Visitors to the Taylors Bulbs stand (19G02) at Glee, which opens its doors on Monday 14 September, will learn how the company’s recent £360,000 investment in a new seed potatoes packing line and cold store will further improve service levels.

Seed potato orders are keeping the Taylors team busy in the run-up to Glee, where you will also be able to see the new packaging for Taylors’ popular Taster Packs (left and below).

The £200,000 investment in a new packing line and a further £160,000 investment in a 1,400-tonne cold store facility were made primarily to increase capacity and speed of turnaround.

The family-owned Lincolnshire-based bulb business has been supplying seed potatoes to garden retailers in the UK and Ireland since 2004.

Adam Taylor, director of Taylors Bulbs, said: “The new line was initially used for the packing of our UK-grown daffodils but it has been purchased primarily for expansion of the seed potato business.  The new store was anticipated when we built the shed it is housed in so we were able to make use of pre-drilled steels to erect it pretty quickly. The store has also been used for controlling conditions for bulb storage during the summer as well as for harvest from our farming activities.”

The majority of the packing line has been manufactured in the UK.

Information 01406 422266

   

Johnsons Lawn Seed will announce at Glee that sales of one of its most popular mixtures will raise funds for the Greenfingere charity for the third year running.

In the past two years from sales of 500g cartons of General Purpose lawn seed have raised more than £5,000 for the charity, which creates gardens for children's hospices throughout the UK.

It is through donations like this that Greenfingers is able to continue to install gardens in children's hospices. The funds also helped to kick-start the charity’s 'A Million Moments' campaign, launched this summer.

Guy Jenkins from Johnsons Lawn Seed said:  "The work Greenfingers does is close to all of our hearts at Johnsons Lawn Seed, not only because many of us have children of our own, but also because of the way the charity is run, and how far they are able to stretch the funds raised. With the new 'A Million Moments' campaign being launched this year, we thought it now more important than ever to continue to support the Greenfingers team in their ongoing efforts to provide much needed gardens for children's hospices.  In addition, with General Purpose being relaunched as a new and improved formula ahead of the 2016 season, we are hoping for an even greater total to donate for 2016."

Linda Petrons, head of fundraising at Greenfingers, said: "A huge thank you from everyone at Greenfingers to Johnsons for the generous donation of £5,000 from sales of its lawn seed.  We are extremely grateful for Johnsons support which has directly contributed to our recent garden project; and we are delighted to know children who spend time in hospices around the UK will continue to benefit from Johnsons ongoing support with future donations being channelled into our recently launched A Million Moments Appeal."

The appeal aims to raise £1 million to enable a further 5,000 children in the hospice system to benefit from the inspiring gardens and outdoor spaces created by the charity's team.

The newly relaunched 500g General Purpose Lawn Seed is available to retailers via wholesalers throughout 2015/2016, and has been selected once again as it offers retailers a strong impulse-buy opportunity as well as excellent linked sales potential.  

Find out more

To find out more about Johnsons Lawn Seed, visit www.johnsonslawnseed.com, email consumer@dlf.co.uk, or telephone (01386) 791113.

Three choices make up the stunning Country Cottages range - Bramble, Old Mill and Tudor. Each one oozes exquisite detail and exceptional quality. Designed by Kelkay, the water features measure 490mm high x 440mm wide x 400mm deep and include LED lights, giving them a daylong glow.

Kelkay will be delivering the Country Cottages to retailers from October. Visitors to the stands at Glee 2015 in September will be offered a special cost deal to include three of each model and an exclusive PoS display board.  

Antony Harker, managing director of Kelkay, said: “The Country Cottages water features collection will be a must-stock for garden centres as Christmas approaches but are also ideal as an all year round product. As always, we’re offering retailers fantastic merchandising solutions, giving them every opportunity to maximise sales.” 

Kelkay ensures industry leading stock availability and delivery lead times, especially at peak periods. It offers a £500 carriage paid order service across the UK through its transport logistics department. This ensures customers receive their orders within three days - and in many instances, two. 

Kelkay’s brand portfolio includes Borderstone®, 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.

