The Underground

Recorded live on the show floor at Glee 2025, this episode of The Underground discovers how the garden sector is nurturing innovation, supporting newcomers and helping customers navigate a changing retail landscape.

Phil and Kate first sit down with Tony Kersey, Membership Ambassador at GIMA, to explore why the trade association is seeing record growth, how it is supporting over 200 members, and what smaller suppliers really need to know to make the most of a show like Glee. Tony shares how the supplier–retailer relationship is evolving, the rise of marketplace and e-commerce teams, and why collaboration is now critical for bringing “newness” and sustainability to market.
On the Evergreen Garden Care stand, Jude and Nick talk about the buzz at this year’s show, the 2026 relaunch of Miracle-Gro on TV, and why garden brands must do more to educate consumers, simplify complex categories like controls and weedkillers, and help garden centres bring new gardeners into the category with confidence.
Finally, Phil and Kate are joined by Belle Richardson, radiographer-turned-inventor and founder of Seal Stop, winner of the GIMA Seed Corn Fund 2025. Belle shares the story behind her water-saving valve, why British manufacturing and durability matter, and how she is working with water companies and the leisure sector to tackle water waste without greenwashing.

Perfect listening for garden brands, suppliers and retailers planning their next season, and their next big idea.

Tony Kersey: http://gima.org.uk

Belle Richardson: http://sealstop.co.uk

Garden centres aren’t just about plants anymore. Recorded live at Glee 2025, Phil & Kate sit down with Paul Pleydell of Pleydell Smithyman and Barry Knight of The Full Range to unpack how experience, smart design and a considered food offer can lift margins, smooth seasonality and win younger families. From “make it better before you make it bigger” to being famous for something (yes, even a lemon meringue pie a foot high), this episode is packed full of ideas for teams who want their site to be talked about for the right reasons.

Guests
Paul Pleydell — Director, Pleydell Smithyman, design & business consultants for the garden and rural sector.
Barry Knight — Director, The Full Range, food procurement & consultancy serving 50+ independent garden centres.
What you’ll learn:

• Experience first: If a customer can’t finish the sentence, “I went to your garden centre and guess what…”, you’ve not created a memorable visit. Make signature moments people want to share.
• Food as a profit engine: Why cafés and food halls boost dwell time, attract younger families, and should lead your site’s highest margins, when the offer is right.
• Be famous for something: From giant scones to a stand-out “signature dish,” create a hook that earns word-of-mouth.
• Data over guesswork: Use EPOS and management accounts to prune the tail, reset ranges and protect profit - low CapEx, high impact.
• Weather-proofing revenue: To flatten peaks and troughs.
• Independent edge: How local agility, attention to detail and service can outclass chain buying power on value felt by customers.

Perfect for
Owners, directors and managers in independent garden centres; teams planning refurbishments; anyone growing hospitality, food hall or café performance.
Enjoy the episode, and if it sparks an idea, share it with your team and tag us.

Recorded at Glee 2025, Phil Wright and Kate Turner sit down with Lee Connelly, the Children’s Gardening Coach (formerly Skinny Jean Gardener), and Nigel Thompson, Sales & Marketing Director at Sipcam Home & Garden, to explore how the trade can engage families, support schools, and modernise product ranges for today’s consumer. Expect practical ideas for garden centres, insight on brand-building as a challenger, and new product thinking across outdoor and houseplant care. 

What you’ll hear

• School gardening at scale: Lee’s 2025 tour reached 10,000 children in a single week across 30 schools, sparking classroom-to-home participation and long-term follow-up with teachers. He argues for sustained brand investment in primary as well as secondary to seed future gardeners and employees. 

• Making garden centres true family destinations: low-cost activities that create reasons to dwell, learn and buy—without feeling like a “kids’ corner” bolt-on. 

• Greener gardening in practice: Nigel outlines Sipcam’s focus on ecofective®, simplifying purchase and sell-through for retailers while keeping efficacy front and centre.

• Challenger brand mindset: why being smaller enables creative risk-taking, sharper points of difference, and faster iteration. 

• From activation to legacy: how Sipcam partnered with Lee (30 schools supported in total, with the team volunteering locally) to prioritise impact over quick-win influencer content. 

Guests

• Lee Connelly — The Children’s Gardening Coach. Campaigning to get gardening into the curriculum and designing joyful, memorable experiences that stick with kids and teachers. https://www.childrensgardeningcoach.co.uk

• Nigel Thompson — Sales & Marketing Director, Sipcam Home & Garden. Steering ecofective®, Fito and Get Off with a “greener gardening” strategy and a challenger’s eye for distinctive propositions. https://www.sipcamhg.co.uk

In this live Glee Q&A, Phil sits down with Alan Roper, Managing Director of Blue Diamond Garden Centres, for a frank look at what really drives performance in modern garden retail: culture, commercial discipline, and relentless differentiation.

