Here’s your weekly Hort Report - the round-up of industry news, retail insights, home gardener gossip, influencer spotlights, social media news, and so much more.
Grab a cool drink, and catch up on the latest below…
NEWS FLASH
Girlguiding launch gardening badge
Girlguiding Rangers from Doncaster have helped launch Girlguiding’s brand new Gardening badge by designing and planting the ‘Girlguiding grows’ Community Cube for the RHS Flower Show Wentworth Woodhouse. Created in collaboration with the RHS, the badge encourages girls aged 14–18 to develop year-round gardening skills, embrace sustainability, and plant at home or in community spaces.
The 82nd Doncaster Rangers were the first to earn the badge after completing the activities as part of the show preparations. With research showing that 74% of girls want more opportunities to connect with nature, the initiative aims to boost access to green spaces while celebrating creativity, growth and friendship.
Read more here.
INFLUENCER SPOTLIGHT
Tamsin Westhorpe releases gardening tee
Gardener and author Tamsin Westhorpe has released a new t-shirt to celebrate the unique style of her Uncle Raymond, owner of Stockton Bury Gardens, following his appearance on Gardeners’ World in June this year.
DM her to order! Available in sizes S, M, L and XXL.
SOCIAL NEWS
Cherry Lane Garden Centres tell us how to tend it like Beckham
Inspired by David Beckham’s garden-to-table lifestyle, interest in growing your own vegetables has soared in the UK, with searches for ‘grow your own vegetables kit’ up 250% in the past month.
In response, horticultural experts from Cherry Lane Garden Centres have shared tips for late-summer planting, recommending kale, salad onions, and Swiss chard for their hardiness, flavour, and ease of growth, even in small spaces. They also highlight the benefits of greenhouses, raised beds, and containers for year-round harvests. With the right tools and know-how, Cherry Lane says, anyone can ‘tend it like Beckham’ and enjoy fresh produce from home.
Read it here.
PRODUCT
Natural Shoots
Natural Shoots produces premium wildflower seed mixes ideal for everything from pots and patios to allotments and rewilding projects, using only 100% traceable UK-sourced native seeds with 98% purity and a low carbon footprint. Seeds are packaged in upcycled paper and plastic shotgun cartridges, diverting thousands from landfill each year, and customers who return empty tubes receive a free mix in reward. Their popular 8 Species annual mix includes corn chamomile, corn marigold, cornflower, common poppy, dame’s violet, English marigold, nodding catchfly, and wild carrot, offering long-lasting, colourful blooms that boost biodiversity.
Buy it here.
BOOK
Outside In by Sean A. Pritchard
In his debut book, garden designer Sean A. Pritchard shows you how to plan a garden so that every month of the year there's something to bring indoors and display in an engaging way. From the cheery joy of early spring daffodils to the velvety richness of late-summer dahlias, the deep glow of golden autumn leaves to the optimism of late-winter catkins, Sean explains how to grow, harvest, and arrange an abundance of nature's treasure - no matter the size of your plot or your level of horticultural experience.
Buy it here.
PLANT OF THE WEEK
Apple ‘Rainbow’
Apple ‘Rainbow’ is a striking new apple tree with striped bark, gold-flecked variegated leaves, pollinator-friendly blossom, and crisp, tart, non-browning fruit in shades of red, green, and pink. Perfect for gardens or patio pots, it has won the Best Edible Award ‘Hot Off the Pottingbench’ and was nominated for the Peter Seabrook Award.
Buy it here.
WHAT TO DO NOW
See me at Bailey’s Wistow
I’ll be at Bailey’s Wistow in Leicester on 13th and 14th September at a FREE event, giving talks and live demonstrations, including an autumn planting showcase, lasagne planting, and more!
Interested? Find out more about the event and timings here.
QVC PRODUCT
YouGarden Hydrangea Magical Matterhorn in a 3L pot
Experience the beauty and elegance of the Hydrangea Magical Matterhorn from YouGarden, a stunning deciduous shrub that transforms your garden with plumes of green and white flowers in summer. This compact variety boasts cone-like white flowers that repeat-flower, making the finely serrated green leaves almost hidden. Ideal for patio pots or smaller garden spaces, its long, straight stems are perfect for vase displays, adding a touch of nature indoors.
Find out more here.
HORTICULTURAL TRADE ASSOCIATION
The Garden Centre Association has launched its 97th Garden Retail Online Workshop (GROW) course
Focusing on herbaceous plants, to help plant area teams boost their knowledge and inspire customers, the course is available to GCA and Horticultural Trades Association members. It covers this popular and versatile plant group, which is a key sales driver for garden centres. GROW, a non-profit online training platform with over 12,000 users and 97 expert-written courses, offers flexible, year-round learning on horticulture, customer service, food safety, regulated sales, and health and safety, with all surpluses reinvested into its development.
Find out more.