The Underground

In this episode Kate and Phil sit down with Steve Harper from Southern Trident and Matt Bryant from Harvest Pet Products. Harper discusses the benefits of coir, a sustainable alternative to peat, and shares updates on Southern Trident’s award-winning products. Bryant talks about Harvest’s journey from a family pet shop to a major wild bird food supplier and their focus on supporting biodiversity in British gardens. Both guests delve into the environmental challenges and opportunities within their industries. Harper offers insights into sourcing coir responsibly and reducing carbon footprints, while Bryant highlights Harvest’s commitment to wild bird welfare and their recent initiatives to engage consumers with eco-friendly bird care. Southern Trident: https://southerntrident.com/ Harvest Pet Products: https://www.harvestpetproducts.com/https://www.harvestpetproducts.com/ Discover more about our hosts: Kate Turner: ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.gardenerguru.co.uk⁠⁠⁠ Phil Wright: ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.wrightobara.com

What’s the one change you’d most like to see in garden retail over the next five years? At Glee 2025, we put that question to all 20 of our guests who joined us in The Underground podcast booth – from garden centre owners and suppliers to marketeers, educators and innovators. The result is a sharp, hopeful snapshot of where the garden sector wants to head next. In this compilation episode you’ll hear from voices including:Amy and Libby Stubbs (British Garden Centres), Kate Ebbens (Woodlodge), Michael Perry (Mr Plant Geek), Boyd Douglas-Davies, Peter Burks (GCA), Nigel Thompson (Sipcam Home and Garden), Helen Thomas and Simon Taylor (Empathy), Steve Harper (Grass Gains & Responsible Sourcing Scheme), Vanessa Cranford (Spring Marketing), Aaron Rudman-Hawkins (The Evergreen Agency), Barry Knight (The Full Range), Kaz Edwards (Heart of Eden) Dan Durston and Simon Blackhurst (Durstons), Nat Boynton and Meg Warren-Davis (YPHA), Tony Kersey (GIMA), Paul Oliver (the Urban Nature Store) Rev Dave Walker (Birleymoor Garden Centre), Belle Richardson (Seal Stop) and Paul Pleydell (Pleydell Smithyman). Themes that keep coming up:Attracting younger and more diverse customers into garden centres and horticulture. Better education and funded training for new entrants and shop-floor teams. Peat-free growing media, soil health and biofertilisers becoming the norm. Smarter use of digital, AI and ecommerce to support modern customer journeys. Stronger sustainability standards, water-saving innovation and support for independents at the heart of local communities. If you’re a garden retailer, supplier or brand marketer, this is a 360-degree view of the sector’s hopes, frustrations and priorities as we look towards 2030.⁠Discover more about our hosts:Kate Turner: ⁠www.gardenerguru.co.uk⁠Phil Wright: ⁠www.wrightobara.com

The science of plant nutrition is moving fast, and it is reshaping everything from peat-free compost to profit margins on the shop floor. In this Glee 2025 special, Phil and Kate sit down with Steve Harper, MD of Grass Gains and Chair of the Responsible Sourcing Scheme, and then with Simon Taylor and Helen Thomas from Empathy, Plantworks, to explore what comes next for lawn care, plant feeds and bio-fertilisers in garden retail. Steve explains how Grass Gains is bringing professional-grade lawn products and a new peat-free specific plant food, Bloom, into the consumer market, why excess potassium is sabotaging plant performance in peat-free, and how challenger brands can use social media and TikTok lives to build demand and push back against “blocked out” categories on the shelves. Simon and Helen then lift the lid on Empathy’s latest bio-fertilisers and plant-specific feeds, from RootGrow to the new Green Room houseplant range, all designed with soil biology and peat-free compost in mind. They share how mycorrhizal fungi and beneficial bacteria are moving from agriculture into home gardening, how their virtual advice assistant Emily uses AI to support staff and consumers, and why clever attachment selling on the till can meaningfully lift basket spend without cannibalising other lines. In this episode, we cover:Why soil health, not just NPK, is the real foundation of resilient plants in a peat-free worldHow Grass Gains is positioning as a challenger brand through product quality, format and social media, rather than big-budget advertisingThe peat-free transition: where the Responsible Sourcing Scheme is now, and what a new quality mark could mean for retailers and consumersThe rise of bio-fertilisers: mycorrhizal fungi, beneficial bacteria and what they can do for garden centre customersEmpathy’s new product development, packaging and in-store attachment strategies that increase average basket valueHow AI advice tools like Emily can support, not replace, expert staff on the shop floor If you work in the garden sector and want to understand where plant nutrition, soil health and attachment selling are heading next, this episode is for you. Subscribe to The Underground and visit theunderground.fm to get new episodes and sector insights straight to your inbox.

