Eleven, ground-breaking new garden products have been confirmed as the winners of the coveted Glee New Product Awards 2013.

Winners off the Glee New Product Awards 2013 were selected from more than 200 entries, before Glee opened on Sunday morning, by an expert panel of judges representing independent and multiple retailers, the media, trade associations and international suppliers. With nine key garden retail categories, relevant entries were also considered for the Best of British and Green Awards. Each entry was judged on a challenging range of criteria including innovation, design, quality, environmental credentials, pricing and retail potential.

Buyers visiting Glee can see all of the winning and highly commended products in the 'Visitor Hub' areas of the show, where you'll also find the hundreds of other entries. Entries from exhibitors in Hall 5 can be found in the Hub central to Hall 5; exhibitors from Hall 4, and large-scale entries from Hall 5, can be found in Hall 4's Hub.

Winners’ round-up (in alphabetical order of categories)

Catering & Speciality Food

Winner: Chocolate Slabs, by Bon Bon’s (Wholesale) Ltd

Judges’ comments: Caroline Owen said: "These handcrafted chocolate slabs offer something quite different and should have a lot of appeal at garden centre level.  They are well packaged and priced, come in a transparent pack that shows off the colourful product, and offer good sales potential." 

Garden Care

Winner: Rainwater Terrace, by Design 4 Plastics Ltd

Judges’ comments: Simon Moore said:  "This is an innovative rainwater collection product that’s both practical and decorative.  The idea combines a two- or three-tier container to collect and re-use rainwater, with a decorative, multi-level planter that can be used for plants or grow-your-own.  Enabling the plants to feed from the water butt is a great feature; the plants made it attractive enough to place outside your house, and it’s at a good price point."

Garden Leisure

Winner: Grass Graffiti, by Johnsons Lawn Seed (DLF Trifolium)

Highly commended: Metal Silhouette Peacock, by Smart Solar

Judges’ comments: Carol Paris said: "The judges unanimously agreed that Grass Graffiti chalk-based, aerosol spray ‘paint’ is a brilliant, innovative product.  We can see a huge range of potential, from having fun with the family during garden games, sports and parties, to making garden design easier by marking out borders and ponds.  It washes off without damaging the lawn and is realistically priced too."

Garden Machinery

Winner: The Handy Folding Garden Trolley, by Handy Distirbution

Highly Commended: Flymo Ultraglide, by Husqvarna UK

Judges’ comments: John Barrett said:  "This convenient, folding garden trolley really is a well-engineered piece of equipment that’s easy to use, store and transport.  It could be equally useful for gardeners, campers and festival-goers!  We also felt it is well priced."

Home, Gift & Clothing

Winner: RHS Endorsed Garden Gifts, by Burgon & Ball

Highly Commended: Profession’elle Ladies Gloves, by Briers Ltd

Judges’ comments: Tamsin Westhorpe said: "The RHS Endorsed Garden Gift collection was an obvious winner.  Featuring images from the RHS Lindley Library, the packaging was just beautiful, and the quality of the gardening tools inside matched the loveliness of the gift - you'd know that someone loved you if you received it! It's a godd example of an existing branded item being combined with others to make a highly desirable new gift set. We also thought the Briars Prefession'elle Ladies Gloves were funky and fun, with a lovely design and comfortable for hands of any size"

Landscaping & Garden Design

Winner: Nash Storage Chest and Nash Garden Workstation, by M&M Timber Ltd

Highly Commended: Bloom Glasshouses, by Rhino Greenhouses

Judges’ comments: Katie Cleary said: "This was a very closely fought category, covering an enormous span of product types.  But we liked the fact that M&M’s Nash Storage Chest and Garden Workstation are both strong retail products with practical, robust construction, an easy-clean recycled plastic top, attractive design, and a competitive price point. Coming a close second place, we also thought that the Bloom Glasshouses by Rhino - designed by the former chief designer at Lotus cars - offeer great quality and stylish design

Pet

Winner: Ultra Plush Snuggle Bed, by Westwoods Global Ltd

Highly Commended: Cheeky Chicks pixie piggy house

Judges’ comments: Jane Lancaster said:  "The Ultra Plush Snuggle bed really caught our eye.  It’s an easy-clean, top quality product offering luxury and comfort for the family pet; and as it’s elevated it offers draught-free sleeping."

Retail Support

Winner: Beehive 3D Point of Sale, by Floramedia UK Ltd

Judges’ comments: Caroline Owen said: "This is a really impressive POS idea.  It successfully brings beekeeping to life at the point of sale, without the need for retailers to install a real beehive - an excellent display product

Nursery & Planteria

Winner: Culinary Herb Collection, by Gardeners Kitchen

Highly Commended: Miltonia candida x binottii hybrid orchid, by Javado UK

Comments: Joanna Wood said: "We liked Gardeners Kitchen’s well-presented pack of six culinary herbs. They make an ideal starter option for the garden, or to grow indoors on a windowsill. They also come with a handy trug and are attractively priced."

Best of British

Winner: RHS Endorsed Garden Gifts, by Burgon & Ball

Highly commended: Rainwater Terrace, by Design 4 Plastics Ltd

Judges’ comments: Carol Paris said: "This was the category that divided the judges the most, with both the winner and the highly commended products highly praised by the judges.  However, overall we felt that Burgon & Ball’s RHS Endorsed Garden Gift collection was the Best of British product, benefiting from great, British-made quality, good looks and the RHS branding.  It also appeals to female customers in particular, who make 70% of the purchases in garden centres.  We also liked the Rainwater Terrace, which cleverly combines both a water butt and planter; offering good looks with solving a practical gardening need."

Green Award

Winner: Biostretch, by Biostretch.com

Highly commended: All-in-one Propagator and Pot, by Ashortwalk

Judges’ comments: Caroline Owen said: "Biostretch is an innovative, biodegradable twine that the judges felt is a truly eco-friendly product.  It offers a soft, stretchy yet strong garden tie that rots into the ground after two years outside.  It’s the ideal way of supporting a plant as it grows, and should have mass market appeal.  We also liked the integrated Propagator and Pot by Ashortwalk.  Made from recycled yoghurt pots, it’s a clean, long-lasting, clutte- free way of propagating with zero waste, and zero landfill."

One further award - the Retailers Choice Award - will be announced tomorrow at Glee. Retailers visiting Glee New Product displays in Glee's Halls 4 and 5 are invited to vote for their favourite product after viewing the entries on display at the two Hubs. Voting is open from Sunday 15th September until Monday 16th September at midday, with the winner announced at Glee's exhibitor drinks evening from 6pm on Monday