Decking Day at Horticulture House

Decking Day at horticulture House is the first of its kind hosted by The Decking Network.  As a professional you are invited to join us on the 3rd of July 2026. From across the landscape, garden design and decking industry we invite you to register your interest in Decking Day at Horticulture House, Didcot, Oxfordshire.

Decking is changing. Are you keeping up?

This UK-first event will bring together designers, contractors, installers, suppliers and industry voices for a focused day of decking design, material innovation and proper debate.

The event is created by The Decking Network and backed by Deckorators, with its flagship Excursion range helping to bring the next generation of premium decking materials into focus.

However, this is not just a product day.

It is a day for ideas, creativity, specification, lighting, planting, colour, detailing, collaboration and challenge.

It is for people who already work with decking and now want to understand how to make it better.

Register your interest here, include your name, company, professional role and any membership organisation you belong to.

A dedicated day for decking

Decking has moved on.

It is no longer just a board choice, a timber alternative or a simple platform in the garden.

Today, decking sits inside a much wider conversation about outdoor living, design intent, material performance, structure, lighting, planting and client expectation.

That is why Decking Day at Horticulture House matters.

For too long, decking has been discussed in fragments. Designers may talk about appearance. Installers may focus on structure. Suppliers may focus on product. Clients often focus on colour, cost and maintenance.

Yet the best decking projects happen when all of those conversations connect.

Decking Day has been created to bring those voices into the same room.

Backed by Deckorators

Decking Day is proudly backed by Deckorators, with Excursion acting as one of the key reference points in a wider discussion about where premium decking is heading.

Excursion represents the type of product conversation the industry now needs to have.

Colour, surface finish, composition, installation confidence, long-term performance and design flexibility all matter.

Even so, this event is not about one board or one brand.

It is about the future of decking as a serious part of the landscape and garden design industry.

Deckorators is helping to support that conversation, while The Decking Network brings the wider industry together.

Why attend Decking Day?

Because decking has moved beyond the question of which board to use.

The real value now sits in the decisions around design, colour, texture, detailing, lighting, planting, structure and specification.

Decking Day is for professionals who already specify, design, supply or install decking, but want to understand where the category is heading next.

The day will look at how new-generation materials are changing expectations in the UK market.

It will also explore how decking can be designed better, specified more intelligently and integrated more successfully into gardens and outdoor spaces.

We will look at what is hot, what is not, and what professionals should think carefully about before specifying a deck.

Colour will be part of the conversation. The right tone can make a deck feel calm, architectural, natural, contemporary or completely out of place.

Lighting will be treated as a design tool, not an afterthought. Used well, it can define edges, create atmosphere, improve safety and make a deck work beautifully after dark.

Planting will also have its own place. The right planting can soften structure, frame views, create movement and help decking feel properly connected to the garden.

There will also be discussion, questions, expert input and the chance to meet other people who take decking seriously.

This is not a day for asking whether decking belongs in the landscape industry.

It is a day for asking how far better decking can go.

What’s hot and what’s not

One of the key themes of the day will be what’s hot and what’s not in modern decking.

That does not mean chasing trends for the sake of it.

Instead, it means looking carefully at what is gaining traction, what is losing credibility and what professionals should now question.

Some materials are moving the category forward. Others are still being specified because they are familiar, available or cheap.

Some colours work beautifully in the right setting. Others fight the architecture, planting or surrounding materials.

Some details make a deck look refined and deliberate. Others make it look like an add-on.

Decking Day will create space for that discussion.

It will be honest, practical and useful.

Design consideration

A deck is rarely just a deck.

It may connect a house to the garden, frame a view, create a dining space, support a hot tub, form a roof terrace, lead to steps or sit beside a lawn.

Therefore, design consideration matters from the start.

The day will consider proportion, board direction, colour, edge detailing, steps, transitions, junctions and the relationship between the deck and the wider garden.

Good decking design should feel intentional.

It should not look like a product dropped into a space after the real design decisions have already been made.

Lighting in and around decking

Lighting can completely change the way a deck performs.

It can guide movement, define edges, improve safety and create atmosphere.

However, deck lighting needs care.

Too much lighting can look harsh. Poor placement can create glare. Badly planned lighting can feel like an afterthought.

Used well, lighting helps a deck become part of the evening garden.

It can highlight steps, frame planting, wash across textured surfaces and make outdoor spaces more inviting after dark.

Decking Day will treat lighting as a proper design subject, not just an accessory.

Planting around decking

Planting is one of the easiest ways to make decking feel settled within a garden.

It softens lines, frames views, adds movement and helps reduce the hard edge between structure and landscape.

Yet planting around decking needs thought.

The right plants can make a deck feel established, natural and refined.

The wrong planting can crowd the space, trap moisture, create maintenance issues or make the deck feel disconnected from the rest of the garden.

Decking Day will look at how planting can support better decking design.

It will also explore how designers and installers can think more carefully about the planted edge.

Materials collaboration

Decking works best when products and trades are not treated in isolation.

Board choice, subframe material, fixings, drainage, lighting, planting, edging and access all influence the final result.

That is why materials collaboration forms a central part of the event.

The day will encourage better conversations between designers, installers, suppliers and manufacturers.

It will also highlight why early decisions matter.

By the time a deck is being installed, many of the most important choices have already been made.

The Decking Argument

Decking Day will also include The Decking Argument.

This will be a lively, informed and useful discussion about the choices shaping modern decking.

What should professionals specify?

What should they avoid?

Where does timber still win?

Where are modern materials moving ahead?

How do colour, structure, lighting and planting change the outcome?

What does the next generation of decking look like?

The aim is not to create noise.

The aim is to create clarity.

Featuring Mark Gregory

We are delighted that Mark Gregory will feature as part of Decking Day.

Mark brings design understanding, construction knowledge and industry credibility.

His involvement helps position decking where it belongs: as part of the wider garden, not as an isolated surface choice.

That is important.

The best decking does not begin and end with the board. It belongs to the whole space.

Who should attend?

Decking Day is for professionals who are already interested in decking and want to be part of the next conversation.

It is suitable for:

Professional decking installers.

                  Garden designers

                                   Landscape contractors.

                                                      Members of the LI, APL, SGLD and BALI.

                                   Suppliers.

                   Specifiers.

Product manufacturers.

It also welcomes anyone who wants to design, specify and deliver decking with greater confidence.

Exceptional value

Tickets will be £17.50 plus vat per person.

That cost includes refreshments throughout the day and a lite-lunch.

We have kept the price deliberately accessible, because this event is about bringing the right people into the room.

It is for those who want to learn, contribute, challenge, collaborate and understand where decking is going next.

Be part of the conversation on Friday 3rd of July 2026

Decking has changed.

The materials have changed. The design expectations have changed. The way clients use outdoor spaces has changed too.

Now the conversation needs to change with it.

Decking Day at Horticulture House is a chance to bring the industry together and discuss decking properly.

If you design decking, specify decking, install decking, supply decking or simply want to understand where the category is heading, this is the room to be in.

Email advice@deckingnetwork.com and ask to receive your formal invitation.