Blooming great
A garden can draw in customers and supply your kitchen with ingredients.
That Alan Titchmarsh - makes you sick doesn't he? Not only is he handy in the garden, he can knock out a quick sketch and then write a novel when it gets too dark for his dibber.
Of course, you could do all that if you only had the time. And it's evident that, from a cursory survey of pub-in-bloom competition winners, the most successful gardener-licensees actually give the job to somebody else.
To make your garden an effective element in your marketing mix it is only necessary to see the potential. You don't need green fingers yourself, just know a man - or woman - who has.
Many pub gardeners can be found an arm's reach away on the other side of your bar. If you operate a good community pub there is almost certainly a keen gardener among your regulars. If they can spare a few hours a week and display a natural enthusiasm for growing things you're in business.
Alternatively, you can hire professionals. Companies such as London-based Greenscene specialise in pub gardens and floral displays taking on everything from landscaping to window boxes for big operators, among them Scottish & Newcastle Retail, Six Continents, Greene King and Young's picking up a clutch of awards for its work last summer.
The important thing about booking professional help is to make sure it includes a year-round maintenance service. You can start off with a brilliant design with fabulous plantings but it will need looking after or it will soon deteriorate.
Forget to water and the display which is supposed to attract customers will do a good job of putting them off. If you can't be bothered to look after your plants, what's the rest of the pub going to be like?
Automatic watering systems have made this job easier, but if you have window boxes at the front of the pub you'll still need to refresh your display at least twice a year. Special winter plantings can keep it looking good.
Pictured: Mother and son team Denise Stewart and Andrew Tonkiss, pictured with Andrew's partner Caroline Rieger, of the Seaview in Birchington, Kent, are current holders of Shepherd Neame's Best Pub Garden award. A professional gardener calls in every two or three weeks to maintain the garden which features bird cages, children's play equipment, a herb garden and a table tennis table.
Grow your own
While a pub garden should be seen as primarily a marketing tool, there are practical uses, too, that can add value to a business.
One is the extra space, of course, and another is the possibility of not only growing flowers, but vegetables.
Growing all your own vegetables for the pub kitchen may not be possible, but if you can supplement your regular order you can not only save money but give your food menus an edge.
The Appletree Country Inn near York, a Freehouse of the Year finalist in the 2003 Publican Awards, is on the way to self-sufficiency in vegetables.
Licensee Melanie Thornton and her partner, chef TJ Drew, inherited an acre of land with plum and apple trees and gooseberry bushes when they took over the pub two years ago.
They also inherited the previous owner's frozen food based menu - but that has gone out the window as the Appletree has switched its focus to freshness.
Now, using a poly-tunnel, Melanie, TJ and their full-time gardener are able to grow an astonishing array of vegetables, fruit and herbs which changes all the time, inspiring some imaginative menu items. Among the more unusual produce have been pink banana squash and golden raspberries.
"You name it, we'll grow it," said Melanie. "The regulars come up with ideas and TJ will come up with the dishes.
"There were a lot of setting-up costs but after the first year we began to see savings on our vegetable bill and it gives us a point of difference that attracts people from all over Yorkshire to eat here."
TJ also has the convenience of simply walking out into the garden when he needs vegetables or herbs and, as Melanie point out, "you can hardly get fresher than that".
Herbs keep it fresh at Appletons
People these days are increasingly aware of what they eat. Even if they don't go down the whole food or organic route, there is a definite plus to providing fresh, rather than frozen, food.
Freshness is one of the key themes of Greene King Pub Company's food-led brand Appleton's, and its development inspired the operator to install herb gardens at every outlet.
"We were faced with the challenge of how we improve freshness at the pubs, and one answer was the herb garden," said Adam Collett, marketing director at Greene King. "It's our policy that every dish is served with a fresh herb as a garnish, and while we can only grow herbs in the gardens in spring and summer the fact the garden is there is good for our image.
"People want to believe the food they are eating is a bit different to the usual and are prepared to pay more for that experience. The fresh herbs help us provide that."
Greene King invested more in the Appleton's herb gardens than they might have done, but the appearance is just as important as the flavours they impart to the food.
Built with railway sleepers and raised up a couple of feet from the ground they are a focal point of the pub. "We want the customers to see them, so we put them by the entrance," said Adam. "And it works. People do stop to look at them."
All the angles are exploited. Kids eating at an Appleton's get a packet of seeds with the children's menu package along with plastic name cards so they can plant them at the pub and follow the progress of their own herbs - necessitating plenty of repeat visits.
Pictured: Local children plant herbs in the garden of Appleton's at the Old Talbot, Potterspury, Northamptonshire.
Hints from Greenscene
- Eye-catching planting outside your premises will visually attract custom by complementing your frontage - acting as a "drawcard" to get passers-by through your door. The impact you can achieve will pay for itself many times over
- Traditional and ever-popular hanging baskets and window boxes can provide a striking display, combining lush evergreen plants with vibrant seasonal colours
- Bamboos and grasses in stainless steel planters can give a contemporary feel
Plant olive trees and palms in classic terracotta for a splash of the Mediterranean - Landscaping or even simply turfing previously unused areas will increase available space for seating or create play areas and is a very effective way to add value and attract more customers
- For further advice on planting themes, contact Greenscene on 020 8993 9808 or visit the website at www.greenscene.com.
Pictured: The Wilton Arms in London's Knightsbridge picked up an award last summer for its floral display, designed by Greenscene.