Roper explains why scale only works when the “engine room” is tuned for profit and cash, not vanity growth; why benchmarking and ownership culture beat top-down control; how demographic waves continue to pull new gardeners into the category; and where the next profit centres are likely to emerge. He also gives a straight-talking view on British supply, sustainability trade-offs, and the role of social media creativity in sparking demand.

• Culture + cash over vanity metrics: Growth that sticks comes from building a tight culture, clear customer relationships and rigorous profit control “every step of the way” – using cash generated, not over-leveraging on debt. 

• Retail basics that still win: “Right product, right place, right time, right commitment” remains the core operating system for stores and teams. 

• Demographics & demand: Younger audiences typically reconnect with gardening as life stages shift, with houseplants and community programmes (e.g., Acorn Gardening Club) acting as effective on-ramps. 

• Ownership culture & benchmarking: Centres see each other’s figures, act on conversion insights (back the winning genuses), and keep local DNA intact while improving performance. 

• Innovation = new profit centres: Seek true novelty (from rechargeable outdoor lighting to pergolas) to unlock "new money". 

• Back British where it adds difference: Smaller UK suppliers can deliver point-of-difference ranges and resilience. 

Who should listen? Garden centre leaders, brand and category managers, and suppliers looking to understand how the UK’s leading group is thinking about growth, assortment, and customer connection in 2025.

This episode takes on a distinctly international feel: once again at Glee 2025, Phil and Kate sit down with two voices from opposite sides of the Atlantic who share a common mission: get more people excited about nature, and make it easier for retailers to serve them brilliantly.

First up, Michael Perry (Mr Plant Geek) explains why he now calls himself a plant promoter, what makes a plant “promotion-worthy,” and the nine trend pillars he’s been touring the halls with: from “Go green or go lean” to “Hedges & Wedges” (living mulch done right). He also spotlights curiosities from his Future Plants display: conifers with character, fragrance-forward bedding, and the odd show-stopping black dahlia.

Then we switch gears to Paul Oliver, founder of The Urban Nature Store in Toronto, who shares a retailer’s view on category expansion and community: bird seed as the weekly staple, complemented by gifts, books, optics, kids’ kits, and in-store walks that turn shoppers into a social club. He unpacks why his team is diversifying away from US-centred supply in favour of partners with predictable landed costs, highlighting opportunities for UK and European brands that can ship reliably to Canada and evidence robust sustainability credentials.There’s also a brief check-in with Gardenex on exporting support and the ever-popular Meet the Buyer sessions at Glee. If you’re a brand, buyer, or garden centre operator, this episode is packed with practical pointers on product selection, trend-led merchandising, sustainability signalling, and cross-channel content that actually reaches customers.What you’ll learn:

• How “plant promotion” differs from plant hunting or influencing, and the criteria Michael uses to spot winners consumers and growers will love.
• Nine trend themes to watch at retail: efficiency for growers, wildlife value, flowering longevity, houseplant “royalty,” patio-shade lovers, and living-mulch groundcovers.
• Range curation ideas: conifers with personality, scented patio performers, Agastache vs lavender, and talking-point novelties that drive footfall.
• Retail experience as a growth engine: why adding gifts, books, socks, toys and seasonal promotions increases average basket around the bird seed staple.
• Supply-chain strategy for 2025–26: mitigating tariff volatility, leveraging UK–Canada trade, and what Canadian buyers need from UK/EU suppliers (clear logistics pathways, landed-cost clarity, proof-points on sustainability).
• Community building that converts: seniors’ days, guided walks, and family-friendly kits that turn casual visitors into loyal advocates.

Michael Perry: http://mrplantgeek.substack.comPaul Oliver: http://urbannaturestore.caJoe Denham: https://www.gardenex.com⁠Discover more about our hosts:Kate Turner: ⁠www.gardenerguru.co.uk⁠Phil Wright: ⁠www.wrightobara.com

This episode pays homage to the support systems that make horticulture special. Phil Wright and co-host Kate Turner talk with Nat Boynton and Meg Warren-Davis from YPHA about practical ways the community invests in young professionals: from bursaries and employer-backed time to train, to sponsors and partners who step in when it matters. Then Kaz Edwards (Heart of Eden) shares how the trade rallied when she was made redundant, opening doors within weeks and proving why this sector’s people-first culture is its superpower. 

In this episode:

• The power of backing young talent: YPHA’s Launch Success journey, bursary support, and a new winter skills programme with Barclays to teach real-world commercial skills (interviews, business plans, reading a balance sheet). Call-outs for operational allies to help scale the next cohort. 

