It is troubling that as a supposedly green sector, it has been accepted practice within the UK horticulture trade to fly fresh cut flowers into the country, trundle perishable salad crops up from southern Europe, and import the majority of our garden plants from near neighbours such as the Netherlands. All the while proclaiming our collective environmental credentials and bemoaning the decline of our own horticulture and traditional rural industries.

Undoubtedly this has been driven in part by demand, but equally a lack of vision and imagination may have contributed to this decline of ‘homegrown’ and increasing reliance on imports. It also seems clear that whether related to consumer demand, Brexit, or neither, there is a growing awareness and priority being placed on the provenance of goods generally, and of plants in particular.

When I first visited the family-owned farm of our willow supplier in Somerset - an area of outstanding natural beauty - what actually struck me more was their passion for and deep connection with the surrounding environment and the ecology of their land.

Having also attended many consumer gardening shows since the launch of our award-winning Willow Wand, what I can also testify to, with utter conviction, is the common and growing thread of so many customers who genuinely care about where the plants they are buying come from and how they’ve been produced. Someone who might have recently bought a bunch of flowers from their local supermarket that was imported from Kenya, is delighted to find out our product isn’t just beautiful, but British too.

I have lost count of the number of even more positive comments I’ve had, when people realise and appreciate the genuinely green credentials of our product. From the outset such values have been paramount to our business. Native English willow is produced by perhaps the most ancient and sustainable method of growing - coppicing. This practice has been undertaken by generations of one family, working in harmony with precarious wetland habitats, and we then handcraft the crop here in the UK to create a stunning Wand.

In turn, our product then continues its exceptionally low carbon-footprint theme, simultaneously circumventing the multiple and increasing challenges and risks of the more common production models and products of our sector. No cross-channel logistics or fuel bills; no worries about Xyllela cross-infection and plant health regulation; no ill-effect of potential post-Brexit additional costs; no need to resort to ‘greenwash’ in our marketing. The circle is completed with customers planting and growing on this native plant in their own garden spaces, often with the added satisfaction of knowing the very British back story of this centre-piece plant.

Whilst not all plants and products will be able to match this range of attributes, another noticeable and possibly associated trend seems to be afoot: mothballed, moribund and new nurseries seem to be springing into life across the UK.

Some garden centres that started out as nurseries before moving to centralised production and then imported plants, are implementing a reverse strategy back towards their early days. In-house production seems to be on the rise, whether as a response to consumer demand, driven by the political, economic or physical climate, or by a re-awakening of a vision and passion for local production by large or local growers alike.

Whatever the cause, I for one applaud that our industry appears to be moving towards a genuinely more sustainable model of production, which places greater value on where plants come from and how they are produced and then get to the customer. If the trend continues then it may well benefit not just the environment – it could prove very beneficial for the UK horticulture sector.

The theme of provenance will be displayed in one of our Beautiful Border gardens. All the flowers and fauna featured will be from UK-growers, demonstrating the breadth and beauty of what is available from across this green and pleasant land. Featuring purples, whites, creams, emerald greens, and beautiful silvers, the ‘Great British Border’ will be a true display of UK flora and a great source of inspiration for those wanting to create a garden look that doesn’t rely on air or road miles.

For more details call 0330 120 0604 or email info@willowwand.co.uk.