Chloe Whiteside, ICL’s technical area sales manager covering Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire – has spoken on the HortWeek podcast about the highs and lows of the 2025 spring bedding season and what the strong start and weaker finish mean for the 2026 bedding plant season.

She talks about what bedding growers should be doing in the lead-up to the spring season and gives advice about watering, nutrition and storage regimes for peat-reduced and peat-free growing media.

On nutrition, she talks about using controlled release fertiliser and water solubles, as well as which biocontrol, biopesticide and biostimulant products are at the grower’s disposal and, as a BASIS qualified adviser, what she recommends.

Before joining ICL, Whiteside spent 10 years in horticultural research at ADAS, delivering research projects on a wide range of ornamental and edible crops. She managed the AHDB funded Bedding and Pot Plant Centre trials, as well as the AHDB, Defra and industry-funded project on Transition to Responsibly Sourced Growing

Media Use in UK Horticulture. The project ran for five years and covered all sectors of horticulture, from bedding propagation right through to container grown trees and soft fruit production.

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The HortWeek Podcast has joined ArbWeek to bring HortWeek readers a series of interviews with leading arborists. The first of these is Jeremy Barrell.

A influential figure in the tree care landscape (and HortWeek columnist) Jeremy Barrell is one of the leading authorities on tree care.

A passionate campaigner on street trees in the wake of a number of controversial local authority fellings, in this week's podcast HortWeek editor Matthew Appleby hears Jeremy's uncompromising views on tree safety, tree planting, tree production and local authority procurement.

Barrell says: "The standard of training on some of the people that are planting [trees] - it's not surprising the trees don't survive...if you don't have a specification that is up to scratch, then of course contractors are going circles around you and you deserve to have a load of failures". 

"I deal with more tree failure cases that result in harm than any other expert in Britain...the harsh reality is there are many large duty holders...that don't do anything like the standard of tree checking that should be done".

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HortWeek editor Matt Appleby and senior reporter Rachael Forsyth report on the essential horticulture stories of the week.

HortWeek editor Matthew Appleby and Rachael talk about:

• The "outrageous" ongoing delays and reports of damaged to imported plants
• The latest on the prospective peat ban
• What the garden centre of the future might look like
• 
  

Do check out our huge archive of HortWeek Podcast interviews with an unrivalled selection of prominent and fascinating figures from all corners of the horticulture sector.

Podcast presenters: Matthew Appleby and Rachael Forsyth

Podcast producer: Christina Taylor

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Andrew Fisher Tomlin, co-founder and director of the London College of Garden Design talks on the HortWeek podcast about his new book, The Modern Professional Planting Designer, was published by Rizzoli New York in October 2025.

In the podcast he talks about how the book came about and what impact he hopes it will have, what he thinks of Chelsea designs this year, his views on international garden design versus that of the UK, on horticulture education, trends for 2026, AI and what his favourite plant is.

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Garden centre personality Rosie Bone brings her new ideas for garden retail to the HortWeek Podcast this week this week.

Founder of the World's End Garden Centre in 1970 with Len Bone, Rosie puts her success in garden retail down a focus on customer service, looking after your staff and above all "value for money". She argues if you get those three right, other considerations such as location are almost irrelevant.

She discusses her passion, which is sustainable garden retailing.

"Profit isn't a dirty word... but I think in this day and age we have to start to recognise that there is an environmental cost to everything any of us do".

She says that imports from China cannot be avoided in many product areas, but that carbon footprint could be offset by focusing on plant-based options in the restaurant:

"It's not about telling customers what they should and shouldn't eat, but presenting [food] in a way that encourages customers to make [a plant-based] choice for themselves but that can be done with clever marketing, clever menus."

After a period away from the industry Rosie reveals the garden business that revived her interest in and passion for it and what they do so well.

And she reveals some significant gaps in the market that garden centres, with their large footprints and nature-oriented client base, could capitalise on.

