Phil:
Welcome Beth

Beth:
Hi.

Kate:
So what we're really here to talk to you about today is, the launch success programme of the young people in horticulture. But before we get started on that, can you just tell us a little bit about who you are and what it is you do? Because you've got a really interesting role, haven't you?

Beth:
Yeah. I mean, I think it's interesting, but I am really biased of course. So I work in plant health, and I essentially inspect plants for invasive pests and diseases. So a lot of caterpillars, fungi, everything you can imagine, things that affect the roots as well. I'm a bit of a nerd about plant pests and diseases. And I've been in that role for about five years now.

Kate:
Goodness. And you, you're quite involved in STEM, aren't you? Kind of encouraging young people, especially young women, to get into that kind of area. Could you just expand a little bit on that for me?

Beth:
Yeah. Of course. So, I'm quite unique in that I really enjoyed science at school, not unique in that experience, I feel like a lot of people did, but then I completely went away from it as I got older.
And I believe that's because there was next to no career guidance, in my school. And to be honest, if you didn't go and pursue a degree in science, it was kind of like you'd close that door forever. When I joined my role, I joined on an apprenticeship, and that meant I didn't need a degree.
I learned while I was kind of doing the job, actually, boots on the ground, doing the job and then studying on a Friday. And I wanted to show young people that that's an option, that you don't have to go and study and spend a lot of money. Let's be real. For a degree, you can go and learn and actually do the job while you’re learning and that there's really weird jobs out there. Like, it's a really odd job. I didn't know it existed. There's not many of us. Yeah. I think children need to know. And especially young girls, I think, yeah, there was a real difference in my school’s, the kind of advice that was given to young girls and young boys. And I think that should just be completely equal across the board.
I think it's a lot better now.

Kate:
Can I be can I be really personal? How old are you, Beth?

Beth:
I'm 31.

Kate:
Goodness me. I mean, I'm quite a bit older. I won't say how much, but it certainly wasn't an option. You know, home economics and needlework. But even now, that is still happening. That's. I find that so sad, isn't it?

Beth:
Yeah. I mean, the curriculum is a lot better now. Through my STEM work I've got a lot of knowledge about it and yeah, I'm a lot more hopeful about it. But I think we still need to shout really loudly about horticulture and science careers.

Kate:
Yeah, brilliant, I love it. I love what you do. And it's so important, especially now with so many invasive species and issues happening all over the country. I mean, I could talk to you on this subject for hours. Phil might glaze over a bit, but, I think we might have to have you on again, but to talk about your role within that and where we're going and, I just find it fascinating.

Phil:
I think it'd be great.

Kate:
It's so important. But what we've got you on today, and also because it is very recent, isn't it, where the actual launch is the launch success programme of the YPHA, so, Beth, you were one of the ten delegates who took on the Launch Success challenge. And for anybody who doesn't know what we're talking about, can you explain what the challenge involved?

Beth:
Of course, yeah. So the challenge was a year long experience. And you're right, it's just ended, or coming to its end right now. So ten young people, one of them me, who work with plants in some capacity were all taught about certain skills in horticulture.
So the challenge kind of focussed on more lateral skills that sometimes we fail to nurture, I think, as an industry. So things like building social media campaigns and product photography, developing a product’s identity and even pitching to a panel. So the challenge itself was, created by the, the YPHA, the Young People in Horticulture Association, and that is a little association who aims to unite all under 35’s who work with plants.

So I was a member of that association. And then I saw that this challenge was happening. And I couldn't not apply, basically. It was in the first ever year, so it's the pilot year and the whole thing, was a brainchild of Natalie Boynton, who, founded the YPHA. And it's quite unique because the idea wasn't to learn more about plants, although obviously we did as part of it.
But it's more about, the way that the industry runs. So the journey that a new plant takes from being bred to then being available at your local garden centre, it's kind of like if you've watched The Apprentice, it's like a horticultural version of that, with its own little spin on it.

Phil:
Oh that's fantastic.

