The Hort Report: 9th May 2025
World Naked Gardening Day, open gardens, and more!
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 hot drink, and catch up on the latest below…
NEWS FLASH
Iris open garden in Fife
If you love iris flowers, you’ll love to step into the gardens of Pamela Ferns, a National Collection Holder of Iris series Sibiricae and Iris (Siberian) with RHS AGM. Running from Friday 6th June through to Monday 9th of June between 10am and 2pm in Fife, the visits are by appointment only.
Interested? Find out more here.
INFLUENCER SPOTLIGHT
Katja
An anthurium and begonia collector, Katja’s collection of exotic houseplants is enviable - as is her indoor greenhouse, which I’m sure any millennial plant parent would die to possess 👀
Follow @botanicalkatja on Instagram.
SOCIAL NEWS
World Naked Gardening Day
If you missed it, it was World Naked Gardening Day last weekend! This saw gardeners the world over, sans clothes, out in their gardens enjoying nature as intended. Luckily, this year saw some warmer weather than in previous years!
PRODUCT NEWS
Hand-made copper daffodils
Miss the sight of these early spring flowers in your garden? Now they can be a permanent fixtures with these beautiful handmade copper daffodil stakes from Copper And Green!
Buy them here.
HOME GARDENER PLANT OF THE WEEK
Labisia ‘Turtle Back’
This is a rare and striking houseplant with deep green, textured leaves that resemble the pattern of a turtle’s shell. Its compact growth habit and unique foliage are perfect for lovers of unusual and exotic plants!
Find it at Urban Tropicana.
BOOK
The New Romantic Garden by Jo Thompson
This book by renowned garden designer Jo Thompson showcases thirty beautifully planted gardens that blend traditional English design with modern, ecologically conscious principles. With a focus on biodiversity and sustainable practices, Thompson offers ideas for creating romantic yet naturalistic spaces that work with, rather than against, nature. Featuring hundreds of colour photographs and themed case studies, the book provides practical inspiration for gardeners seeking vibrant, atmospheric gardens rooted in contemporary environmental awareness.
Buy it here.
WHAT TO DO NOW
Open garden in Denbigh, Wales
The Laundry Garden, a Georgian walled garden in Debigh, Wales is hosting an open garden event from 24th to 26th May, where there will be plant sales, stalls, ice cream and homemade teas, with the aim of raising money for the Alzheimer’s Society. No need to book, just turn up!
Find out more here.
QVC PRODUCT PICK
Thompson & Morgan Clematis Giant Flowered Duo
Create a dazzling display with the Clematis Giant Flowered Duo, complete with a tower pot. This perfect pair of climbing shrubs emerge in the early summer and double as the season progresses, giving you a vivid, intertwined display of pink and purple blooms. Fully hardy, they're ideal for covering walls and fences with a wash of colour, but are compact enough to thrive in patio containers and cottage garden borders, where they'll get bigger and better every year.
Buy it here.