HTA celebrates 20 years of the Garden Press Event with new launches and announcements
17 February 2026
The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) is celebrating two decades of the Garden Press Event, a milestone anniversary shared with partner GIMA. Over the last 20 years, the event has grown into the largest of its kind, showcasing environmental horticulture businesses and their innovations to the media. To mark the 20th anniversary of the event, the founders, Richard Jackson and Guy Burtenshaw, joined the HTA, GIMA, and invited guests for a special ribbon-cutting ceremony during a celebratory breakfast reception this morning.
Fran Barnes, Chief Executive of the HTA, commented:
“We are delighted to celebrate 20 years of the Garden Press Event, which has grown into a must-attend on media and business calendars. But while we’re celebrating the growth of this event alongside our partners at GIMA, our focus is firmly on the future. Showcasing the best innovations, highlighting the HTA’s campaign ‘Your Garden Year’, encouraging the next generation to take part in gardening and horticulture and also demonstrating the value of this sector through our stats and facts document, we are ensuring that gardening remains a vibrant, accessible, and essential part of British life for generations to come.”
‘Your Garden Year’
The central focus for the HTA on their stand at this year’s Garden Press Event is the media showcase of the ‘Your Garden Year’ campaign. Designed as an industry-wide framework to support the nation’s gardening habits, the campaign provides a week-by-week roadmap to help gardeners feel confident in their outdoor spaces year-round.
Neil Grant, Chair of the HTA Retail Committee, along with the HTA team, is meeting with members of the press on the HTA stand to discuss the launch of the Spring phase of the campaign and encourage writers, broadcasters and content creators to get behind the campaign and reflect the themes in their own content calendars for the year.
Neil Grant said:
“Together we can keep gardening in the public consciousness all year round, restoring the rhythm of the gardening calendar and growing the market for everyone. While no one can control the weather, the industry can take far greater ownership of something that matters even more: the gardener’s journey.”
The Great Garden Centre Mystery: Inspiring the Next Generation
Expanding its commitment to encourage youth engagement, the HTA is delighted to welcome back Lee Connelly as the ambassador for National Children’s Gardening Week. On the stand today, Lee will be introducing ‘The Great Garden Centre Mystery’, a brand-new interactive adventure launching for National Children’s Gardening Week. The initiative uses digital code-breaking maps to transform garden centres into places of discovery and story-led exploration for families.
Lee Connelly said:
“Garden centres are incredible places for families, and The Great Garden Centre Mystery adds a layer of adventure that gets children excited to explore. Cracking the code together creates shared memories and shows children that gardening is full of curiosity, fun, and magic.”
2026 Industry Stats and Insights
In addition to these major launches, the HTA has released its Environmental Horticulture and Industry Insights 2026 stats booklet. Now established as an annual reference tool for the media, the booklet provides the latest data-driven insights into the sector’s £38 billion economic contribution and its vital role in supporting the UK's environmental goals.
For more details about all the campaigns, visit the HTA website: hta.org.uk