#FloralFriday has been celebrated on social media across the country today at the end of Glee week.

Theres still time to join in the fun and raise more money for Greenfingers Charity.  All you have to do is take a floral photo or video and post on social media with #FloralFriday and @greenfingerscharity.

Last year we raised over £1,000 at Glee with Floral Thursday and this year we hope to raise even more.  To donate all you have to do is text FloralFriday to 70085 to donate £5.

Thank you to everyone who has posted and donated already.

Here's our gallery of posts to date...

On Wednesday evening the winners of the Glee New Product Awards 2020 were announced by Matthew Mein, Event Director of Glee and Trevor Pfeiffer of GTN.

Glee New Product Awards 2020 – the shortlists and winners:

Garden Decoration (Garden ornaments, garden lighting, plant supports, wall art etc)

Gardena ClickUp! System - Husqvarna UK

Prehistoric Garden Metal Dinosaur Ornaments – Primus

Laguna Wall Fountain by Henri Studio - Henri Studio / Stonecasters

Peppa Pig & Friends Metal Garden Ornaments - Primus

Solar Micro Led Lantern – Kaemingk

WINNER:             Peppa Pig & Friends Metal Garden Ornaments - Primus

Garden Home, Giftware and Clothing

Family of Indoor Pot Covers - Woodlodge

Feeder Friends Plant Drip Feeders - Jardinopia

Make Your Own Wax Wraps Kit - Goodtobee

WINNER:             Family of Indoor Pot Covers - Woodlodge

Garden Leisure & Entertaining (BBQ's, garden furniture and accessories etc)

Burghley Arbour - Zest 4 Leisure

Masterbuilt Gravity Series 560 - Kamado Joe

Solo Stove Bonfire - Specflue Ltd

WINNER:             Burghley Arbour - Zest 4 Leisure

Garden Retail & Industry Services

Flexible Walkway - Fordingbridge

FUSE Mobile Loyalty App - Swan Retail

WINNER:             FUSE Mobile Loyalty App - Swan Retail

Garden Tools & Machinery (Hand and powered garden tools, garden gloves, garden kneelers etc)

Gardena Leaf and Grass Collector - Husqvarna UK

Fruit Collector Harvesting Net - Fruit Collector

GARDENA Garden Rollup Hosebox 20m - Husqvarna UK

WINNER:             Gardena Leaf and Grass Collector - Husqvarna UK

Garden Wild Bird and Wildlife Products (Wild bird feeds, feeders, wild life products etc)

Acorn Bird Feeders – Fallen Fruits

Artisan Wild Bird Nesters - Wildlife World

Perched Bird Feeder Stake - Woodlodge Products

Solar Insect Houses - Kaemingk

The Hedgehog Barn - Wildlife World

WINNERS:           The Hedgehog Barn - Wildlife World

Perched Bird Feeder Stake - Woodlodge Products

Garden Growing Containers (All pots, planters, hanging baskets etc)

3 Tier Stackable Raised Bed - Zest 4 Leisure

Bio-Based Growing Tray (6 x 12cm Pots) – Garland Products

'Flow' eco pots – Fargro

WINNER:             3 Tier Stackable Raised Bed - Zest 4 Leisure

Garden Landscaping (Paving, statuary, garden buildings etc)

Cherry Blossom Arch - Zest 4 Leisure

ONDULINE EASYLINE - Onduline Building Products

Oslo Panel - Jagram S.A.

Railroad Stepping Stone - Primeur

WINNERS:           Railroad Stepping Stone – Primeur

Cherry Blossom Arch - Zest 4 Leisure

Pet Products

Banana Facial & Natural Tear Stain Treatment - HOWND

Skouts Honor Litter Box Deodorizer 1035ml – Vital Pet Group

Skouts Honor Stain & Odour Remover 1035ml – Vital Pet Group

Yarrah Organic Cat Adult Dry Grain Free Chicken & Fish 800g – Vital Pet Group

WINNER:             Banana Facial & Natural Tear Stain Treatment - HOWND

Garden Plants, Seeds and Bulbs

Coniogramme emeiensis ‘Golden Zebra' - JAVADO

Johnsons Microgreens Range - Mr Fothergills Seeds

Rhododendron Encore® - JAVADO

Vegetable & Seed Growing Kit – Taylors Bulbs

WINNER:             Vegetable & Seed Growing Kit – Taylors Bulbs

Garden Growing Materials (Feeds, pest & weed control, growing media, cloches, seed trays etc)