Beth:
It's really cool. And I mean, almost exactly a year ago we were in a glasshouse in the Netherlands, starting this whole process. We were being shown a brand new variety of Begonia for the first time. Beekenkamp had bred a new variety, and they trusted us to take it to market for the first time, along with all of the stuff that that entails.
From like naming the plan to launching it at the BBC Gardeners World Live, not that long ago. And along the way we had like seminars, masterclasses, we met loads of industry experts. We had behind the scenes tours at sites, hands on learning, and even some one on one business coaching as well.

Kate:
Goodness me. So do you look at, begonias in a totally different way now?

Beth:
I do. I am one of these people who used to think it was like a Grandma plant. And that is over now. And I have them in my house. I have them in my garden. I'm full of begonias now, oh yeah.

Kate:
They're amazing plants, aren't they? They're such hard working plants, they really are. Especially when it's dry like this. Anyway, I digress again.
So, what made you want to take part? Was there something specific about the challenge that appealed to you personally?

Beth:
Yeah, definitely. I mean, I saw the challenge advertised and I was really excited by the idea. And I do kind of have a little life motto that is, I if I'm excited about something, I just do it. So I think if I'm enthusiastic, I want to channel that into actually doing stuff.
I think all ten delegates had really different motivations behind applying. Personally, I was a career change into horticulture, so I've had almost like a whole other life, before I found horticulture about five years ago. And obviously we talked a bit about how I'm a nerd about plant pests and diseases, but this challenge gave me like an opportunity to dig deeper into the industry as a whole and find out more about, like, the work that's put into those plants that I walk past every day on the shelves and also just meet loads of inspiring people.
Yeah. I didn't want to, you know, when you kind of start a job and you do one specific job, and I'm very aware that my job is very specific, you can become really specialised in one area. And I didn't want to get to like 50 years old and be completely ignorant to all the other work that goes on in horticulture.
And now I understand the effort that goes into this whole of the side that I'd never seen before.

Phil:
So thinking about that then, Beth, you split into two teams. So the ten of you who joined the, challenge and you were split into two teams of five. What was it like working with people from different parts of horticulture? Was it a bit strange being pitted against another team as well?

Beth:
Definitely. So the candidates are from all parts of the plant world. So we had like really different ideas and experiences. In my team, for example, we had me, obviously, we also had horticultural lecturer, an RHS team member a gardener on a private estate and someone on the plant team at a family owned garden centre.
So everyone basically that you can imagine. It was really odd, I think, number one being split into two teams, that was vile. We didn't know who was going to be on our team. There was a whole big reveal. It was a whole day. I was really nervous about it. I didn't know who I wanted on my team to begin with. But I was really happy with my chosen.
Yeah, I really enjoyed the whole process because I think the people element was a huge part of it, and I learnt a lot from the people on my team, on the other team, because our brains all worked really differently. For example, I've never worked in a garden centre, throw with my hands up, so I've never advise customers, like I've never had these people asking me what they should buy for their shady border or any of that.
But Jacob on our team, that's what he does every day, and he's done for his whole life. So he would occasionally step in and keep me grounded and be like, Beth that is not realistic for the everyday consumer. I think we settled in quite well and we became quite competitive quite quickly. We were like, I think we did a good job because both teams were completely unaware of the of the team’s strategy. So we managed to keep that secret throughout the whole process. And we actually came up with, I would say, almost opposite concepts, even though we've been through exactly the same training. So we could leave the same situation with a completely different idea.

So for example, near the start of the process, we're in London, in a big room, and we had Michael Perry, there, the plant geek, and Natalie Boynton from Happy Plants. We were discussing and workshopping the name of our new plant. We were writing words on the whiteboard. Then a couple of hours later, the other team did exactly the same thing with the same people, and they came up with, we couldn't have come up with two more different names, essentially.

Phil:
So what were the two names that we both came up with then?

Beth:
Yeah. So ours was, Bountiful Pink and the other’s was Petite Cerise. Because it's got little dainty flowers. Little cerise pinky flowers. So we kind of went in two different directions there.

Kate:
Very different, very different. So one kind of talks about exuberance and yeah, lots and lots of flowers. The other one makes it seem a little bit more delicate.

Phil:
So, could you tell us a little bit more about how your team went about approaching the challenge and also what your role was within the team? Did you have specific roles, or were you sort of a bit of a mishmash of everything, were you all doing bits and pieces of everything?

