HortWeek Podcast

LUC managing director Jon Grantham is clear about the two biggest challenges facing his firm. "We need more people with the right skills" he says adding the skills shortage is a huge challenge for LUC and most horticultural businesses. But the second and "overriding priority" is "the role we play in tackling the climate and ecological crisis". Grantham outlines LUC's strategy on both of these in t...

Michael Perry, aka Mr Plant Geek, is one of the best known names in gardening. He spent a decade at Thompson & Morgan in product development and is now ubiqutuous on TV, social media and at conferences promoting new plants. Michael talks about his new book Hortus Curious, with it's catfishing plants, how he broke out of the trade into TV-land and how having good sector connections helps him wi...

HortWeek editor Matthew Appleby speaks to Jeff Colegrave, Nicole Higginson and Neil Gow, all trustees of the Colegrave Seabrook Foundation. The former David Colegrave Foundation was set up in 1993, in memory of seedsman David Colegrave. During his career, David took a keen interest in supporting and promoting the development of young people, and it was with this in mind that the foundation was lau...

Ground Control's biodiversity manager, Jack Potter is under no illusion: "The UK is one of the most nature depleted areas in the world...at a tipping point of environmental collapse so this is a really critical time in history where every single scrap of habitat..is absolutely critical. We are in a real crisis right now." So how can a landscape maintenance company like Ground Control often contrad...

"Frustrated farmer", environmental scientist and Amenity Forum executive officer Peter Corbett is working on the frontline of the crop protection industry "hoping making sure politicians legislate in a way that you still have freedom to operate". From glyphosate to neonicotinoids, battles are being waged worldwide in courtrooms, governments and in the court of public opinion, and Corbett says...

Sally Drury's lifelong journey in horticulture began in tragic circumstances when she took on the family garden after her father died in a road traffic accident. After studying at Reading University and a dissertation on horticulture and the Common Market, she got the attention of judge and HortWeek editor Jim Deen who asked her to work for the title - and the rest is history. Turf is Drury's favo...

The big idea for this week's guest, Natural England chair Tony Juniper, is 'nature recovery'. His remit covers promoting the benefits of green corridors including adaptation to climate change and flood risk as well as public well-being and carbon capture. "One of the most important shifts in the discussion over the last ten years has been a move away from this idea that in order to grow the econom...

On its way to net zero, Nurture Group’s head of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) Criteria – Gordon Whyte speaks about the company's journey on this week’s podcast. Speaking about how Nurture’s grounds maintenance teams balance the needs of the clients against the needs of the planet, Whyte explains that though they are governed by their customers' needs, they need to sell a greener...

HTA president Boyd Douglas-Davies and chairman James Barnes speak about the upcoming HTA conference on 13 September at Birmingham ICC. The conference will look at future trends and present the challenges and opportunities facing the UK’s horticulture industry by exploring areas such as the retail revolution, consumer insights, what garden design will look like nationally and globally in 2030. On t...

Paolo Arrigo of Seeds of Italy, London-based importer of Franchi Seeds for more than 20 years, has been outspoken on Brexit and has been a pioneer in bringing aid to Ukraine. Here he tells HortWeek editor Matthew Appleby about his views on importing in the post-Brexit and Covid era as well as his mission to the warzone in Ukraine, putting them in the context of his business. Arrigo says although g...

Flowers From the Farm co-chair Meg Edmonds runs the the Roots Family Farm Shop with her husband Will, part of their diversified organic farm business based in Worcestershire for some 20 years. In 2017 they returned to the cut flowers market and she talks about how she is facing water storage challenges presented by climate change as well as how to expand in the tricky post-lockdown period: "There...

Garden Connect creates online solutions to connect garden centres with their customers - websites, webshops and loyalty programmes and Meijer is helping organise the International Garden Centre Association Congress, held in the Netherlands from August 28-September 2. Meijer speaks about how his business grew in lockdown as retailers moved online and the differences between Netherlands an...