By promoting aggregates, paving and fountains with eye-catching point of sale, merchandising units and display stands, garden retailers have seen sales grow in these categories.

Taking place at the NEC, Birmingham from 14 to16 September, Glee 2015 will host over 500 UK and international wholesale garden suppliers. Kelkay will be on stands 19 A10 – C11 and 20 G06 – J07.

For more information, visit www.kelkay.co.uk.

Like Kelkay on Facebook and follow on Twitter.

We catch up with i2i’s Matthew Mein, event director at Glee, to find out more about what is in store.

“The changes that were made to revitalise Glee were incredibly well received and have stood us in good stead for the 2015 show. 

"The move to the new location within NEC halls 17-20 has not only created a vibrant layout, which is helping buyers to walk the show and ultimately source new suppliers, but it is also inspiring exhibitors to think differently about their stands.

"As a result we’re seeing more and more exhibitors book bigger stand spaces, as well as talking to us about how they can maximise their presence at the show. It’s fantastic to work with so many focussed and passionate companies, and have no doubt that this enthusiasm will pay dividends when the show opens in September.” 

Matthew concluded by saying: “Glee is in great shape, in fact it is close to capacity, with only a handful of stand spaces left to sell. We are well on track to see in excess of 530 exhibitors, including a phenomenal 350 new exhibitors and over 75 international brands. I’ve no qualms in saying that Glee 2015 is set to the one of the most exciting shows for some time!”

Whether you are looking to source the latest innovations or core best sellers for the year ahead, Glee will offer it all. Encompassing eight dedicated product sectors, Glee is the leading annual showcase for the whole of the garden industry and an essential diary date for any garden retailer, landscaper or merchant.

Glee Garden Care is Glee’s most thriving area, and represents the biggest area of growth within the show.  As always Glee’s Garden Care sector will feature everything from growing media, compost, fertilisers, and GYO products to garden machinery, garden tools and accessories. 

Key exhibitors for Glee Garden Care include Westland, Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, Gardman, Smart Garden, Bord Na Mona, Burgon & Ball, Briers, Town & Country, Kaemingk, Elho, Agralan, Scheurich, Barenburg, Belstane, Black Country Metal Works, Artevasi, Bosmere, Malton Plastics, Maingate Ltd, Mr Fothergills Seeds, PotMagic, Oakthrift Corporation, Rollins Bulldog Tools, Sinclair Horticulture, Spear & Jackson, Stax, Taylors Bulbs, Copely Developments, DLF Trifolium, Doff Portland, Elho, Fallen Fruits, Garden On A Roll, Garland Products, Haws Watering Cans, Vitax, Vegtrug, Neudorff, Westwood Global, Whitefurze and Wildlife World.  

Lapsed companies making their return to Glee in 2015 include Stewart Plastics, Fiskars, Draper Tools and Parasene.   

Hozelock has also confirmed its return to Glee following a break of several years. Talking about this Glee’s Matthew Mein said: “Hozelock’s return comes at a time of growth for Glee, so it’s great to see that the changes we’re making are appealing to those brands that may not have seen value in exhibiting at Glee in recent years.  Being able to welcome so many of them back is testament to the hard work and ongoing commitment to change that underpins all our development plans for the show. I’ve no doubt that the return of Hozelock will add an exciting new element to Glee’s overall offering, whilst also providing retailers with even more reasons to make visiting the show an essential part of their year.”

Garden Design & Landscaping provides an unrivalled showcase of influential brands and leaders in garden and landscaping design, and represents an area of significant growth at Glee during 2015.  Featuring stunning displays, this area of Glee is a must-see section of the show, featuring many best-practice examples of how to cross-sell products in situ. From hard landscaping and aggregates to fencing, garden buildings and decorative accents such as pots, structures, soft landscaping, statuary, water features and timber supplies, Glee Garden Design has everything to help garden retailers, builders’ merchants and landscapers to maximise those products that create the framework of every garden. 