Beth:
Yeah, we kind of both really. So we did start off doing a bit of everything, and then we kind of specialised throughout the process. So as we kind of found the things that we loved through, you know, talking to experts and doing the seminars and things like that, we did all kind of diversify and take ownership of different elements. We started off by carrying out some market research and a direct quote, which was pretty damning from that, was that begonias have an image problem.
So and I'm not going to fight that. We found out that most consumers link that particular group of plants to like non-stock varieties that you see in garden centres, often in packs, and also that younger people have associated them with retired people. So they really have a strong image association. So as a team, we decided we wanted to challenge those views and open up a new area of opportunity with our sales.
So essentially we wanted to give the Begonia an image makeover and inject some youth. So we decided as a team that we were going to kind of divorce it from the word begonia and take begonia out of the marketing strategy completely. So instead we chose a new name and we built, a new identity. We chose Bountiful Pink because of the sheer number of flowers that this plant manages to produce in the growing season.
So we've got that kind of abundance of blooms, and that's what we were really focusing in on. Our branding strategy was really powerful. So we chose a strong fonts. And Molly on our team actually had the idea to make the label flippable. So the plant itself is an indoor outdoor variety, and we found throughout the challenge that it performed really well as a little house on as well as a bedding plant.
So we designed a flippable label that has care instructions for outdoors on one side, and then the indoor care instructions are on the other side. It's really cool. And that way it could be the buyer's choice where they placed it, or if they gave it as a gift, it could be the receiver's choice. And you can just flip the label and you've got enough information there as, as a buyer.
My role within the team was social media and events planning. So there was other bits as well as they arose. And we did do a lot of things as a whole team. But I envisioned our social media and event strategy. So punchy Instagram Reels and lots of ideas for the show. Gardeners World Live, which is where we launched the plant.
I do have quite a bit of events experience, so I knew that I wanted, a visual showstopper and some sort of activity at the show as well. And the activity that I ran was called Bountiful Hunter as a little play on Bounty Hunter. Obviously watch too much TV in my time, but it involves members of the public hunting around the show for flowers, to be in with a chance to win a plant.
And I also taught myself how to make, massive crepe paper flowers to decorate our stand.

Kate:
Oh, we love those.

Phil:
Yeah, I saw that at the National Plant Show.

Beth:
Yeah, I think they made it there. I think they were a little bit battered by the end of it. But I knew I wanted a strong visual impact, and I've done shows before, and I kind of wanted, like, a point where people gathered and took photos and a little bit of a buzz of activity. So I got my glue gun out. I watched a lot of videos online, and I did get some burns, but we got there in the end.

Kate:
I love a glue gun.

Beth:
Me too.

Kate:
Can I just ask? So, obviously it's about young people in horticulture, but, why? Why was it Begonia chosen? Was it because of that very kind of aspect that it is seen as a rather traditional older person's plant, or just the fact that they are, easy to grow, easy to launch? Is there a reason, or just that it was available? Or was it the thing the sponsor wanted to push?

Beth:
Yeah, I think almost like a little bit of a mixture of all of those points. Really. So that kind of came from Beekenkamp, but I know they were in talks with the YPHA. So I don't think they wanted a plant that was going to be, you know, not that I think there are any plants that are really difficult to market. There's always something isn't in a plan that that gives you something that you want to buy.
But yeah, I think because it is so easy to care for and, you know, marketable, hopefully they didn’t give us the hardest challenge to begin with because all of us were new to it.

Kate:
Of course, so one’s garden centres were readily going to stock that kind of thing.

Beth:
Yes, definitely. Yeah.

Kate:
Did you risk alienating the more traditional consumer of begonias if you're constantly trying to push towards the younger people, is it going to turn off the people with the money that want to buy it? Do you think is that a risk sometimes?