BloominAmazing Rich Planting Stuff - West Country Soil Improvement

Ecofective Plant Disease Defence - Sipcam Home and Garden

Happy Compost range expansion - The Greener Gardening Company

Miracle-Gro & Levington Peat Free Range – Evergreen Garden Care

No-Gnats - Lava-Lite

Zaper Slug Fence - The Environmental Factor Inc

WINNER:             Miracle-Gro & Levington Peat Free Range – Evergreen Garden Care

Best of British Award

• Peppa Pig & Friends Metal Garden Ornaments - Primus

Houseplant Award

• Echeveria pulvinata Devotion - JAVADO

• Feeder Friends Plant Drip Feeders - Jardinopia

ECO Award

• Bio-Based Growing Tray (6 x 12cm Pots) – Garland Products

• 'Flow' eco pots – Fargro

Best New Product Overall at Glee 2020

• 3 Tier Stackable Raised Bed - Zest 4 Leisure

We hope you enjoyed your Glee Gathering experience! Although the two-day forum has come to an end, you can still stay connected with the gardening community.

Catch up anything you might have missed from exclusive content sessions and trend insights to the New Product Awards. If you haven’t yet registered for Glee Gathering, register today to access the on-demand content. Plus, make the most of the networking and meetings platform, open until the end of Friday 18th September.

The Virtual Showroom is still open! Browse exhibitor profiles and discover the latest products to inspire your customers. Continue to use the matchmaking tool to connect with new brands and suppliers, grow your business and develop new connections.

Register here to access the on demand content.

With over a quarter of keen gardeners looking to continue gardening post-lockdown, leading garden care brand Evergreen Garden Care has launched an innovative campaign to inspire people to make the most of their garden throughout Autumn.

This is the largest Autumn campaign to date by Evergreen Garden Care, backed by a £250k marketing spend. The new campaign will combine clever POS merchandising, a through the line digital and radio advertising campaign with PR and influencer activity, and a celebrity ambassador – ex-Footballer and father of seven, John Barnes.

As well as being an expert on the pitch, Barnes has spent much of his lockdown learning the skills of maintaining a fresh lawn at home to enjoy with his family. Like many new gardeners, he is looking to extend his love of the garden into the Autumn season.  The new partnership will involve him working with the expert team at Evergreen Garden Care to demonstrate, advise and educate people on how to use their garden beyond the summer months.

Aiming to grow the garden care category, the campaign launch has been driven by a long term goal to extend the gardening season.  The campaign will focus on driving awareness for Autumn-focused products and allow more people to continue learning and trying new things this year.

Phil Harrison, UK & ROI Sales Director at Evergreen Garden Care, says of the campaign’s success so far: “The new lifestyle concept for our Autumn campaign has been greatly received across all major garden centre groups. Our POS sold out immediately, and we have since doubled our investment for in-store to ensure that more POS is now available for garden centres that are yet to sign up. We’re glad that we can support our customers during a very unusual year.”

Evergreen Garden Care plans to engage new customers to the category and support garden centres, both online and in-store. In-store the new merchandising will showcase the best products for Autumn use, supporting new gardeners to keep up their habit longterm. While online, the campaign will target the millennial audience with how-to videos on social media and guides on the Love The Garden website.

Evergreen Garden Care’s Managing Director, Mark Portman, said: “Extending the gardening season has been an ambition of Evergreen Garden Care over the years, and with appetite for new rituals on the rise, now is the right time to focus on this aim. With many people taking up gardening for the first time this year, we’re delighted to partner with a familiar face like John Barnes. He’ll be encouraging new gardeners to continue investing in their outside space and stay within the category for longer.  We know socialising at home is going to be very popular this Autumn, so we want to educate and inspire shoppers to make the most of their outside space.”

If you’re interested in finding out more about how Evergreen Garden Care can help you make the most of sales this Autumn please contact your Evergreen Garden Care account manager.

To find out more, click here.

