News

Garden Beauty at the National Plant Show

March 2010

Lowaters Nursery have booked our place at the HTA's new National Plant Show and we are looking forward to participating in this new event alongside the best of the UK nurseries.

We will use the show to release our new 'Garden Beauty' brochure and will be showing some brand new plants for 2011 - keep an eye out for these new, exclusive plants from garden beauty which have not been shown before in the UK! we will enter these into the new plant competition.

We are sure that the show will be a success giving us time to meet up with both existing and new customers. To have a 2 day plants only show for UK nurseries is a very positive step and we are delighted that the HTA have championed this event on behalf of the industry. For more information please follow the link to HTA National Plant Show

Clean Sweep In ISO Surveilance Visit

February 2010

Lowaters were audited in a surveilance visit against our ISO 14001 Environmental policy and the Auditor made only 2 comments in his audit, that he was very impressed by our commitment to the environment through the rainwater harvesting project and that we should communicate the work we are doing more and display our certificate more prominently and with pride!

We are delighted with the auditors reaction and feel that this is a fantastic endorsement of the hard work that we have all put into the EMS since it first began as an HTA Pilot scheme over three years ago. The scheme has involved setting many targets and having reached the three year marker point we have achieved and exceeded the goals set out for ourselves and have now set the next set of three year targets.

The key objectives that we set ourselves included a 50% reduction in waste, and annual reductions in Fuel consumption, electricity use and pesticides - the water project has taken water use from this list and our main goal for the future is to focus on fuel comsumption. We would be pleased to share our experiences with anyone interested - please contact the nursery through the contacts page.

Rainwater harvesting project Underway

November 2009

We are currently developing a rainwater harvesting project on the nursery which will capture all the rainwater from the site, especially the glasshouse roofs. This is the next stage of our environmental development and will enable us to become self sufficient in water without the need to use valuable mains water which is under ever increasing demand. The Lining will be completed today and we can then start the process of filling it with 6 million gallons of water - the Autumn weather so far should heelp us towards this.

The water that we collect will be biologically treated to ensure good populations of beneficially to prevent disease issues and will enable us to have greater control of the water quality - this water will be of a higher quality than mains and better suited to growing plants.

Long term water in the South Eastern region will come under significant pressure from other users such as housing and other industry and we believe that this is a step that will give us long term water security whilst reducing our 'Water Footprint' In many countries almost all irrigation is through recycled water and long term the UK environment agency would like to see Horticulture and Agriculture not using mains water, for nurseries using mains water this is a financially viable concept with a quick payback period making both economical and environmental good sense..

HTA Pearson Medal awarded to Ian Ashton

October 2009

Lowaters Managing Director Ian Ashton was awarded the HTA Pearson Medal at the recent Garden Futures Conference in London for his outstanding contribution to the horticultural industry.

Ian has been a committed supporter of new HTA initiatives for many years. He is a member of the HTA Board and also represents ornamentals interests on the HDC Board. He is clearly committed to training and developing people and is the current chair of the HTA’s Training and Careers Committee since its inception in 2008. As a former chairman of the Lantra Production Horticulture Group he has been a supporter of local colleges and gaining accredited recognition for nursery staff

Commenting on the award HTA Director General said, “There is no doubt that Ian has made a significant contribution to the horticultural industry. He has not been afraid to take radical decisions and take his business down different routes in response to the market. Ian is a keen advocate of nursery collaboration and has played an active role in his Nursery Business Improvement Scheme Group and been one of the driving forces behind the establishment of the SCION agency labour providing group. He has also been involved in projects to develop shared marketing and transport between nurseries. Very much a team player within the sector Ian is always happy to share his experience and advice for the good of the industry and there is no doubt that he is a very worthy recipient of the Pearson Memorial Medal.”

Lowaters add top quality climbers to the Garden Beauty range

October 2009

We are delighted to be able to add a range of top quality climbers to our range which are all grown in a 3 litre deep pot up a tripod of canes. This is a logical product group for us to focus on and will enhance our range of Hebe, Shrubs, Perennials and fruit many of which are new or unusual varieties.

We have added a wide selection including many unusual or hard to find varieties as well as some classic varieties, we are sure that the addition of this group of plants to our range will be exciting to all our customers. Plants can be ordered through our availability list as regular top ups or can be pre ordered to ensure you do not miss out on popular varieties.

