Pippa Greenwood UK ‘Grow Your Own’ tour with Stewart
March 1st: Stewarts, Lyndhurst Road, Christchurch, Dorset BH23 4SA. Tel 01425 272244. www.stewarts.co.uk
BBC Gardeners’ Question Time panellist and BBC Gardeners’ World columnist, Pippa Greenwood will be visiting Stewarts Garden Lands on March 1st 2012 from 3.00 pm until 8.30 pm.
Pippa Greenwood, the popular gardening broadcaster and writer has teamed up with The Stewart Company, the market leader in quality garden products to launch an eight location tour starting on March 1st at Stewarts Garden Lands, encouraging people to grow their own produce. Pippa has signed a three-year partnership deal with The Stewart Company and they will work together promoting the understanding and knowledge of growing fruit and vegetables.
Pippa will be demonstrating how easy it is to grow from seed, explaining and demonstrating propagation. She will also show how to pot a plant using different sized pots as well as giving a master class on making small and versatile growing beds from large pots, troughs and hanging baskets. Her enthusiasm is sure to give confidence to all.
At 3.00 pm when Pippa arrives at Stewarts Garden Lands, she will be taking a tour of the garden centre where she will be talking with the staff and providing a demonstration of planting up a propagator.
She will then greet the customers from 4.30 pm, answering any questions they may have.
Pippa will again demonstrate planting up a propagator, advising on the types of fruit and vegetables that are best to plant up at that time of year.
Pippa will be finishing off her day by signing her new book, ‘The Gardener’s Calendar’ from 7.00 pm - 8.30 pm.
Stewarts Garden Lands was the country’s first purpose built garden centre, opening in October 1961, by the legendary Percy Thrower. The garden centre was the brainchild of Edward Stewart who is credited as being the first man in the country to introduce container plants to the UK in the mid 50’s. Stewarts as a company has been trading since 1742, initially as forestry growers in Scotland, the company is also involved in landscaping, has two garden centres and still grows a great deal of its own plants.
Pippa’s gardening credentials include a botanical degree and she has previously worked with the Royal Horticultural Society’s garden at Wisley. A regular with Alan Titchmarsh on BBC’s Daytime Live, she’s also presented BBC 2’s Gardeners’ World and can be heard giving advice on BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time. She writes for BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine and ‘NFU Countryside Magazine’.
The dynamic partnership between The Stewart Company and Pippa Greenwood is a potent relationship between a top gardening product producer and one of the most experienced and knowledgeable gardening minds in the country. Pippa will be giving demonstrations using Stewart’s durable and beautifully designed products. There will be some fantastic grow your own products available as well as some great offers.
Pippa’s ‘grow your own’ branding will appear on Stewart products, which are designed with all types of gardening in mind. From water butts and composters for the more ambitious gardener to window sill kitchen garden sets, ideal for encouraging green fingered children. New colour propagators in lime and mocha are an added attraction.
Martin Stewart, Managing Director from Stewarts Garden Centres said “I am thrilled that Pippa is including us in the tour. Pippa has the credibility to appeal to the experienced gardener but a wonderfully happy and warm manner that makes her appeal to the young and novice gardener too. She really does cross over the divide in the same way that we try to do. We can’t wait to meet her.”
Pippa has her own blog on the Stewart website at: www.stewart-garden.com/pippa selling a wide range of Stewart products with the ‘grow your own’ branding on her own website at www.pippagreenwood.com
The bestselling novelist of New Gardener and Gardening Hints and Tips said she is very excited to be working with Stewart. “I’m looking forward to chatting about grow your own with people, and using some of Stewart’s wonderful products. Stewart’s product range demonstrates a real and long-term commitment to the grow your own movement – something that everyone knows I am passionate about.”
