HortWeek Podcast

As part of HortWeek's Parks & Gardens Week held 23 - 29 March 2026, Rachael Forsyth held a Horticulture Question Time session to answer reader questions with a truly expert panel which featured:Jane Moore - award-winning writer and author and a head gardener for more than 30 yearsJoe Whitehead - head gardener at Burghley House and new Professional Gardeners Guild chair, with more than 20 years of expertise in garden design, plant care, and landscape managementFIND MORE PARKS & GARDENS WEEK CONTENT HEREThe Questions00:02:24 What are the biggest issues you are seeing from drought and excess rain and how can this be managed?00:11:35 What can I do about brown lawns?00:14:04 How can I communicate what we are doing to mitigate climate change in my park or garden?00:19:19 How can I bring nature back into the garden when I need to maintain a formal, tidy or neat-looking garden?00:28:55 What is the one piece of tech that has made your life easier?00:31:14 How can I work my way up to a head gardener position?00:33:58 What kind of park/garden events have you found to be most successful?00:36:12 What plants can you suggest for adding winter interest into a garden?

What did the Space-Comm Expo conference and exhibition tell us about connecting space and wider business? How does this manifest as tech connectivity in telecoms and why do farmers care about that? What did we learn about the benefits of extreme cold in manufacturing laboratories and why do pharmas care about that? How vulnerable are global logistics to the spoofing of navigation signals? And why is the UK government centralising space strategy in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology? Join Alice and Jonners as they reflect on the UK space sector’s largest trade event and the “energy, diversity and …sheer scope of what this industry has to offer”. Contributors:Alice Bunn, President of UKspace Dr Alice Bunn OBE FIMechE FRAeS CEng | LinkedInUKspace: Overview | LinkedIn Jonathan Daves, The Karman LineJonathan Daves | LinkedIn Subscribe to The Karman LineApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-k%C3%A1rm%C3%A1n-line/id1876605462Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3qED4CgdRDxfKKzYNKZCIH?si=lZ-I4a19SPGLAJL-dHi4DQYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheKármánLineUKKey topics covered:Space-Comm Expo, London, March 2026Conference overviewSector integrationInsuranceCustomer utilityGovernment roleFuture outlook Technological advancements· Telecoms· Manufacturing Defence and security· Satellite capabilities· Current threats

GIMA director Vicky Nuttall retires from the role this spring after 12 years in the role.GIMA's annual big day conference event on 26 March is about future of the supply chain and will include panels on sales agents versus employed staff, logistics, marketplace and Yorkshire Garden Centres' Mark Farnsworth.Talking to Matt Appleby on the HortWeek Podcast, Nuttall says the biggest changes at GIMA since she started there 12 years ago include GIMA taking on the Garden Press Event in 2016 and Nuttall says she was really pleased to add the event, alongside the HTA, to its offer.Covid in 2020 saw trade associations "come to the fore" and GIMA joining the CBI in 2019 proved to be a good decision as they were close to Government. Bringing trade associations closer together and growing the membership, helped by Tony Kersey (ex-Homebase), has helped that.She says she seeks influencers online, and "they find us" and they generate content from the Garden Press Event. She added that GIMA manages who comes through the door so only people who are trying to make a living get in.GIMA has taken on some members from the defunct Gardenex export organisation and will manage their international lounge at Glee in September.There's uncertainty about the weather so far in 2026 from retailers, after a good Christmas, Nuttall observes: "Everything is in place for a good 2026 season. But the most important factor is the weather." She adds: "It's tough out there for some of the smaller businesses...that might be a reflection of what some of the more established brands are doing."The biggest challenges looking ahead include increased employment taxes, regulations such as EPR packaging bills eat away at margins and some smaller garden centres are coming to the point where they think they canlt be boithered and we are seeing consildiation, as well as some in the supply side. She advises using professionals to monitor reporting of EPR."It's tough for smaller or single product suppliers to get a "foot in the door". There are fewer buying points and buying groups and chains are getting stronger and some bigger suppliers are getting "more dominant".Marketplace retailing gives more opportunity but has a knock-on effect for the retail landscape, especially for DIY and High Street stores.In terms of trends, "accessible and easy" wellness and well-being hobbies than gardening are getting more popular, she says.Nuttall says the organisation is well-placed placed for the future.

