Mark Gregory, who was elected to chair the APL for another year on Wednesday, said: "From today we have negotiated to secure our relationship with the RHS at Hampton Court, which was massive this year. The RHS will found four low-cost, high-impact gardens.
"We had initial meetings and the RHS is keen to run the scheme again next year," he said of the project launched at Hampton Court this year to show the diverse range of gardens that can be achieved on smaller budgets.
"There will be a competition and the gardens will have interactive features," he told the APL From Promotion to Profit seminar at Wyevale East Nurseries on Wednesday afternoon. "If you are a designer get in with the APL: their gardens were strong this year."
Gregory said the association was in early talks with the RHS to roll out the low-cost, high-impact initiative at Tatton Park but on a smaller scale. The seminar tied in with the APL AGM at Swanley, Kent, where Paul Baker of Holland Landscapes was made vice chair.
On business Gregory said: "Trading has been very tough, made worse by the hosepipe bans, the rain and in some cases the Olympics. But there is optimism, and that’s good. Our ‘cluster’ group regional meetings are proving popular where people talk about how to improve business."