Tour details:
March 1st 3.00 pm - 8.30 pm: Stewarts Garden Lands, Lyndhurst Road, Christchurch, Dorset BH23 4SA. Tel 01425 272244. www.stewarts.co.uk
March 13th 11.00 am - 3.30 pm: Cadbury Garden & Leisure Centre, Smallway, Congresbury,
North Somerset BS49 5AA. Tel: 01934 875700. www.g-l.co.uk/static/cadbury.html
March 24th 11.00 am - 3.00 pm: Scotsdale Nursery & Garden Centre, Cambridge Road, Great Shelford, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB22 5JT. Tel 01223 842777. www.scotsdalegardencentre.co.uk
March 28th 12.00 pm - 4.30 pm: Barton Grange Garden Centre, Garstang Road, Brock Preston,
Lancashire PR3 0BT. Tel 01995 642900. www.bartongrange.co.uk
March 29th 3.30pm - 8.15pm: Gordale Nurseries Ltd, Chester High Road, Burton, South Wirral,
Cheshire CH64 8TF. Tel 0151 336 2116. www.gordale.co.uk
April 5th 10am-2pm: Webbs, Wychbold, Droitwich, Worcestershire WR9 0DG. Tel 01527 860000. www.info.webbsdirect.co.uk
April 13th 11.00 am - 3.00 pm: Exeter Food Festival, Northernhay Gardens, Exeter, EX4 3QE www.exeterfoodfestival.co.uk
May 13th 11.00 am-3.00 pm: Garden Pride Garden Centre, Common Lane, Ditchling,
West Sussex, BN6 8TP. Tel 01273 846844. www.garden-pride.com/index.php
Stewart - backgrounder
Formed in 1945, Stewart is the UK market leader in the manufacture and supply of technical plastic moulded products for the gardening, home and professional catering sectors. The company offers a large range of products in its portfolio ranging from garden planters and propagators, to food containers and specialist storage products. The company employs 75 people in Croydon and enjoyed a turnover in 2010 of £13 million.
In June 2011 ECI, the mid-market private equity specialist, invested £12 million in the company in a BIMBO (buy-in / management buyout) deal that valued the business at £17 million. A new management structure saw Richard Butler join as Group CEO. Butler has significant knowledge of the advanced technical plastics sector, having worked for leading manufacturers in the aerospace and automotive sector. Lee Mowle, the previous owner and CEO, became Managing Director of the gardening and catering divisions, retaining a substantial shareholding in the company.
In the months following the BIMBO, Stewart made a series of changes to its brand and corporate identity and established discrete divisions for the core sectors it serves.
Stewart Garden produces grow your own products, watering, pots, propagators and garden accessories. These are available in over 1000 outlets across the UK and Eire including major DIY outlets such as Homebase and Wilkinsons and garden centres across the UK such as Dobbies and Klondyke/Strikes, The Garden Centre Group and some 600 plus independent garden centres. Having achieved a dominant position in the domestic market by offering durable, lifestyle-driven value for money products. The company continues to invest heavily in new product development.
Stewart Garden plays a full and active role in the gardening and leisure industry through its membership of:
- GIMA – the Garden Industry Manufacturers Association
- Gardenex – the Federation of Garden and Leisure Manufacturers Limited, and
- HTA – the Horticultural Trades Association
Stewart won the House Beautiful Best Product Garden Category in 2005 and the Klondyke Dry Goods Supplier Award in 2010. The company was a GIMA Awards - POS Finalist in 2009, and Best of British Finalist in 2011. Its Heat and Grow Thermostatic Propagator was top in the Which? Gardening Best Buy test on windowsill propagators 2011.
Stewart Home provides food storage and homewares products. These comprise of the Refine, Essentials and Seal Fresh food and drink storage collections, offering hygienic storage in a wide range of colours and shapes.
Stewart Catering supplies the Gastronorm and Seal Fresh food storage ranges to the catering industry and specialist cook shops via wholesale and cash and carry outlets.
Other divisions recently established under the Stewart umbrella are:
Stewart Aerospace
Stewart Automotive
Stewart Medical
Each division of Stewart is BS ISO 9001-2000 accredited and operates from the company’s manufacturing, warehousing and distribution centre in Croydon, Surrey.
For more information visit www.stewartlimited.co.uk
For editorial enquiries, pictures, interviews and samples, contact Sara Tye on 07786 176 617 or Emma De Maio on 07921 160 134 email sara@redheadpr.co.uk or emma@redheadpr.co.uk