Long-time HortWeek columnist and nursery business consultant John Adlam of Dove Associates joins the HortWeek Podcast to talk about the latest Government document "A New Vision for Water".Adlam explains the significance of this document to horticulture and raises concerns because "there's no real mention of how [horticulture is] going to be participating in the new vision" and "still does not consider irrigation to be an 'essential use'".He talks about how horticulture has fared in recent months with extremes of drought and "a deluge" in different parts of the country affecting water harvesting, stores and growth.Adlam talks about the measures available to horticulturists to mitigate the risk associated with extreme weather that is becoming more "normal" with every year that passes. Whereas in the past, water was "a minor part of growers' annual costs". But "today the biggest concern is not so much the costs of water as to the availability of water" he says, with high capital costs often associated with maintaining supply.Growing media is as important as the water itself and peat-free is presenting growers with fresh challenges and watering has become a highly technical skill he says: "People are becoming more fastidious in the way they irrigate."He talks about water testing and the need to monitor water quality, pH, conductivity and more.Like many HortWeek Podcast guests, Adlam was born into horticulture and grew up in his family's plant nursery and landscaping business: "I was nearly born in a glasshouse. Mum came in to labour as she was de-leafing tomatoes."He talks about narrow escape from a career playing trumpet which he still plays as part of his church work. As an ordained Anglican vicar, Adlam connects his day work in horticulture to his pastoral church work - "in fact my parish was the nursery industry of England".Adlam reflects on his lifelong connection to and career in horticulture and the huge changes in pest and disease treatments over the years: "Many of the products have less efficacy than they did in the olden days but they are much safer".Although we have lost a lot of "actives" - active chemical herbicides, fungicides, acaricides and pesticides - we are better off than some countries Adlam says: "Last year Denmark [for example] had only 93 actives; [the UK] has got something like 400 or 500 actives". But being out of the EU, or potentially getting more closely aligned again via the SPS agreement in 2027 is a "swings and roundabouts" situation Adlam says, where we are able to continue using some chemicals the EU has restricted, but we miss out on products registered in the EU but not in the UK.Biological plant health products are in the ascendency but Adlam believes that while we expect "blemish-free plants and at the moment it's very hard to do that entirely biologically".

Joe Whitehead, head gardener at Burghley House and new Professional Gardeners Guild chair, has over 20 years of expertise in garden design, plant care, and landscape management.He talks about harnessing the experience of 850 members via webinars and members' workshops.The PGG turns 50 in 2027 and has a new website and membership system. Celebrations are planned. Founder Brian Hutchinson died in late 2025 and Whitehead wants to commemorate his legacy. Hutchinson retired in 1998 as Castle Howard head gardener, where he had been for 25 years (having previously been at Chatsworth) and from where he founded the PGG in 1977.Whitehead began as a tree surgeon, during which I attained a National Diploma in Horticulture at Riseholme. After five years, he took a position at Burghley House. Then, after a two-year Wisley Diploma in Practical Horticulture, his first head gardener role was at Salle Park in Norfolk. Eight years as head gardener at Raveningham Hall followed and before his return to Burghley House as head gardener in 2018.There are 140,000 visitors annually and a five-person marketing team. He said if visitors love a garden they will return, so he has created layers of interest for year-round interest, plus 'experiences' to make the garden a 'natural classroom', as well as secondary spend places such as cafes. Engagement with visitors is important too.

As of 2026, the UK space industry is a significant and strategic driver of the national economy, contributing over £19 billion in revenue and supporting tens of thousands of high-skilled jobs. Satellite-based services and data underpin roughly 18% of UK GDP, equivalent to approximately £454 billion of the wider economy. And the sector is growing exponentially.But this is just the tip of the iceberg. For the space industry to fully realise its potential it needs more of the right people to understand what’s happening and get involved. People like policy makers, investors, regulators, planners, communicators, lawyers and consultants.Dr Alice Bunn, the president of UK Space, and her panel of guests, Sam Alden co-CEO of Space Solar, Nick Shave managing director of Astroscale and Anushka Sharma founder of Naaut, discuss the surprising, awe inspiring business of space and make the compelling case for why more companies and investors should get involved. Contributors:Host:Alice Bunn, President of UKspace Dr Alice Bunn OBE FIMechE FRAeS CEng | LinkedInUKspace: Overview | LinkedInGuests:Nick Shave, Managing Director of AstroscaleNick Shave FRAeS | LinkedInAstroscale: Overview | LinkedInSam Adlen, CEO of Space SolarSam Adlen | LinkedInSpace Solar: Overview | LinkedInAnushka Sharma, founder of NaautAnushka Sharma | LinkedInNaaut: About | LinkedInKey topics covered:Impact of Space on Everyday LifePractical ApplicationsEnvironmental MonitoringGlobal SecuritySustainability and Innovation in OrbitSpace DebrisManufacturing in MicrogravitySpace-Based Solar PowerEconomic and Regulatory LandscapeCost ReductionInvestment and FinanceRegulation and PolicyThe Future of Space ExplorationNew PlatformsAcademic Contribution