Recorded live on the show floor at Glee 2025, this episode of The Underground discovers how the garden sector is nurturing innovation, supporting newcomers and helping customers navigate a changing retail landscape.Phil and Kate first sit down with Tony Kersey, Membership Ambassador at GIMA, to explore why the trade association is seeing record growth, how it is supporting over 200 members, and what smaller suppliers really need to know to make the most of a show like Glee. Tony shares how the supplier–retailer relationship is evolving, the rise of marketplace and e-commerce teams, and why collaboration is now critical for bringing “newness” and sustainability to market.On the Evergreen Garden Care stand, Jude and Nick talk about the buzz at this year’s show, the 2026 relaunch of Miracle-Gro on TV, and why garden brands must do more to educate consumers, simplify complex categories like controls and weedkillers, and help garden centres bring new gardeners into the category with confidence.Finally, Phil and Kate are joined by Belle Richardson, radiographer-turned-inventor and founder of Seal Stop, winner of the GIMA Seed Corn Fund 2025. Belle shares the story behind her water-saving valve, why British manufacturing and durability matter, and how she is working with water companies and the leisure sector to tackle water waste without greenwashing.Perfect listening for garden brands, suppliers and retailers planning their next season, and their next big idea.Tony Kersey: http://gima.org.ukBelle Richardson: http://sealstop.co.uk

Garden centres aren’t just about plants anymore. Recorded live at Glee 2025, Phil & Kate sit down with Paul Pleydell of Pleydell Smithyman and Barry Knight of The Full Range to unpack how experience, smart design and a considered food offer can lift margins, smooth seasonality and win younger families. From “make it better before you make it bigger” to being famous for something (yes, even a lemon meringue pie a foot high), this episode is packed full of ideas for teams who want their site to be talked about for the right reasons.GuestsPaul Pleydell — Director, Pleydell Smithyman, design & business consultants for the garden and rural sector.Barry Knight — Director, The Full Range, food procurement & consultancy serving 50+ independent garden centres.What you’ll learn:Experience first: If a customer can’t finish the sentence, “I went to your garden centre and guess what…”, you’ve not created a memorable visit. Make signature moments people want to share.Food as a profit engine: Why cafés and food halls boost dwell time, attract younger families, and should lead your site’s highest margins, when the offer is right.Be famous for something: From giant scones to a stand-out “signature dish,” create a hook that earns word-of-mouth.Data over guesswork: Use EPOS and management accounts to prune the tail, reset ranges and protect profit - low CapEx, high impact.Weather-proofing revenue: To flatten peaks and troughs.Independent edge: How local agility, attention to detail and service can outclass chain buying power on value felt by customers.Perfect forOwners, directors and managers in independent garden centres; teams planning refurbishments; anyone growing hospitality, food hall or café performance.Enjoy the episode, and if it sparks an idea, share it with your team and tag us.

