GAN 2011 new product awards

Awards were announced at the horticultural trade show GAN 2011 on February 9 for the best new products and services that will make an impact on the UK market this year.
   Best New Plant was won by Kernock Park Plants with its newly-bred hardy perennial Iberis in pink, ‘Absolutely Amethyst’. This new variety starts to produce breathtaking amethyst, pink puffs of flower in late March through mid May on neat mounds of green foliage.
   Then Scotts Miracle Gro took Best New Retail Product with its Rose Clear Ultra, its new-generation systemic insecticide and fungicide for combined control of pests and diseases on ornamental plants.
   Best Technical Product or Service was Electronic & Technical Services for its Evaposensor and interface for mist and irrigation control - which also won the Best Overall New Product category. The unit enables accurate matching of water use to plant requirements, automatically adjusting mist, fog and irrigation applications according to the plant environment and weather.
   And Country Garden Plant Sales won the award for Best Stand.
   Simon Edwards, group operations director, said: “This show was a great event, with more visitors than last year.”
   However the success has made it increasingly difficult for organisor Golden Acres to release space in its nursery each year – and has announced this February’s show was the last one.
   Simon added: “Feedback from exhibitors and visitors was excellent and although we’re sad that GAN won’t now appear in the UK’s horticultural diary each year, we’re glad it’s gone out on a high.”
   GAN has evolved from a nursery open day in 1994 to become the largest horticultural trade show in the south as well as being the first of the year.
   In 1998, 77 exhibitors occupied 150 stands and by 2010 figures had grown to 174 exhibitors’ occupying 235 stands.
www.ganshow.com    Photography by Phil Dowding


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Pictures from top:
• Electronic & Technical Services’ Evaposensor and interface for mist and irrigation Control.
• Scotts Miracle Gro: RoseClear Ultra.
• Kernock Park Plants for its ‘Absolutely Amethyst’

Golden Acres: expansion in bedding production

Golden Acres has expanded its bedding production area at its Bournemouth nursery to accommodate increasing demand in bedding plants.
   Following a 20 per cent increase in production over the last five years, the nursery has reorganised its growing area to allow for further expansion.
   The nursery supplies the group’s own four garden centres in Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire, along with many other centres and retail outlets across the south.
   However the success has made it increasingly difficult for the nursery to release space for the southern horticultural trade show GAN, which operates every February from the site – and Golden Acres has announced this February’s show was the last one.
   Simon Edwards, group operations director (pictured), said: “Those of us that have worked to make this event what it is are immensely proud of what has been achieved and are extremely grateful for the support that all the exhibitors and visitors have shown us over the years. I know that many friendships have been forged and more importantly a great deal of business has been done.”
   GAN has evolved from a nursery open day in 1994 to become the largest horticultural trade show in the south as well as being the first of the year.
   In 1998, 77 exhibitors occupied 150 stands and by 2010 figures had grown to 174 exhibitors’ occupying 235 stands. 
www.golden-acres-nursery.co.uk   Photography by Phil Dowding

More exhibitors set sights on GAN’s new product awards

With southern horticultural trade show GAN 2011 just a few days away on Wednesday, February 9, the last entries are in from exhibitors for the New Product awards.

Latecomers for New Plant Variety include:
• Coprosma ‘Tequila Sunrise' from New Place Nurseries. An evergreen shrub with a compact growing habit, with small glossy green leaves that transform through a range of vibrant foliage colours during the year.
• ‘Thymus Worfield Gardens’ from Worfield Gardens Wholesale Nursery – a white variegated thyme recently discovered at a Shropshire alpine nursery. Evergreen, cushion forming with aromatic leaves and easy to grow.
   
Entries for Best Technical Product or Service include:
• The Melcourt Sylvamix range of peat-free growing media.
• Fargro’s MET52 Granular - a CRD-approved microbial pest control, to control black vine weevil in ornamentals and soft fruit.
• Agralan now offers ready-made hives of native British bumblebees (Bombus terrestris audax) for outdoor pollination.
• Jumbo Ellepot from Ellegaard A/S – an environmentally-friendly substrate bio paperpot for the landscape and retail sectors.

And final entries for Best New Retail Product include:
• Growth Technology’s Orchid Myst, which produces a fine spray for orchid care. Ready to use, no mixing, no measurements, just a few squirts a couple of times a week for a great flower display.
• Two entries from FSUK at DRIVALL - a durable shovel with large polypropylene scoop with an aluminium profile for snow/garden amenity use - and a range of fibreglass pots and planters.
• The Granomax 5 from Agralan distributes granular material in controlled and regular patterns. Great for fertilisers to lawns and gardens, salt to de-ice frozen surfaces and sand to absorb spilt oil in the workshop.

Products will be judged during the one-day show and awards made on the day.The venue will be Dorset’s Golden Acres Nursery near Bournemouth International Airport.

www.ganshow.com

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Pictures (top to bottom):

• Thymus Worfield Gardens from Worfield Gardens Wholesale Nursery.
• An adult Black Vine weevil - controlled by Fargro’s MET52 Granular.
• A selection of of FSUK at DRIVALL’s fibreglass pots and planters.
• Native British bumblebees from Agralan.