Matthew Appleby looks ahead to what visitors can expect at the biggest horticulture industry trade show of the year.
This year’s 51st Four Oaks Trade Show — held in Cheshire on 5-6 September — will host hundreds of growers and horticultural suppliers from the UK, Europe and worldwide, as well as featuring the event’s best-ever range of seminars and a new awards format.
Four Oaks Trade Show - seminars and expert panels
| 5 SEPTEMBER | ||
| Time | Seminar | Expert panel |
| 10am | Transitioning to peat-free | With Sean Whitworth and Jack Haslam (Fargro). |
| 11am | Re-thinking Your Growing Strategy | With Andrew Wilson (ICL). |
| 12 noon | Imports, exports and biosecurity | Chaired by HortWeek editor Matthew Appleby, with Sally Cullimore (HTA), Patrick Fairweather (Fairweather’s), Bruce Harnett (Kernock Park Plants), Jacob Kolff (Kolff Plants) and Jason Pollock (Defra), plus Animal & Plant Health Agency surgery for one-to-one advice on import and export issues. |
| 2.30pm | What can horticulture businesses do to address the skills gap? | Chaired by HortWeek senior reporter Rachael Forsyth, with Martin Emmett (NFU), Wayne Grills (BALI), Rupert Keys (Task Academy), Kevin Thomas (Lantra) and Holly Youde (Association of Professional Landscapers/Urban Landscape Design). |
| 6 SEPTEMBER | ||
| Time | Seminar | Expert panel |
| 10.30am | How can horticulture businesses deliver sustainability? | Chaired by Peter Burks (Garden Centre Association), with Geoff Caesar (Allensmore Nurseries), Liam Cleary (Old Railway Line Garden Centre) and Shaun Herdsman (SPJ Partnerships). |
| 11.30am | A world of opportunities | Chaired by Sarah Want (Young People in Horticulture Association), with Neil Gow (Colegrave Seabrook Foundation), Suzanne Moss (RHS), Kyle Ross (Wyevale Nurseries) and Jack White (Allensmore Nurseries), plus YPHA surgery for one-to-one advice on applications and interviews. |
| 2pm | Transitioning to peat-free | Chaired by HortWeek editor Matthew Appleby, with Neil Bragg (Growing Media Association/Bulrush), Geoff Caesar (Allensmore Nurseries), Andrew Dobson (Boultons Nurseries), Alistair Griffiths (RHS) and Steve Harper (Southern Trident). |
International nurseries will be particularly strongly represented. VLAM will be the single biggest group this year and will not be the only Belgians, with Laurica Plants (returnee) and The Plant Team exhibiting its Belgium Direct division (for the first time).
British nurseries
British young and retail-ready plant nurseries will feature prominently, including Allensmore, Alpha, Ball Colegrave, Boningale, Botanics International, Bridge Nurseries, Chapel Cottage Plants, Craigmarloch, Davenham, David Austin Roses, Fairweather’s, Gardeners Kitchen, Gedney, Golden Grove, Genesis, Kernock Park Plants, John Richards, Lineside Nursery, Lovania, James McIntyre & Sons, Green Mile Trees, New Leaf, Nursery Garden Group, Newey, Oakover, Pentland Plants, Seiont, Tamar, Viking, Whartons, West Kington, Wyevale, Wykeham Mature Plants and more.
There will be many European growers exhibiting at the show, such as Zelari Piante celebrating its 70th anniversary of activity — and 40 years of trade in UK. Others will include Classiflora, Covili Franco, Europlants, Innocenti & Magnoni, Mondi, Plant Iberia, SAP, Sutkowscy Nursery and Szmit. De Jong, Graines Voltz, Impulse, Kelly’s, Kolff Plants, Laxsjon, Minier, P Tolan, Plantline, Spanish Plants, Stolwijk and Walter Blom are among popular stands at the annual event. Evergreen Exterior Services, Javado, The Plant Team and Rijnbeek will be among the must-see exhibitors. Breeders such as Beekenkamp, Darwin, Elsner, Gasa, Hilverda, Hogendoorn, Jelitto, PanAmerican, Schnieder and Selecta One will show their full ranges.
Among pot and container suppliers, Desch Plantpak will display new injection moulding ideas and Nora 32cm hanging baskets. Others exhibiting in this category will include Aeroplas, DonKwiat, Modiform, Pöppelmann and Soparco. Growing-media suppliers will include Clover, Dalefoot, Durston, Evergreen, Flowergrow, Jiffy, Petersfield, RocketGro, Sinclair/Westland, Southern Trident, Supagrow and Wormganix. Christmas tree sellers will include Bolton, Cadeby Tree Trust, Craigmarloch, Christmas Cabin, FCTP, Infinity, Joseph Noblett, Lovania Nurseries, Maldwyn Lloyd, Oakover Nurseries, Premium, Boomkwekerij Schepers, Sylva, Syngenta, Valley and Zenflora.
Industry organisations at this year’s show will include the Animal & Plant Health Agency, British Protected Ornamentals Association, Colegrave Seabrook Foundation, Commercial Horticulture Association, Garden Centre Association, Garden Industry Manufacturers Association, Young People in Horticulture Association and conservation charity Plantlife.
Four Oaks award presented by HortWeek editor Matt Appleby
Show awards
HortWeek will sponsor and present both sets of awards this year. The New Plant & Product Awards categories are
- Young plants (new varieties)
- Bedding/pot plant
- Herbaceous perennials
- Houseplants, Trees, Shrubs
- Professional product/service/equipment
- Retail product/service/equipment
- Technical excellence
- Sustainability impact
The new Sustainability impact award is deliberately broad to encourage submissions from across the exhibitor base, and has already done so. As with all of the awards, the judging criteria are not overly prescriptive. Exhibitors are asked to summarise why each entry should be the winner and to detail the benefits over and above anything that has come before. HortWeek recruits a small team of judges who review entries before the event and then inspect them on the first day, with the winners being presented at the exhibitors’ supper, which will be supplied with the compliments of HortWeek.
Pat Coutts Awards
The other set, the Pat Coutts Awards, enable exhibitors to celebrate “excellent” people and were very well received at the 50th anniversary event in 2022. The platform has been created in honour of show founder Pat Coutts’ legacy of excellence. Last year’s winners across three categories, based on the size of the business, were Andrew Dorman (Mockridge Nurseries), Neil Williams (Petersfield Growing Mediums) and Hannah Groome (Allensmore Nurseries). Kyle Ross (Wyevale Nurseries) received an Ambassador for Horticulture Award.