Recorded at Glee 2025, Phil Wright and Kate Turner sit down with Lee Connelly, the Children’s Gardening Coach (formerly Skinny Jean Gardener), and Nigel Thompson, Sales & Marketing Director at Sipcam Home & Garden, to explore how the trade can engage families, support schools, and modernise product ranges for today’s consumer. Expect practical ideas for garden centres, insight on brand-building as a challenger, and new product thinking across outdoor and houseplant care. What you’ll hearSchool gardening at scale: Lee’s 2025 tour reached 10,000 children in a single week across 30 schools, sparking classroom-to-home participation and long-term follow-up with teachers. He argues for sustained brand investment in primary as well as secondary to seed future gardeners and employees. Making garden centres true family destinations: low-cost activities that create reasons to dwell, learn and buy—without feeling like a “kids’ corner” bolt-on. Greener gardening in practice: Nigel outlines Sipcam’s focus on ecofective®, simplifying purchase and sell-through for retailers while keeping efficacy front and centre.Challenger brand mindset: why being smaller enables creative risk-taking, sharper points of difference, and faster iteration. From activation to legacy: how Sipcam partnered with Lee (30 schools supported in total, with the team volunteering locally) to prioritise impact over quick-win influencer content. GuestsLee Connelly — The Children’s Gardening Coach. Campaigning to get gardening into the curriculum and designing joyful, memorable experiences that stick with kids and teachers. https://www.childrensgardeningcoach.co.ukNigel Thompson — Sales & Marketing Director, Sipcam Home & Garden. Steering ecofective®, Fito and Get Off with a “greener gardening” strategy and a challenger’s eye for distinctive propositions. https://www.sipcamhg.co.uk

This episode takes on a distinctly international feel: once again at Glee 2025, Phil and Kate sit down with two voices from opposite sides of the Atlantic who share a common mission: get more people excited about nature, and make it easier for retailers to serve them brilliantly.First up, Michael Perry (Mr Plant Geek) explains why he now calls himself a plant promoter, what makes a plant “promotion-worthy,” and the nine trend pillars he’s been touring the halls with: from “Go green or go lean” to “Hedges & Wedges” (living mulch done right). He also spotlights curiosities from his Future Plants display: conifers with character, fragrance-forward bedding, and the odd show-stopping black dahlia.Then we switch gears to Paul Oliver, founder of The Urban Nature Store in Toronto, who shares a retailer’s view on category expansion and community: bird seed as the weekly staple, complemented by gifts, books, optics, kids’ kits, and in-store walks that turn shoppers into a social club. He unpacks why his team is diversifying away from US-centred supply in favour of partners with predictable landed costs, highlighting opportunities for UK and European brands that can ship reliably to Canada and evidence robust sustainability credentials.There’s also a brief check-in with Gardenex on exporting support and the ever-popular Meet the Buyer sessions at Glee. If you’re a brand, buyer, or garden centre operator, this episode is packed with practical pointers on product selection, trend-led merchandising, sustainability signalling, and cross-channel content that actually reaches customers.What you’ll learn:How “plant promotion” differs from plant hunting or influencing, and the criteria Michael uses to spot winners consumers and growers will love.Nine trend themes to watch at retail: efficiency for growers, wildlife value, flowering longevity, houseplant “royalty,” patio-shade lovers, and living-mulch groundcovers.Range curation ideas: conifers with personality, scented patio performers, Agastache vs lavender, and talking-point novelties that drive footfall.Retail experience as a growth engine: why adding gifts, books, socks, toys and seasonal promotions increases average basket around the bird seed staple.Supply-chain strategy for 2025–26: mitigating tariff volatility, leveraging UK–Canada trade, and what Canadian buyers need from UK/EU suppliers (clear logistics pathways, landed-cost clarity, proof-points on sustainability).Community building that converts: seniors’ days, guided walks, and family-friendly kits that turn casual visitors into loyal advocates.Michael Perry: http://mrplantgeek.substack.comPaul Oliver: http://urbannaturestore.caJoe Denham: https://www.gardenex.com⁠Discover more about our hosts:Kate Turner: ⁠www.gardenerguru.co.uk⁠Phil Wright: ⁠www.wrightobara.com