Beth:
This was a huge point in our group. And we talked about it a lot. So yeah, nail on the head. We wanted to basically find that happy medium where we didn't alienate them. So although we have like things like a QR code on the label, it's quite small.
And we've still got care instructions so that the consumer that's a bit older, maybe to be kind of very generalising, and maybe wouldn't know how to open a QR code or wouldn't want to, they still got the care instructions there. So, the QR code is like an optional extra. And to be honest, towards the end of the process things did soften a little bit.
So I think I think our first concept was a bit harsh to the original consumer, and it did soften, so by the launch we had quite a happy medium that was still pushing boundaries a little bit, but wasn't going to, you know, my grandma, for example, loves the begonia, she would still pick up a begonia and really like it.
It wasn't like a black and white label, and it wasn't completely off putting. Yeah, grandma Margaret would still buy it.

Phil:
Ahh, that's good to hear. I was just going to ask, was anybody on the team quite sceptical when you first discovered you’d got a begonia to work with?

Beth:
Yes. Yes. And I think honestly me. I think I was probably one of the most sceptical I'll own up to that. I think I visit a lot of garden centres in a day, and I've seen a lot of garden centres in my career, and I see a lot of forgotten begonias in the corner. On sale for 50p on clearance. And I do see the same sort of begonias all the time.
And obviously I've seen houseplants and the Rex varieties and things like that. That are a little bit more exciting. But kind of, when I found out it was an indoor outdoor, I thought, we've got that kind of… we've got an opportunity there to target almost two groups of people. And it was whether you could actually do that with our marketing and with the way we branded the plant. And I think we did succeed.

Phil:
It's clever.

Kate:
I love it. So, from what we've talked about just now, what would you say was the most challenging part of turning an idea into something that was pitch ready?

Beth:
I think it's so challenging to take like ideas and concepts and things that don't feel real quite yet and pitch them, especially because we don't have years of experience in those arenas. So we don't know how these things normally play out. And we don't have any like experience to draw on. So we pitched our concept in November in a massive yurt, and the day before (in a really hot yurt weirdly) the day before, we worked really intensively with Boyd Douglas-Davies and he honestly managed to polish up our pitches and also inject us with some confidence.
He's an amazing person, and I think his experience really helped us. Because sometimes it can feel like you've plucked things out of the air and then you're pitching them to, you know, people that are at the top of their game in the industry. And you're like, how did I get here? We were aware that the panel was full of experts who knew a lot more than us. So when we were preparing for the pitch, I think, preparing for the questions at the end was the bit that we were really scared about. It felt like they could ask us anything and they could, but in the end, Boyd helped us, and he basically taught us to take ownership over a certain part of the story and take any questions like related to that bit. So I was pitching our social media and event strategy. And then on the panel we had Bob Sweet and Lucy Tremlett from BBC's events team. So obviously they're getting to know way more about Gardeners World Live than me. I'll never know more than them, but what I learnt from Boyd is that it's really important that I didn't tell Lucy and Bob what would work at the show, but offer up ideas and then show them the concepts weren't set in stone, basically.
So I think that willingness to work with the experts at the pitch and maybe not have kind of like every single stage prescribed, that really worked in our favour on the day.

Kate:
So, is there a standout moment during the challenge? A breakthrough, funny moment or even that, a near disaster?

Beth:
So many things.

Phil:
Perfect!

Beth:
I think you get ten, youngish people together and yeah, there's a lot that went on. We've had a lot of falls. Mainly me, I fell over quite a lot, but that's just me, I'm very clumsy. But that’s just me. I famously fell over at the airport in Amsterdam.

Phil:
Were you all right though?

Beth:
Which I think has gone down in history, I was absolutely fine.
But it was the first time that I met everyone, and I think I got branded as the clumsy one from day one. Quite a lot of emotions because I think it's quite a process to go through, over a year as well. Lots of laughter. Two of our delegates actually became dads during the challenge as well. First time dads. Yeah. So we had two babies born, which is great.

Kate:
Are they going to call them Bountiful Pink, though?

Beth:
I've already asked. No. We didn't get even a single drop of that in the name, which is. Yeah. What's the point?
We had to kind of make sure like, for example, in the Netherlands. So we had to make sure that everyone was there, from all over the UK for a morning meeting. So that was challenging in itself. Personally as well, towards like near the end of the challenge, I was filming stuff for social media, filming content, and I had this idea, this concept, and I pitched it in in the yurt and everyone loved it. And I was like, right, I have to actually do this now. And the reel was, the plant being dropped into the screen and then kind of looking fine at the end.
And it was “new plant just dropped”. And I was a disaster. So I had my cat was like, running all over the place. I had soil all over my kitchen floor, and I had just, like, a tray of plants that had been dropped like, ten times to try and get the shot in focus. I did get there in the end, I got there in the end.