Exhibitors confirmed so far for the 2015 show include Woodlodge, Deco-Pak, Lafarge Tarmac, Apta, Kelkay, Global Stone, Grange Fencing, Zest 4 Leisure, Albany Shed Company, Artform (UK), Blakeway Stone, Cadix, Hedge UK, Ivyline, Deroma UK, Luxform, Meadow View Stone, Melcourt Industries, Powys & Marches Stone, Vivid Arts, Fitrite Fencing & Decking, and Hamac Trading. 

New and lapsed companies will include Eden Halls Greenhouses, Elite Greenhouses, RockinColour, and UK Garden Buildings.

Glee Garden Leisure is the place to source products that really enable people to enjoy the outdoor lifestyle, and will feature the best from the industry’s leading companies, making it the ideal opportunity for buyers looking to source next year’s ranges and tap into growing leisure demand.  Showing everything from garden furniture, barbeques and parasols to chimeneas, conservatory and indoor furniture, play equipment and camping essentials will be Premier Decorations, CPL Distribution, Minster Stylish Living Ltd, Maze Rattan, Suntime, Aspire Outdoors, and John Adams Leisure.  Look out for new and returning brands such as Ascalon, PKL Leisure, Masters Outdoor Leisure Limited, and Rosker UK.

Glee Plants is where buyers can shop for the best in nursery stock, bedding plants, house plants, cut flowers, trees and shrubs, herbs and florist sundries from both UK and international growers; as well as seeing the latest plant trends and merchandising techniques. 

The Glee Green Heart will also be returningin 2015.  Located at the entrance to Glee within the atrium area of the NEC, this new area will see 60 growers come together to create a leading showcase for both British and internationally grown plants, and will put ‘green’ right back into the centre of the show. This year the area will be supported by a new programme of activities led by The Garden Works’ independent garden centre consultant, Kevin Waters. Throughout the show Kevin will lead a number of guided tours around the Green Heart and wider sections of Glee, to demonstrate how cross merchandising and clever displays can highlight a continual year-round association with the plant offer, thereby making plants accessible – and loved –  by all who visit centres, no matter the time of year.

Key exhibitors confirmed for Glee Nursery & Planteria, and Glee Green Heart include Wyevale Nurseries, Darby Nursery Stock, SeedCell, Bristol Tropical Centre, Javado, Laurica Plants, Morleys Nurseries, Northumberland Nurseries, Plantworks, SP Trading (Scotland) Ltd, The Christmas Cabin Company and Wharton Nurseries.

Glee Home, Gift & Clothing is a key place to explore additional profit-making opportunities, something that many forward thinking retailers have already maximised.  As the garden retail gift market continues to grow as many garden centres become ‘destination centres’, Glee Home, Gift & Clothing brings together a huge selection of product ideas to help your gift offering stand out.  Added to this, the section also features additional, added value product lines such as clothing ranges, picnicware, seasonal decorations plus games, toys and books. 

Exhibitors already confirmed for Glee Home Gift & Clothing in 2015 include Premier Decorations, Aigle, Brakeburn, Boodywear, Creekwood, Klass, Fairgoodies, Fordville, Fountasia, Home & Garden UK, Opal London, Italian Bag Company, Kaemingk, Luxa, RJB Stone, Moonshine Drinks, Noel Tatt Group, QMT Windchimes, Ravensburger, Regatta, Heavenly Feet, Sincere UK, Stewart’s Gift Tins, The Great British Card Company, The Original Metal Sign Co. and Woodstock Chimes. 

Glee Garden Retail Services is not to be missed by anyone wanting to maximise the profitability and efficiency of their own store.  Packed full of the latest innovations, technologies and equipment for tomorrow’s retailers – including EPoS, shop fitting and display stands, structures, software solutions and garden centre design – Retail Services is an essential part of Glee. 

Exhibitors who have already confirmed their place at the 2015 show include Clearview Greenhouses, Creative Products, CSY Retail Systems, Davidson-Richards, DC Payments, Fargo, Garden Connect, Gilbert Evans, Malcolm Scott Consultants, MP Buildings, NedFox B.V, National Structures, Pleydell Smithyman, Quinton Edwards, Salepoint, Smiemens Projectan, Stagecraft, Thermoflor and G7 Swan.

