News

The crème de la crème of the garden world will be wowing visitors at RHS Chelsea Flower Show2010. Leading designers such as Tom Stuart-Smith, Tom Hoblyn, James Wong and Andy Sturgeon have drawn inspiration from literature, romance, the Far East and the Fynbos of South Africa, promising gardens to delight visitors. In contrast,the Eden Project and Leeds City Council gardens draw on influences closer to home including local communities and the British landscape. Here are some of the highlights of RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2010:

Birmingham-based Hozelock has been named Manufacturer of the Year in the prestigious annual awards sponsored by The Manufacturer magazine.

The market-leading garden watering, spraying and aquatics company also scooped the awards for Design & Innovation (sponsored by Technology Strategy Board) and Supply Chain & Logistics (sponsored by KPMG) at a glittering awards ceremony last night (Thursday 12 November) at The Tower hotel in London.

These awards come hot on the heels of a Manufacturing Excellence Award in June from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers which was the third MX Award bestowed on the company in the past three years.

So the company’s 250 employees find themselves not only the toast of Birmingham but also the most decorated workforce in Britain.

What’s more, Hozelock has beaten the recession in 2009 by notching up strong sales growth and increased market share as a result of extensive marketing and promotional activity. Industry analysts, GfK reported that the garden watering business grew by 14.8% in 2009 with Hozelock increasing its market share to almost 70%.And it is looking to grow further in 2010 having invested £1.5m this year in new tooling and moulding for a raft of new products including metal hose fittings, a metal hose cart and an Aquaforce range of pond pumps. It is also in the process of establishing a nationwide network of retail Centres of Excellence and has committed a further £2m to advertising and promotion of its innovative Auto Reel and other products in the spring, including a TV campaign.

For the many small fish ponds and decorative water features which are plagued by dirty, green and stagnant water, Hozelock says there is now an elegant and economical one-step filtration solution which will ensure clear and healthy water in ponds up to 9000 litres while at the same time delivering an attractive fountain, waterfall or both – all from just one power cable. Simple to install, cheap to run and easy to maintain, the multi-function EasyClear is the perfect all-in-one solution for the many owners of small ponds who want clear and healthy water but are put off by the apparent complexity of conventional filtration systems with their separate pumps and filters.

The fully integrated EasyClear units – there are three different models for ponds up to 3000, 6000 and 9000 litres – combine a pump, filter and UV clarifier in a sleek and compact housing which sits discreetly hidden on the pond floor, unlike conventional systems which require bulky box filters to be sited above ground.

The EasyClear uses integrated foam filters to catch waste particles, ensuring crystal clear pond water. Hozelock have also incorporated a biological filter in the form of a Kaldnes™ biomedia chamber to accelerate the growth of the beneficial bacteria which are essential for healthy water and a balanced eco-system which can support fish and other wildlife.

In addition, each unit has a highly effective integrated UVC with a quartz tube which treats the pond water as it passes through the system, causing the suspended algae particles which cause green water to clump together so that the foam filter can trap them.

Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, sponsored by Rachel’s Organic, 7-12 July 2009, celebrates its 20th show with more gold medals