In the world of horticulture and gardening, there’s no event quite like Glee. The annual trade show brings together everyone’s favourite brands, top retailers, and green-fingered enthusiasts for three days of networking, exchanging industry insights and exhibiting the newest products hitting shelves next season. This year, three of our wonderful clients, EP Barrus, CJ Wildlife and Seedball were showcasing their extensive product ranges, and unveiling some exciting new launches – so of course, we headed down to say hello!
First stop of the day was to see EP Barrus and its incredible exhibit of the Town & Country, Wilkinson Sword, and WOLF-Garten ranges. As we were lucky enough to already be privy to their new launches, we were very excited to see them in the flesh and get a glimpse of their POS displays. As is common knowledge, the Honest team is pet crazy so were desperate to see Town & Country’s new Go Walk dog walking range (and start mentally adding items to our wishlists!). The Go Walk range has everything you need, from stylish bobble hats with an integrated headlight for those darker winter walks, to specialist gloves that protect your hands from both the cold and friction caused by leads. We can’t wait to give them a try with our own pups!
The Town & Country stand was also showcasing its entire glove range – or ‘glove island’ as the Barrus team called it. Its newest additions, which are made from recycled ocean plastic bottles, went down a treat offering gardeners an eco-friendly option that helps restore our oceans whilst providing a high-quality solution for all types of gardening and outdoor tasks. We also loved the new welly and cloggie ranges for kids that can be purchased alongside matching adult sizes to make a cute family set or are just as adorable in their own right.
But the new product that got the most ooh’s and ahh’s from the Honest team had to be Wilkinson Sword’s new heart shaped trowels, perfect for the more sophisticated gardeners who need that added bit of style and Instagrammable element to their tool kit. Paired with Town & Country’s new raspberry coloured cloggies, the heart-shaped trowel will make the perfect gift for a loved one, whether it’s a birthday, Mother’s Day, or just because!
The next stop on our Glee tour was the CJ wildlife stand, which was brimming with bird nests, bat boxes and insect houses. Our pick of the bunch had to be the new Salina WoodStone Insect hotels that come in a range of colours and can host all sorts of precious bugs such as bees, lacewings and ladybirds – all of whom are beneficial to our gardens and help protect the ecosystem. We also spotted the new National Trust Recycled Feeders range, that are not only help support local wildlife but give plastic waste a second life.
CJ Wildlife has a wide range of products great for getting kids involved with nature while educating them on why it’s so important to protect our wildlife. The different types of build-you-own kits for kids are the perfect activities to keep your little ones entertained, our personal favourite being the Build-Your Own Jinto Bird Feeder.
After a quick stop off to say hello to Dahlia Beach and the SBM team, we headed across to the magnificent Seedball stand. As always, the display was beautifully decorated with pretty, pollinator-friendly planting, and showcased all the different types of wildflower seeds and packaging options available. New to the brand, the Make Your Own Seed Ball kits were a hit with visitors as they offer a hands-on, educational way to get kids involved with Seedball’s important mission to rewild Britain! We’re also currently loving the Hero Lawn mix that covers grass with low maintenance wildflowers that support biodiversity. The recent warm weather has definitely had an impact on our lawns and as wildflowers are drought-tolerant they can protect grass during a heatwave by offering shade and attracting pollinators. With even more warm weather on the way, we’ve got a feeling this mix is going to be a popular one!
It’s safe to say, Glee has left us feeling inspired about upcoming industry trends, and excited for next season already. And most importantly, we can’t wait to start getting the new products into the hands of journalists and editors. From getting up to date with industry developments and saying hello to some new and old faces, Glee is always a highlight of the Honest calendar, and we can’t wait for what next year has in store!
