ONE OF THE UK’s leading commercial nurseries based in Hereford has this week (June 23, 2015) won the Best Plant Display Award at the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) National Plant Show.
Wyevale Nurseries’ theme for the display stand at the prestigious horticultural industry show, which took place at Stoneleigh Park in Coventry, was about ‘Bringing the inside out’.
Adam Dunnett, Sales and Marketing Director at Wyevale Nurseries, explained: “We were delighted to come away with the Best Plant Display Award at the show. We worked really hard on the design and put a lot of thought into it. The idea behind the stand was that we wanted to inspire our customers, the retailers, to help inspire their customers, the gardening public.
“How often do we hear from the gardening public such phrases as I want an outdoor dining room, we don’t garden we decorate, the garden is a place to entertain and the garden is another room. These phrases are what we used as inspiration for designing the stand and brought the inside out with a quirky, fun twist.
“We hope it will give retailers ideas that can be taken away and replicated in their centres.”
Wyevale Nurseries used planted up furniture and a fireplace in their display to create an outdoor room. It showed the garden is a place to entertain and another room, which can be decorated with plants.
Adam continued: “The current trend in gardening is very much about decorating your outdoor space, changing it on a more regular basis than was done in the past. Once the backbone hard landscaping is done then people want to ring the changes with plants, pots, lighting and furnishings.
“As a nursery we are aiming to work with our customers providing innovative ideas, on trend product, useful information and marketing support to help them sell through our product.
“By forming close working links with our customer base through regular contact by the sales team and taking note of survey results we are listening to what retailers are telling us the public want. With this information we are constantly reviewing our product range and marketing offering.”
Wyevale Nurseries is one of the largest family-run wholesale nurseries in the UK. It was established in 1930 by Harry Williamson, a horticulturist and entrepreneur. It became the company it is today under the leadership of his son, Peter, who sadly passed away in 2011.
The Williamsons’ saw the opportunity to sell their product to an undeveloped retail market, creating one of the first garden centres, followed by a chain. In 1987, the retail side needed to expand and the 19 garden centres were sold as a PLC.
The family then turned its focus to Wyevale Nurseries Ltd. It continues to be a family-run business with ownership and joint chairmanship currently being held by the third generation, Heather and Simeon Williamson, with plans for the fourth generation to takeover in the future.
Wyevale Nurseries has a significant product range and is regularly introducing new plants. It offers a large variety of trees, shrubs, hedging, herbaceous and specimen plants to garden centres, landscape contractors, local authorities, foresters and landowners.
For further details about Wyevale Nurseries, which is based in Hereford, please call 01432 845 200 or visit www.wyevalenurseries.co.uk.
