The shortlist for this year’s Sustainable Garden Product of the Year includes a self watering planter and wildflower turf
This year’s shortlist of the Sustainable Product of the Year has been announced by the RHS ahead of the Chelsea Flower Show. The Sustainable Product of the Year was launched in 2021 when the RHS replaced the Product of the Year award with a competition to champion sustainability in the horticulture industry and to highlight the increasing awareness that consumers want more environmentally friendly products to choose from for their gardening needs.
Last year’s winner was Dobbies range of peat-free John Innes 1, 2 & 3 composts, which were on show in the Great Pavilion.
This year’s shortlist will be exhibited in the Great Pavilion, and the winner will be announced on Monday 22 at Chelsea Flower Show.
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Shortlist of the Sustainable Garden Product of the Year
Willsow – The Plantable Children’s Book – RRP £9.99
The world’s first plantable children’s book that encourages children to spend time in nature by engaging them with storytelling and asking them to plant their own main characters. Being 100 per cent biodegradable, it teaches children about sustainability in a subtle but engaging way. The seeds embedded in the pages are non-GMO and grow in a variety of shapes and sizes. The inner pages are FSC rated as part of the Carbon Capture scheme, and a premium is paid towards planting new forest throughout the UK. The inks are also vegetable-based and biodegradable, which reduces the amount of VOCs released during production. Instead of using toxic glue or harmful metal staples, Willsow stitches the books with 100 per cent natural cotton. The product is entirely manufactured in the United Kingdom at their family-run printing business.
Lindum Turf – Lindum Wildflower Turf – RRP from £17.40
The Wildflower Turf provides a pollinator friendly instant-gardening solution for contractors and private gardeners alike. The Wildflower Turf is a balance of 27 species of wildflowers, herbs and flowering perennials grown into a moisture retentive, 100% plastic free and biodegradable matting to provide an instant wildflower area. The wildflower seeds are all UK native and sourced from sustainable UK growers. All plants have been picked for their positive impact on the environment and biodiversity. The product uses a Pass 100 compost which is totally recycled and peat free.
GARDENA – Micro-Drip-System – RRP from £34.99
The GARDENA Micro-Drip-System delivers water drop-by-drop exactly where the plants need it: at the roots. In this way, not a drop is wasted and evaporation is kept to a minimum and it ensures that the plants germinate, grow, blossom and flourish whilst avoiding overwatering and waterlogging. The system is easy to set-up and use, and covers all areas of the garden, terraces and balconies. Water requirements vary greatly from plant to plant, needing to be watered at different intervals and with different amounts of water. With the range’s assortment of driplines and drip heads, all areas of the garden can be watered effectively and efficiently.
Frond Design Limited – Flo – self-watering planter – RRP £65
Flo is more than just a stylish planter; it’s an innovative solution to one of the biggest challenges of indoor plant care: watering. The low-tech cotton wick system draws water up from the glass reservoir, providing plants with the optimal amount of water they need to thrive. This ‘bottom-up’ watering method encourages healthy root growth for robust and long-lasting plants, avoiding water-logging and root rot. The planter is manufactured locally in Stoke- on-Trent and made from earthenware ceramic, which is a durable and eco-friendly material. The vase and reservoir are made from borosilicate glass, which is a highly durable and recyclable material. The stand is formed in Sheffield from powder-coated steel, which is also easily recyclable and long-lasting.
Twool – Woolly Water Keeper – RRP £9.50
Woolly Water Keeper is a by-product made in the blending process of the manufacturer’s garden twine. This product provides a simple solution for retaining water – from handfuls in pots to lining hanging baskets, vegetable trenches and mulch, its versatility makes it easy to use with no waste across many planting options. Woolly Water Keeper wool is loose and non- felted which saves a manufacturing process and gives greater flexibility of use as a loose material.
The Patio Black Spot Removal Company Ltd – Go Ferrous – RRP £49.99
“Go Ferrous’ patio rust stain remover is made from recycled green leafy vegetables, rhubarb leaves and legumes and it provides a biodegradable alternative to relying on strong mineral acids that are harmful in a garden environment. ‘Go Ferrous’ reverses the oxidising process which turns the rust to a water soluble salt that can be washed away with warm water without damaging the surface of the stone or the surrounding plants. The company also encourages clients to return the empty container, whatever the condition – the wide neck opening means that the bottles are easy to clean, and can be reused if returned in good condition or they can be washed, crushed, and recycled into raw material that is turned into containers once again.
Mr Fox’s Garden – Mr Fox’s Hand Rake – RRP £32
The design of the Mr Fox’s hand rake is inspired by an oak tree and has been created with the mind-set that everyday tools should be beautiful as well as functional. The weld-free construction utilizes ‘Mr Fox’s split shaft’ design eliminating the unnecessary method of manufacturing and cutting down energy use during production. This design uses steel which is the most recycled material in the world and over 50% of the rake heads are cut from metal that would be otherwise heading for the scrap yard. The rake handles are made from offcuts which are a by-product of a different tools manufacturer. The rake is manufactured and assembled in England – with the tools and machinery used to make the rakes also being made in England.
Gaze Burvill Ltd – Amity Seat – RRP £2520
The Amity Seat has been designed to be made entirely from locally sourced British oak. The manufacturing process is intentionally tight and low-carbon and the product is made to the highest environmental social standards. The Amity Seat is constructed with the use of the ‘fox wedge’ technique which makes the design very durable and resistant to water ingress, protecting the seat against the effects of the elements for longer. Traditionally the fox wedge joint would only have been made by hand by extremely skilled master craftsmen as it requires high precision. The Amity Seat is not a throwaway product, rather one to love and watch settle into the environment around it as it weathers and develops its own character.
Angus Ross Furniture – Dalerb Garden Chair – RRP £2000
The Dalerb Garden Chair is hand-made form sustainable Perthshire oak with an exceptionally small and clear chain of custody from standing tree to finished piece of furniture. Each micro-batch edition is made to order from specific oak trees from a named location. The curved hand-steam-bent components have intact wood fibres that are exceptionally strong, use wood very efficiently, and allow for visually light components. The hand-sanded oak is exceptionally durable, requires no surface finish and weathers to silvery grey. The manufacturing process is zero-carbon as the energy for power tools, saws and steam-bending comes from a renewable source. The company uses collected rainwater for steam-bending.
GARDENA – GARDENA EcoLine Hose – RRP £64.99
The first of its kind in the gardening market; the new EcoLine hose is made of Thermo Plastic Elastomer (TPE). The product is made using 65% recycled material and the plastics are mostly sourced from household waste. The majority of hoses available in the market are made from PVC which is not recyclable and cannot be part of the circular economy – TPE is made from non-toxic recyclable plastics which consumes less energy during production and can be recycled. The hose is also free of harmful substances including phthalates, cadmium, lead and barium. A high-quality knitted hose inside makes the hose particularly stable by keeping its shape and pressure-resistance up to 20 bar and is frost and UV-resistant. The packaging is made of recycled and recyclable cardboard.