This episode pays homage to the support systems that make horticulture special. Phil Wright and co-host Kate Turner talk with Nat Boynton and Meg Warren-Davis from YPHA about practical ways the community invests in young professionals: from bursaries and employer-backed time to train, to sponsors and partners who step in when it matters. Then Kaz Edwards (Heart of Eden) shares how the trade rallied when she was made redundant, opening doors within weeks and proving why this sector’s people-first culture is its superpower. In this episode:The power of backing young talent: YPHA’s Launch Success journey, bursary support, and a new winter skills programme with Barclays to teach real-world commercial skills (interviews, business plans, reading a balance sheet). Call-outs for operational allies to help scale the next cohort. Employers stepping up: How companies co-funded and released staff for nine training days, with Colegrave Seabrook Foundation support, because investing in people reduces churn and strengthens the whole sector. Community in action: From an initial “not our priority” response to industry champions stepping in: sponsorships, retailers, trainers and mentors who turned an idea into impact.When careers wobble, people catch you: Kaz describes the shock of redundancy and the flood of messages, referrals—even from competitors—that swiftly led to her role at Heart of Eden. Practical advice: be bold, ask for help, this industry will respond. Collaborating on peat-free confidence: Why manufacturers and retailers must partner on education and POS, and how schemes like Responsible Sourcing help the whole category move forward together. www.ypha.org.ukheartofeden.co.uk

Recorded on the show floor at Glee 2025, Phil & Kate sit down with Peter Burks, Chief Executive of the Garden Centre Association (GCA), and Boyd Douglas-Davies (The Boyd Partnership; Chair of Greenfingers) for a rapid pulse-check on garden retail: what’s working now, what’s changing, and where the next wins are. Expect practical takeaways on merchandising, training, social media, and turning your centre into a community hub—plus a Greenfingers update straight from Floral Thursday.What we coverMerchandising that moves product. What retailers can learn from the best Glee stands; why simple, instructional POS matters (especially in Ferts & Chems); and how “show it like you’ll sell it” translates back in-store.Trading picture 2025. A rocket-fuelled spring, a heat-hit summer, and how non-gardening categories - catering, gifts, food halls - propped up performance. Plus the squeeze from labour and NI costs hitting service levels.Skills & education. GCA’s Grow e-learning (now 98 courses) and the push for better product knowledge on the shopfloor, from peat-free watering/feeding to translating supplier science into customer-friendly advice. Brands + retailers = two-pronged training.On the Glee floor. Plants return to the Green Heart; quality over volume at the show fringes; packaging clarity for first-time gardeners; useful gift lines (hello, watering-can envy); and smart merchandising solutions that could merit future awards.Greenfingers now. From “pretty” to therapeutic hospice gardens, public-facing shows driving awareness, next-level maintenance via garden advisors, a £400k project at Hope House (Shropshire), and why Floral Thursday matters.Why listenIf you’re a buyer, marketer or operator in garden retail, this episode is a compact field guide to 2025 priorities: sharpen the sell-through, upskill slimmer teams, make digital count, and turn footfall into belonging.PlusFloral Thursday vibes, a shout to YPHA’s student of the year, and a nudge to support Greenfingers’ next chapter. Subscribe, share with your team, and join our mailing list at theunderground.fm for new episodes and sector insight.GCA: http://www.gca.org.ukThe Boyd Partnership: http://theboydpartnership.co.ukGreenfingers Charity: http://greenfingerscharity.org.uk/Discover more about our hosts:Kate Turner: www.gardenerguru.co.ukPhil Wright: www.wrightobara.com