If you are interested in more details or seeing a list of the full range available then please contact the sales office.

Charles Carr appointed as SEEDA Water Champion

September 2009

Charles Carr - Nursery Director at Lowaters has been appointed as SEEDA Water Champion with the aim of investigating more effective water use for the nursery stock industry. This will involve looking at sytems currently in use in the UK and abroad to look at the latest technology available to growers.

Water is a resource that will become scarcer in the future and as part of the nurseries commitment to the environment and ISO 14001 it is an isuue on which we intend to focus. We have also made positive gains reducing waste reduction, pesticides and heating oil consumption.

We are currently implimenting a rainwater harvesting system that will reduce or even eliminate our need to use mains water for irrigation, we will also investigate application methods and measurement systems to ensure that what water we do apply is done in the most effective manner to produce a top quality plant with strong environmental credentials.

Flowering Hebe's put on a show

May 2009

Now is the time for the early Summer Hebes - we have a great collection on the nursery in bud at the moment with a fantastic range of colours: purple, blue, pink through shades of white

Many of these plants have put on display of brightly coloured foliage throughout the winter months and are now smothered in flower, with such a long period of interest no garden is complete without a few. Some highlights at the moment include Garden Beauty Blue, Garden Beauty Purple, Valentino, Saphire, Champagne & Oratia Beauty

These versatile plants are easy to grow and thrive in a wide range of environments - as happy in a patio pot as they are in a border and also excellent mixed with other plants in a large container.

New Plants Sold this Month - Think Pink!

May 2009

Finding exciting new plants to promote has always been a focus at Lowaters Nursery and is a key part of our mission statement, new plants provide variety and excitement for everyone, our team enjoy growing something different for the first time and they provide a point of difference for our customers. May has been no exception and several new varieties have been sold through Garden Beauty for the first time, notably Cordyline Pink Passion (SEIPIN) and Callistemon Hot Pink (KKHO1)there is a definite Pink theme behind these two new garden beauties.

Callistemon Hot Pink is a stunning variety which was raised in South Africa, the plant is a compact grower reaching about 1.5m in height with leathery evergreen leaves and in the early Summer and again in the Autumn striking bright pink bottle brush flowers are formed on the stems. The tropical look of this variety will give impact to a garden whether grown in a large container or planted in a border.

Cordyline Pink Passion is a new variety that was found at Seiont Nurseries in Snowdonia, after many years of testing the plant has been multiplied in tissue culture laboratories and is now being made available through Garden Centres accross the UK. We are delighted to be one of the growers of this variety which has deep pink foliage with slate grey stripes. It will no doubt become a garden favourite with its unusual colour which glows neon pink in the sunshine.

Lavandula Garden Beauty recieves grant of European Plant Variety Rights

April 2009

We are delighted to announce that Lavandula angustifolia 'Garden Beauty' (LOWMAR) our selection of variegated Lavandula angustifolia has recieved its grant of rights from the CPVO, to achieve this the plant has been tested and has reliably shown in official trials that it is Distinct, Uniform and Stable. It is good that this variety which stands out as unique has been through the testing.

The plant was found on the nursery by Maryse Beckhurst who looks after our Lavender crop and was just a single shoot growing on the bottom of an L. munstead, she gave the plant to our propagator who managed to root it sucessfully and we are now able to grow 5000 a year. The plant is similar in habit to its parent though slightly more compact, in the spring the new growth emerges a bright buttery gold and gradually fades to a silver white margin as the flowers emerge in the summer these are a contrasting sky blue. Easy to grow in either the front of a border or large patio container in full sun.

The variety is exclusively available in garden centres through Garden Beauty

HEBE is HTA Plant for Life in March

March 2009

The HTA have made the Genus Hebe it's plant of the month in the 'Plant for Life' campaign, the monthly choices have been agreed on by growers and retailers and feauture key plants that can be promoted each month in garden centres.

Lowaters Nursery are delighted with this selection which brings this fantastic garden plant to the fore. We grow over 60 varieties of Hebe and through our own selections have been able to introduce many new varieties, some of which are exclusively available through the Garden Beauty Range. We supply Garden Centres throughout the UK with our high quality plants which are grown cold to ensure their suitability for garden use and enhances foliage colours at this time of year. We are accredited to ISO 14001 Environmental management and propagate and grow all of the Hebe's that we sell on the nursery. This means that our customers can be assured that all the Garden Beauty Hebe's they purchase have been grown in a sustainable production system in the UK and are NOT continental imports.

