Tony Norgrove heads to Newmarket to discover what's new and different from Mr Fothergill's
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| New strawberry 'Delia' from DT Brown
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'Laura Ashley are moving into gardens centres with a range which includes wellies, garden wear, fencing and furniture.'
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| Tony on holiday
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August 2007: I visited Mr Fothergill's headquarters and trial site near Newmarket to see what the company has planned and what new fruit and veg they have for next year.
Unfortunately, the weather had taken its toll on the plants at the trial site stunting some and delaying flowering on others. However, acres of plant life still gladdened the eye!
Flowering plants that looked at their best included marigolds, cornflowers, cosmos and sweet peas. The new and exclusive Nemophila 'Little Lullaby' from Johnsons caught my eye with its pale petals and darker blue spots on the edges. Geranium 'Shocking Blue' appears on the cover of the Perennial Collection catalogue and is actually purple-blue so I'm not sure about the name! It's compact at 25cm (10in), but quite expensive at £8.95 for two bare-root plants.
Biggest relaunch yet!
Mr Fothergill's are having their biggest relaunch in history – something they have been working on for the past three years.
The whole Fothergill's range has been overhauled, taking into account customer feedback, and all labels redesigned. Good, large pictures above the logo, a short description and sowing times are said to make it easier for customers to pick what they want. Detailed sowing and growing information is also printed on the reverse. 'Only small changes have been made to the 'old man' on the packet due to customer feedback. And the website is being updated too.
Five brands
You may not know that the company comprises five main brands: Mr Fothergill's, DT Brown, Woolman's, The Sweet Pea Company and Johnsons. Mr Fothergill's staff were keen to point out that they prefer the brands to be mentioned separately, as they don't want customers to know they are all one company!
Since taking over Woolman's Chrysanthemums from Eastfields, all mother stock is being grown on at Mr Fothergill's to identify the best ones to breed on from. And, from this autumn, Mr Fothergill's will be working closely with Joel Richardson of JR Jersey Horticulture Ltd for young plant production, which has an association with the Flying Flowers and Gardening Direct brands.
Healthy and pest-resistant
Look out for the
Healthy Garden catalogue consisting of 15 lines of pest-resistant varieties to cut down on the amount of pesticides needed. For enthusiasts of growing in pots,
Container Garden is a new collection of 10 lines.
There's also 202 different vegetables in the 2008 range, which includes 30 herbs, 10 sprouting seedlings and 19 organic varieties. Salad leaf mixes are very popular, and Mr Fothergill's Salad Bar can offer 20 different varieties for customers to grow and make their own mixes.
Easy sowing with mats and tapes
For those new to growing plants from seed, Mr Fothergill's are selling eight different 2m (7ft) tapes with seeds embedded in them, and 10 seed mats 8cm (3in) and 20cm (8in) round covering both herbs and salad leaf mixes.
Exclusive to Mr Fothergill's
New and exclusive varieties include sweetcorn 'Sparrow', carrot 'Ulysses' (a high-yielding carrot with dark-orange roots), climbing bean 'Pantheon', dwarf bean 'Stanley', butternut squash 'Hawk', radish 'Amethyst', spinach 'Barbados', lambs lettuce 'Valentin', cucumber 'Socrates', and capsicum 'Razzamatazz'.
Other ranges include Fun With Seeds (to appeal to children), Herb Garden and a new range of Garden Essentials with widget, dibber set, soil thermometer, soil pH tester, bird scaring tape, water-storing crystals and windowsill propagator.
Laura Ashley goes gardening with Johnsons
Laura Ashley are moving into gardens centres with a range which includes wellies, garden wear, fencing and furniture. The premium range of flower seeds from Johnsons will be sold through selected garden centres – not in Laura Ashley stores! However, both companies will feature the collection on their web sites.
Organic Sprouting Seeds
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| World Kitchen range
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Meanwhile,
Johnsons are introducing a range of 15 Geo Organic Sprouting Seeds which includes alfalfa, buckwheat, fenugreek, lentils, mung beans, radish and rocket. These are part of the Bavicchi Italian seed company. The Geo brand is already found in health food shops and is now moving into garden centres. The sprouting seeds are promoted for their health benefits and can be grown inside all year round, and are ready within a few days. There are 15 varieties and a three-tiered growing unit will also be on sale.
World kitchen veges
Johnsons' new
World Kitchen range comprises 44 varieties bringing together vegetables representing the cuisine of the Mediterranean, Asia, the Americas and Northern and Eastern Europe. Packets also include a recipe tip.
New and exclusive varieties of vegetable seed include sweetcorn 'Sweet Bounty' F1 (sweet with large, well filled cobs), carrot 'Columbia' F1 (a long rooted 'Imperator' type with a very sweet flavour), lettuce 'Pinares' (a large-headed cos, sweet-tasting and with a crunchy texture) and capsicum 'Jalapeno Jaladuro' (with large, tapering fruits and it's naturally disease-resistant).
Strawberry, apple and potato offers from DT Brown
DT Brown are offering six plants free of charge of new strawberry 'Delia' to gardenerss who place an order from the
Kitchen Gardener's Catalogue 2008. Strawberry 'Delia' is an early-season variety which produces large, glossy, conical berries, bright orange red in colour. The plants have an upright habit, which displays the fruit well, and the berries are sweet and juicy. There are also customer offers on apple 'Fiesta' (free when you order five or more trees or vines), and 'Vales Emerald' potato (free when you order 6kg or more).
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