THE LAST WORD
The horticultural industry is making huge advances in satisfying the needs of domestic and commercial gardeners to ensure an environmentally sustainable future, and at this year's Garden Press Event, wool came out top of the class.
Wool Pots won the 2023 New Product Award for production of a biodegradable, environmentally friendly, and sustainable alternative to plastic plant pots, which aims to reduce the amount of single use plastic in horticulture, by using 100% natural wool. Wool pots are used in exactly the same way as regular small pots for sowing seeds, rooting cuttings, or growing on germinated seedlings. The huge advantages though being that they are not made of plastic; the complete wool pot can be planted in the ground and it will biodegrade and feed the soil; wool wicks up and releases water more slowly, and it provides a viable use for unwanted wool. If you are ready to try them out for yourself, we've got 10 sets of ten Wool Pots to give away!
Wool also featured in a new product called Hortiwool which again utilises the natural insulation, hydration, and nutritional properties of wool, to allow it to be used as a hanging basket liner, ground cover, a slug barrier, and so much more, in a handy pad which can be broken up to use as you wish around the garden.
Single-use plastics cause us many environmental problems. Not all plastic use should be frowned upon though as plastic is a durable, versatile material when used correctly. A newly-designed garden hose connector from Qwickhose was another product which caught my eye at the Garden Press Event. Made from extra-robust, UV stabilised, premium-grade plastics designed to last, its unique, wing-lock system ensures less leakage and no hose pop-offs leading to wasted water. If this sounds like the kind of product you have been waiting for, we have 5 sets to give away!
Did you see our other competition in this issue to win a makeover for your garden furniture? So many perfectly good items end up in landfill but you can win up to £200 worth of a garden makeover from Bonnie & Bold, in your space, to give new life to your table and chair tops, plant pots, glass panels (so great for providing greenhouse shading in summer), shed interiors, and benches, by having them wrapped in waterproof vinyl so they survive the outdoors with a new lease of life and a pattern to suit every personality.
Something else that has got me excited this month is the much-anticipated publication of Kirsty Wilson's book, 'Planting with Nature' which is packed full of ideas for making a difference for the planet in the way in which you garden. We have 3 copies of Kirsty's fabulous book to give away to the lucky 3 readers drawn randomly after 30th April 2023. Just drop us an email to mail@scotlandgrowsmagazine.com, with 'Planting with Nature' in the title and your name and council area in the email. Best of luck!
Look out for Kirsty coming to chat to me on the Scotland Grows Show soon - I cannot wait to hear all about her new book!
Gardeners are painfully aware of our need to be good stewards of the Earth. We need to use our collective voice and buying power to support those in the industry who are are aggressively pursuing the development of products which will sustain, rather than strip, our environment for future generations.
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