Manufacturers of pet products and accessories will also have a stronger presence at Glee 2015 thanks to the introduction of the PetQuip Business Village.  This exciting new area will see PetQuip - the UK’s leading trade association for suppliers of pet products, accessories and services - bring together member and non-member pet suppliers to create a leading showcase of those pet brands wanting to build a presence within garden retailers.  Under the leadership and support of PetQuip, the Village is expected to be home to over 20 companies, with additional PetQuip members such as Gardman and Westland also featuring throughout the wider show, all coming together to launch and showcase their 2016 ranges to garden retail buyers and key decision makers.

The New Product Showcase and Glee Awards

The New Product Display is the place to head to see the most innovative, unique and commercial products from the hundreds of suppliers at Glee. The competition sees new designs and products perfectly displayed for your consideration with the best of each category receiving the accolade of a ‘Glee Award.’ Show visitors can also cast their vote for their favourite, awarding one lucky entrant with the title of ‘Retailers Choice Award’.

Food & Catering Zone, in exclusive partnership with Catering Design Group

Focused on one of the fastest growing profit opportunities for garden retailers, the Glee Food & Catering Zone - now in its fourth year - is designed to give garden retailers an unrivalled opportunity to gather best practice examples, advice, contacts and products to help them initiate or improve their catering offering. 

This year The Food & Catering Zone seminar content will focus on key themes such as ’how to grow your restaurant successfully’, 'how to take inspiration from and compete with the high street', and 'how to increase revenue and profit'. There will also be a special session on ‘How to use your café as your USP, and a way to generate loyalty, PR and differentiation’.

Knowledge Hub, in association with The HTA

Business guidance is at the heart of the show’s dedicated education and learning centre, ‘The Knowledge Hub’.  With a raft of seminars designed to help you improve and grow your business for the year ahead, this area is the perfect place to relax and learn during your time at Glee. 

The Garden Industry Marketing Board

The Garden Industry Marketing Board will be showcasing unique garden leisure designs for small spaces that will appeal to 30-45 year olds that want to do more in their gardens and outlining ideas for a 2016 industry wide campaign. Through seminars in the Hub there will also be the opportunity to hear about the latest consumer research which highlights the wants and needs of these younger gardeners and, importantly the key hooks for getting them into their gardens and garden centres.

Glee Innovators Zone

Launched in 2009, the Glee Innovators Zone has already helped more than 150 companies break into the garden retail market.  This special area is designed to help nurture valuable grass-roots product development and one-off design ideas, whilst also bridging the gap between market-ready new product launches from established companies and pre-commercial product ideas.  This year Glee’s Innovators Zone will be home to over 30 brand new companies.

GIMA Business Village

The GIMA Business Village is home to a great selection of up and coming companies exhibiting with the support of GIMA.  Glee is also pleased to present the GIMA Business Lounge, an ideal place to take a break, arrange meetings and catch up with key suppliers. It is also home to the “Buyers Connect” speed networking sessions which will see selected exhibitors meet with show visitors for 10 minute slots for a power-networking session.

International Buyers Centre

International visitors will find the UKTI International Buyers Centre (IBC) in partnership with Gardenex a useful resource.  Located in Hall 18, the IBC will be led by the team at Gardenex, who will be on hand to provide support and advice as well as translation services.  The International Buyers Centre will also be home to “International Buyers Connect”, a special speed-networking event. 

Visit the UKTI International Business Zone

To really find out how you can export to build your business just head for the UKTI stand, where International Trade Advisers (ITAs) will be on hand to discuss every aspect of what it means to export, where and how. There will also be case studies from businesses that have already succeeded, and you’ll have the opportunity to ask questions and discover more about the options available. A range of seminars from UKTI and UK businesses will also be hosted on the stand, and by joining these you can learn about the support available to you and some vital advice from those that have already successfully started exporting overseas.

Glee 2015 takes place at the NEC, Birmingham, from Monday 14^th to Wednesday 16^thSeptember and opens between 9.00am and 6:00pm (Monday & Tuesday) and 4:00pm (Wednesday).  To find out the latest news and to register for free entry, please visit www.gleebirmingham.com.  For details on exhibiting at Glee, call 0203 033 2160.