As we embrace a welcome return to Floral Friday, we take chance to reminisce about the #FloralFriday social media campaign that ran from April to July. From only having eyes for the daffodils, to the bizarre “Princess Leia” allium, Floral Friday has accidentally given us a reminder of coming out of those dark weeks of lockdown to the start of the summer bulb harvest.

Lockdown was a tough time, and some days it was not easy to see a lighter side of the situation. By simply aiming to raise a smile with a picture each week, Floral Friday not only helped the promotion of the Greenfingers Charity, it also provided a welcome distraction and a spot of therapy too.

“It was such a simple thing to do, and although we bent the rules and didn’t always base our pictures on floral clothing as much as the flowers themselves, the Greenfingers name was publicised on our Taylors social media every week and that was the name of the game”, says Adam Taylor. “When the campaign was announced, it was at a time when we were surrounded by fields of daffodils and it seemed so easy to get involved, but as time passed, the effects of lockdown clearly took their toll which did result in Trevor Pfeiffer contacting me one week to check I hadn’t gone doo lally!”

Ian Clark, Business Manager at Taylors Bulbs added; “Greenfingers do such a terrific job to help children and their families find joy from the outdoor area at hospices nationwide, and so anything we could do to help was such a small effort compared to theirs. My colleague Kate and I had recently completed the Greenfingers 100 mile cycle ride and so we are pleased to be involved in continued fundraising and publicity via our social media followers.”

Text FLORALFRIDAY to 70085 to donate £5.

For more information, contact Taylors Bulbs on 01406 422266, Email sales@taylors-bulbs.com, or visit their website www.taylors-bulbs.com

Zest 4 Leisure, leading quality timber garden product supplier, had fun for #Floral Friday capturing some of the account managers in their floral ware when they were last together, along with Steve Morgan (Zest 4 Leisure Managing Director) Simon Davidson (Head of Commercial Development) and Alwyn Williams (Head of Business Support).  The picture was taken when some account mangers visited the Zest 4 Leisure marketing studio - observing social distancing of course!

Whilst Linda Pace, Zest 4 Leisure account manager couldn’t join in with the fun, Jim Brown, Russell Smith, Adie Lewis and Paul Haynes enjoyed the Floral Theme!

To find out more information, visit the Zest 4 Leisure at Glee Gathering or visit www.zest4leisure.co.uk.

Zest 4 Leisure are delighted to announce its success in the Glee New Product showcase awards wining in 3 categories and Best New Product. 

The 3 Tier Stackable Raised Bed won in Garden Growing Containers category, the easy build Burghley Arbour won in Garden Leisure & Entertaining category and the Cherry Blossom arch was a joint winner in the Garden Landscaping category.

Winner of the prestigious Best New Product Award was the 3 Tier Stackable raised bed.

Simon Davidson, Head of Commercial Development at Zest 4 Leisure, said: “We are absolutely thrilled! The competition was very high in these categories this year so to win in three categories and Best New Product is fantastic. We’d like to thank the judges for their comments and support. Our team are looking forward to showcasing these products to our customers in the next few weeks.”

To find out more information and to view lifestyle videos of the winning products visit the Glee Gathering profile page or contact the Zest 4 Leisure sales team, sales@zest4leisure.co.uk. 

Despite the event being virtual, Primus records show success at Glee which they believe is due to the quality and mix of the new products launched and to the new sales team of 9 that are now onboard to steer the brand towards further growth across the UK.

Primus revealed its latest garden must have’s with the launch of three brand new ranges that were sure to appeal to children and parent’s alike!  Peppa Pig is an all time favourite and now, you can stock the full range of five hand crafted garden ornaments with an RRP of £24.99.  Such a hit at Glee, the new Peppa Pig range was a double award winner for Primus winning the Best British Product award and the Best Garden Decoration Award.

Dinosaurs are always all the rage and with the Primus range of four large metal dinosaurs, you can transform a space into a Prehistoric Garden in no time with an RRP of £44.99 per dinosaur.  Testament to the quality of this range, it also reached the finals of the Best Garden Decoration award at Glee.

Looking for a more tranquil addition to the garden?  The final range launched at Glee was a unique collection of wind chimes from brand, Tranquil Harmonies.  A choice of three within the collection of Concerto, Adante and Chorus and with an RRP from £29.99 add a touch of calm and harmony to any green space, balcony or window. 