Kate:
How much time did you actually spend together as a team within the year? Roughly.

Beth:
Oh, quite a lot. So the year was like punctuated with in-person, training and those tended to be full days. So yeah, quite a lot of full day visits, with the whole team. And then to be fair, like quite a few of us met up separately as well and did little like, offshoot side projects.
I live in Manchester and luckily enough, one of the people, Grace, she moved to Manchester during the challenge so we would meet up in gardens and like, do stuff together, and work on the project. And then we had some online seminars and things as well. It felt like it was pretty, pretty often, really.

Phil:
So how had that balance with your actual work?

Beth:
So great question. I can find myself as a bit of a workaholic. So I can if I'm really enthusiastic about something, I will just dive in and give it my all. And I think it has taught me a lot about priorities and yeah, getting things in order and having a to-do list and making sure that I can manage my time really effectively, I think that's one of the biggest learnings that I've had from this whole process.

Phil:
Fantastic. So other than timekeeping then and, and being able to do time management, what new skills did you find yourself developing that you possibly didn't expect you would?

Beth:
Apart from the glue gunning skills - it was not expected at all. Oh, a whole mixed, you know, I think I learned a lot about branding. That's certainly up there. Logos, brand identity, these are all things that I really look at now, on, on my visits to garden centres, I'll peer at the logos and I'll peer at the plant labels and see how they're spaced out and things like that.

Phil:
Are you quite critical about them now?

Beth:
Do you know what, almost like the opposite because yeah, I'm like, this is so hard.

Kate:
You know how hard it is. Yeah.

Beth
Yeah, I've gone the other way. I thought I'd be really critical, but now I'm like, this is so difficult. So anyone who gets that plant to that end stage, I take my hat off to them. It's so hard, I think, one of the best skills that I learned was, it sounds quite boring, but we were taught how to price up a trolley of plants, and that has been so useful for me just to see, like, I can kind of visualise now how much each part of the garden centre costs as I walk through.
So I'm kind of like, oh, that trolley of plants that are left to die like that's £250 or, you know, you can get kind of like an idea of it. And yeah, that's been really useful and quite a curious one. I think the thing that was the most inspiring and quite shocking to me, because I've come from a whole other industry, is, like the willingness and openness of the mentors to teach us those skills.
Because I'm not sure how many other industries would just have the people at the top opening their doors, welcoming ten young strangers and giving us their time and their ideas and the encouragement. And what became really apparent was that all of those, like industry experts, really, genuinely wanted us all to succeed. They're all still in touch with us, and they really wanted the plant launch to do well. And they came to Gardeners World Live as well and saw it, and they were asking for photos and things like that. And I think, yeah, I think it speaks volumes about the warmth, the kind of special feel that horticulture as an industry has. And I don't know how many industries have that.

Kate:
It's really lovely hearing you say that, because we have interviewed quite a lot of, actually quite a lot of the mentors you had on there as well. And the one thing that always stands out is the majority of our guests have always said how much they love the industry. They wouldn't want to be in any other industry because of that very thing, that warmth, that openness. And so many people are really surprised about how people talk to each other within different arms of the industry. So it's really, really nice having you, you know, kind of assert that as well.

Phil:
Even competitors who are people who you would expect to be competitors, actually are good friends.

Beth:
Yeah. And that's so special. Like, where else do you get that?

Phil:
Completely. So, Beth, you say you launched the, the Bountiful Pink at Gardeners World Live. How did that go? And how's it gone down?

