Arundel based plant nursery wins award

Melanie Asker accepting HTA Grower of the Year Award for Greenwood Plants with Alan Down and Sean Elkins. Photo: Greenwood Plants

Greenwood Plants has been named ‘Peat Free Grower’ at this year’s Horticultural Trades Association Grower of the Year awards.

Greenwood is one of the UK’s largest growers for the new build property, commercial, and infrastructure sectors. Spanning over 100 acres across the UK and employing over 120 team members, the company produces six million plants a year across its six nurseries.

The ‘Peat Free Grower’ award it received recognises its commitment to achieving sustainability goals and championing peat-free growing media within the horticultural industry.

Peat-free compost is a type of treated soil, that has become increasingly popular due to its environmental benefits. Preserving peat bogs is seen as important to reduce greenhouse gasses and to support biodiversity.

The company is growing peat-free on all six of its nursery sites in the UK, in advance of anticipated industry regulation to prohibit the use of peat for commercial growers. At the awards ceremony, managing director Melanie Asker said: “I’m so proud that Greenwood has won this award. It is testament to the dedication of our nursery teams that have made the transition to peat-free a success.

“Eliminating peat from our nurseries has enabled us to grow more sustainably and will contribute to our long-term goal of reaching Net Zero.” The HTA’s Grower of the Year Awards demonstrate the high calibre of UK nurseries who lead the way in quality, levels of service, innovation and peat-free production.”

Melanie was at HTA: The Conference, where the award was announced, to talk as part of a panel of guests discussing sustainability for businesses within the horticultural industry.