Evergreen Garden Care’s UK & Ireland Marketing Director, Karen Wilkinson, joins Phil and Kate to unpack Evergreen’s new five-year category vision, how better education can unlock growth, and what it really takes to build a brand that earns shopper trust. Expect practical takeaways for suppliers and retailers ahead of Glee.Inside Evergreen’s category visionKaren explains how the team stepped back after a tough season to map long-term category growth, identifying over £152m of incremental upside if the industry attracts new shoppers and helps existing gardeners do more, spend smarter, and trade up where value is clear.The 5 category drivers at a glance:Your Journey Begins: win new gardeners at key life stages, for example moving home, getting a pet, having children or retiring. Even a 1–2% increase in gardeners could add £40m+ over five years. Next Project Inspiration: nudge current gardeners to try something new each year, from veg trugs to greenhouse growing, with smart brand partnerships and complete solutions. £30m+ potential. Love Your Lawn: guide people through the season, from spring treatments to summer feed and seed, encouraging one more trip and one more product. £20m over five years. Worth Paying More For: make trade-up simple by clearly explaining performance differences and reasons to believe across good, better, best. Urban Oasis: serve renters and small-space gardeners with right-sized packs, accessible advice and small-space projects, building tomorrow’s gardeners today. £15m potential. Be consumer-first: listen for real needs and where audiences actually spend time.Build trust: especially if you play at a premium. Proof beats promises.Make it easy: simplify choices, claims and navigation at shelf and online.Education that actually helps“Meet people where they are.” Karen outlines a sector-wide need for clear, confidence-building education across POS, packs, online and social, from YouTube and TikTok to house-and-home media. The aim is accessible, encouraging guidance that reduces overwhelm and grows category participation.Trust and qualityEvergreen is now fully peat-free and has invested heavily in operations and large-scale market trials with garden centres to prove real-world performance. For 2025, Miracle-Gro is putting a front-of-pack quality guarantee and a team of horticulture-trained “garden gurus” behind its plant foods and growing media to reassure shoppers and strengthen the category.Brand-building playbookFor challengers: know your audience, be distinctive, and lean into the emotion of gardening, not just the functional.Glee previewOn stand: a warm welcome, strong coffee, new Miracle-Gro campaigns and redesigned packs with clearer claims and back-of-pack guidance, plus a hands-on “potting shed” to showcase peat-free quality.Why listenIf you’re a supplier, brand or garden centre team, this episode gives you a practical lens for growth, a blueprint for education that converts, and brand-building principles you can apply immediately, whether you’re Miracle-Gro or a new challenger.

Alan Roper, Managing Director of Blue Diamond Garden Centres, returns to The Underground Podcast for another unmissable conversation ahead of Glee 2025. As the UK’s most profitable garden centre group, Blue Diamond has become the sector’s benchmark for growth, ambition, and resilience.In this candid discussion with Phil Wright and Kate Turner, Alan shares his no-nonsense perspective on:The acquisition of Barton Grange and why legacy, culture, and profitability matter in today’s marketHow Blue Diamond balances group scale with the local identity of iconic garden centresWhy sustainable growth and customer focus must trump the “numbers game” of acquisitionsThe challenges of moving to peat-free compost and the role suppliers must playOpportunities to engage younger generations through houseplants and social mediaWhat loyalty data is teaching Blue Diamond about its customers — and how that will shape strategy to 2026His advice to other garden centre owners: focus, benchmark, and know your customerAlan also speaks openly about the wider pressures facing retail, from wage inflation to government policy, and why keeping gardening at the heart of the business is non-negotiable.And the conversation doesn’t stop here. Alan will be live at Glee 2025 in The Hive for an exclusive Q&A session hosted by Phil from The Underground Podcast. This is your chance to put the big questions directly to one of the sector’s most progressive leaders.Submit your questions by Sunday 8th September: https://forms.office.com/e/ASZBwwS9wKDon’t miss this rare opportunity to hear from Alan on the podcast, then continue the conversation at Glee.

In this episode of The Underground Podcast, Phil and Kate sit down with Nikki Burton, Managing Director, and Dr Victoria Wright, Technical Manager at Melcourt, the UK’s leading peat-free growing media company.Melcourt has been at the forefront of sustainable horticulture for over 40 years, building its reputation on bark-based innovation, technical excellence, and consistent quality, epitomised by their RHS endorsement. Nikki and Victoria share the company’s journey from forestry roots to Royal Warrant holders, with insights into how they pioneered their peat-free products long before it became a national priority.Listeners will discover:Why Melcourt has always been peat free and how its SylvaGrow range has become a benchmark for both professionals and home gardeners.The challenges of consumer education in a market where “peat free” often tells you what a product isn’t, rather than what it is.How consistency, raw ingredient knowledge, and supply chain expertise are critical to building trust in growing media.The importance of industry collaboration, from DEFRA to the Responsible Sourcing Scheme.Future opportunities and the role legislation, standards, and education will play in accelerating the industry-wide transition.Packed with practical insights for garden centre teams, retail buyers, and brand marketers, this episode sheds light on one of the most debated issues in horticulture and highlights how Melcourt is helping shape the future of sustainable growing.http://melcourt.co.uk/Your hosts:Phil Wright: ⁠⁠http://wrightobara.com⁠⁠Kate Turner: ⁠⁠http://www.gardenerguru.co.uk

