The transition certainly hasn't been easy - we've used peat-based compost for the last 50 years, and it was always considered the best growing medium for Streptocarpus.

In the wild in Southern Africa, many streps grow in woodland, amongst deciduous trees, and therefore live off leaf litter - a nice open mixture that is slowly breaking down in a similar way to how peat is formed.

Over the last 15 years, we have trialled many composts - some coir-based and some made from wood-fibre. Some were suitable for the short term, but plants struggled long-term in most of these mixtures. Coir could be described as a slightly wiry material (similar to wire-wool but on a much smaller scale) that doesn't hold water or nutrients for a long period. Wood-based compost mixtures start to break down when wet and microorganisms in the compost use the available nitrogen and lock it up so the plants become nitrogen depleted. The compost also becomes compressed over time.

Over the last four years, we've been growing all our plants in a peat reduced compost which was a step in the right direction, and allowed compost companies to continue their experiments and trials.

2026 is now a pivotal year for us, as the Royal Horticultural Society has put a stop to plants being sold containing new-peat at all their shows and garden centres. Plants being grown in 'legacy' peat-based compost (i.e. plants potted before end of 2025) can be sold and displayed at RHS Shows until the end of 2026.

The big news is that we now have a peat-free compost that has been specially mixed for our plants. After testing it in 2025 with outstanding results, we are eager to fully transition to this new growing medium this year.