With its finger on the pulse when it comes to what those in the market for a greenhouse are looking for, every year Hartley Botanic predicts what it expects will be the biggest glasshouse and greenhouse trends for the year ahead. Here are its four predictions for 2023, with insight into the recent customer behavior which has informed them.
1. A RETURN TO A TRADITIONAL AESTHETIC
Last year, the manufacturer reported a trend in customers choosing to powder coat their greenhouses in modern shades of black and manganese graphite. They were looking to make dramatic, contemporary statements and were increasingly looking for minimalist structures.
For 2023, Hartley Botanic is predicting that customers will be returning to more classic colors and designs when it comes to glasshouse and greenhouse styles, with the majority of people choosing a traditional aesthetic. Hartley Botanic’s nostalgic and romantic Victorian range is set to be its most popular, with particular interest predicted in its Lodge, Terrace, and Villa structures – a sales trend which has been growing over the last two years.
The manufacturer is also predicting that customers will opt for glasshouses in more traditional, classic colors such as olive leaf and forest green, and white glasshouses may be making a comeback.
Neal Bobrick, President of Hartley Botanic US, said, “Historically, our Victorian range is certainly one of our most popular, but in the last two years demand has become even more marked. 2023 will be big for greenhouses with Victorian styling in more traditional colors, and it is interesting to see a return of white as a top color choice after a few years of darker colors becoming more popular. Alongside this trend however, we also expect to still see customers opting for structures from our Modern Horticulture range. The desire for a contemporary looking structure is still strong, even if a traditional aesthetic will dominate customer choice in 2023.”
2. DESIGNER GARDENS, DESIGNER GREENHOUSES
Over the last few years there has been a renewed focus and investment by homeowners in their outdoor spaces and this is now extending into greenhouse and glasshouse purchases. Increasingly, customers are choosing greenhouses and glasshouses as grand centerpieces to complete beautifully designed garden spaces. They are also taking the customization of their greenhouses to the next level, adding in unique features and customizing them with highly personal touches. Hartley Botanic has worked with customers to landscape ponds inside their glasshouses, paint them in unusual colors and incorporate them into carefully orchestrated, grand garden schemes.
The manufacturer predicts this trend will continue well into 2023. Neal Bobrick said, “There is an uplift in demand for Greenhouses and Glasshouses to fulfil increasingly grand and personal gardens spaces. Customers are getting even more creative about how they use and enjoy their greenhouses and they are being planned into large scale landscaping projects. The appetite to upgrade our gardens shows no sign of slowing down.”
3. GREENHOUSES FOR WELLBEING & RELAXATION
A theme Hartley Botanic referenced in its 2022 RHS tradestands, 2023 will be all about using your glasshouse and greenhouse for wellbeing and relaxation. The mental health benefits of gardening and enjoying our green spaces is now well understood and customers are extending this further into how they use and design their greenhouses. In 2023, Hartley Botanic expects to see more customers curating the interiors of their greenhouse spaces so they function as havens of calm and relaxation. This will include investing more time and energy into how their greenhouses are organized and what accessories are selected, or left out. At Chelsea, Hampton Court, and Tatton Park RHS shows, Hartley Botanic demonstrated this with structures which were paired back in terms of furniture and featured design elements carefully curated to exude order and tranquility, rather than clutter.
In addition, the intensified interest in ‘grow your own’ which has seen a revival over the last few years, will be used by customers to further tap-into the health of their bodies, minds and spirits. ‘Grow your own’ is a key element in enjoying the wellness advantages of owning your own greenhouse or glasshouse, with customers able to grow and enjoy a whole host of fresh, organic produce throughout the year.
US President Neal Bobrick said, “We foresee more customers specifically buying and using their glasshouses and greenhouses for wellness reasons in 2023. This is something we have been noticing over the last few years, as customers experienced the benefits first hand of spending more time in their garden spaces. People want to make the most of this and will be consciously organizing their Greenhouses – whether in their design or ‘grow your own’ usage – for this purpose.”
4. GROWING DEMAND FOR ENGLISH GLASSHOUSES ACROSS THE POND
2023 is set to be the year when Hartley Botanic’s handmade English glasshouses and greenhouses make huge waves in the US. The Lancashire-based manufacturer, has already experienced a growing demand for its beautiful and very elegant English structures with its US customers and it expects 2023 will be its biggest year yet.
Particularly in US demand will be the manufacturer’s grandest Victorian-style structures, reminiscent of the grand glasshouses of a bygone era which would have sat in Downton Abbey-style aristocratic, English country gardens. Based on recent trends, Hartley Botanic’s Victorian Lodge in hypca white is set to be the English glasshouse of choice across the pond.
Neal Bobrick said, “There is an incredible demand and appreciation for our Lancashire-designed and made structures in the US, and we expect this to boom as increasing numbers of homeowners become aware of our brand. In 2021, we were recognised at the prestigious Queen’s Awards for Enterprise in the international trade category, for our work growing sales abroad, and since then the US market has continue to take-off. Our glasshouses and greenhouses are made in just the same way, in our historic factory at the base of Lancashire’s Chew Valley for our American customers, and we are proud to bring them the very best in terms of English engineering and design.”
