The emergence of eucalyptus as a cheaper but still visually attractive and weather proof choice of timber for garden furniture was a feature of this year’s GLEE horticultural trade fair, held as usual at the Birmingham NEC complex in mid-September.
Also coming into more widespread use is Malaysian-sourced keruing – used by Hutton Industrial containers to create classic planters. Hutton which is a specialist supplier of traditionally coopered oak barrels is also now offering what it believes is the first ‘double deck’ barrel planter, composed of 36in bottom tier barrel and a 23in upper planter linked to the base by a metal pole.
Genuinely coopered barrels for use as planters, self contained water features and made into as patio furniture were also shown by Ratinhos which is a regular supplier to the wine trade in its native Portugal.
Meanwhile, among the ever-growing number of overseas exhibitors taking part in GLEE, the French-based Cerland group is now making use of yellow baltan, a tropical wood which is claimed to be virtually rot-proof, in a number of its new products, However Scandinavian pine, autoclave treated and covered by a 10 year guarantee is still the first choice for its extensive range of fencing, trellising and overground swimming pool surrounds.
Polish timber landscaping aids specialist Expro is now hoping to use its visit to GLEE 200l to expand sales into the UK to the same levels of export business it already enjoys with its Poltarex range in Germany, Scandinavia and the Benelux nations. Of its annual output of 120,000m³ of ‘coniferous timber products’ Expro already sells 30,000m³ abroad.
Another eastern European newcomer to GLEE was the Bucharest-based Adisan group which latched on to the new interest in mixed media timber and metal garden furniture, making one of the highlights of its stand a lightweight, foldaway patio table and chairs set, marketed as the Baden Baden collection.
In the ‘Lofa’ section of the show, exclusively devoted to garden and conservatory furniture, iroko continues to gain ground on teak. Honey tone iroko is, for instance, a favourite choice for the latest Simon Hattersley furniture collection and this season the company is also offering its own timber care kits.
New timber care ranges were also introduced at the show by both Protek Products and by the Sadolin division of Akzo Nobel Woodcare, while Cuprinol mounted one of its largest yet displays at GLEE to promote both wood care and wood colourant lines.
On the question of what colour to use in the garden there seems to be something of a reaction against bright colour this year with ready made buildings, fencing and accessories manufacturers reverting to traditional green or cedar-look finishes.
In this context a recent survey undertaken by the Trevis group shows that whereas in the north of England and the Midlands 60% of all their wood goods sales are now of green stain finished items, in the home counties and on the south coast the preference is strictly for cedar.
Sustainable sources
At GLEE more and more timber product traders are responding to growing demand for products to be labelled as to the origin of the timber, giving preference to timbers sourced from sustainable forests. And a number of producers are turning their attention to obviously recycled teak, as in the distinctive, eccentrically designed Siam Antiquities collection.
Among more general timber goods manufacturers, eucalyptus has been eagerly taken up by Fairmont Trading Company as the media for a range of all wood garden loungers.
Small is beautiful
Fairmont has also taken on board the need for more garden artefacts suitable for the smaller plot with the introduction of a space saving, triangular shape, garden arbour which will slot neatly into a corner site. It is part of a continuing range of pine products which also includes a timber potting bench suitable for the smaller shed or greenhouse.
However, the new product which was attracting most attention on this stand was its so-called ‘bin port’. Designed to retail at £40 it is a timber screen which conceals a wheelie bin.
In similar vein one of Touchwood European Ltd’s latest innovations is a lidded bin which holds most standard size compost making units.
Concealing functional garden artefacts is becoming increasingly important as more and more gardeners see their plot not just as outdoor space but as an outdoor room to be designed with the same care as their indoor drawing room.
This attitude is, in its turn, giving rise to a whole new genre of garden furniture. Pieces for the patio seen at this year’s GLEE include, in Apac Design’s Catalan Classic’s range, rustic dressers and wire fronted outdoor sideboards for the storage of food or breakable items such as crockery.
Sophistication in patio furniture reaches its ultimate in the Ellements tiled topped teak ice chest for keeping wines or soft drinks cool.
Aimed at the extreme luxury end of the market with a trade price of £596, it has a polished brass tap for draining off surplus moisture.
Meanwhile in conservatory furniture. interest in bamboo pieces remains strong. One of the market leaders in this sector is The Big Bamboo Company which imports both exterior and interior use items directly from Indonesia.
Bamboo fencing panels with curved tops which enhance the oriental look were included in several ranges, although probably the biggest innovation in fencing came from Osmo which claims to have developed designs which will act as noise baffles and are therefore the ideal choice for consumers whose gardens back on to busy roads.
All things oriental
The popularity of bamboo is part of a wider interest in all things oriental – a trend which has inspired Rowlinson Garden Products Ltd to offer pagoda-style timber sheds and summer houses with up-turned roof corners.
A further new garden feature which appeared in a number of ranges is a version of the bridge which appears on the design of a willow pattern plate but scaled down to a size suitable for spanning a stream no broader than the average suburban garden path.
Also linked to oriental garden design, the rising sun emblem of Japan also makes its return as a decoration built into fencing and into horizontal decking panels such as those shown by Forest Garden plc.
Eastern promise
Oriental influence is also manifest in the latest range of playhouses from Scandic Lodge which appear to be constructed from bamboo. The material is, in fact, cunningly disguised spruce log roll. A ‘double deck’ playhouse of this type, equipped with an interior mezzanine storey and with safety perspex windows and door with piano hinges which ensure that small fingers can’t get trapped, will set the retail customers back £695.
The need for the garden to be a fun place for the kids too was also taken on board by Arbordeck which in addition to its European softwood decking system, which it claims to be one of the most comprehensive of its type now available on the UK market, can also now provide playhouses on stilts and lidded timber containers for toddlers’ sandpits.
Timber sandboxes were also a feature of the latest Werth Holz branded range imported from Germany. And a number of producers were offering small stained timber rocking horses which can safely be left outdoors 12 months of the year.
Toys for grown-ups
Meanwhile a number of exhibitors introduced items which bring a touch of fantasy into the lives of adult garden users, such as the full size concert harp made of timber which was one of the Timberpol display, Timberpol being one of the several brand names now used by the Polish Expro timber group.
Similarly, at Scandic Lodge adult fantasies are catered for with a medieval-style knight’s pavilion garden building in pine with a finish which allows the consumer to paint or stain the structure to any shade of their choice.
‘Trompe l’œil’ effects in garden buildings and accessories of all types are also going to be a strong feature of spring/summer 2002 merchandise.
And certainly not everything is what it at first seems in 2002 garden ranges. For instance, Bradstone has seen a gap in the market as the railway companies shift to the use of concrete rather than timber sleepers and the supply of the latter dries up – it has produced a concrete simulation.
By the same token, Solid Timber Products, which claims to be Britain’s largest dealer in railway sleepers, now offers both a genuine ex-rail range as well new sleepers which have never been near a railway line but have been created specifically for garden use.
Elsewhere at the NEC garden ‘let’s pretend’ products included concrete edging which resembles bamboo and log roll finished in glossy, bright cobalt blue paint so that it looks like metal.