Glee takes place at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham, and is easily reached by car, rail and air.  If you are arriving by car, follow regional signs to the NEC where visitor car parking is plentiful and free.  All halls are within walking distance, but a free shuttle bus service is also available from car parks to the Halls.  Rail travel is equally convenient with Birmingham International railway station located on the NEC site.  For international visitors Birmingham International Airport (BHX) is linked to the NEC by the free SkyRail, departing every few minutes and taking just 90 seconds.  National Express Coaches run a regular service to and from the NEC covering most UK locations.

Don’t forget Glee’s new opening days in 2015

Announced shortly after the close of Glee 2014, it was confirmed that Glee 2015 will benefit from new weekday opening pattern, starting on Monday 14^th September and closing on Wednesday 16^th September. 

Richard Carr joined Fiskars this week as commercial director of the UK business.

He joined on 1 September 1st after a brief spell at William Sinclair following several years at Hozelock and prior to that, Spear & Jackson. He reports to the company's regional director for south west Europe, John Grayson.

"We've been industry colleagues for a number of years in differing categories and more recently within the garden and DIY market during Richard's tenure at Hozelock," says Grayson.

"I had an opening in my management team and Richard's knowledge of Fiskars and our recent UK progression presented me with a tremendous opportunity. Combining his experience and reputation in the market with our continued development plans for the UK provides a solution with obvious mutual benefits."

"During the selection process he was the standout candidate, impressing everyone involved, and I'm delighted with the conclusion," says Grayson.

Carr said: " It's a great opportunity for me to further develop my career with a global brand leader and within an industry I know so well."

Electronic Point of Sale and supply-chain software developer Advanced Retail (17S63) will be at Glee to demonstrate how its retail systems can help boost sales and build more efficient stock control. You can check out supply systems for garden centres and other related businesses.

MD David Billingham and national sales manager Chris Potter will be on the stand explaining how retailers achieve their goals by driving operational efficiencies and automating many of the processes that cost unnecessary time and money.

"Improving profits, business growth and cost efficiencies are the most important drivers of any retail business - not the technology it uses," said Mr Billingham. "We work as trusted partners with some of the best-known names in retail, helping them to build point of sale and back-office systems which work together to deliver real business benefits."

Advanced Retail’s clients include Trowbridge Garden Centre, Tate Galleries, Boden, Pets Corner and Latifs

With less than two weeks to go until we all meet up at the NEC, the GTN team are already well into Glee preparations. The Glee Preview is being mailed with pre-registered badges, GTN's September Glee Preview issue has now been published and the Glee Catalogue is on the presses.

This year the GTN Team are also helping with the Glee New Products showcase at the show. Entries are being received hourly at the moment and we are keeping our eyes on the look out for potential new Bestsellers for next year.

All exhibitors at Glee should make sure they enter their new products in advance of the show. We know from The Glee Daily News readership figures that stories about new products are always the most popular, so being a part of the central showcase display is important to make sure you get exposure for your innovations.  The dealine for Glee New Product Shoiwcase entries is 4pm on Friday 4th September.

The Glee New Products entry form is in the exhibitor zone of the Glee website: www.gleebirmingham.com

Visitors to Glee will get an exclusive first look at the new range of six plastic tubs from Tarmac’s Cement business – a top UK cement producer – that all feature the distinctive Blue Circle logo, that have been designed for a variety of gardening and landscaping tasks. These might include activities such as laying paving slabs, fixing fence posts and doing small concreting and bricklaying projects like building a brick barbeque.

Following extensive research, the range of versatile, weather-resistant plastic tubs was designed with the gardening and landscaping market in mind, allowing users to take out just the right amount of product needed and re-seal the rest for future use- saving time, waste and money.

The newly-redesigned tubs are easy to carry and use and now include attractive, end-user-friendly instructions, application photographs and guidelines so that users can feel confident in the job at hand.

Chris Cooper, Packed ProductsStrategic Marketing Manager, said: “We are thrilled to be bringing this new range of plastic tubs to Glee. It is always a great occasion for us to meet our customers from garden centres across the UK and we look forward to welcoming them to our stand this year.