Georgie Newbery is chair of Flowers From The Farm and founder of Common Farm Flowers, one of the first of the new artisan flower farmers to establish in the UK.A small scale flower farm and educator, the farm, established in Somerset in 2010, grows up to 100,000 stems annually without the use of chemicals,Newbery is set to feature at RHS Chelsea Flower Show this May in the Great Pavilion where she will present the first representation of a flower farm at the show, showcasing Ranunculus, also for the first time.She hopes the display will "advocate for flower farmers" and inspire them to perhaps start growing flowers themselves. One of her Chelsea funders is peat-free compost supplier Sustain - and Newbery, as a peat-free flower farm from the start, says there is no excuse for using peat "just because it makes life easier for me". She also believes she can "demonstrate that it's easy to grow peat-free".While she fully understands the difficulty and cost for larger commercial growers of switching their nurseries to peat-free systems, she says "everything we do, we make a choice... we choose to learn how to use other kinds of compost, because it's possible, and it's not breaking the planet".Newbery talks about the operation she runs at the farm, how she manages to grow successfully without chemicals, and her experience with peat-free compost, products, techniques and adaptations. She revels in the idea of the flower farm as a reservoir of life and biodiversity that will act as "innoculation stations" that, come the end of the world, could seed the desert green landscapes surrounding them.As well as growing flowers Newbery runs workshops and demonstrations on propagation and seed-saving, such as how to design a cut flower patch. Weddings and funerals account for most of her cut flower sales. Customers there usually come through word of mouth, she says, often "because they want something that has come from a garden".Newbery has a distinctive philosophy of business and in mentoring small businesses. She encourages "the stepping away from the 'more for the sake of more' model. The key, she says, is to work out "what your 'enough' is". If you work out what your minimum need is, modest or luxurious, "whatever it is...then work out how to build a business that will pay for it". And she is fierce in her support of other small business owners who want to make a good living supplying a high quality product without endlessly having to expand. Asked about her "flowers of the future" she says "seed sovereignty" should be the focus, with locally-grown seed, adapted to UK conditions more likely to provide "bigger, stronger" plants compared to imported options.A new edition of her book "The Flower Farmers's Year" is out in May 2026.

Paul Greenyer, Gareth Wilson and Craig Nester are high flyers in the world of landscape design and contracting. Greenyer is director of Paul Greenyer Consultancy and carries out design and build landscape work as well as being an RICS-accredited expert witness and mediator.Wilson is an independent expert witness, hard landscaping expert and garden consultant and is known for his Chelsea gardens.And Nester is a design and build specialist with his firm Habitat Landscapes.While their routes into the industry are different, they share a hurdle over which they have all had to jump - having ADHD (attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder).In the discussion with Rachael Forsyth, the three offer disarmingly frank accounts of the ways ADHD has affected their lives and the people the love, live with and work with.They explain some "symptoms" of the condition and share some of the strategies they have employed and evolved that have helped them first "cope" and ultimately "thrive" and excel in their chosen professions.Podcast producer: HortWeek digital content manager, Christina TaylorPodcast presenter: HortWeek senior reporter, Rachael ForsythMake sure you never miss a HortWeek podcast! Subscribe to or Follow HortWeek podcasts via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your preferred podcast platform.

HortWeek editor Matt Appleby and senior reporter Rachael Forsyth report on the essential horticulture stories of the week.HortWeek editor Matthew Appleby and Rachael talk about:Ruxley Manor Garden Centre takes on organised crime by installing extensive security and anti-theft measures Marketing tips from IPM Essen where the watchword was 'innovation'Pros and cons of influencers for horticulture marketingPeat panel at the BOA Conference gauges the direction of travel, sentiment, quality and the EU on going peat-freeSociety of Garden and Landscape Designers award winnersRBG Kew's Orchid Festival + climate resilience, visitor numbers, engagement and plans to improve itHortWeek's plans for Parks & Gardens Week - taking place 23-30 March 2026 - details TBCDo check out our huge archive of HortWeek Podcast interviews with an unrivalled selection of prominent and fascinating figures from all corners of the horticulture sector.Podcast presenters: Matthew Appleby and Rachael ForsythPodcast producer: Christina Taylor