HARTLEY BOTANIC RETURNS TO RHS TATTON PARK WITH A ‘FEEL GOOD’-THEMED TRADESTAND, SHOWCASING THE WELLBEING BENEFITS OF ‘GROW YOUR OWN’
Hartley Botanic, England’s most historic and respected Glasshouse and Greenhouse manufacturer has revealed details of its 2023 RHS Flower Show Tatton Park tradestand. The ‘Feel Good’ by Hartley Botanic tradestand will display four of the manufacturer’s handmade Greenhouses filled with a range of delicious edible crops. The stand will show just some of the many diverse types of edibles that can be grown in a Hartley Botanic and communicate the wellbeing-boosting potential of watching your own fruit and vegetables emerge from seed, as well as enjoying the improved taste and nutritional benefits of growing your own.
The tradestand designed, built, and planted by garden landscaping firm Base Squared, will feature Hartley Botanic’s Opus Botanic Glasshouse, Victorian Villa and Victorian Chelsea Glasshouses and a Wisley 8 Grow & Store Greenhouse. Three of the structures have been powder-coated in lighter colours – Country Stone, Verona Stone, and Olive Leaf – to give a fresh look and to reflect how many customers are choosing soft stone and light greens in their Greenhouse choices.
Edibles planted in a mix of pots, growing beds and cold frames will dominate the internal planting on the stand with melons, tomatoes, corn, purple sprouting broccoli and courgettes at various stages of growth included in the selection. Tender herbs such as basil will also feature, and several different salad varieties will be displayed. The two growing beds within the glass-to-ground Victorian Villa and Victorian Chelsea Greenhouses will host tomato plants, and the larger Opus Botanic will feature a mix of citrus trees and palms. A range of companion plants will join the edible focus, with bedding plants such as petunias trailing off Greenhouse shelves and marigolds placed alongside tomatoes.
The Greenhouses will be dressed as functional garden buildings, with a primary focus on growing, but three of the structures will include useful seating areas, perfect for whiling away the hours under glass or simply for taking a break. External planting on the tradestand will also reflect the ‘Feel Good’ theme with a calming, muted colour palette of purples and whites and pops of colour coming from scented lavender (UK-grown) and tall verbena bonariensis. Grasses will play a significant role in the external planting theme, with their soothing movement good for taking away the stress of the day. A multi-stem horn beam will also be included as a feature tree to create a shady area for relaxation, complete with a cool, concrete bench.
More detail about the individual Greenhouses to be shown on the tradestand:
The Opus Botanic Glasshouse in Country Stone
The largest Glasshouse on this year’s tradestand, the Opus Botanic is from Hartley Botanic’s contemporary Modern Horticulture range and features concealed engineering and wider glass panes, to give a modern look and feel. The Glasshouse includes freestanding staging, high level shelving, pendant drop lights, four automatic roof vents and four manual vertical vents.
The Victorian Villa Glasshouse in Verona Stone
The Hartley Botanic Victorian Villa Glasshouse, with its charming proportions and Victorian aesthetic, is one of Hartley Botanic’s most popular for many gardens. The Glasshouse has been powder coated in Verona Stone and features an extra door in the left and right gable ends. Fully furnished in useful and beautiful Hartley Botanic accessories, the Victorian Villa is being shown with integrated cold frames, blinds, automatic roof vents, matching powder-coated pendant lights and both high level shelving and ornate Victorian staging.
The Victorian Chelsea Glasshouse in Olive Leaf
The Chelsea is the only Victorian Glasshouse in Hartley Botanic’s range combining a glass to ground design, which provides additional light for growing, with a traditional Victorian apex look. The show model features roof blinds to both front and rear, decorative spandrels, matching powder-coated pendant lights and two automatic roof vents. A ground-level border, running along the full length of one of the Greenhouse’s sides will join freestanding Victorian ornate staging and high-level staging in this space.
The Wisley 8 Grow & Store Greenhouse in Black Olive
Launched at the Chelsea Flower Show last year, the Wisley 8 Grow & Store is an iconic design based on one of Hartley Botanic’s original, Heritage models and includes a useful, partitioned two-pane storage area. The flower show model includes both high level shelving and freestanding staging with blinds included in the grow section of the structure along with two manual and two automatic roof vents.
Tom Barry, CEO of Hartley Botanic said; “The edible focus on this year’s Tatton Park ‘Feel Good’ tradestand has been chosen to reflect how ‘growing your own’ allows us to feel good on the inside.
“Watching something grow from seed to fruit is extremely rewarding and you then get to eat what you have grown. Imagine being able to access an abundance of absolutely delicious vegetables and fruit every time you step into your garden? Thanks to our British climate, this wouldn’t be consistently possible for those growing outdoors, but for those who own a Hartley Botanic Glasshouse or Greenhouse a constant supply of home-grown, fresh produce is completely achievable.
“We experienced a resurgence in customers purchasing Greenhouses for ‘grow your own’ during lockdown, and there has been no slowing down of this trend since. It is a central benefit to Greenhouse ownership.”