“With these products, we have brought customer-led innovation to market, responding to an increased demand from garden centres and their customers for easy-to-use, ready-mixed cement and mortar products.

Mike Lomax, Marketing Communication Manager, said: “The new packaging includes our famous Blue Circle branding which re-enforces our strong heritage of innovation. We will be supporting the launch with a hard hitting National Consumer campaign to show how these new products help make it easier for gardeners to get the results they want - in a simple ‘easy to use’ and ‘clean to carry’ solution that they have never had before.”

For more information about Tarmac Cement and Lime Limited and to get the latest news and live updates from Glee, follow @LoveCement on Twitter

Or visit ....you.tube.com /DIYcement/playlists or call the contact line on 08458126232

Hozelock will be showcasing a range of new easy-to-use products designed to revolutionise automated home watering at Glee.

The range enables people to save time, safeguard the health of their plants and use less water by control their watering remotely.

The range is led by the ground-breaking Cloud Controller (SRP £114.99) which allows people to control their watering via their mobile and a refreshingly straightforward App. It uses a low-power, long-range radio to connect to the internet while the App eliminates any need for complex timer programming. The device – see illustrations on the front page – can even suggest changes to watering patterns based on local weather data. 

“In a world where 328 million Apps are downloaded every day and the typical British household already has at least seven connected devices, gardens are finally becoming a natural part of the connected home,” explained Carol Wright, Hozelock’s UK Marketing Manager. “When we first presented the Cloud Controller to international markets in April, the reaction was overwhelmingly positive and we are sure that the UK’s reaction will be similarly enthusiastic.”

The Cloud Controller is complemented by Hozelock’s new Sensor Controller range and Easy Drip watering system, providing an integrated and flexible watering solution.

The Sensor Controller is designed to sell at £35.99 and the Sensor Controller Plus (pictured) £44.99. 

Because most people like to water at dawn or dusk, the Sensor automatically adjusts the time the garden will be watered as the seasons change. The range is ready straight of the box, pre-set for the most popular duration of 10 minutes watering.  Users simply choose whether they would like the garden to be watered at dawn, dusk or both and change the duration to any period between two minutes and one hour. The Sensor Controller Plus also includes additional frequency adjustments, from daily to once a week.

 The new Easy Drip complete kits start from SRP £32.99. Their universal drippers safely pierce the hose without cutting and the new flexible pipe makes it easy to adjust positioning.

The Hozelock Easy Drip system overcomes gardener’s perception of complexity of traditional automatic watering systems. Compatibility with other systems means users can easily add it to an existing set-up.

The range includes attractively packaged kits for borders and beds and for containers and baskets

Wright added: “Hozelock has carried out a huge amount of research and worked very closely with a wide cross-section of retailers to make sure that the new range will revolutionise automated watering and successfully increase sales in garden centres and hardware stores across the country.”

Glee exhibitor, wholesaler and trade supplier Stax Trade Centres (18L65) launched its new responsive website this week. It io designed to optimise visually across all devices including tablets, smartphones and desktop computers.

The new site, which instantly recognises the device that is viewing it, renders the website perfectly to the screen size, making mobile usage much easier than before.

New features include Best Sellers, Most Purchased, New Products and the recently launched Shopping & Picking List tool, whereby customers can produce a shopping list and print it out in the most logical branch location order.

Online retailer Discount Warehouse said: “This is a huge time saver for our business. The range Stax carries is massive, so sometimes that means finding what you want can take longer than desired. With the new Shopping List tool you find the bay location of every product and it even allows a full shopping list to be printed with the quickest route planned out for you! So with the three or four visits we pay to Stax every week we estimate it will save us around 10 hours per month!”

The Best Sellers, Most Purchased and New Product features are also a fantastic new addition, as Stax Joint MD, David Hibbert, commented,

“For many of our retailers, selling the most in demand stock is of upmost importance, so being able to view the top 50 best selling lines in every category will be a very helpful tool in making decisions in terms of what their stocked range will be.”

‘Budding Gardeners’ is a brand new sub-range of Moulton Mill tools from Gardman targeting not only children but anyone with a desire to take up gardening.

