GAN 2011: First-time exhibitors swell show

First-time exhibitors at February’s GAN 2011 trade show continue to expand the event’s scope, with a variety of exhibits that include ferns, hardy perennials, display products and fork lift trucks.
  Tree Fern specialists HSK Gardening & Leisure will show its tree ferns, Wollemi pines, natural driftwood sculptures from New Zealand and tree fern Feed. Its decision to exhibit at GAN followed pulling out of another exhibition and appreciating GAN’s position as first UK trade show of the season.

Field production at Howard Nurseries

  Howard Nurseries visited GAN 2010, liked the atmosphere of the show and recognised it fitted well with its bare root season. So this year it will show its hardy perennials in containers and bare root which it distributes across the UK.
  Display company VKF Renzel UK will show its innovative range of display products, including signage, carrier bags, display racks, POS material/displays and shop fittings.
  Forklift truck supplier Alto Handling will offer finance packages for long and short term hire, planned maintenance schedules, field service, emergency repairs, manufacturer approved parts, licensed driver training, refurbishing and used equipment.
  Other first-time exhibitors include APAC Packaging, Ellegaard A/S, La Hacienda Ltd, Oakgate Nursey and Southern Retail Systems,
  GAN show director Simon Edwards said: “Each year we steadily expand with new exhibitors who bring an added dimension to the show. As regional trade shows go, GAN has an amazing spread of products and services to interest any horticultural company that wants to keep abreast of what’s new.”
  The one-day southern horticultural trade show takes place on Wednesday, February 9 at Dorset’s Golden Acres Nursery near Bournemouth International Airport. For information visit www.ganshow.com  

Pam reaches 30 years at Golden Acres

Gardening fanatic Pam Shiner has reached 30 years employed at Golden Acres Garden Centre at West Parley – and says she loves taking her hobby to work.
  The centre has just completed a complete refurbishment and is attracting new customers. During the process Pam decided to hand over the higher-level responsibility and step down from her 21-year role as centre manager to focus on customer service and sharing her gardening knowledge.
  When Pam joined the company in 1980, founder Paul Richards was running a small pick-your-own business selling runner beans, tomatoes, rhubarb, cucumber and melons. Pam would pick beans during the morning and sell them to the public.
  A move to a larger site – where the centre is still based – meant Pam would sit on the floor in a wooden greenhouse, pricking out seedlings. That expanded into producing hanging baskets and wider ranges of produce and plants.
  When Paul started a wholesale trade side of the business, Pam’s site became focussed on retail and became the forerunner of the current garden centre.
  In 1989 she was appointed manager and helped shape the centre as it gradually expanded and took on new product ranges, including giftware and a tea room. Pam ran the tea room for its first year and even baked the scones and cakes.
  She said: “Tea rooms compliment a garden centre really well; customers appreciate having both on the same site and in terms of business, they mutually benefit each other.”
  Pam’s favourite plants are herbaceous, which are gradually taking over her garden at home in Ferndown.
  She said: “I’m told my garden is a bit of a jungle but I love it that way; it’s also full of shrubs and trees and I spend all the time I can there, especially on the herbaceous which take a bit of work.”
  Director Simon Edwards said: “What Pam doesn’t know about gardening isn’t worth knowing; she has phenomenal experience that she loves sharing with our customers. She has always been a very core member of our team, and still is.”
www.golden-acres-nursery.co.uk      Photography by Phil Dowding