Beth
It's going really well. The show itself was honestly exhausting, but in the best way. It went really well. We spoke on the press stage, and introduced the plant there. And there was a buzz from the get go, which is incredible. And I think there would have been a buzz without our activity and without our crepe paper flowers.
So that's kind was kind of testament to me that they were kind of like additions, like optional extras because the plant itself and the branding of the plant itself and the social media and the label and all of that good stuff, kind of spoke for itself. And then we just had all this extra cool stuff that, you know, shows they work at shows, and it's fun.
We had lots of children and young people playing the game and hunting for plants around the show, which was really fun. I think it's really hard sometimes at those shows it can always become a bit, like people can get kind of really obsessed about the giveaways and the free stuff, and things like that. And I really wanted to build in an activity that was rewarding and fun. And even if you didn't win, you still have a really good time there. Just a nice way to spend your time at the show, rather than just going from stand to stand really clinically and just a little bit warmer, really. But yeah, the show went really well. We sold plants, which was great. And we had lots of people that were really interested in the story.
Yeah. We had Michael Perry on the stage, telling them about the story. We really weren't expecting that. He took a whole tray of our plants, and yeah, just told them about the story and how interesting it was, and then encouraged people to go and talk to us. And they did. They flocked to our stand afterwards and started talking to us.

Kate:
He’s such an inspirational man isn’t he?

Beth:
He’s so good. He doesn’t need to do that. Like, yeah, he just really wants to and he's interested and he wants to push young people in the industry. And since then, I mean, the plant has been… we launched exclusively with British Garden Centres. So we couldn't really have asked for much better than really. It's now on sale in most stores as well. Yeah, it's going really well. Lots of people been texting me pictures of, of the label, and, and the plant on sale, which has been really weird.

Kate:
It’s brilliant. Great story. Just a change of tack. Were there any ideas or approaches from the other team that you found inspiring or perhaps surprising?

Beth:
Yes, definitely. They had a lot more like softness and warmth in their ideas. And that contrast became really apparent. It was quite surprising when we finally saw each other's concepts after we pitched. I kind of thought we would go very similar routes, because we'd all had the same training. So to see that they'd gone really soft and feminine with theirs, and ours was more kind of like, “we are this plant, this is how it is.” This is strong and all the kind of strong fonts and all of that. So kind of when we saw that, we then created more of a blend of the two ideas. So our final idea became softer through the influence of the other team, and we brought in like elements of that more approachable look, which, as we talked about, is so much easier and just kind of better for those consumers that we don't want to alienate, basically. And part of that was softening the label. So softening that label in particular was a big part of the success of the final concept, I believe. We ended up with a label that appeals to a lot more people.
It gives good care instructions, and it still has a strong brand image. I think, the other team did think outside of the box a little bit more than us. They had this really good idea of filming a video to tell, the British Garden Centre staff how to sell this plant to their customers. So like giving them information and telling them what makes this plant special. And I think that was amazing and such a good idea. Gutted we didn't think of it!

Kate:
You can do it next time.
So has this experience influenced what you'd like to do next in your career? And have you found yourself using these new skills that you've learned?

Beth:
So much. It's given me so much to think about that I'm almost like, not sure what I'd like to do next in my career, which is a great place to be in isn't it? Like, one of the highlights for me was a trip to Westland to see how growing media is made, and I've since done more research into the complexities of growing media and the impact that it has on our plants and how they grow and like root formation and all that nerdy stuff, that I love.

Kate:
I still kind of sciencey.

Beth:
Yeah. Still that element after that trip, like after we saw the Compost Factory, I was like, I want to work with compost. I texted my mum and I was like, I love compost! And I remember like, I went on a job search site and I just typed in soil to the top. I was just, I just kind of want to work with compost now.
But then what I found is that that happened after every trip, if I'm honest. So I basically wanted to work in that sector of the industry after every trip. And I think that said so much about the enthusiasm and the knowledge of the people that we met along the way, because there's like all these endless little corners to horticulture, right?
And you might not necessarily think of them, and you might not be told to them that careers day because they're niche, and they’re weird. But kind of seeing those people and meeting those people, that's now where I want to work. So I think I need like 50 jobs, but we can make it work.
I also liked Gardeners World Live. That was another highlight for me. So seeing the ideas come to fruition and selling our plant for the first time, that really cemented like, a love of events and engagement and I can see myself going further down that road. Again, I'm not 100% sure. I found myself using the skills that I've developed over the last year almost every day. So even not in work. At work, I now regularly give presentations and do public speaking, and I don't have a mental breakdown beforehand. I have in my head, like if I can pitch to ten experts in a yurt, then I can do anything. And now I'll put my hands up and I'll volunteer. And if you'd told, like Beth from a year ago, she would have laughed in your face - 100%.
And I feel way more confident in it, and I feel more like confident owning my creativity and trusting myself to make things look good, which I never really had as a strength before. I didn't know that was a thing that I could do. And as well as this, I mean, we've got nine of the delegates and some of them have gone on to do new experiences.
Quite a few of them have changed their jobs and had huge job changes, and I don't think they would have done that before this challenge. But obviously I can't speak for them.

