special report: conifers
Fashion sensitive conifers re-emerge With National Conifer Week (October 2-10) in mind, we focus on two leading conifer growers from this specialist nursery sector.
Best New Plant Award K
ilworth Conifers is a specialist conifer nursery based in Leicestershire. Owner Derek Spicer is well known in the trade and has built up a loyal customer base over 40 years. These include specialist nurseries and garden centres that are always looking for new cultivars to introduce for their cliental. Kilworth can offer a new and varied choice whether from abroad or from new forms raised on its own nursery. A loam-based compost is used in the growing process which helps to quickly establish customer gardens in the long term.
The nursery is usually in evidence at many of the plant-focused trade events and won Best New Plant at the GAN 2010 Trade show for its Podocarpus Guardsman variety. This has a slow, upright conical form with a very distinct almost brick-red colour in February/March. Kilworth has introduced a number of new Winter Colour Forms of Popocarpus including Young Rusty, Chocolate Box and Kilworth Cream. See Kilworth Conifers at Four Oaks on stand E93 and Glee in hall 5, on stand 10J9. For more information call 01858 575477, or email
derek@kilworth-conifers.co.uk
By Phil Evans
T
Over 2500 different cultivars are available from Kilworth Conifers! This fashion-sensitive plant has very strong sales in Scotland and the North of England from this impressive nursery, which now spans 6 hectares. Derek has seen an upsurge in interest over the past couple of years. More unusual varieties are being sought as the demand for a wider choice of specie has emerged. Winter sales in garden centres are a key element for this type of plant as the industry seeks to promote conifers quite rigorously via the National Conifer Week campaign. The strongest sales in autumn are because conifers look good in garden/plant centres during the winter period. The ongoing challenge is to create fresh appeal at a time when the retail plant sector is thriving.
he Golden Grove Nursery was founded in 1975 on 3 acres of prime growing land near Spalding. Now this
prominent grower has 8 hectares specialising in 1, 3 and 7-litre conifers. Independent garden centres are its prime customers. Owner Roger Ward outlined the current trends within the conifer sector, “There are many popular varieties on the basis of the colour range. Popular blue varieties include Juniperus Blue Star, Chamaecyparis Curley Tops and all the Picea pungens varieties. Popular gold varieties include Thuja Reingold, Thuja Golden Tuffet and Cupressus Wilma. There are many popular green ones too including Chamaecyparis obtusa Nana Gracilis, Picea albertiana Conica and many more. Two white varieties have become popular recently; these are Picea Daisy's White that is pure white for six weeks in the spring and turning green for the rest of the year. Second is the Cryptomeria jap. Sejkkan Sugi is white all year and has delicate branching foliage.”
Inspirational Bedcards Roger has seen a surge in interest and demand over the past couple of years. This is partly due to the exchange rate being in favour of British- grown material plus the staycation factor which has ignited a surge in plants. Many of Golden Grove’s clients have become loyal to this nursery and offer strong levels of repeat business. New retail customers have emerged as the sector re-assesses itself and future plant spend is now based on a high level of demand for UK grown stock. The inspirational Point-of- Sale bedcards are an outstanding example of how to encourage and inform the consumer at exactly the time of purchase. These identify the general profile of each conifer variety and include an artist’s impression of where in the garden scheme this plant is most suited for. The Golden Grove availability and price list is published twice a year in the form of a full colour 8-page brochure. ■
For more information call 01295 460432 or visit
www.goldengroveconifers.co.uk
*A new fully comprehensive reference book on Conifers of which Derek Spicer is co-author is due out in Spring 2011. This lavishly illustrated RHS publication comprehensively lists Conifer cultivars across the globe!
*The British Conifer Society (of which Derek Spicer is a founder member) arranges annual visits around the globe sourcing new cultivars. *The Conifer Grower Association is a specialist group within the HTA. (Horticultural Trades Association)
30 Garden & Hardware News - Retail Plants & Shrubs
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