To accompany the promotion the HTA have developed a stylish range od POS material to go with the genus ad to help with sales and promotion, this can be obtained from the HTA HTA Plant for Life

New Environmental projects underway!

February 2009

We have been involved in three new environmental projects over the last 6 months and are now starting to benefit from the findings, this is helping us to meet the requirements of ISO 14001 as well as making Garden Beauty plants better for the environment. These Projects have been co ordinated by the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA)

Waste Audit - Consultants White Young Green Environmental (WYG) carried out a thorough review of all our waste handling, disposal and recycling systems and then made recomendations for improvement, both short and long term.

Water Audit - working with ADAS consultants we have reviewed our water consumption, application and sustainability for the future. This has helped us with long term plans to focus on developing a plans for catching and using roof runoff in winter to make us more self sufficient in irrigation water.

Carbon Footprint - another Project with WYG - this is a long term project also linked to a PHD student at Reading to develop a Carbon Calculator for Nurseries, often seen as a controversial and difficult subject. This would create a benchmarking system and would start to help nurseries know how much carbon we produce and also then give us targets and pointers for future improvements.

Hebe Midnight Sky recieves accolade

January 2009

Gardening Which magazine have awarded Hebe Midnight Sky with it's best buy award for this month, having tested the plants in their garden it was found to be hardy, vigorous and putting on a stunning display of winter foliage colours that contrast well with other evergreens - "Set it against a paler background or amongst evergreens and it will really inject some lustre into the dreary winter months".

This is a versatile evergreen shrub which is grown primarily for its winter foliage which is a glossy claret colour from October until June, occasional flowers are produced in summer - it can be grown in a border or large patio container in full sun.

This variety was selected from a large number of seedlings raised on the nursery through the 1990's. Our aim was to find hardy varieties, with good disease resistance and improved foliage colour for the winter to compliment our range - this seedling stood out from the rest as having a larger and almost shiny leaf which performed well in both commercial and garden conditions. We are sure that this variety will become a long term favourite. (LOWTEN EU PVR applied for)

Hebe crop at its finest

December 2008

The Hebe crop at Lowaters is of an especially high quality this year, this is the result of changes to our production, we have grown a fresher faster liner and potted them on a different schedule, the resulting plants are larger, bushier and showing improved foliage colour. The cold bright weather this year has also coloured the plants well and we have run the plants down to -4c in the glasshouses ensuring their suitability for garden centre use.

Lowaters have raised many of our own Hebe varieties, a highlight for the coming spring will be the first commercial crop of Midnight Sky a stunning deep black foliage variety with a high gloss to the leaves, a large crop of the ever popular H. Heartbreaker and other popular varieties including H. Pascal and H. Caledonia..

Helleborus 'Winter Moonbeam' awarded Gardening Which Best Buy

November 2008

Following a trial at their gardens in Hertfordshire Gardening Which Magazine have awarded Hellebore 'Winter Moonbeam' with their best buy award and a four star rating. The plant had been garden tested for a year and this confirms its suitability for gardens, we are delighted that this fantastic new variety has performed so well. It is a superb addition to our Hellebore collection making a stunning container plant that performs well in Garden Centres and also easy to grow in gardens

Winter Moonbeam is a sterile nigercors hybrid with attractive white marbled foliage against a green background, pale pink buds develop in early winter which open in January with white petals with a pink back to them which later darken to maroon and then hold this colour untill May.

Staff Cycle Scheme

October 2008

As part of our Environmental Management Programme Lowaters have been encouraging our staff to cycle to work wherever possible as this reduces the carbon footprint. Many of our staff are local and by working with the government cycle scheme we have been able to assist the staff in the purchase of new cycles to help them to get to work. So far we have had 5 staff take part in the scheme which also boosts local cycle shops who participate and the new bikes appear to have been a great hit (no shiny red ones though).

Lowaters Nursery is certified to ISO 14001 in Environmental Management and this is one of many schemes that we have undertaken to try and reduce our negative impact on the local environment.