• Employers stepping up: How companies co-funded and released staff for nine training days, with Colegrave Seabrook Foundation support, because investing in people reduces churn and strengthens the whole sector. 

• Community in action: From an initial “not our priority” response to industry champions stepping in: sponsorships, retailers, trainers and mentors who turned an idea into impact.

• When careers wobble, people catch you: Kaz describes the shock of redundancy and the flood of messages, referrals—even from competitors—that swiftly led to her role at Heart of Eden. Practical advice: be bold, ask for help, this industry will respond. 

• Collaborating on peat-free confidence: Why manufacturers and retailers must partner on education and POS, and how schemes like Responsible Sourcing help the whole category move forward together. 

  
  

www.ypha.org.uk

heartofeden.co.uk

In this episode of The Underground Podcast, recorded live at Glee 2025, hosts Phil Wright and Kate Turner sit down with three guests shaping the garden sector’s next chapter: Dan Durston and Simon Blackhurst from Durstons, and Kate Ebbens, Commercial Business Manager at Woodlodge and passionate Greenfingers Charity ambassador.

From product innovation to purpose-driven missions, this episode captures what’s driving momentum across the garden industry today.

Durstons share how a bold rebrand has transformed their image, while staying true to their heritage. And how they’re leading the charge in consistent, high-performing peat-free compost.

Woodlodge’s Kate Ebbens talks about the company’s evolution, from sustainable recycled plastic pots to outdoor/indoor living trends, and why strong merchandising and design-led thinking are helping retailers stay relevant to modern consumers.

Kate also shares exciting (and slightly nuts) news about her upcoming expedition to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in aid of Greenfingers, following her incredible year of running 5K every single day to raise funds for children’s hospice gardens last year.

Whether you’re a supplier, retailer, or marketer in the garden sector, this episode is packed with insight on branding, product development, consumer education, and the people making a real difference behind the scenes.

Listen in to discover:

• How Durstons turned a simple advertising brief into a transformative brand identity
  Why education and collaboration are key to building trust in peat-free compost
  The emerging retail trends shaping Woodlodge’s product and merchandising strategy
  How industry passion and charity purpose can powerfully intersect
  

The Underground Podcast is produced by WrightObara, the creative marketing agency for home and garden brands.

Durstons: http://durstongardenproducts.co.uk/
Woodlodge: https://www.woodlodge.co.ukGreenfingers Kilimanjaro Trek: https://www.greenfingerscharity.org.uk/get-involved/climb-kilimanjaro-for-greenfingers

Recorded live at Glee 2025, this episode brings two very different lenses on garden retail performance and growth. First, Amy and Libby Stubbs share how British Garden Centres has scaled to 73 locations while keeping each site’s individuality, from centre-level social media to data-driven benchmarking and a renewed focus on tech, process and customer loyalty. Then Reverend Dave Walker explains how he’s reviving Sheffield’s Birley Moor Garden Centre with community at the core: forest school education, nature-based improvements on site and a clear-eyed approach to cash flow, planning and supplier partnerships.
In this episode you’ll hear: 

• Leadership and next-gen talent: Amy’s step up to Managing Director, the sisters’ complementary strengths, and how giving younger leaders real responsibility builds momentum.
• Destination thinking, not just tills: Events, evening opportunities and “point of difference” from suppliers that help educate newer gardeners.
• An independent’s turnaround playbook: Why Rev Dave bought his childhood garden centre, drove a 43% turnover uplift in year one, and grew the team from 4 to 28, before even opening the café.
• Community as a growth lever: Forest school provision, Help for Heroes meet-ups and on-site biodiversity plans including a wetland to deliver Biodiversity Net Gain and mitigate local flooding risks.
• Planning in the real world: Lessons from a 15-month Green Belt change-of-use process, and why popular street-food outlet Grandpa Joe’s remains part of the future mix.
• Supplier takeaways: What will make buyers at large groups stop at your stand at Glee, and what independents need from suppliers right now, from extended terms to stronger POS and marketing support.
  

Who should listen:
Garden centre owners and managers, heads of retail and catering, supplier teams planning 2026 ranges, and anyone interested in loyalty, operational efficiency and community-led footfall growth.

British Garden Centres: http://britishgardencentres.com 

Birley Moor Garden Centre: http://birleymoor.co.uk/ 

Sussex Seed Balls: https://www.sussexseedballs.com 

Recorded on the show floor at Glee 2025, Phil & Kate sit down with Peter Burks, Chief Executive of the Garden Centre Association (GCA), and Boyd Douglas-Davies (The Boyd Partnership; Chair of Greenfingers) for a rapid pulse-check on garden retail: what’s working now, what’s changing, and where the next wins are. Expect practical takeaways on merchandising, training, social media, and turning your centre into a community hub—plus a Greenfingers update straight from Floral Thursday.

