Landform Consultants to launch a new collaborative venture

by Nina Mason | 02 Sep 24 | Domestic Landscaping, Garden Design, News

Landform Consultants to launch a new collaborative venture

When you’ve built as many show gardens as Landform Consultants, you’re bound to have built up a collection of relics. Then there’s the items salvaged from creating various landscapes. These have all been stored at the company’s site in Chobham, Surrey – but they’re about to be given a second life.

A new hub is being launched called the Glasshouse Collective, bringing together the reclaimed objects such as old chimney pots from previous projects as well as partnerships with leading suppliers. These will be showcased around a large 1960s commercial glasshouse salvaged from Landform Consultants’ yard, which used to be a nursery.

It’s an idea that’s been “brewing for quite a few years”, says managing director Mark Gregory. When two greenhouses were set to be demolished to make way for a new play area, Gregory decided to build one into a half-acre area of the yard instead and create something with a business-to-business purpose, with creative and landscape designer Alan Williams driving the project. “He’s got a unique set of skills that I’ve never had as part of our business before, so it’s the right time to push forward.”

The Glasshouse Collective will be a fusion of teaching, collaboration and conversations

The Glasshouse Collective will be what Gregory calls “posh frocks and wellingtons”, the idea being to host exclusive gatherings and offer a space for clients and the landscaping industry to visit and network and explore a range of high-quality products – almost like “the best of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show” and a permanent version, explains Gregory. It will also provide a venue for training and mentoring, and trade associations will be able to utilise the space, drawing in landscapers, garden designers and landscape architects, all by invitation only.

Officially launching in April next year, part of the collective will be open this October for ‘meet the supplier’ events. Landscapeplus, for instance, is hosting a lighting design masterclass that will be a ticketed event, and brands such as Allgreen, Torc Pots and Schellevis will be displaying products around the 30m by 15m vintage greenhouse.

One of the standout products is likely to be Renson’s new Amani canopy from Garden House Design, the exclusive UK distributor for the first year. The luxury, high-end canopy launched to the market at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show and will not be available to view anywhere else but the Glasshouse Collective for the first few months.

Whilst it will not be a retail site, Gregory is looking to generate commission from the items it sells to the trade, and The Glasshouse Collective will serve as a subtle marketing tool for Landform Consultants – but this is an initiative that is not driven by profitability. “I want to bring the industry together. Let’s collaborate and be open and honest. I believe in starting those conversations.”

That’s what the Glasshouse Collective aims to do – it’s a fusion of teaching, collaboration and conversations, all within a high-end setting. And “for a bit of fun”, adds Gregory – and what better reason?