talking trade: glasshouses


‘Innovation is critical to our business’


Beetham Nurseries in Cumbria added a Hartley Botanic glasshouse to house and grow more unusual plant species and provide a talking point for customers


Hartley Botanic managing director Tom Barry discusses changing usages for greenhouses and glasshouses and opportunities to showcase more exotic plant species


How is the market performing? We are experiencing a continuing, strong demand for our greenhouses and glasshouses. In addition to a buoyant UK market we are also seeing considerable demand from international markets for our beautiful, English- made greenhouses, so this is a growing area of focus for us.


What factors do you attribute to this performance?


Our 80th anniversary this year has clearly communicated our business’ heritage and the compelling provenance of our greenhouses – this has increased the momentum of customers’ purchasing decisions.


There are also a number of gardening trends which are piquing gardeners’ interest in owning a greenhouse. These include the popularity of plant-based diets which is seeing more consumers grow their own, the fashion for house plants and succulents which need climate controlled conditions and interior- design style approaches to creating beautiful, curated outdoor living areas.


What key trends do you see in the market? One of the biggest trends we are seeing amongst customers is a change in the way they are using their greenhouses and glasshouses – from something with a quite specific growing purpose to a more flexible multi-functional space, which allows them to be used in a number of different ways.


16 | www.gardencentreupdate.com


There is a definite change in the way customers view their greenhouse – instead of being a functional building, they have become almost lifestyle accessories and to an extent, status symbols. Colour choice has also changed considerably over the years. Hartley were at the forefront of producing greenhouses in a choice of colour finishes, and the choice for customers has increased considerably, as design becomes more of a consideration.


Any advice on how retailers could improve sales?


A number of garden centres, including Barnsdale Gardens nursery, Burford Garden Company and Beetham Nurseries have bought a Hartley Botanic glasshouse to extend their product range and to tap into the current customer demand for more exotic species. Beetham Nurseries in Cumbria added a Hartley Botanic glasshouse to house and grow more unusual plant species and provide a talking point for customers. However, instead of being a purely visual draw, the greenhouse has proved to be a driver for commercial returns and tapped into a demand for more exotic plant and flower species. Some of the rare and unusual plants that Beetham Nurseries have been able to retail include Telopea, various types of Protea including 'Madiba', citrus fruits, nectarines, peaches, lemons, mandarins, apricots, Musella lasiocarpa (Chinese banana) and grapevines. The greenhouse allows these plants and fruits


to be available for longer throughout the year and considerably extends the growing season.


What is the outlook for the market? We expect the trend we are seeing around using greenhouses as part of a beautifully curated and multi-functional outdoor space to grow, alongside the stable demand from customers using them as practical gardening tools. They are becoming a very trendy lifestyle accessory, comparable to how the Victorians used their glasshouses to showcase impressive plant collections, this is very promising in terms of current and near-future demand. Innovation is critical to our business. It is fair to say that we are developing additional modern, contemporary ideas along with constantly improving our current models.


Hartley Botanic celebrated its 80th anniversary this year, providing an opportunity to talk about its heritage and experience


GCU October 2018


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