Kate:
No. So I mean, I just wish that what you were talking about, if we could just harness a tiny bit of that and put it in the education system so that young people can see what is out there in this industry, I think people would just change. It's not just mowing and strimming and pruning. Yeah, exactly. There's so much involved. You know, there's so many… I mean, both Phil and I have spent a lot of time at Compost Manufacturing Plants, so we get you, you know, I know a lot about compost and Phil’s filmed an awful, lot of compost bags haven’t you? All the ingredients, so yeah. We get you. Definitely.

Phil:
But it's I think it's really interesting what you were saying about how, you know, the people's enthusiasm for, what they do and getting that across to you. And you're like, oh, well, I want to do that. I want to do that. And you're looking at the different things.
But I think actually that's also testament to your infectious enthusiasm to, and wanting to do these things and to find out more and to, you know, it's your inquisitive nature. And I think that's an incredible thing, which you should be very proud of.

Beth:
Thank you.

Phil:
So what would you say to other young people in horticulture who might be nervous about putting themselves forward for something like this?

Beth:
Oh, I think it's really important that young people seek out experiences like this. We need to be represented in the industry, and sometimes we're not. And it's crucial that our ideas are put on a pedestal and valued - when they're good, of course. If you're nervous, the Launch Success Challenge was actually incredible for helping sooth nerves. And many of the delegates, I'd tell you all of them, to be honest.
The personal and professional growth shown by all ten of us was huge. I would never have recorded a podcast a year ago, for example. Some team members were like, really nervous about pitching. Like, there was a lot of nerves in that room. And now they say they could do it again so easily. I think sometimes you just need to do it.
I think the best way of fighting nerves is by doing it and then proving to yourself that you can do it, and it's not that scary. The YPHA is a group in general are great to join. Even if you're not putting yourself forward for a challenge like this, it offers an opportunity to network with other young people who love plants and build that support, and then build that confidence from within, like a safer place.

Kate:
And will it be happening again next year, the launch success, or is that under wraps at the moment?

Beth:
I'm not sure what I can say, but definitely keep an eye YPHA’s website and socials. Because that's going to be the first place you'll hear about it.

Kate:
But it was a success, not just for yourselves individually, but as for the program. It worked. It did what it was meant to do. Are you allowed to say that?

Beth:
Yeah, I think so. Yeah, it definitely did. And I mean, it's confident to call it Launch Success, isn't it? Because it does have to be successful. But yeah, it's created a real buzz in the industry. And everyone, hopefully a lot of your listeners have heard about it already. We've done a lot of press releases and things like that, and we've had a lot of people from within the industry come and speak to us about it, and they already had a knowledge that. So I think that might even encourage other people to start a similar thing or a slightly different thing. Because it's been so successful.

Kate:
Great. Oh that's good.

Phil:
Yeah. Fantastic. So from your perspective, from the inside, what does something like, the Launch Success Challenge actually say about the horticultural industry.

Beth:
I think it tells you that there are so many young, interesting, clever, creative people who love plants and they love the industry. Obviously there's only ten of us, but there was loads of applicants from all over the UK. We just couldn't. We couldn't possibly have everyone, you know. And the YPHA itself, for example, has over a thousand members. So it seems that people who get into horticulture, no matter how and when they get in there, they do want to stay there. So that tells me that there's something special about the industry. And as with anything, we have to keep bringing fresh ideas. And creating new stories like this one to keep the industry alive through, like, let's be real, there's been some really tough times recently. And I think it is like about showing that there are a huge breadth of roles, skills and talents. And they're all needed to bring together this successful industry. And it's crucial that we nurture all those things and recognise them for what they are.

