Industry Collaborations

Trade Associations	Colleges	Work Experience
Sponsorships and Trade Shows	Show Gardens	Charities

Trade Associations

As a wholesale plant nursery and supplier to the trade, Provender Nurseries are committed to supporting the industry now and into the future. Provender continues to work with trade organizations benefiting both the business and our customers. Industry collaboration allows us to build a solid reputation and relationships within the trade whether with an industry body, supplier, customer, college, or charity.

As a trade supplier, it is of utmost importance to us to nurture collaborations with landscapers, partnerships with garden designers, and garden industry relationships.

At present, Provender Nurseries are active members and strong supporters of the following trade associations:

Sponsorships and Trade Shows

Provender Nurseries support and nurture our garden industry relationships with many sponsorships and exhibiting at trade shows. We believe that the industry thrives and survives on healthy relationships.

Here is where you can find us supporting the industry:

Sponsorships:

•  Pro Landscaper Business Awards: Landscape Architecture Studio category
•  Pro Landscaper Project Awards: Headline Sponsor
•  APL Awards: Soft Landscaping category
•  SGD Awards
•  LI Awards
•  CIOH Young Horticulturist of the Year competition: Regional Finals
• Capel Manor Gardens at Capel Manor College, Enfield campus: Garden of Exaggerated Beauty
• Capel Manor College: Garden Design competition

Trade Shows:

• Futurescape 2023
• SGD Autumn Conference 2023
• Careers Fairs for colleges

Colleges

Provender Nurseries work closely in a number of ways with colleges and students. We find it an absolute pleasure working with the future of the horticulture industry, and we firmly believe that the colleges of today harbor the future industry movers and shakers of the future.

Student Visits

Regular student visits to Provender Nurseries are an important part of what we do with colleges. Guided visits cover a wide range of topics including plant availability, plant choice, plant buying, plant specifications, how to quote, a guide to our sundries, a look at one of our production areas, biosecurity, and plant healthy.

We can tailor any visit to what is most relevant to your course. Visits are arranged by lecturers or student reps. If you are interested in a visit to Provender Nurseries, please contact Liz Hughes, our Marketing Manager via email at liz.hughes@provendernurseries.co.uk

Design Competition

Since 2011, Provender Nurseries and Capel Manor College have collaborated on a design competition run each year across all campuses in conjunction with the college curriculum.

With over 14 winners selected so far, we just love getting involved with the students, lecturers from the start of their garden design journey. We work with the lecturers to help set the brief, arrange visits to Provender Nurseries for Students of Garden Design, Plants, and Planting Design. Applications are then judged by Liz Hughes our Marketing Manager and relevant lecturers and staff.

Many of the winners have continued to become successful garden designers. We like to think we have an eye!

Work Experience

We welcome students for work experience. In fact, some of our full-time nursery team members came to us via work experience arranged through their colleges. We value the opportunity to provide hands-on learning experiences for students and believe it plays a crucial role in shaping the future of the horticulture industry.

We can host work experience for 1 day, 1 week, or 2 weeks. If you are interested in arranging work experience at Provender Nurseries, please get in contact with Grace Adams, our HR Administrator, via email at careers@provendernurseries.co.uk.

Gardens on Campus

As avid supporters of horticultural colleges over the years, we believe in providing support and contributing to the curriculum where we can to benefit students. We understand that it is not always possible to bring students out on visits and are firm believers in gardens being used as an educational resource. There is no better way to learn than physically seeing plants in situ, so Provender Nurseries can contribute plants to gardens on campus.

Provender Nurseries presently have a display garden at Capel Manor College on the Enfield campus called "The Garden of Exaggerated Beauty," designed by student Steven Davies.

Our first sponsored display garden at Capel Manor College can still be seen. This garden was designed by then student Esra Parr, who is now a member of the SGD (Society of Garden Designers).

Previous plant donations include the provision of plants for the re-planting of the Dry Garden at Writtle College campus.

Student Design and Build Awards

As part of our aim to bring together different aspects of the horticulture industry, in 2010, Provender Nurseries teamed up with BALI and the RHS to launch the Student Design and Build Award. This award was aimed at all students of garden design and horticulture across the UK.

The Student Design and Build Awards were a roaring success and ran for three years. The winning designs were selected by representatives of BALI, RHS, and Richard McKenna, Managing Director of Provender Nurseries. Each winning design was then sponsored to build their winning design at the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show, with plants supplied solely by Provender Nurseries and the builds carried out by students of the winning college. The Student Design and Build Award was a great learning experience for all involved.

As a result, Provender Nurseries achieved three RHS medals at Hampton Court for the Student Design and Build Awards.

Show Gardens

With an unrivaled history of supporting new talent in their journey from education through to launching into the working world, Provender Nurseries have proved that they have an ability for choosing designers with a flair for excellent garden design.

Below you will find a summary of how Provender Nurseries continues to break boundaries in the horticultural industry and support new talents from the start of their journey to a thriving career.

• 2023: Unjudged garden. Mark Lane Designs: RHS and BBC Morning Live Budget Friendly Garden. RHS Flower Show Hampton Court.
• 2023: Unjudged garden. Grow to Know. The Grenfell Garden of Peace. RHS Flower Show Hampton Court.
• 2023: Silver Gilt Medal. Sophie Knittel Designs and Lois Moxon-Holt: Viva Magenta. RHS Flower Show Tatton Park.
• 2021: Gold Medal. Freddie Strickland: On Tropic. RHS Flower Show Tatton Park.
• 2015: Silver Gilt Medal. VaRa Garden Design: Foundations for Growth Garden. RHS Flower Show Hampton Court.
• 2013: Silver Gilt Medal. Peter Reader: Four Corners. RHS Flower Show Hampton Court. (Student Design & Build Award 2012)
• 2012: Gold Medal. Adele Ford and Susan Willmott: Coastal Drift. RHS Flower Show Hampton Court. (Student Design & Build Award 2011)
• 2011: Silver Gilt Medal. Charlotte Murrell: Wild in the City. RHS Flower Show Hampton Court. (Student Design & Build Award 2010)

Work Experience

We welcome students for work experience. In fact, some of our full-time nursery team members came to us via work experience arranged through their colleges. Alongside colleges, we also host work experience for relevant charities and organisations.

We can host work experience for 1 day, 1 week, or 2 weeks. If you are interested in arranging work experience at Provender Nurseries, please get in contact with Grace Adams, our HR Administrator, via email at careers@provendernurseries.co.uk.

Charities

We are avid supporters of Perennial and local charities. Every two years, our staff selects a local charity to support and raise funds for. We encourage donations to our selected charities during events on-site and when booking out our meeting rooms to external training providers.

Perennial; Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Society. Perennial is the UK’s only charity dedicated to helping everyone who works in horticulture, and their families, when times get tough. Provender Nurseries is proud to hold Silver Perennial Partnership.

Local Charity. Over the years, Provender Nurseries staff and customers have contributed a great deal of money to local charities by holding coffee mornings, jumper days, from refreshments, and room hire. This year, our selected charity is Swanley’s Shed. Swanley’s Shed opened in January 2023 and is based on the Men’s Shed concept. Their aim is to create a space for men, women, and vulnerable people to pursue practical interests at leisure and to practice practical skills.

Charity Donations. We believe in supporting charities where and when we can. If you have a charity that you feel would benefit from a donation, please contact Liz Hughes, our Marketing Manager, via email at liz.hughes@provendernurseries.co.uk