At RHS Tatton Park Flower Show this year, Hartley Botanic’s beautiful, handmade (and RHS recommended) greenhouses and glasshouses are framed by romantic, orderly plantings evocative of grand stately gardens and estates.
The Lancashire-based manufacturer’s tradestand has been designed and built by landscape and garden maintenance company Base Squared who took inspiration for the external plantings on the stand from Tatton Park itself, and from the gardens of large family homes surrounding the Italian lakes.
As well as fitting in seamlessly with the backdrop of Tatton Park, the beautiful theme provides a distinct gardening style which joins three equally individual planting schemes within the greenhouses themselves; including an edible display, a colourful bedding plant design and a tropical ‘hot house’ collection.
The distinct themes are all unified by a single objective, to inspire current and potential greenhouse owners about the growing potential afforded by this most expansive of gardening tools, which can be tailored to personal gardening styles or planting passions.
The Hartley Botanic tradestand features five handmade greenhouses and glasshouses with an external planting scheme designed to reflect a structured, formal garden. Topiary specimens and carpinus betulus fastigiata gives structural definition to the overall scheme infilled with lower symmetrical planting (including lavender, hydrangea and roses).
Dressed to reflect a greenhouse enjoyed by a potential foodie and edible grower, the Hartley Planthouse features a mix of salads, herbs, tomatoes, fruits and vegetables. The scheme includes plants at different stages of development and offers a snapshot of a working, practical greenhouse.
The Hartley Botanic Grange glasshouse on the tradestand features a colourful display of bedding plants, including geraniums, gazanias and begonias. The look is both vibrant and focussed, suggesting a greenhouse owner with a passion for growing bedding plants to dress, not only their home, but also their glasshouse with varieties trailing artistically over staging and shelving (petunias and lobelias).
A Victorian Villa glasshouse with cold frames is the largest greenhouse on the stand and showcases plants found in dry and arid climates, a plant group experiencing a resurgence in popularity amongst UK gardeners. Plants featured include cacti, aloevera, agarve and succulents. The glasshouse also features an ‘oasis’ constructed from galvanised water tanks and incorporating water lilies and equisetum scirpoides.
In addition, a Hartley Botanic Grow & Store greenhouse can be viewed on the stand, a stylish yet highly practical garden structure which can be cleverly used to compliment and serve small but beautiful garden spaces. The Grow & Store is positioned amongst a mini-herb garden featuring low, rambling and fragrant plants.
Hartley Botanic’s 1950s Semi-dodekagon 9 greenhouse, which appeared at RHS Chatsworth and RHS Hampton Court, also makes an appearance on the Tatton Park stand. The greenhouse is a physical example of Hartley Botanic’s founding ambition to create ‘the finest greenhouses money can buy,’ structures which are truly built to last. A delivery bike, from the same era as the greenhouse, sits alongside the structure with its basket full of roses, petunias and begonias - colourful bedding plants which would have been trendy with gardeners post war.
Tom Barry, Managing Director of Hartley Botanic commented@ “Our Tatton Park stand reflects the diversity of gardening passions and interests made possible through owning a greenhouse. Whether you are interested in growing fruit and vegetables to enjoy better tasting food or propagating beautiful bedding plants for your home, a greenhouse will allow you to indulge your personal style and planting passions throughout the whole year. And whatever your taste or interest, our V&N Hartley greenhouse showcases Hartley Botanic’s manufacturing and design credentials, key to the longevity and beauty of our structures.”
Thomas Hearn, Director at Base Squared added: “Tatton Park itself was a key inspirer for the external look of the stand. We wanted it to be in keeping with the look and feel of this magnificent stately home which we have achieved through, not only the plants chosen, but the materials used; including sawn cut York stone for the paving and traditional handmade brick for the greenhouse bases.”
Base Squared were chosen by Hartley Botanic as their RHS Tatton Park and Chatsworth Flower Show partners this year due to their award-winning RHS show credentials and their commitment to good quality materials, eye for detail and understanding of what will appeal to RHS members."
