Glee takes a look at emerging trends in the landscaping and garden decoration sector for 2016 and how the UK’s leading annual garden and outdoor living trade exhibition will be helping to drive growth in the industry this year.
2015’s garden retail figures saw a growth in the landscaping category, an 8% increase on 20141, with overall garden retail sales appearing to be extremely positive. Financially savvy homeowners have also realised that landscaping their garden can add from 5 to 10% on the price of their house2, which has also helped to fuel this rise.
Research also suggests UK households spend an average of £123 a year on their gardens, with keener gardeners spending up to £30,000 over their lifetime on a variety of garden products3.
So, what landscaping trends do we need to watch out for during the rest of 2016?
One key theme set to continue is easy maintenance. Most consumers are finding their time to be increasingly limited, which is having a knock-on effect on the amount of time they can spend caring for their garden, with both work pressures and commuting times being key factors. A desire for low maintenance is seeing people who want gardens that are easy to maintain, whilst being pleasant, relaxing places and a source of entertainment for friends and family.
Cost and energy efficient LED lighting is growing increasingly popular, with many people also now using automatic irrigation systems to keep plants in good condition. LED technology will brightly enhance the outdoors lifestyle at a much lower cost, both to consumers’ pockets and the environment.
Colour will become more of an important focus, with greens and dark blues featuring on fences and garden structures to create foils for plants as well as blending into the garden much more. Large, elegant structures such as contemporary arches are providing a modern addition to more spacious gardens, creating a distinguished prelude to a decorative walkway and providing a frame for growing climbing plants and creepers. The move towards greater entertaining at home is also set to become more evident, with pergolas and terraces forecast to be popular additions to patios and decking.
Immaculately-manicured lawns, however, are losing popularity as they are too time consuming to look after, and what’s being seen is a more naturalistic, rustic approach to gardens. Some home owners are opting to remove front lawns altogether to replace with gravel, rock, brick and paving. The amount of lawn space in back gardens is also being reduced, with decking, gravel and paving now becoming a more common alternative. This is in part being influenced by consumers being more savvy with maximising use of space and usage; a factor which is also influencing the growing trend for structuring the garden in terms of a series of separate and distinct areas. The concept of ‘outdoor rooms’ involves the use of eye-catching garden features to help ‘zone’ different areas according to mood, whether that be for relaxing, entertaining or even storage. Leading garden structures and fencing company, Grange, offers an extensive range of on trend collections with which to separate these ‘zones’, including timber planters, screens and pergolas.
Consumers are leaning more towards locally sourced materials, demonstrating an eco-friendlier approach. This is reflected in the creative and innovative use of stone and wood; for instance, horizontally-placed fence panels are being used as screens, compartmentalising the garden to offer more privacy.
Although the current market trend dictates a departure from some of the more traditional aspects of garden space, this hasn’t been reflected in other green matters, with UK consumers now spending around £5 billion a year on plants for their gardens – more than we spend on chocolate as a nation!
‘Grow your own’ remains a popular trend, and 2016 can expect to see more innovative ways to grow vegetables. Where space is limited, planters and window boxes are also ideal, especially when placed near the kitchen and container gardening, whether flowers or vegetables, will continue to thrive. Portable gardening, particularly in urban and city areas, will prosper, as more people are living in homes without gardens and more people are renting, so it is anticipated there will be an increase in sales with high impact big planted containers and hanging baskets.
Find out more
Glee is the UK’s leading garden retail show, focusing on building year-round profits for buyers and suppliers within the core gardening, outdoor living and landscaping product categories. To keep up-to-date on the latest Glee news visit www.gleebirmingham.com. To enquire about exhibiting at Glee 2016 call 020 3033 2160.
DeckWright’s display of innovation
As the key season for timber decking approaches, WJ Group has developed a second display stand for its DeckWright Inserts, suitable for external positioning and ideal for retailers and merchants with outside decking displays. An ingenious anti-slip insert that can be fitted to already laid decking retrospectively, DeckWright Inserts were first introduced two years ago and are currently listed in a number of timber merchants and DIY stores across the UK.
Mark Eggleston, Managing Director of WJ Group said: “Many shoppers don’t realise that there is a professional solution to reduce the risk of slippery timber decking until they see it. Making use of a display stand draws their attention to the product and acts as a constant sales aid. The timber display stand is fully treated and will withstand the elements, allowing retailers to showcase DeckWright Inserts outside if that suits their store better.”
This stand, in addition to the internal merchandising display will be on show at Glee in September (stand 20K36).
A fresh concept planted by Brundle Gardener
The ideal solution to increasing growing space for plants, herbs and fruits in a range of outdoor spaces has been unveiled by leading garden centre supplier Brundle Gardener.
The GreenWall Vertical Planting System utilises an innovative building block system, with the planters and corners linking together to offer varying heights or widths in a range of designs to suit all gardening needs.
Paul Smith, Business Manager at Brundle Gardener, said: “The vertical planting system is ideal for any size garden or outdoor area – whether that be decking, a patio, balcony or allotment. It is perfect for covering up that tired old shed or unsightly refuse bins that spoil the view or it can simply be a freestanding vertical garden – making it perfect for all manner of smaller spaces.”
The planting system was initially unveiled by Brundle Gardener at gardening trade shows last year, receiving some excellent feedback ahead of its release.