New for 2021 is the merchandiser packages from Primus and whichever new product listing you choose to stock, Primus is offering a free merchandise display unit per customer on your first order.  What’s not to love! 

We wish everyone a successful 2021 and look forward to doing business with you.

Traeger’s patented WiFIRE® technology means grills can be controlled via the smart phone app that maintains precise temperatures, so you can focus on friends, family and flavour instead of constantly monitoring the fire. But this isn’t the only way Traeger helps you to spend more time with friends. It also means joining a community of people who are as passionate about cooking food as they are about sharing their experiences.

The Traeger community sees BBQ fans from across the world come together to share recipes, advice and their own top tips. Accessible via the app or a desktop, Traeger fans can find a wealth of video content and blog posts covering everything from Pro tips to recipe walk throughs and even cleaning and grill care tips.

With hundreds of recipes available to download direct to your grill on the app, this sits at the heart of the Traeger community. The community notes feature allows Traeger lovers the world over to give their feedback on recipes and share their suggestions for tweaks to change up the flavours or score their favourite cooks and bakes.

Owning a Traeger is about more than having a great grill, it’s about sharing knowledge and expertise and finding like-minded food fans all over the world. We invite you to join us in the wood-fired revolution.

Grow Sow Simple have unveiled a new design for their Micro-Grow range for 2021. The range includes the Micro-Grow microgreens growing kit, now self watering technology. The kit includes seeds, a grow mat with self watering wicking tab and a 2 piece propagator.

The Grow mat uses hydroponic technology to grow the seeds without any soil. The new wicking tab wicks the moisture from the base of the propagator to keep the mat moist, providing the seeds with the perfect environment, without overwatering them. The kit is easy to grow and maintain with minimum effort. 

The range now includes refills packets which are merchandised alongside side the kits. The refill packs contain both the seeds and a grow mat so customers can top up the kits and keep using the propagator. 

Dan Robson, Managing Director and founder of Grow Sow Simple said: "We are driving to make our products more sustainable and make the user experience as convenient as possible for our customers. Adding the refills to the range means the kits are no longer viewed as single use and can drive further sales.

"We are really excited about the self watering wicking system which will ensure customers have the best chance to grow and enjoy the world of microgreens."

The new displays are ready for early Jan 2021 and holds 120 kits, 120 refills and 12 tool sets and the retail value of a 600 x 400 mm display is £1077.48. 

https://growsowsimple.com/

Fallen Fruits have added to their impressive portfolio of products with a range of Dried Flowers and Resin Animals.

Dried Flowers

Give dried flowers and herbs centre stage with our new dried flower line consisting of various items for collecting, drying and displaying flowers and herbs. Identified as the interior trend of 2020, dried flowers have been popping up all over social media and are making a chic comeback. Products in the range include flower presses, frames, bell jars and drying racks.

Resin Animals

Bring some characters into the garden! Almost indistinguishable from the real thing, our extensive rage of resin animals really look the part! Suitable for both indoor and outdoor use they are both frost and UV proof and come in a wide range from woodland creatures, to farmyard friends and tropical birds.

Contact:

www.fallenfruits.co.uk

sales@fallenfruits.co.uk

01584873377

EKJU is one of Europe’s biggest manufacturers of timber garden furniture and has been supplying products into the UK for several years, using northern European FSC pine and spruce that is ideal for use on garden furniture due to its high density and durability.

Egons, Klauss, Juris & Uldis, the founders of EKJU, had a vision to create garden furniture that is crafted with the care and attention needed to ensure the product lasts as long as it takes to re-grow a new tree. Since 1992 the company has sourced only from FSC certified forests, upholding its founders’ ethos.

The new sales team covers England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and consists of specialist sales agents who have been selling into UK garden centres for many years, strengthening the EKJU team with a dedicated UK resource and logistical network.

Stockists can look forward to a high-quality reliable range of timber products. They will also find a supplier that takes the upmost care and attention at every stage of production, using extensive knowledge, techniques and state-of-the-art machinery to ensure consistently robust and smooth product finishing.