As the official podcast partner for Glee once again, The Underground Podcast kicks off our 2025 coverage with Steven May of JDM Country Products. Steven brings a unique perspective on how both exhibitors and buyers can get the most value from the UK’s leading garden trade show.In this episode, Steven unpacks the power of smart sales techniques in garden retail — including his now-famous “Would you like fries with that?” analogy — and explains how upselling done right can transform profitability. He also shares practical advice for exhibitors on how to design a stand that stands out, and guidance for buyers on spotting the next big products on the show floor.Whether you’re preparing to showcase your brand at Glee or planning your buying strategy, this episode offers invaluable insights to help you succeed at the biggest event in the garden sector calendar.

In this episode of The Underground Podcast, Phil and Kate welcome Anna Wili, Head of Marketing for the National Garden Scheme (NGS), a charity with almost a century of history opening gardens for good causes. Anna shares how the NGS began in 1927 as a way to fund district nursing, and how it’s grown to over 3,500 gardens opening each year, raising more than £74 million for nursing and health charities.We explore the unique blend of horticulture, hospitality, and heart that makes garden visiting so special. From peeping behind rarely opened gates to enjoying a slice of homemade cake. Anna reveals how the NGS champions the link between gardens and wellbeing, the variety of gardens that take part (from manicured estates to wildlife havens), and the personal stories that bring each opening to life.With the charity’s centenary celebrations in 2027 on the horizon, Anna also outlines exciting plans for brand partnerships with the garden industry, opportunities for garden centres and suppliers, and how professionals across the sector can get involved.Whether you’re a garden centre owner, a manufacturer, or simply a passionate gardener, this episode is packed with insights into:How the NGS sustains a 100-year tradition of generosity and community spiritThe role of gardens in health, biodiversity, and wellbeingOpportunities for collaboration and brand licensing in the run-up to the centenaryHow to become an NGS garden owner and why you shouldn’t be shy about your patchAnd of course, we discover which celebrity Anna would most like to see open their garden for charity…Listen in and be inspired to throw open your own garden gates or work with the NGS to help them grow their impact even further.National Garden Scheme: https://ngs.org.uk/Your hosts:Phil Wright: ⁠⁠http://wrightobara.com⁠⁠Kate Turner: ⁠⁠http://www.gardenerguru.co.uk

In this episode of The Underground Podcast, Phil and Kate welcome back returning guest Scott Smith, who has just completed his thesis for the RHS Master of Horticulture (MHort). His subject? The hot topic of peat free compost, an issue that continues to challenge, frustrate, and divide gardeners and growers across the UK.Scott shares insights from his self-funded, 14-week compost trial, comparing how different peat free products performed against traditional peat-based compost using Sungold tomatoes as his test crop. From nutrient lockout and NPK imbalances to the common mistake of overwatering due to dry surface layers, Scott’s findings are eye-opening for anyone navigating the peat free transition.We talk about the challenges of standardisation, the need for clearer compost labelling, and the surprising results that saw B&Q Verve peat free compost outperform much more expensive brands. Whether you're a professional grower or a weekend gardener, this episode is full of practical tips, honest reflections, and some much-needed clarity around peat free gardening.Highlights include:How Scott designed his home-grown compost trialWhy NPK levels matter more than you thinkThe risk of nutrient overload in certain peat free blendsWhat compost brands performed best—and worstReal-world advice for switching to peat free with successWhat the industry needs to do next for gardeners to feel confident making the switchPerfect for: Garden centre buyers, horticultural professionals, peat free product developers, and any gardener who’s ever asked: “Why won’t my plants grow in peat free?”Your hosts:Phil Wright: ⁠⁠http://wrightobara.com⁠⁠Kate Turner: ⁠⁠http://www.gardenerguru.co.uk