The eight items in the range – which covers all needs from small hand tools to digging tools – are smaller and lighter than their standard counterparts, making them perfect for little hands. However because they are made to the same exacting standards as all the other tools in the premium Moulton Mill-branded range, they are equally suitable for less-experienced and grown-up gardeners who simply want robust, quality tools that are easy to use. Gardman stress that ‘Budding Gardeners’ tools are the real thing, and not toys.

In a marketing initiative designed to capture the imaginations of younger gardeners, a high-profile endorsement will be announced at the show.

Packaging and merchandising material (which includes a special display stand) carries the slogan ‘For families that grow together’ to emphasise that gardening is a sociable activity that can be pleasurably shared.

•  ‘Budding Gardeners’ carbon steel: Digging Spade and Fork are SRP £12.99, Lawn Rake £12.99, Soil Rake and Dutch Hoe, each £9.99; Hand Trowel, Hand Fork and Hand Cultivator, each £2.99.

National Conifer Week will be among the events promoted at Glee by the HTA (20H10-J11)

Visitors will learn why it’s a great opportunity to increase sales of these low maintenance, attractive forms of year-round colour.

The conifer is also the HTA’s Plant of the Month for October.

National Conifer Week, organised by the British Conifer Group (BCG), runs from Saturday 26 September until Saturday 3 October. The aim is to provide support for retailers to inspire customers about the many benefits of growing conifers in the garden.

Whether planted in a container on a balcony, in a domestic garden or featured in acres of grounds, conifers can work as a backdrop, standalone features, or in a mixed border. Their amazingly diverse range of shades, textures, shapes and sizes makes them extremely versatile.

 Team GB rower and 2012 Olympic Gold medallist Alex Gregory (pictured) says, conifers have been a part of his life. “From the early days of climbing in their branches, to the family pilgrimage we took to the Californian giant redwoods. There's something fascinating about the variety of sizes, colours and shapes conifers provide. They really are a feast for the senses. Every garden should have at least one conifer.”

Recommended RHS AGM varieties include:

• Picea abies 'Acrocona'
• Larix decidua 'Puli'
• Thuja plicata 'Atrovirens'
• Taxus baccata 'Icicle'
• Recommended companion plants include:
• Acer ‘Osakazuki’
• Colchicum speciosum
• Erica ‘Springwood White’

Eighth generation gin maker Johnny Neill (of Whitley Neill Gin) will tantalise the tastebuds of Glee visitors with a host of botanical cocktails at the Halewood International stand (17W54).

From delicate gin cocktails to the latest trends in wines, ciders, beers and bottled water, the team will be on hand to guide garden centre owners and managers through upcoming consumer trends, equipping buyers with the insider knowledge to maximise margin and increase revenue.

Halewood will display 29 different products from their drinks collection, including Romanian and Spanish wine, Crabbie’s mulled wine, Eisberg alcohol free wine and Willow Water.

James Wright of Halewood International says understanding customer trends positions every cafe manager in the strongest position to increase revenue and maximise profit. “Our experienced team is available to talk you through the upcoming trends and unlock the potential of your drinks menu in 2015 and beyond.”

A new Top 100 Product chart on the Glee website highlights the most popular products that buyers are currently viewing, offering a valuable insight into trends and potential bestsellers.

Constantly updated, the chart is a living barometer of ‘what’s hot’ right now, reflecting products that are sparking the interest of retailers and visitors to the Glee website.

Matthew Mein, Glee event director hopes the chart will encourage greater interaction with the site from both suppliers and retailers.  “The chart will be constantly changing, and we believe this will provide a barometer of sorts, in that it showcases which products – from the hundreds and thousands on offer from Glee’s 500-plus exhibitors are appealing the most to our visitors and therefore representing an early glimpse at next season’s bestsellers.”

The chart can be accessed from the homepage (www.gleebirmingham.com).

There will be more preview issues of The Glee Daily News this year, plus three "Live" from the show issues, and an Omnibus issue after Glee.

REMEMBER TO COLLECT YOUR FREE GLEE SHOW CATALOGUE AT THE ENTRANCES.