEO Dan Parker reveals the thinking behind the...

While one aspect of the peat-free debate has sparked fierce argument, surprisingly little rigorous science exists to settle it. "Is peat-free growing media really more 'sustainable' than using peat? Alexander Sentinella is Growing Media Europe director of science, and his new study provides the first scientifically grounded dataset on the environmental impact of the main raw materials...

In this special series, HortWeek columnist and garden industry consultant Neville Stein brings his Whatever Happened To... feature to the HortWeek podcast, exploring the stories and legacies of once-great horticulture businesses. In this episode Stein speaks to Richard Burt, sales director at Provender Nurseries, to take a deep dive into the precipitous rise, and ultimate demise of Coblands Nurser...

"Modern day plant hunter" Rod Richards or New World Plants has banked decades of experience in bringing plants to market and knowing what works. Richards tells the HortWeek Podcasts what makes a good plant introduction and reflects on some of his own successes, for instance Dicentra 'Gold Heart', Salvia 'Amistad' and Iberis 'Masterpiece' as well Geranium 'Blac...

This September, Northern Roots launched the first phase of what will become the UK's largest urban farm and eco-park, transforming 160 acres of underused land in Oldham into a visitor destination, community resource and living testbed for tackling some of the country's biggest social and environmental challenges. Anna Da Silva, chief executive of Northern Roots, outlines how the project is...

Jamie Butterworth has gained a higher media profile in recent years with stints on TV presenting for RHS Chelsea Flower Show and Gardeners' World. Despite his growing TV presence, Butterworth considers himself a gardener first and foremost, and by trade, a specialist grower of peat-free plants. The UK horticulture sector's transition to peat-free growing has been underway for decades. Howe...

As party conference season gets underway, and a new PM starts his tenure in earnest, HortWeek takes stock of where UK politicians stand on horticulture policy.  MP Ben Goldsborough, has been vocal on horticulture issues since winning the Parliamentary seat for South Norfolk for the Labour Party in 2024 and was recently elected to the EFRA Parliamentary committee. He has a horticulture pedigre...

This week HortWeek editor Matt Appleby and technical editor Sally Drury tackle the following topics: Four Oaks Trade Show : winning plants and products Peat-free panel update And HortWeek's plant-identification game which launched at Four Oaks and is taking the YPHA by storm, Hortle.life - how many can you score? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Diversification and multiple income streams is the name of the game for garden centres looking to future proof their businesses. One such income stream could be electric car charging and this week's guest on the HortWeek Podcast believes tapping this rapidly expanding market is the perfect way to "make existing space work harder commercially. ElectRoad is an independent electric vehicle charging n...

Brendan Howell, ICL's sales development manager for professional horticulture Ireland, speaks about the local horticulture market. its challenges, and what ICL offers to solve them. Howell is based in ICL’s expanding growing media factory in Portlaoise, County Laois, Ireland. He brings 18 years of experience in the professional horticulture market, having previously worked at Bord na Móna and offe...

This week HortWeek (Horticulture Week, Horticultural Trade Journal, GC & HTJ and Gardener's Chronicle) is celebrating its 185th birthday. HortWeek editor Matt Appleby (with the title since 2003) and technical editor Sally Drury (who joined in 1982) reflect on this long history, the landmark changes in the publication, but also the huge shifts in the horticulture industry that have happened sin...

Our guest on this week's HortWeek Podcast is CEO of one of the biggest players across both ornamentals and fruit production in the UK. Matt Jarrett, the group CEO at Greosn unpacks the group's rapid expansion, from his roots in the ornamental sector (Newey) and ethical labour (Proforce) to running a £400m powerhouse in the UK fruit and ornamental markets. Jarrett details Greosn’s recent acquisitio...

Richard Lawton and Neville Stein are celebrating a combined 100 years in horticulture this year and both are trustees of horticulture charity Perennial. They talk about changes in horticulture, challenges facing horticulturists now and the services Perennial offers horticulture in this moving podcast. Lawton, ex-Hillier, speaks about the challenges of seasonal work, physical injury, isolation and...