What we cover

• Merchandising that moves product. What retailers can learn from the best Glee stands; why simple, instructional POS matters (especially in Ferts & Chems); and how “show it like you’ll sell it” translates back in-store.
• Trading picture 2025. A rocket-fuelled spring, a heat-hit summer, and how non-gardening categories - catering, gifts, food halls - propped up performance. Plus the squeeze from labour and NI costs hitting service levels.
• Skills & education. GCA’s Grow e-learning (now 98 courses) and the push for better product knowledge on the shopfloor, from peat-free watering/feeding to translating supplier science into customer-friendly advice. Brands + retailers = two-pronged training.
• On the Glee floor. Plants return to the Green Heart; quality over volume at the show fringes; packaging clarity for first-time gardeners; useful gift lines (hello, watering-can envy); and smart merchandising solutions that could merit future awards.
• Greenfingers now. From “pretty” to therapeutic hospice gardens, public-facing shows driving awareness, next-level maintenance via garden advisors, a £400k project at Hope House (Shropshire), and why Floral Thursday matters.

Why listen
If you’re a buyer, marketer or operator in garden retail, this episode is a compact field guide to 2025 priorities: sharpen the sell-through, upskill slimmer teams, make digital count, and turn footfall into belonging.

Plus
Floral Thursday vibes, a shout to YPHA’s student of the year, and a nudge to support Greenfingers’ next chapter.

Subscribe, share with your team, and join our mailing list at theunderground.fm for new episodes and sector insight.

GCA: http://www.gca.org.uk

The Boyd Partnership: http://theboydpartnership.co.uk

Greenfingers Charity: http://greenfingerscharity.org.uk/

Discover more about our hosts:

Kate Turner: www.gardenerguru.co.uk

Phil Wright: www.wrightobara.com

Evergreen Garden Care’s UK & Ireland Marketing Director, Karen Wilkinson, joins Phil and Kate to unpack Evergreen’s new five-year category vision, how better education can unlock growth, and what it really takes to build a brand that earns shopper trust. Expect practical takeaways for suppliers and retailers ahead of Glee.
Inside Evergreen’s category vision
Karen explains how the team stepped back after a tough season to map long-term category growth, identifying over £152m of incremental upside if the industry attracts new shoppers and helps existing gardeners do more, spend smarter, and trade up where value is clear.
The 5 category drivers at a glance:

1. Your Journey Begins: win new gardeners at key life stages, for example moving home, getting a pet, having children or retiring. Even a 1–2% increase in gardeners could add £40m+ over five years. 
   
2. Next Project Inspiration: nudge current gardeners to try something new each year, from veg trugs to greenhouse growing, with smart brand partnerships and complete solutions. £30m+ potential. 
   
3. Love Your Lawn: guide people through the season, from spring treatments to summer feed and seed, encouraging one more trip and one more product. £20m over five years. 
   
4. Worth Paying More For: make trade-up simple by clearly explaining performance differences and reasons to believe across good, better, best. 
   
5. Urban Oasis: serve renters and small-space gardeners with right-sized packs, accessible advice and small-space projects, building tomorrow’s gardeners today. £15m potential. 
   

• Be consumer-first: listen for real needs and where audiences actually spend time.
  
• Build trust: especially if you play at a premium. Proof beats promises.
  
• Make it easy: simplify choices, claims and navigation at shelf and online.

Education that actually helps
“Meet people where they are.” Karen outlines a sector-wide need for clear, confidence-building education across POS, packs, online and social, from YouTube and TikTok to house-and-home media. The aim is accessible, encouraging guidance that reduces overwhelm and grows category participation.
Trust and quality
Evergreen is now fully peat-free and has invested heavily in operations and large-scale market trials with garden centres to prove real-world performance. For 2025, Miracle-Gro is putting a front-of-pack quality guarantee and a team of horticulture-trained “garden gurus” behind its plant foods and growing media to reassure shoppers and strengthen the category.
Brand-building playbook
For challengers: know your audience, be distinctive, and lean into the emotion of gardening, not just the functional.
Glee preview
On stand: a warm welcome, strong coffee, new Miracle-Gro campaigns and redesigned packs with clearer claims and back-of-pack guidance, plus a hands-on “potting shed” to showcase peat-free quality.
Why listen
If you’re a supplier, brand or garden centre team, this episode gives you a practical lens for growth, a blueprint for education that converts, and brand-building principles you can apply immediately, whether you’re Miracle-Gro or a new challenger.