Glee 2018 - Plastic reduction is top of the bill

My woolly hat is on and it’ll stay on now until late spring. I’ll need a new pair of steel toe capped work boots very soon too to tide me over the winter. It pays to plan ahead with boots and get the old leaking ones replaced before the wetter weather kicks in. 

There are other items of clothing to put on the list too, especially the hidden thermal clothing and waterproofs. It’ll make working outside more enjoyable and save the old joints from creaking. I’d much sooner be overdressed for gardening duties and shed a few layers as I warm up and put them back on again when the flask of tea comes out at break time.  

The growing season is quickly coming to a close now and I am starting to bring my tools in and give them a bit of maintenance and a good oiling. I’ll even be putting some Danish oil onto the wooden handles of my hoe (a Dutch one as coincidence would have it) as I think this will help preserve the wood for a long time, especially at the joints where they tend to rot. 

The small electric mower doesn’t really need any maintenance as it’s mainly all plastic. I just tend to clean the grass from under it and out of the wheels. I’m not quite ready to hang things up for the winter but it does no harm to just work through the long list nice and slowly.

Clearing out the polytunnel is a long way down the list as it’s still producing for me. Just this week I got a large bowl of chillies, a few pounds of delicious tomatoes and a handful of aubergines. The aubergines have been a great success and they are delicious fried up. I’ll be growing them again next year. 

Glee 2018

The annual Glee garden and outdoor living trade show in Birmingham signals the end of the growing year as it showcases products we will see on sale in the shops in 2019. This year, top of the list is plastic, peat and glyphosate reduction, one-stop shop suppliers, slug control, shrub replacement, lawn fixing, solar technology and heat-loving plants after this year’s warm summer.

One innovative new product is solar Bluetooth, which controls solar lights using a smartphone app, which automatically adjusts brightness to extend light functionality. Solar in-lit fencing panels are also available for a novelty item. 

Bamboo pots and trays are increasing in popularity. A more core product on display was the taupe plant pot - The new taupe-coloured pot is carbon black-free, recycled polypropylene that can be identified by near infrared (NIR) and consequently recycled through kerbside recycling schemes. This allows gardeners to dispose of pots to be recycled in a way that has not been possible before now. Car tyre stepping stones are also proving a popular choice

Glyphosate reduction was big news with the official launch of Evergreen's (formerly Scotts) glyphosate-free Roundup. With 98% of weedkiller sales being products containing glyphosate. They predicted market share for glyphosate-frees (usually acetic acid-based) to rise to anywhere between 2% to 20% of the market next year.

Slug killers Neudorff said it plans to release the first off-the-shelf slug killer nematode later this year, resolving issues with nematodes sent by post dying in the summer heat.

Peat reduction was led by Westland's new formulation New Horizon with Bio3. The Growing Media Association's Responsible Sourcing Scheme has begun trialling this month with Bord na Móna, Melcourt, Bulrush, Evergreen (Scotts) and Horticultural Coir, although the voluntary retail phase-out target of 2020 looks like it has gone by the wayside.

Bulb production has suffered this summer because of a lack of rain and a few favourites are in short supply.

Wildlife Bird baths sold well in 2018 because of the drought and companies such as Wildlife World has new launches aiming to feed that market.

Packaging

After 2018's anti-plastic campaigns, manufacturers have worked to reduce plastic packaging. For instance, Wildlife World has compostable cellulose inner packaging and biodegradable outer bags on its new hedgehog and bird food. It also has metal rather than plastic bird feeders for sale.

And finally to get you into the winter season - Christmas tree wholesale prices are up by €1.30 this year. The summer scorch scare has only hit newly planted trees so will make no impact this season. But retail prices are at their limit — any higher and more people will buy plastic trees.