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In this episode of the HortWeek podcast, HortWeek editor Matt Appleby interviews horticulturist, garden writer, organic gardening advocate and the new president of the Hardy Plant Society, Val Bourne. 

They discuss Val's journey in horticulture, her dedication to organic gardening, and the challenges facing plant societies today. Val shares her experiences and insights on the importance of preserving plant diversity and supporting local nurseries and the challenges around going peat-free.

• 00:01:27 Val's role in the hardy plant society
• 00:02:11 The importance of plant diversity
• 00:03:57 Challenges facing nurseries
• 00:10:59 Val's journey into horticulture
• 00:14:17 The significance of organic gardening
• 00:20:57 Promoting plant societies
• 00:25:42 Val's future plans

Podcast presenter: Matthew Appleby

Podcast producer: Christina Taylor

Make sure you never miss a HortWeek podcast! Subscribe to or Follow HortWeek podcasts via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your preferred podcast platform. 

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With HortWeek senior reporter Rachael Forsyth fresh from the GrootGroenPlus trade show, we hear how European growers are tackling the challenge of imports/ exports with the UK - with producers saying they would be "delighted" to see the SPS agreement come into force.

HortWeek editor Matthew Appleby and Rachael talk about:

• Inspection regimes and paperwork both sides of the border, and how it is affecting European traders
• The latest round of delays and reports of damaged plants at BCP Sevington
• How 'experiences' could transform the fortunes of garden centres and horticulture shows
• How new analysis of horticulture company results is showing who is doing well
• 
  

Do check out our huge archive of HortWeek Podcast interviews with an unrivalled selection of prominent and fascinating figures from all corners of the horticulture sector.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Biodiversity Net Gain market has come along way since BNG became mandatory in England under the Environment Act 2021. The ruling requires developers to deliver at least 10% biodiversity net gain for new construction projects.

In this week's HortWeek Podcast Rachael Forsyth speaks to head of sales and services Emma Hindle and head of business development Brian Smith at Ground Control, which provides ready-to-buy BNG units as part of a habitat bank.

They discuss how the market is developing, the drivers of demand, and shifting balance of supply and demand.

Although Government targets and policy for house building is driving construction projects, Brian explains that Ground Control is "not betting the farm on housebuilders" and is keeping it's client base deliberately broad, including utility companies, transport companies as well as corporate clients such as supermarkets. Interestingly, a burgeoning "voluntary market" is also part of the picture, he says, 

But while developers might, understandably, focus on the immediate costs when deciding on how to approach BNG requirements, a 30-year maintenance lifespan means a "whole life" cost approach is more appropriate, he argues. 

The market has come on leaps and bounds since 2021, Emma adds, insisting the focus should always come back to nature recovery and the "benefits for the country". Many that had reservations initially are now "taking it seriously", she says, and the prospects for BNG over the next five years are "amazing".  

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In this week's News In Focus podcast HortWeek editor, Matthew Appleby, technical editor Sally Drury and senior reporter Rachael Forsyth discuss:

• the eagerly awaited Top 250 Garden Centres 2025

• some of the garden product highlights from GLEE

• How YouTube is 'where it's at' for gardening content

• Prospects and stresses for the garden retail sector after a busy 2025

• How changes in peat and coir supply are causing price fluctuations and how division in the industry over the prospective peat ban is hurting horticulture

Do check out our huge archive of HortWeek Podcast interviews - an unrivalled selection of prominent and fascinating figures from all corners of the horticulture sector.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's News In Focus podcast HortWeek editor, Matthew Appleby, technical editor Sally Drury and senior reporter Rachael Forsyth discuss:

• the eagerly awaited Top 250 Garden Centres 2025

• some of the garden product highlights from GLEE

• How YouTube is 'where it's at' for gardening content

• Prospects and stresses for the garden retail sector after a busy 2025

• How changes in peat and coir supply are causing price fluctuations and how division in the industry over the prospective peat ban is hurting horticulture

Do check out our huge archive of HortWeek Podcast interviews - an unrivalled selection of prominent and fascinating figures from all corners of the horticulture sector.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.