The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA), an AIPH member, honoured the UK’s leading ornamental growers at the national 2025 Grower of the Year Awards, held during Horticulture, The Conference at London’s Barbican Centre on 25 September.
Twelve awards were presented across six categories, with Hillier Nurseries Ltd emerging as a standout winner, taking home the Blooming Marvellous Employer, Life Beyond Peat, and Plant Producer awards. Greenwood Plants, named Inspirational Business of the Year, is no stranger to international recognition, having been crowned the 2024 AIPH International Grower of the Year.
The judging panel included AIPH Secretary General Tim Briercliffe, alongside senior figures from across the UK horticulture sector.
In the people-focused categories, Jane Poyner of Majestic Trees received Best Staff Member, and her colleague Thomas Smith was named Young Grower under 35. As the HTA noted, “Young Grower winner Thomas can also enter the AIPH International Young Grower of the Year competition and fly the flag for UK environmental horticulture.” He is also eligible for a new £1,500 HTA bursary to support professional development. Judge Phil Clayton described him as “a highly skilled, versatile and motivational team member” with “a natural understanding of how plants grow.” At the same time, Sarah Squire praised his “resounding endorsement” from teammates and called him “a team player and an all-round good egg.”
In a further highlight of the evening, Natalie Boynton of Happy Plants Ltd and co-founder of the Young People in Horticulture Association (YPHA), received the Pearson Memorial Medal 2025 for outstanding service to the industry.
The conference also launched two HTA initiatives for the wider sector: Your Garden Year, a seasonal campaign to inspire gardeners throughout the year, and the Value of Gardens Report, the first to quantify the economic, environmental, and social impact of the UK’s 22 million private gardens.
The HTA awards represent the national level of recognition in the UK, with winners now eligible to step onto the international stage through the AIPH International Grower of the Year 2026 Awards.
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