plants, seeds and bulbs


tomatoes to put on your pizzas and pizza ovens to cook them in from Tuscany.” There continues to be development in the category in terms of product innovation and making things simpler for consumers. Neil comments: “We have put a lot of focus on making growing from seed as easy as possible, aiming to attract more impulse and occasional gardeners. Veg growers can take the guesswork out of crop timings with the Thompson & Morgan All Season Vegetable Collections. Each packet contains at least three top- performing varieties of the same vegetable that can all be sown at the same time but will crop at different stages to give the longest harvest window from a single sowing. Our All Season Mange Tout Peas collection, for example, contains Oregon Sugar Pod, Sweet Horizon and Kennedy for a 16 week harvest from June through to October. Our All Season Leeks collection provides a massive 36 week crop window from August through to the following April.”


Other product areas are also performing well. “We’ve seen strong early sales from our redesigned sweet and hot pepper range – the packets make a high impact focal point and each variety has been given a one to 10 heat rating, from cool and sweet to explosive,” he says. “This does away with the complicated Scoville Heat scale, allowing consumers to make a quick informed decision on which varieties are right for them.”


Retailers need to be smart in the way in which they approach the market, Paolo believes. “Be ethical, offer products with integrity and don’t compete with the multiples because you cannot win on price and volume,” he explains. “Run your business like a small business and remember that in the long term quality and range will win out. I do talks for my outlets, ‘Italy from seed to plate’ and cooking demonstrations, Italian days and we even have a Classic Fiat 500 on order for doing Franchi promotions. We value our outlets and promote them on social media. When we do a show or talk, we always recommend our nearest outlets to the customers. If they are not successful, then neither are we.”


Linked products are also a good way for retailers to generate additional revenue, on top of traditional seed sales. “Seed tapes and mats have been on the market for several years but we’ve refreshed the category by adding weed suppressing technology to a new Thompson & Morgan retail range of flower and vegetable seed tapes and mats,” says Neil. “Each is manufactured with a black backing for a weed- free gardening experience. The impregnated seeds will grow down through the material but weeds are not able to grow up through it, leaving a neat row or pot of flowers and vegetables.”


We always


recommend our nearest outlets to customers. If they are not successful, then neither are we


Mixed flower seed packets have also seen growing interest, again with an emphasis on making things more straightforward for the end user. “We’ve seen good consumer interest in ‘all-in-one’ seed sowing mixes,” Neil explains. “We’ve trialled competitor offerings and have been disappointed with the results. Looking to put confidence into this growing category, we’ve launched a range of seed scatter gardens, providing ‘nature in a box’. Developed from our successful wild flower packet mixes, each easy to grow blend offers up to 2,000 plants per pack – simply rake, scatter and water. Stylish packaging makes the range stand out on the shelf and the highest seed count by volume compared to any other ‘scatter mix’ puts reliability into the easy-sow arena.” Garden centres can also take advantage of a food-focused approach and concentrate on connected products in that sector. Franchi has launched new pizza ovens, which are Italian- designed and manufactured. Paolo adds: “We’re also doing new artisan foods to


complement our seed items. For example, we do an artisan pasta from Naples (the home of pasta) and we sell ‘Trofie’ which are the only pasta eaten with Pesto (we sell the basil Tigullio from Portofino, so you can grow and then make pesto using our Italian pine nuts and Liguarian olive oil) – so the whole package is available from us.”


Another important element of the category, bulb sales are challenging given the price- driven dynamic. Thompson & Morgan wants to help change that, Neil says. “Bulb retailing is highly price competitive and garden centres do a good job in distinguishing their offering based on quality,” he explains. “With this ethos in mind, Thompson & Morgan are launching a retail lily bulb range based on up-to-the minute breeding developments.


“The range includes The Romantics Collection, a new range of luxury Oriental lilies that combines striking colours and sweet scent on short 60cm plants ideal for patio container displays. The new Double Flowered Pollen Free Collection caters to pet owners, those with allergies and those that want to avoid pollen stains.”


More products are coming to these ranges. Neil adds: “Following the mail order success of its exclusive super tall Tree Lilies, Thomson & Morgan is now making these giant lilies available as a retail product for the first time. These easy to grow varieties reach up to 2.4m in as little as two years, with no need for staking or specialist care.”


Looking ahead, enthusiasm for the category looks likely to continue. Paolo is particularly optimistic for the future. “Markets, events and shows are all booming and there is a new wave of young British talent who are passionate about food and growing,” he says. “I am very excited because we sit in the food sector as well as the gardening sector and we are taking advantage of this unique position. I cannot wait for 2016 – seeds are so exciting.” With continued emphasis on merchandising in store and enthusiasm from consumers for grow-your-own, the category seems set to maintain its position as a cornerstone of the gardening offering.


With a little help from your Bee Friends Rapidly expanding seed, bulb and garden gift supplier G Plants' new range, Bee Friends™ features easy-to-sow


wildflower seed mats, seed collections, seed shakers and more. Carefully selected from the RHS perfect pollinators list, the range includes new mixtures 'Buzzing Bee', 'Stirring Bat', 'All Aflutter Butterfly' and ‘Nesting Bird’. The new Bee Friends range incorporates seed shakers, 4-in-1 multipacks and 3m long seed mats. The range is easily merchandised on one attractive premium quality wooden display which has been designed especially for garden centres. The packaging allows consumers to clearly see which varieties of flowers have been selected, the animals the products are designed to attract - and the overall benefit to the garden.


In 2016, G Plants will support the range further by releasing additional wildlife-friendly products such as wildflower fertiliser and a unique form of insect control that is harmless to bees and butterflies.


01254 790 350 sales@gplants.com


GCU November 2015


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