Grower Of The Year Awards

The Grower of the Year Awards demonstrates the high calibre of UK nurseries that lead the way in quality, levels of service, innovation and peat-free production and it is fantastic to be able to recognise young and upcoming talent that will ensure our world-class industry can thrive in the future.

Winning an award provides a great way to get recognition for an outstanding individual or business (your own or someone else’s!) As well as a trophy, the winners will also receive free tickets to Horticulture, The Conference – Dinner, where they will receive their awards. The winners are also eligible for the AIPH International Grower of the Year Awards.

Goodluck to all entrants who have entered this years awards.

Henil Vashi - Horticultural Advisor and Young Grower Award Winner

Listen to the Young Grower Award Winner from 2024 on why the Grower Of The Year Awards are a valuable opportunity to bring the spotlight on outstanding work done within the industry.

How the awards will be judged

The judges will score each entry from 1-5, with 5 being the highest score
In the event of a tie, the judges will convene to determine the outright winner of the category
Judges will receive an anonymised version of each entry; this ensures that all entries are judged solely on their merits. With that in mind, we ask that images submitted for all entries (excluding entries for Young Grower and Staff member) do not have any identifying information present.

This year's judging panel

Will Armitage, HTA President

Phil Clayton, Independent Journalist

Phil Tremanye, APL Manager

Sarah Squire, Squires Garden Centre

Tim Briercliffe, AIPH

Mark Gregory, Landform Consultants Ltd

Judges Bios

Will was the 6th generation owner and Managing Director of Armitage's Garden Centres from 2005 to 2015. He is now a consultant to the horticultural industry, President of the HTA, chair of the HTA's Nursery Business Improvement Scheme and chair of the HTA's Business Improvement Scheme for Scotland, East Anglia and The South East.
William Armitage

Philip Clayton is a freelance garden writer and editor, and one of the UK's most knowledgeable horticulturists, having previously worked with the RHS for two decades, latterly as Deputy Editor of The Garden magazine. He has written hundreds of articles for a broad range of publications with expertise in garden plants, gardens (great and small) and nurseries. His most recent books include A Plant for Every Day of the Year (2022) and Parched (2024). He was named Roy Lancaster Features Writer of the Year by the Garden Media Guild in 2024.
Philip Clayton

Sarah is the third generation of her family to lead the business founded by her grandfather, DJ Squire, in 1936. Originally established as a nursery and landscaping company, Squire’s has evolved into a garden centre group, with the opening of its first site in Twickenham in 1964 by Sarah’s father, Colin Squire. Sarah’s connection to the business began early, working weekends at Squire’s while still at school. After qualifying as a solicitor, specialising in commercial property work, she chose to given up the law and return to the family business in 1995, taking a part time horticultural course at Merrist Wood College to enhance her plant knowledge.
Sarah Squire

See last years Grower Of The Year Awards

View last years winners and find out of the event unfolded in.

Find out more