Harrowden is not like other turf growers. Innovation is hard-wired into our DNA. It is that spirit of innovation that has seen us develop a whole suite of new products, processes and practices in the last ten years that have kept us at the forefront of turf development, seed traceability, lightweight green roof technology, wildflower agriculture and the wider horticulture spectrum.
From being among the first to bring US turf harvesting technology to the UK to our ongoing development of wildflowers and wildflower turf varieties, innovation is what makes us tick. In a wider agricultural context Harrowden was quick to develop relevant crop rotations, reducing fertiliser and herbicide requirements whilst improving quality.
Harrowden has also looked at several ways to mitigate the effects of “sod-heating” and has run a variety of experiments in recent years but the adoption of night harvesting has been a game-changer for teams and customers. The results speak for themselves. In night harvest, our turf is typically delivered within six hours ensuring the freshest product for our customers.
Harrowden has also taken complete control of its seed production, drawing on scientific principles to meet the requirements of each species throughout its lifecycle. So, we are growing our own plants, processing our own seeds and bringing our own seeds to market. Not only will we be using our own seed in our Meadowmat wildflower turf, but we are also making it available as fully traceable wildflower seed mixes.
The whole idea of “wildflowers on a roll” is an innovation, creating an ingenious outdoor landscaping material that can create a mature wildflower meadow in the least time possible. It’s far more reliable than sowing seed and quicker and easier than plug planting.
Our innovations have not been limited to wildflowers and harvesting but have instead brought a dedicated shade-tolerant turf to market and seen us adopt transport autonomy delivering products across the country using our own trucks, our own drivers and the latest monitoring technology.
Our innovation has gone further. With the adoption of standard processes across our business, we have brought consistency and innovation to production, harvesting, transport and delivery. Fundamentally bringing modern systems online to make having turf delivered easier than ever, even at short notice.
We have continued to champion sedum both as alternative groundcover and as an effective and low maintenance green roof component. With the ever-growing interest in green roofs, we have developed lightweight solutions for flat and pitched roofs as well as extensive roof solutions.
….and we’re not done yet.
With the acquisition of George Davies Turf & Stone we have further developed our landscaping offer which now benefits from the quality service GDT is renowned for.
Here at Groundsfest ’26 we are launching Clover Rich Lawn – our latest innovation.
With a fine texture and a dense root structure Clover Rich Lawn is an alternative lawn offering colour and nutrition. Its fine fescues give it a neat, close‑cut finish so it will cope well with low fertiliser, shade and dry conditions.
