Roisin Wilson is business development director at HSK Gardening and Leisure, which is a specialist importer of 'Jurassic' plants from the Antipodes, specifically Dicksonia antarctica tree ferns from Australia.

It is a tightly regulated activity, but Roisin explains that the tree ferns it imports from Tasmania are 'rescue' tree ferns that might be otherwise cast aside by loggers.

Big plans are afoot at HSK and Roisin talks about the recent rebrand of the company and a shift towards "concept gardens" which takes inspiration from IKEA's approach to retail providing a "garden in a box" providing "instant impact, instant garden".

These 'Jurassic' concepts will be retailed through independent garden centres and bigger chains, with a focus on educating them on the concept, how it works and how to sell it. Roisin feels it is an "untapped market" and the ideal way to reach reluctant and perhaps younger customers - "the gardeners of the future".

She also believes there are opportunities to access new markets in Europe "and what was really interesting when I was at [IPM] Essen [in January 2025], there were no tree ferns, no big trees. There was one stand that had two tree ferns, but other than that, there were no tree ferns anywhere. And that was really, for me, that was quite

striking."

HSK is also adding more species and took in its first shipment of Dicksonia squarrosa from New Zealand in Janaury 2025: "We are currently growing them on and probably will do a release of those in the summer once we know that they are all you know very very happy and growing beautifully in this country."

As a relative newcomer to horticulture, Roisin gives her perspective on the sector. Upsides include the people-focus of the sector. But she highlights the need to promote women and encourage and develop young people and she celebrates the work of the YPHA in doing just that.

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