In the latest HortWeek podcast, editor Matt Appleby speaks with Andy Mills, head gardener at Blenheim Palace. Since August 2022, Mills has led a 10-year restoration of Blenheim’s 90-acre gardens. He reveals how his team is balancing 300 years of horticultural heritage with the realities of a changing climate. The renovation has also thrown up unexpected surprises and discoveries. Partly due to a s...

In this week's episode Sue Payne, MD of Q&S Commercial Landscaping, and Alison Benjamin of Urban Bees explore the shift toward chemical-free landscaping and the vital role of sustainable, pollinator-friendly habitats in urban spaces, such as Battersea Power Station. Rather than viewing natural landscapes as "messy," they argue for a cultural shift toward embracing naturalistic designs. This ap...

HortWeek editor Matt Appleby, A-Level student William Appleby and technical editor Sally Drury report on the essential horticulture stories of the week. Topics this week: Peat-free hits the national press Are garden centres pricing themselves into slower plant sales? Matt's week on the road with word from Fruit Focus, Ball Colegrave's Summer Showcase, Floral Fantasia at Hyde Hall and the Green Ita...

In this episode of the HortWeek Podcast , Matt Appleby speaks to Sara Blair-Manning to discuss the ambitious Growing Our Green Heritage project at the Birmingham Botanic Gardens. Facing the dual challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss, Blair-Manning outlines the transformative £25 million “Growing Our Green Heritage” project, aimed at restoring the historic venue while ensuring 21st-cen...

HortWeek editor Matt Appleby, prospective horticulturist Douglas Newbery and technical editor Sally Drury report on the essential horticulture stories of the week. Topics for this week: National Plant Show product highlights including pre and post-biotics for soil health, a marvellous mulch and a child-size garden centre trolley. Promising news from Aeroplas pot and tray company  An early loo...

This week the tables are turned on Matt Appleby as he guests on The Plant Based Podcast where he fields probing questions from HortWeek columnist and horticulture influencer Michael Perry (aka Mr Plant Geek) and horticulturist, floral designer, broadcaster and author Ellen Mary. Topics up for discussion Has RHS Chelsea Flower Show become too much about spectacle and not enough about gardening? Pea...

Lord Heseltine tells the story of the birth of the European Space Agency. Why post-Apollo, when the US was spending £1.2 billion a year on space, the whole of Europe was spending just £200 million. Why the birth of ESA was driven by the self-interest of three major countries. Why the US general with a $29 billion budget for the Star Wars project wanted to invest in Heriot-Watt University in Edinbu...

HortWeek editor Matthew Appleby discusses the 2026 salaries report on the HortWeek Podcast with Fresh Horticultural Careers director Viki Halkett and Haymarket Recruitment marketing manager Vishnu Kannan. Higher-paid roles are becoming more common across the horticulture sector, as employers respond to rising costs and changing demand. New HortWeek research, drawing on internal sample data from jo...

HortWeek editor Matt Appleby and technical editor Sally Drury report on the essential horticulture stories of the week. Topics for this week: Sports pitches including at and the football World Cup The National Plant Show , new plant awards and Dutch FlowerTrials. Recent business changes such as at Hortipak and Opperman Plants. Finally, Sally and Matt reflect on the recent deaths of John Ravenscrof...

This HortWeek podcast discusses new plant awards with HTA horticulture manager Pippa Greenwood, Frank P Matthews' director Steph Dunn James and Hillier production and amenity director Adam Dunnett. The National Plant Show is at Stoneleigh on 17-18 June. Grower of the Year awards are presented on 24 September with new categories "for every grower there is". Deadline is 3 July. Greenwood said awards...

HortWeek editor Matthew Appleby is joined by Simon Conway and Richard Hopkins to discuss the impact of recent geopolitical events on the fresh-produce sector, covering: Investment and growth Expansion efforts Market challenges Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

HortWeek editor Matthew Appleby is joined by Martin Emmett, Ali Capper. Simon Conway and Richard Hopkins to discuss the impact of recent geopolitical events on the fresh-produce sector, covering: Energy prices Fertiliser supply Increased input costs Impact on produce pricing Future outlook Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.