In This Issue
Homebase St Albans to be UK Bunnings Warehouse pilot
October breaks sales records in garden centres
Wyevale Garden Centres forced to close Folkestone store
Garden centre bid to increase car park in green belt land
Invasive Brazilian flatworm arrives in UK garden centre on an imported heuchera
Maximising your potential - masses of marketing input in only one day - Tuesday November 8th
Who will be the winners of GTN's first Greatest Marketing Team Awards?
Plant trees....for the sake of the iPad generation
Top UK nurseries to trial plant health management system
Squire's Freaky Friday face painting raises £304 for charity
Why Britain's just blooming great!
Promote Cornus for winter colour
Meet a great grower...of facial hair
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Brand Manager
Sales representative, South East
Horticultural / Plantarea Manager (Carmarthenshire)
Horticultural / Plantarea Manager (West Midlands)
Technical Growing Operations Nursery Manager (UK based)
Garden Sundries Retail Manager (Essex)
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Continued business growth prompts internal promotions and new recruits at Kelkay
Garden lighting products sell well during half-term
Christmas product sales are getting personal
Growing media sales continue to impress
Cyclamen is the bestselling plant during school break
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The latest New Plant Varieties for Summer Colour
Demystify the millennial generation at free workshops
Bestsellers Top 50 charts every week
Buy your subscription to GTN Bestsellers
GTN's Greatest Awards 2016
All the latest news from the world of garden centre catering
Dobbies Garden Café wins Quality Food Award
Situations Vacant
Area Sales Managers
Salary: Very attractive salary, bonus, company car and benefits
 
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Brand Manager
 
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Sales representative, South East
 
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Horticultural / Plantarea Manager (Carmarthenshire)
Salary: £20,000 - £25,000
 
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Horticultural / Plantarea Manager (West Midlands)
Salary: £20,000 - £25,000
 
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Technical Growing Operations Nursery Manager (UK based)
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Garden Sundries Retail Manager (Essex)
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Invasive Brazilian flatworm arrives in UK garden centre on an imported heuchera

Growers, retailers and gardeners are being urged to stay vigilant to stop an invasive flatworm from Brazil from gaining a foothold in the UK and posing a threat to soil health and wildlife.

The worm, which has a 4.5cm long flattened leaf-shaped body, was discovered at an Oxfordshire garden centre during the summer in an imported potted heuchera from Holland. Its first sighting in Europe was on Guernsey in 2008, since when it has spread to France, Italy and Spain. 

In some soils where they have colonised, earthworm populations have reduced by 20%. They also eat land snails. Earthworms are vital soil conditioners, fertilising and aerating the earth, helping to maintain its structure and aiding the absorption of moisture.

UK Buglife wants the government to employ stricter screening of imports to stem what its CEO Matt Shardlow describes as “an avalanche of harmful and unwanted species” with the potential to damage farming, destroy wildlife and distress gardeners. “Our biosecurity is feeble. It is time for the government to take control of this problem before it gets completely out of hand,” he said.

Plants are moved around the globe today in increasing volumes and at greater speed, which increases the risk of invasive pests surviving on imported exotics.

A Defra spokesman told The Guardian this week that it took biosecurity extremely seriously: “We work closely with neighbouring countries, the wider international community, industry, charities, landowners and the public to reduce the risks.”

The HTA had not responded to GTN Xtra’s invitation to comment before this issue was mailed.

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