by Bethany Vann | 13 Jun 25 | From the Mag, Long Reads, Nature & Biodiversity, Sustainability
Pro Landscaper’s Most Influential Biosecurity and Best Product Range winner, Provender on why educating customers is important when bringing in new stock.
Founded in 2003, Provender Nurseries has secured a double win in the Pro Landscaper Most Influential Nurseries Awards for both Best Value for Money and Biosecurity, two victories that go hand in hand explains managing director, Richard McKenna:
Managing director at Provender, Richard McKenna
“To offer our customers the wide range we do, we need to import and that means we need to give [the customer] the best confidence in the way we do this.”
On average over the last five years, 80% of stock sold by Provender was imported; making it no surprise that the nursery has become widely known for its high-level biosecurity practices, a recognition McKenna says wasn’t the intention; “we just wanted to do the job right.”
Back in July 2024 Provender became the trade supplier to establish its own Control Point (CP) after significant changes were brought in to the Border Target Operating Model; McKenna notes that the process of opening its own CP was a “learning curve” and a lot of work with different departments, from HMRC, Border Force, and Defra was needed to make it possible, adding:
“It was quite challenging and really time consuming, but doing what we do, we get on with it.” And while he’s sure there will inevitably be more changes in the future, McKenna says “Nursery people are generally very adaptive, we always find the solutions to problems.”
Provender’s CP has meant the nursery now has more control over what stock comes in, when it comes in, and how it comes in, allowing the team to avoid potential delays throughout its supply chain. But as McKenna says: “Biosecurity is more than just the Control Point,” and he’s right, while Provender is known for its CP, there is much more work that goes into supplying the product range it does.
Control Point first delivery
McKenna explains: “We visit nearly all of our suppliers on an annual basis and we do a lot of hand selecting of stock”, adding that this means reviewing its supplier’s growing facilities and checking over all paperwork, all necessary steps the nursery takes to maintain its Plant Healthy Certification.
After becoming the ninth nursery in the UK to achieve the certification, the nursery is now audited annually and every team member on site is trained by Defra in best biosecurity practices – “so you see, the CP is just the cherry on top of the cake.”
Over its 20 plus years, the nursery has continuously evolved to meet the changing demands and needs of its customers, resulting in the product range we see today, as McKenna notes: “the good designers, the good landscape architects, they’re all looking for more interesting material. We’ve worked hard to offer a more interesting, wider range of material.”
But as McKenna adds bringing in all this new material also comes with a level of education: “When we get new products we always try to inform and educate our customers, because we can introduce something new, but unless our customer knows about it, they won’t necessarily buy it.”
He recalls a recent training session surrounding importing and plant selection, noting that all those customers will now have an “elevated knowledge of plants” and more insight into what’s available to them when designing a scheme, which McKenna says can only help in combating the climate crisis:
“We need leaders in the landscape and design sector to demonstrate how good new varieties and materials can be and that’s where the education side of things comes in. We offer products that can be interpreted differently, shaped differently, grown differently for various projects, it shows the real scale of how those materials can enhance the environment.”
McKenna recognises that the nursery is accountable and responsible for each of the plants it grows, imports and sells on, concluding that “we must make sure that what we’re offering our customers is right. The range of products is important but the quality of what we offer is also important, it’s all linked.”
Check out Provender’s top tips for maintaining plant health and buying with confidence from Plant Healthy growers in the June issue of Pro Landscaper, here.
by | 06 Nov 23 | Long Reads, Nature & Biodiversity, News
A scheme governed by the Plant Healthy Alliance allows organisations to grow, supply and handle plants, both responsibly and safely, regardless of where the plants are imported or grown. It recognises that the movement of live plants is a high-risk pathway for the introduction of potentially damaging notifiable plant pests and diseases into new areas.
The nursery sector, environmental organisations and government worked together to develop the Plant Health Management Standard (PHMS), published in 2019, and the associated Plant Healthy Certification Scheme, which is set to launch publicly in spring 2024.
Stuart Tickner of Plant Healthy certified Provender Nurseries offers insight into how one of the largest wholesale cash and carry companies within the industry navigates the guidelines set out by the accreditation.
What does it mean to be Plant Healthy? 
“To us as a wholesale plant supplier, it means we have a way of recording and monitoring our processes and making ourselves accountable for what and how we do our purchasing, plant husbandry and other relevant processes. It is also a great way for us as suppliers to gain, share and be involved in industry-wide knowledge and how we can improve.”
Becoming accredited in February 2021, Provender Nurseries had applied to be Plant Healthy certified with the intention of being involved and having a voice in how things should and could be done.
But why is it so important to be Plant Healthy?
According to Tickner, “the Plant Healthy certification is important in our day-to-day practices from purchasing, unloading deliveries and plant husbandry and we have found that being Plant Healthy certificated gives our customers peace of mind that as a business we are practicing and continue to practice good principles to our plant supply chain.”
Tickner believes that being Plant Healthy is of utmost importance to the industry, which is why more suppliers and landscapers should get involved. “Working together will enable us to make real changes that are relevant to the entire industry.
“By all importers of plant material being Plant Healthy certificated it will help reduce the risk of importing pest and diseases that could threaten the UK’s and the planet’s natural environment.”
As part of its Plant Healthy credentials, Provender ensures that all its staff are regularly trained in the hopes that across the board, the industry standards can then be upheld with all nurseries having to adhere to the same guidelines.
What did you have to do to become a Plant Healthy company?
“The process is thorough; however, it needs to be. For the first time, getting the accreditation is a hard process, as you must really look at what you do and how you record it, whilst trying to meet the accreditation requirements. But once you have done that the yearly re-audit is fine and a good way to continually improve your standards.”
Its paperwork and practices were studied in detail with every aspect of what they do scrutinized by the Provender team itself to ensure that it met the relevant criteria. “Some of the areas covered by the accreditation process include looking at our supply chain, everyday practices on site, plant passporting and our biosecurity policy. But the most important thing in the whole process is to get our whole team and company to believe, support and implement the entire process.”
For Tickner, the fact that Provender Nurseries can advertise and promote that it is Plant Healthy certificated adds to the business’ credentials. “The title works well as it is now recognized across the industry and delivers what exactly what it says.”
What would your advice be to others eager to join the Plant Healthy scheme?
“Read the accreditation requirements, understand them, and really sit back and look at your business and be honest with yourselves. Be ready to make changes if required.”
Tickner believes that there is no-one in our industry that wants to see the planet damaged, but to truly have a say, those within the industry need to be more involved in the decision and policy making. Plant Healthy is just one of the ways in which the industry can collaborate for change.
“Being Plant Healthy certificated is a commitment, but one well worth taking.”
For more information and industry insights, continue reading… ARE YOU PLANT HEALTHY YET?
by The Pro Landscaper Team | 13 Apr 23 | Nature & Biodiversity, News, Supplier News, Sustainability, Topics
FORS silver accreditation has been awarded to Provender Nurseries. The Kent-based business can now deliver to construction sites requiring this level of accreditation in and around London, which managing director Richard McKenna says “opens a new realm of opportunities.”
The Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) is designed to drive up standards with operations and recognise best practice in safety, efficiency and environmental protection.
Provender Nurseries’ transport manager Kevin Davies-O’Malley, who worked with team members to achieve the accreditation, says: “Running our own fleet efficiently and safely is of utmost importance to us as a business and to our clients. To be able to offer the professionalism we can, this is down to the high level of training of all our drivers.”
In March, all the business’ drivers took a safe urban driving course cycling around Dartford “to see the road from a cyclists’ perspective,” says Davies-O’Malley.