In this episode of The Underground Podcast, Phil is joined by Beth Johnson, CEO of Umbrella, the promotions agency behind major campaigns for brands like Cadbury and Unilever. Together, they explore how the garden sector can borrow from the grocery playbook to drive footfall, shift stock, and boost brand engagement.Beth shares:Why promotions are about more than discounts—and how they can build brand equityReal-world examples from FMCG, including VIP merch drops, cashback offers, and sports tie-insHow garden retailers could better use loyalty schemes and customer dataWhy personalisation is the future—and how brands should preparePractical advice for running legally sound, high-impact promotions in physical and digital spacesWhether you're a brand manager, garden centre buyer, or just curious about how to turn browsers into buyers, this episode is packed with insights on how promotions, done right, can spark growth.Relevant for: garden brands, garden centres, product marketers, FMCG professionals, and anyone curious about shopper behaviour and brand-building.For more on Beth's work: team-umbrella.co.uk

In this episode of The Underground, we dig into the story behind SeedSticks® with Jamie Gray of Sow Easy, a second-generation family business with an unexpectedly brilliant journey from razor blades and swords to sustainable seed-based gifting. Jamie shares how a quirky R&D project from the 1980s became a unique product that's now catching the eye of retailers, eco-conscious consumers, and budding gardeners across the UK.We talk about the rise of gifting in gardening, the power of visual growing aids, and the challenges (and charm) of breaking into retail with something genuinely new. From compostable materials and clever point-of-sale to cocktail-themed herb packs and childhood nostalgia, this is a warm, insightful look at a business growing with intention and joy.https://soweasy.com/retail/

In this episode, Kate and Phil sit down with Beth Anderson, a passionate plant health inspector and dedicated advocate for Young People in Horticulture. Beth shares her journey through the YPHA’s pilot Launch Success Challenge, a year-long initiative designed to equip under-35s with real-world marketing and branding skills for the horticultural industry.From giving the humble Begonia an image makeover to pitching to industry leaders, and masterminding giant crepe paper flowers for Gardeners World Live, Beth talks candidly about teamwork, creativity, and why she believes the warmth and openness of horticulture makes it a truly unique place to build a career. Expect plenty of laughs, behind-the-scenes stories, and a dose of infectious enthusiasm that might just make you see begonias (and compost!) in a whole new light.YPHA: https://www.ypha.org.uk/Your hosts:Phil Wright: ⁠⁠http://wrightobara.com⁠⁠Kate Turner: ⁠⁠http://www.gardenerguru.co.uk

In the opening episode of Season 4, Phil and Kate discover the rich personal and professional journey of Will Armitage: agricultural and horticultural consultant, entrepreneur, and current President of the HTA (Horticultural Trades Association). From rebellious beginnings to helming his family’s sixth-generation business and ultimately championing the sector on a national stage, Will shares an absorbing story of tradition, adaptation and advocacy.This episode explores the soul of horticulture, the people who make it thrive, the quiet power of collaboration in a competitive world, and the urgent need for government recognition. Will also lifts the lid on the HTA’s vital work: from policy lobbying and business benchmarking to the power of regional networking. Plus, a surprising tale involving Victorian oil paintings, greenhouse glass, and a tree that makes Will smile every time. It’s a conversation not to be missed.https://www.linkedin.com/in/warmitage/https://hta.org.uk

In this special episode of The Underground Podcast, Kate and Phil take you behind the scenes at the Garden Press Event 2025, held at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London. A key date in the gardening industry calendar, this event brings together brands, innovators, and industry experts to showcase the latest trends, products, and sustainability initiatives shaping the future of gardening.As they weave through the bustling exhibition hall, Kate and Phil catch up with a diverse mix of exhibitors, from household names like Gardena, Evergreen Garden Care, and Westland to passionate independents driving innovation in the sector. From the latest in peat-free compost and eco-friendly packaging to high-tech gardening tools and educational initiatives for future generations, this episode is packed with fascinating conversations and exclusive insights. Whether you're a green-fingered enthusiast or work in the industry, this is your chance to get the inside scoop on what’s next for gardens and green spaces.Your hosts:Phil Wright: ⁠⁠http://wrightobara.com⁠⁠Kate Turner: ⁠⁠http://www.gardenerguru.co.uk