In This Issue
Exponent Private Equity to buy Scotts business in UK, Europe and Australia
Dobbies "gets together with Ocado to be the best on-line"
Kelkay's new range of Pot Toppers appeals to both traditional and contemporary gardeners
Evergreen Enterprises brings sparkle to your holidays
Easter sales in garden centres were just above average
New fencing panel from Forest Garden cuts noise by eight times
New men at the top at Hillier
New Hyde Hall project will challenge kitchen garden conventions
California trip is an eye-opener for Wyevale Nurseries manager
Is 'good, better, best' still the right approach to affordability?
Scotland to promote its glorious gardens at Chelsea
Eight get set for Young Horticulturist final
We can't get enough of our gardens, survey finds
Get your own copy of GTN Xtra
More records for growing media sales
Richard Sandbrook moves to Glencrest
Plant sales continue at a pace
GIMA workshop will aim to debunk digital myths
Pots, plants and kneelers selling well
It has ‘bean’ a great week for Grow Your Own
Bestsellers Top 50 charts every week
Buy your subscription to GTN Bestsellers
All the latest news from the world of garden centre catering
Klondyke opens new restaurant at Brookside Garden Centre
The search is on for the perfect birthday bake at Bents
Rexmartins launch energy efficient range at Kitchen Show
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Email neil.pope@tgcmc.co.uk, or trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk or call the GTN News team on 01733 775700


California trip is an eye-opener for Wyevale Nurseries manager

A recent visit to the California Spring Trials in the USA turned out to be an eye-opener for Ben Gregory, product development manager at Wyevale Nurseries.

Ben visited 12 US nurseries during the trip, searching for unusual plants and building relationships with breeders and growers.

The 24-year-old from Worcester said: “This is the largest trial event of new breeding focused on annual, perennial and shrub varieties in the world. Approximately 70 breeders from around the world show their latest products and trials at nursery sites throughout California. It was eye-opening to see such a huge range of exciting new introductions, which I am looking forward to bringing to the UK market.”

The California Spring Trials is an annual week-long event held at various locations throughout the state. The event is a launching ground for some of the newest plant varieties, signage and packaging products, and merchandising programs and concepts. In addition, many locations include plant growth regulator experiments, outdoor trialling and technical information and help

Ben added: “I also visited a few nurseries in the Portland area of Oregon. One highlight was visiting J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co, one of the leading tree growers and introducers of new tree varieties in the world. It was a very productive and successful trip with lots of possible developments and new products.”

The Wyevale Nurseries team regularly introduces award-winning plant varieties.

Wyevale Nurseries say their March sales were up by 14% compared to the same month last year. The increase was driven by independent garden centres, trade customers and cash and carry.

Sales and marketing director Adam Dunnett said they had had their best first quarter since 2012, with sales up 18%. “Things are really picking up and the weather has certainly helped particularly in the retail sector.

 “Our emphasis on developing a 21st century plant range is starting to pay dividends and a resurgence in the popularity of shrubs in garden centres is helping too. We also saw big sale increases in transplants with buyers wanting to purchase British. This was the same with trees and we have also modernised our tree range and are growing much larger volumes of container trees.”

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