Michael Perry on Gardeners’ World, AI and the Future of Garden Retail

<p>Whenever Michael Perry joins The Underground, the conversation is unlikely to follow a predictable path.<br>Recorded at Glee 2026, this relaxed and wide-ranging chat sees Michael join Phil Wright and Kate Turner to discuss what could come next for Gardeners’ World, whether gardening television needs to become more commercially aware and why different parts of the sector need to understand the audiences they serve.<br>They also explore what makes a new plant stand out, how good storytelling can help a product succeed, the rise and fall of rare houseplants, selling plants on QVC and the growing importance of authenticity as AI-generated content becomes harder to avoid.<br>Along the way, the conversation takes in garden centres as the department stores of the future, the uneasy relationship between sustainability and artificial products, attractive male gardeners and Michael’s latest business idea: a mobile garden centre in an old library van.<br>It’s a friendly, funny and candid conversation about plants, marketing and where the garden sector could go next.</p>