Ball Colegrave Summer Showcase
Growing and retailing plants… together A visit to the living catalogue of summer bedding, edibles, shrubs and perennials at Ball’s site in Oxfordshire is proving to be an increasingly effective way for growers and garden retailers to plan ahead for 2023 sales.
O
ver three weeks in July Ball threw open the doors of its trials inviting the industry to see for themselves new cultivars, additional colours of old favourites and clever ways of merchandising. Stuart Lowen, Ball’s Marketing Manager says the event is still popular with landscapers and local authorities, but visits from retailers and growers have risen sharply. Both are now using the trials to meet and discuss ranges for the coming years. “Some retailers will come up to three or four times with different suppliers,” he says. “This is an increasing audience and it’s great to see both growers and retailers working together.” Showing plants in a range of pot sizes is useful, explains Stuart,
10 August 2022
because both parties can see how differently they perform, for example in a 2-litre pot or a hanging basket, which can help to decide what to grow, how and when to retail. The company is also helping with point of sale, brand awareness and messaging with a current priority being the promotion of a new range of double-flowered bizzy lizzy with high genetic resistance to impatiens downy mildew. Thankfully work behind the scenes has helped welcome this muchloved plant back into our gardens and in 2019 Ball Colegrave introduced Impatiens Beacon®, a single flowered range with high disease resistance. Now ready for 2023 is the Impatiens Glimmer® series with double flowers. “We have two messages,” says Stuart. “One for experienced gardeners who
Stuart Lowen wit h Ball’s concept point of sale.
www.gardentradenews.co.uk