Phil:
Yeah. Absolutely fantastic.

Kate:
So I'm going to finish off with a slightly different question. Beth. So, is there a plant or flower that no matter how you're feeling, whatever sort of day you’re having, will just always bring a smile to your face…

Phil:
And you're not allowed to say Bountiful Pink.

Beth:
I love this question. So, yeah, apart from Bountiful Pink of course. People are going to be sick of me saying this, but I have to say Cobaea Scandens. I'm not sure if you know it?

Kate:
The Cup and Saucer Vine

Beth:
Yeah, I love it so much.

Phil:
I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.

Beth:
So it's an annual in the UK, which I think might be going out of fashion a little bit. We hear a lot about perennials, but I think there's a magic to the effort that you have to put into this plant. It won't just give you flowers for free. Basically you have to work for them. So you might know it as the cup and saucer vine or I think some people call it cathedral bells as well. It's a really, really fast growing vine and it throws out huge, like, bell shaped flowers. The flowers start like a greeny white, and then they mature to either like a rich white or a purple, depending on the variety you've got. And it's native to Mexico and in Mexico, the flowers are pollinated by bats.

Kate:
Amazing.

Beth:
Which I think is the coolest thing ever. So the flowers are obviously large enough for a little bat to get in there. Beautiful. I love it because, as I said, it's a bit of a challenge to grow. So, I've had years of growing this plant from seed, putting all my effort in and all my money and moving it from the glasshouse and doing all that stuff.
And then I just got a vine with no flowers because, the plants need a lot of sun to flower. So some years I've struggled. One year I grew it in my garden and I was living… I had like a walled garden at the time, and the vines got really big. I didn't get a single flower. And then my neighbour knocked on my door once and he said, that plant is beautiful.
And I was like, what plant? And it creeped over to his side of the wall and flowered, and he had like 300 flowers because he got more sun on his side than my side. So yeah, I was like, you're welcome Alan! But I'm on like a one woman mission to make Cobaea Scandens cool. I got it tattooed last year. I love it so much.

Phil:
Look at that. That's amazing.

Kate:
Oh I love it.

Beth:
I think it's beautiful, but I think, you know, because it's not a perennial, it might get sniffed out a little bit. But there's something magical, isn't there, about growing a seed and putting all that effort in and then trying again next year? I think it's great.

Kate:
Yeah, absolutely. I'm growing the Black Eyed Susan this year, which is an annual climber as well. I just love the way it's just so bright and cheerful. And again, I love annual climbers. Well, we all grow sweet peas, don't we? So many of us grow sweet peas. Which is an annual climber and yeah, I used to work in a therapy garden, and we would grow the cup and source a vine and it was a really hot space. So I imagine this year. Are you having much success with it?

Beth:
Yeah. So, this year I have tons of buds, for the first time, I've never had buds… I had buds in the end of June, and I've never, ever had that in all my time growing this plant. But I also think because I'm collecting seed each year, I do feel like it's starting to flower earlier each year, so maybe I'm just genetically modifying it. I do think there's something special about climbers. I think the little tendrils that they put out and the little grabby bits they’re so, so special and yeah, Cobaea is my number one.

Kate:
So Phil I hope you can look that up.

Phil:
I am, I've written it down.

Beth:
So it's just like, yeah, these massive flowers. It almost looks like something from like Alice in Wonderland.

Kate:
Absolutely. That's a really good description. And I love the fact that you're the first person to say that you may well be the last, but…

Beth:
No, no, no,

Kate:
Let's push it. That could be part of the Launch Success program next year. Push the cup and saucer vine.

Beth:
I’d pay good money for that.

Phil:
Well, listen, Beth, thank you so much. It's been absolutely fascinating talking to you, really enjoyable. And, yeah, wish you all the success with, not just, Bountiful Pink and seeing that rolling out, but, whatever you go onto next. That's. Yeah. Wish you the best.

Kate:
All right. Thanks, Beth. Bye now.

Beth:
Thank you. Thanks so much for having me.