The Underground – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode we catch up with the Talent Store finalists: Annie Gundry, Catrin Elin Jones, Steve Chase and Lucia Hopcraft. The Glee Talent Store, run in conjunction with The Garden Centre Association, is a fantastic competition that inspires new people working in garden retail to create stunning, clever and commercial retail displays. The programme involves masterclasses and mentoring from some of the biggest names in the industry. 

Glee Talent Store: https://www.gleebirmingham.com/talent-store

Official Podcast Partner of Glee 2024: https://www.gleebirmingham.com/undergroundpodcast

Want to earn a place as a guest on the show? You can find all the details here: Glee Teams Up with The Underground for Exclusive Gardening Podcasts (gleebirmingham.com)

Trevor Pfeiffer is a busy man, among his roles he's the Editor and Director of Garden Trade News and works with the team at Glee to put on the New Product Awards at Glee. We caught up with Trevor to find out more about his background and learn more about what makes the New Product Awards so special. This year you will be able to watch all of the companies who are pitching their products and answering questions from the judging panels - if you get the chance, make time to pop along.

Glee New Product Awards: https://www.gleebirmingham.com/new-product-awards

Garden Trade News: https://tgcmc.newsweaver.co.uk/gtnxtra/1x4y170ucfd

Want to earn a place as a guest on the show? You can find all the details here: Glee Teams Up with The Underground for Exclusive Gardening Podcasts (gleebirmingham.com)

Discover more about our hosts:

Kate Turner: www.gardenerguru.co.uk

Phil Wright: www.wrightobara.com

This week we were fortunate enough to have been invited along to the press preview of Gardeners World Live at the NEC. We took in the show gardens and spoke to the designers as well as some journalists, horticulturalists and influencers also enjoying the show.

https://www.bbcgardenersworldlive.com

Thanks to all those who we managed to talk to including, Kevin Smith, Ade Sellers, Jayne Hickling, Jonny Hincks, Sarah Sanderson and Adam Frost. Head over to our socials to find out more about each of our guests!

Discover more about our hosts:

Kate Turner: www.gardenerguru.co.uk

Phil Wright: www.wrightobara.com

Sally Nex is a horticulturalist, journalist and environmental campaigner with the Peat-free Partnership, we caught up with her to learn more about the mission of this organisation. Despite the widely recognised environmental damage caused by the use of peat in horticulture, the trade in peat is still ongoing. The Peat-Free Partnership brings together the RHS, the Wildlife Trusts, the RSPB, the National Trust, Garden Organic, Plantlife and many others forming a broad coalition to persuade the industry to adopt peat alternatives.

Peat-free Partnership: https://peatfreepartnership.org.uk

Plantlife: https://www.plantlife.org.uk

Discover more about our hosts:

Kate Turner: www.gardenerguru.co.ukPhil Wright: www.wrightobara.com

A good lawn is a staple for most gardens, but have you ever considered the R&D that goes into creating the latest generation of lawn seed? Guy Jenkins has been working with DLF seeds, the company behind Johnsons lawn seed, for 28 years, so he knows a thing or two about what goes into the perfect lawn. DLF supply grass seeds for a host of prestigious sports pitches, and it's this know-how that's distilled into their consumer products.

Johnsons Lawn Seed: http://johnsonslawnseed.com

DLF Seeds: https://www.dlf.co.uk

GIMA: http://gima.org.uk

Discover more about our hosts:

Kate Turner: www.gardenerguru.co.uk

Phil Wright: www.wrightobara.com

The Responsible Sourcing Scheme has been developed to assess the impact of each raw material ingredient that goes into a bag of Peat Free compost. We caught up with Steve Harper, the chairman of the RSS and also CEO of Southern Trident, to understand the scope of the RSS, how it works, and what difference it will make to retailers and consumers. We also discuss the environmental impact of one of the more contentious ingredients too.

Responsible Sourcing Scheme: 

https://www.responsiblesourcing.org.uk

Southern Trident: 

https://southerntrident.com

Discover more about our hosts:

Kate Turner: www.gardenerguru.co.uk

Phil Wright: www.wrightobara.com

Scott Smith is a trained horticulturist and has been consistently recognised by HortWeek as one of the nation's Top Head Gardeners since 2022. Until recently Scott was the Head Gardener and presenter on Beechgrove Garden for the BBC. He's also an advocate for mental health awareness within the industry.

Discover more about our hosts:

Kate Turner: www.gardenerguru.co.uk

Phil Wright: www.wrightobara.com

Elaine Gotts has been researching alternative growing-media ingredients for over 20 years. To say that she's an expert in the subject would be an understatement. That's why we were intrigued to discover more about the science behind the latest generation of peat-free composts.

Levington Research Station: 

https://www.lovethegarden.com/uk-en/article/evergreen-research-station-where-miracles-are-born

Discover more about our hosts:

Kate Turner: www.gardenerguru.co.ukPhil Wright: www.wrightobara.com

Boyd Douglas-Davies needs little introduction, previously the CEO of Hillview Garden Centres, a Director at British Garden Centres and a past President of the HTA, he now runs his own consulting business The Boyd Partnership, while also being an Ambassador for the YPHA and Greenfingers Charity. We caught up with Boyd to discuss the challenges and opportunities for Garden Centres and so much more!

The Boyd Partnership: http://theboydpartnership.co.uk

YPHA: http://ypha.org.uk/

Greenfingers Charity: http://greenfingerscharity.org.uk/

Discover more about our hosts:

Kate Turner: www.gardenerguru.co.uk

Phil Wright: www.wrightobara.com

On this week's episode we sit down with Fran Barnes, the CEO of the HTA to discuss the role and importance of the association. We discuss challenges, opportunities and the government's attitude towards the horticultural industry.

HTA: https://hta.org.uk

Discover more about our hosts:

Kate Turner: www.gardenerguru.co.uk

Phil Wright: www.wrightobara.com