To book an appointment with your local EKJU sales representative, please see an accompanying image which shows by region contact details. If you want to know any general information about EKJU then you can contact EKJU Sales & Marketing Director Laura Galzone by email here  or click here to view the EKJU catalogue to browse the product range.

Last year we raised over £1500 for Greenfingers Charity by having some fun and brightening the day with Floral Thursday at Glee.  This year we have the opportunity to raise even more money and add some floral cheer for the whole nation and beyond by joining in with #FloralFriday today.

Greenfingers Charity sends its thanks to all those who supported their #FloralFriday initiative that helped to keep beautiful flowers and plants appearing on social media throughout this difficult year for the gardening industry. 

Splashing a large number of pictures on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter ensured Greenfingers Charity remained in the hearts and minds of garden lovers and raised a very valuable £1000 for the charity.

As more of us have spent time at home this year, the recognition by the public of the benefits of gardens and gardening has never been higher. People appreciate their space and the benefits that nurturing nature brings to mental and physical health. Just like the benefits obtained by all those who spend time in the 58 gardens Greenfingers Charity has created in hospices throughout the UK.

If you feel the same – and who doesn’t? – Greenfingers Charity is inviting you to once again could post a picture on social media to mark the first anniversary of the launch of this fun floral day, initiated by Trevor Pfeiffer and Linda Petrons at Glee last year. 

The date to post pics of your best smile with a beautiful flower from your garden or garden centre, or wearing your favourite floral attire, is Friday 18^th September 2020. To link up with hundreds of others from the garden industry please remember to include #FloralFriday and @greenfingerscha, and the name of your plant variety if you know it.   There’s a fabulous prize to win for the best photo! 

Linda Petrons Director of Fundraising and Communications at Greenfingers Charity reminds us that donating funds on #FloralFriday could not be easier, if you can, simply

text FloralFriday to 70085 to donate £5. 

Linda hopes that all those joining virtual Glee and many others will get involved on #FloralFriday’s birthday and on many Friday’s to follow! 

To find out more about Greenfingers Charity’s plans for the coming months, join Linda at Virtual Glee, at 3pm on Wednesday. A recording will be available on www.Gleebirmingham.com

At the heart of the Glee Gathering is our secure meeting platform that will enable one-to-one meetings and virtual networking with the individuals who matter most to your business. Each meeting room will enable you to talk face to face and share materials in a secure environment, with the software ensuring that you stay on track with all the people you want to see that day.

The Glee Gathering is also proud to be working with GIMA again to take GIMA Connect into a virtual environment. This exciting speed-networking opportunity is designed to put the best brands in front of pre-qualified and purchase-ready buyers for an hour each day. Dynamic and fast paced, as always this is an hour well spent for all participants.

If you are a GIMA member or a buyer who would like to participate please get in touch with GIMA to secure your space. 

How to get involved 

Glee Gathering brings the gardening community together this September. Register for your space to benefit from the latest insights, best new products, exclusive networking opportunities and more. https://www.gleebirmingham.com/register-Glee-Gathering-2020

Showcase your brand at Glee reconnect with the industry.  https://www.gleebirmingham.com/glee/apply-for-a-stand

While we couldn't all meet up at the NEC this week, we hope we've still been able to keep you all up to date with news from Glee exhibitors taking part in the Glee Gathering and keep you in the Glee mood.

We've been providing updates about the wonderful Glee Gathering that took place, on-line, on Tuesday 15th September and Wednesday 16th September and brought you all the news from the exhibitors taking part in the Glee Gathering throughout the week that we would have been at the NEC.

We'll end the week with a #FloralFriday celebration for Greenfingers Charity and then watch out for the Glee Daily News Omnibus Issue published in a few weeks time.

If you'd like other members of your team to receive Glee Daily News 2020 they can sign up via this link.

We hope Glee Daily News helps fill the gap this year and provides plenty of inspiration when it comes to buying decisions for 2021.

Any Glee Gathering participating exhibitors that would like to place adverts or advertorials in Glee Daily News 2020 should contact alan@pottingshedpress.co.uk or call 01733 775700.

Click here to view Issue 1 of Glee Daily News.

See you soon!

If you'd like to keep up to date with news from the garden retail sector, subscribe to GTN Xtra, the most read weekly digital media for garden retailers, using this link