Sam Rivers, ICL Technical Controls Manager and Sean Loakes, Syngenta Ornamentals Technical Manager speak about spray application in this podcast. They talk about the benefits to growers getting a spray right how to do that including the effect does pressure have on droplet size, why is boom height over the crop is important and the effect of forward speed when making an application. Rivers gives e...

This week director of garden products show SOLEX Gina Hinde tells us what we can expect from the show and how the industry is dealing with inflation, oversupply, and setting prices. Numbers for SOLEX are at similar levels to 2019, SOLEX’s last in-person exhibition and this year features include a BBQ masterclass with Marcus Bawdon who will be joined by a 'Masterchef'. Hinde says: "Off the back of...

British Summer Fruits has rebranded as British Berry Growers and chairman Nick Marston tells the HortWeek podcast why there could be record consumption this year. Wimbledon tennis and campaigns for raspberries and Love Fresh Berries month will help boost sales in July. British berries remain an affordable treat, with sales doubling in a decade, he says. But the National Food Strategy's l...

Interior landscaper and plant stylist Ian Drummond has been at the forefront of the indoor plants revival in recent years. He was one of the owners who sold Indoor Garden Design to Nurture Landscapes in 2021. He's now set up on his own as Ian Drummond Botanical Design and is also consulting for Nurture. He discusses Elton John's parties and his neon pink macrame hanging houseplant studio complete...

Southern Trident CEO Steve Harper talks Glee new products, carbon neutrality, the extending Responsible Sourcing Scheme, increasing prices for growing media and about future legislation. Southern Trident is a UK company with strong roots in India specialising in coir based growing medium and homewares, and operates the brands Coco & Coir and Harmony Gardens. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priv...

A strategic and conceptual landscape consultant who works in diverse landscapes around the world, Kim Wilkie explains what a landscape-led approach means: "I think [there's] a bit of confusion about what landscape-led means. For me it's looking at the soil, the topography, the way that water has formed the shape of the land, and then also understanding of human history and the stories to go a...

Landscapers are not getting the recognition they deserve, and have more of a hand in garden designs than many realise, says Keys Landscape Construction owner, TV consultant and builder of an award-winning Chelsea Flower Show garden, Rupert Keys: "When you see it on TV they always mention the designer and they never mention the contractor and I think that really needs to change" Concerned about the...

Having designed gardens for 20 years, Lynne Marcus was appointed the chair of the Society of Garden Designers in 2006.  Marcus tells the HortWeek podcast about how she has had to adapt the way she designs gardens to adapt to the effects of climate change. She also touches upon how clients are responding, advising on how to lead them to make sustainable choices.  As well as some of her fa...

Fargro managing director Richard Hopkins discusses the environmental footprint of growing, focusing on sustainability and challenges in the field of crop protection and renewals of active ingredients. He sums up changes at the business, which has supported growers for more than 75 years, and speaks frankly about challenges presented by increased energy costs the industry is seeing....

Lifelong horticulturist Adrian Evans left Britain a little over 20 years ago to make a life in Finland. Evans tells the Horticulture Week podcast about his journey from trying to plant sausages at the age of four to becoming Finland's 'British gardener', horticulturist, columnist and TV gardening personality in the Nordics and beyond. He talks about adapting to gardening in a cold climate, with a...

Wildflower Turf founder James Hewetson Brown tells HortWeek editor Matthew Appleby about the soilless growing system that has transformed the concept of turf growing. He outlines all the ways to establish wildflowers and how they help to boost species diversity in our green spaces and the other functions they help deliver. These include health and well-being, low maintenance, soil stability, carbo...

Louisa Mansfield is project manager for Future Gardeners, which works to give participants the skills needed to start a career in horticulture, particularly young people and those who might not have qualifications.  Mansfield tells the Horticulture Week Podcast where she believes the industry can help overcome the skills shortage in horticulture, from raising salaries and offer more training,...

ICL's Sam Rivers and Andrew Wilson talk vine weevils, a timely topic since the withdrawal of Exemptor with its active ingredient thiacloprid in 2021 means there are fewer options for growers to get rid of this destructive pest.  They give us an introduction to vine weevil and its life cycle and Wilson explains why the pest is becoming more of a problem. Solutions for controlling vin...