As Fiona Scott from Pheeberts point out, "Our industry has been through massive changes over the last five to seven years with many of the larger companies going under. There is now an up-surge of smaller companies offering designs that are unique to them. This leads to a more diverse and interesting choice for the customer."

These specialised suppliers know exactly who their customers are, so if they are similar to the types of people who frequent your garden centre - it should be a match made in heaven.

Alison Lowe, Director of Ornamental Sales at Haddonstone makes the point, "Our customers are discerning homeowners, aged 25 and above, with the majority in the 45 - 65 age group.  Customers mainly buy Haddonstone to enhance their existing house or garden, and we also know that many read Country Life, House & Garden and The Daily Telegraph."

Meanwhile, Terri Greves from Amalfi Imports has another type of customer in mind, "People that are collectors of fairies and angels form a large part (of our customer base) but also the large cherubs seem to endear themselves to a range of customers who would not ordinarily be tempted."

With products as diverse as garden statues and ornaments it is somewhat difficult to discern a trend in customer tastes - however, most suppliers say that customers are looking for something a bit different, suggesting that they are more educated about the sector than in previous times.

Martin Lucas, Proprietor of Lucas Garden Statuary believes the Internet has influenced consumer tastes. "As for trends in design, as always the consumer is looking for different, well executed designs. There has been a definite shift away from Greco/Roman gods and goddesses especially in colours not suited or natural to the UK such as white. Water features have been increasingly popular. Consumers are using the Internet more and more to research their purchase even if they don't actually buy the product online," he says.

Fiona Scott agrees that customers have become more discerning, "Consumers are prepared to pay more. They are more adventurous in their tastes. Larger pieces are more popular than they were 10 years ago," she says.

This could be due in part to the proliferation of gardening television programmes that have had a similar effect on consumers as the home improvement and DIY shows that clog up our channels. Mind you, it could be a mistake to think that UK customers are in the mould of "Changing Rooms" - in fact they more are likely to be fans of "Grand Designs".

This is certainly Alison Lowe's experience at Haddonstone. "The instant results, ‘do-this-in-a-weekend' type projects that were made popular by garden makeover programmes are now being replaced with something more permanent. Customers are rediscovering the benefits of cast stone planters, which actually become more attractive as they begin to weather with age. Of course, designing products with a longer lifespan also reduces waste," she points out.

These types of products constitute a greater investment for the garden centre and the customer and it is therefore essential that both know how best to look after them. Fiona Scott has some very practical advice from the outset, "Handle as little as possible, these are heavy, yet easily damaged items. Think of them as being very heavy china. If you put them at the front of your house, cement them in position or they will vanish!"

Graham Cornfield from Enigma Imports (specialists in marble and granite statues) is also careful to give good customer advice, "Most people don't have a clue how to look after natural stone sculpture, we always advise on how to clean and what products to clean with," he says.

In fact, most garden statues and ornaments are designed to become more attractive as they weather and get covered in lichen but still there are some important points to keep in mind. As Martin Lucas explains, "Water features should be emptied of water over winter to prevent possible frost thaw/damage and keep detritus from clogging up pumps; ponds should be covered where safety is an issue: Any urns and vases should have adequate and clear drainage."

Haddonstone's Alison Lowe agrees, "We advise customers to take sensible precautions such as draining water from fountains over winter to prevent frost damage, and to avoid watering planters in the heat of the day."

In order to ensure that garden centres pass on these valuable instructions and other important information about the vast Haddonstone range, the company organises special training for its suppliers. "To help our stockists we run regular training days which includes a tour of our studio, factory and show gardens. Our stockist training days help our distributors to sell our products more effectively and we also have a range of marketing tools such as branded price labels, weatherproof catalogues on lecterns, and Classic Options - our dedicated stockist brochure," says Lowe.

Most of the suppliers, we spoke to had very specific ideas about what they looked for in the perfect garden centre. Amalfi's Terri Greves says, "When I am looking at garden centre distributors I look for well maintained centres that take a pride in the products they sell and the way in which they display them."

Fiona Scott is also concerned about the way her sculptures are displayed. "We advise garden centres to display our pieces amongst some greenery as this increases sales," she says.

"We always say that a good display results in good sales, but enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff are equally important," adds Alison Lowe.

The GLEE show remains one of the most important dates in the calendar for marketing new products. "We have found trade shows such as GLEE and the Spring fair are the best way to get noticed in the trade. As for the public it really is word of mouth and the website," says Enigma's Graham Cornfield.

Fiona Scott is already preparing for the next GLEE show. "We launched 10 new designs last year at GLEE and I am already sculpting the new pieces for GLEE 2008," she says. Pheebert's highest earning sculpture, named Yolande was in fact designed simply to be a "show-stopper" for GLEE and Scott hasn't looked back since.

For Martin Lucas, GLEE is part of his year in much the same way as the seasons themselves and their individual demands. He describes his typical year, "We tend to follow the normal garden cycle but it starts earlier than for some because of our high proportion of exports," he says.

"December and January are the times for preparation for the coming selling season. February to June is the peak selling period. July and August quieten down while people enjoy the summer and their labours (we prepare for GLEE). September and October picks up with the interest generated by GLEE and gardeners getting back to working in their gardens. November has a bit of a burst with Christmas coming and gardens being put to bed for the winter."

With such frenetic activity, it is difficult to see how he finds time to get inspiration for his new products. "Inspiration comes from all over," he explains. "Books; requests; art; historical originals; country houses. My favourite method is to go up to London, walk along the South Bank and visit the Tate, then travel up to the British Museum or the V & A. The Wallace Collection and Lord Soane's house are two of my favourites and well worth a visit.

"I was once at the Tate Bankside and stopped to sketch a stunning Barbara Hepworth piece, it was a rough and ready sketch but served its purpose and I was standing there for a few minutes. When I finished and looked up from my little pad I found I was surrounded by a throng of people curious to see what I was doing. I sidled off a touch embarrassed and I think that if they saw my effort they would probably have been a little disappointed!" he adds.

Alison Lowe says Haddonstone also finds inspiration in a number of sources. "Sometimes we will launch a product as a result of popular demand - for example our Large Elizabethan Jardiniere was created as a result of customer requests for a larger design to complement two existing designs. Often designs are launched because we can see a gap in the market, which is how our contemporary range of planters first came about. Other designs are inspired by traditional and classical sources," she says.

Customer demand and feedback are certainly essential as Graham Cornfield explains. "Enquiries from the public help but as we have a manufacturing arm we can try prototype water features etc. For instance we will make a feature then get feedback. If we think it will sell, we mass produce or change the colour," he says.

It is easy to be daunted by art of any kind and to worry that others won't share ones tastes and garden sculpture and ornaments can feel like a big investment. However, with customers becoming more informed and more discerning, it is time garden centres followed suit. A visit to GLEE or some time spent on the internet gives a good idea of the variety of product on offer and the supplier will have a very in-depth knowledge of what type of customer usually buys this type of product. Garden ornaments will not only make the garden centre itself look more attractive, but with good staff training and point of sale information, they can lead to profitable onward sales. Just make sure that the only scantily clad women on display are of the marble variety or the customers may not notice them at all!

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