Scheurich’s C-Cube: shaping garden design
Scheurich expands its successful outdoor product range with C-Cube, an attractive planter with an authentic concrete appearance that comes in a cubic shape and is also available in two sizes.
Arranged on its own, as a duo, or in groups, C-Cube is a decorative feature, be it on patios, balconies, or at front doors, and even meet the needs of deep-rooting plants. Their unique design allows them to be stacked and moved around, creating ever-changing structures, and are available in Stony Grey and Stony Black which can be combined with great effect.
The thick-walled C-Cube containers are nearly 100% recyclable and are produced with a sophisticated rotation-moulding technique, which makes them almost indistinguishable from actual concrete containers.
Zoning in on Grange Fencing
Whether consumers are looking to create a focal point, walkway or functional ‘zone’, Grange’s comprehensive range of decorative garden structures and screens ensure attractive purchase options for all garden centre retailers.
Its progressive ‘Urban’ collection features clean, sharp lines which will appeal to the more minimalist gardener. The slatted Urban Screen is ideal for adding definition and enhancing privacy in city gardens without cluttering up the outdoor space. Similarly, the deceptively large Urban Screen Planter features an Urban-style slatted back panel to support climbing plants; additionally, for a really eye-catching look, the Urban Pergola offers a unique take on a traditionally cumbersome garden structure and is the ideal, multi-functional feature for small to medium sized gardens.
Alternatively, the substantial yet chic ‘Contemporary’ range offers a variety of large, elegant structures for more spacious gardens. Both stylish and practical, the Contemporary Arch provides the perfect frame for growing climbing plants and creepers. When used in conjunction with the Contemporary Arbour, the two work perfectly to enhance particular areas of space whilst maintaining an integrated garden landscape design.
Burgon & Ball’s multi-tasking solutions
Burgon & Ball has introduced its new poc-kit™ gardener’s utility belt to the market, aimed at the gardening multi-tasker who is forever losing or misplacing those essential gardening bits and bobs.
Highly Commended in the ‘Garden and Outdoor Living’ category of GIMA’s Gift of the Year awards 2016, poc-kit™ is manufactured in flexible and lightweight neoprene, so it sits comfortably around the wearer’s waist to provide multiple storage places.
Equipped with a generous tough webbing belt that extends to 50” (1.27m), poc-kit™ is waterproof and durable, as well as machine washable, and is available in six vibrant colours, with an RRP of £14.95.
Multi-tasking customers will also benefit from the new Ground Master, Burgon & Ball’s ultimate ‘eight functions in one’ garden tool, which harnesses the power of gravity to make for easier digging and cultivating.
Forged from high carbon Sheffield steel, the Ground Master features a long (147cm) FSC certified wooden handle for ease of use, and has been designed to retail with an RRP of £29.95. A compact and eye-catching display stand is available, featuring strong explanatory point of sale information. A video display demonstrates the many uses of Ground Master to help customers make an informed choice.
Stewart Garden expands planter range
Stewart Garden, the gardening division of UK manufacturer, Stewart, has expanded its hand-finished Lead Effect planter range with its round and deep trough planters, saving customers expense and exertion, while giving them the same stylish finish to their patios, borders and aggregates. This also coincides with the launch of its stunning Varese planter collection, designed in Italy and manufactured in the UK. Using rotational moulding – its renowned manufacturing method – to create the collection, the same process also enables the business to respond to huge – and growing – demand for this must stock product range.
Made from high quality plastics, the planters are tough, durable and guaranteed to withstand seasonal frosts and ultra violet rays, ensuring they resist fading. While real lead products are expensive and heavy, Stewart Garden’s planters are light and easy to move around, even when full of compost.
Gavin Wray, channel manager at Stewart Garden, said: “Retailers know better than anyone that consumers want distinctive products that make their gardens unique. Our latest lead effect planters will help them satisfy that demand. They’re destined to be a big hit because customers know that Stewart Garden stands for exclusive design, quality and durability.”
He added: “The response to the Varese launch has been fantastic and it’s great to see retailers across the country so eager to stock the collection. Our rotational moulding capacity has been the key to this growth as it lets us respond to evolving tastes in the market and bring new products to retailers quickly. In turn, this allows them to address their customers’ needs.”
Kelkay’s winning formula for retailers
Kelkay’s Borderstone® range is leading the field in high impact, low maintenance paving. With the range including patio kits, stepping stones, edgings and walling, retailers are maximising their sales of these products thanks to Kelkay’s innovative merchandising which includes the sophisticated See It Used display.
Antony Harker, managing director of Kelkay, said: “We’ve invested a great deal recently in market intelligence and used these deep insights to create a real impact in-store with new products and striking merchandising. This investment is paying off through excellent sales volumes for retailers of our Borderstone range.”
Kelkay’s brand portfolio also includes Build Mate, easyfountain® and Henri®, providing retailers with a single source of supply for a wide range of garden products. These include aggregates, stone, water and garden features, paving, edging and walling, building materials, horticulture, growing media and winter garden products.
For more information, interviews or images please contact:
Kimberley Hornby, Glee PR Team, Hornby Whitefoot PR
Tel: 01858 681122 Email: kimberley@hornbywhitefootpr.co.uk