While the GTN Bestsellers team took a break to concentrate on Glee, sales in the GTN Bestsellers Garden Centre Epos data during the past two weeks of September have slowed, and last week they dipped below last year’s levels for the first time since the start of August.

Total sales for the third week of September were 6% down on 2020 levels, but, 20% ahead of the same week in 2019.

Plant sales dropped by 23% but we hear stories of bulb sales being very high. We’ll do some detailed analysis of Autumn bulb sales in next week’s GTN Bestsellers newsletter. Subscribe here

Sorry we didn’t get a chance to say hello to everyone during Glee, what a busy show it was!  With hundreds of great new products launched it will be interesting to see which ones make the GTN Bestsellers charts during next year.

GTN Bestsellers Top 50 sales volumes compared to the same week in 2020: week 38.

• Garden Products Top 50 – down 8%
• Growing Media Top 50 – down 24%
• Veg 2 Gro Top 50 – down 37%
• Wild Bird & Wildlife Care Top 50 – down 12%
• Christmas Top 50 – down 4%

GTN Bestsellers All Sales volumes compared to the same week in 2020: week 38.

• All Plants with Barcode index – down 23%
• All Items with Barcode index – down 6%

See the full GTN Bestsellers Top 50 charts, compiled from garden centre Epos data every week, with a years subscription to the printed newsletter for only £145.00 using this link.

Alton Garden Centre in Essex went the extra (S)mile at the weekend to save customers queuing locally for petrol, offering a free can of petrol with every set of garden furniture purchased.

Andy Bunker told GTN Xtra: "We sold quite a few sets of garden furniture this weekend, but not all wanted the petrol!"

Plant sales have been below last year’s levels for all three weeks of September so far, but are cumulatively 25% ahead of 2019 for the same weeks.

• Cyclamen are the plant stars of the month to date. They moved up to the No 1 Bestselling plant position mid-August and have remained the clear leader ever since.
• Euonymus were the highest chart climber last week moving up 19 places to No 30.
• Cineraria re-entered the GTN Top 50 at No 40.

See the full GTN Bestsellers Top 50 charts, compiled from garden centre Epos data every week, with a years subscription to the printed newsletter for only £145.00 using this link.

The redevelopment of Klondyke Garden Centre at Polmont has now been finished.

A large new garden centre extension, which is modern, light and airy, has transformed the centre into a fantastic shopping experience, offering a customer journey starting with core gardening and garden lifestyle, leading into the new concept houseplant department and gifts and indoor living. 

Moving through to the second retail space, this is home to seasonal products, with the Christmas experience currently in situ; then flowing through to cookshop and food hall.

Adjacent to our houseplant zone is the entrance to the new 300-seater Restaurant and separate Coffee Bar. 

The Restaurant is full table service with a delicious new menu, featuring regional produce and the signature home baking. Social dining Is very much at the forefront with large booth areas and feature tables available. 

The new Coffee Bar seats 75 covers and has a large feature window looking onto the houseplant zone – coffee and plants, what could be better?

There are several new concession partners – Pavers Shoes; Klass Clothing; Outdoor Lifestyles Garden Rooms & Hot Tubs and Handy Andy Car Wash. There is also a Changing Places facility at the centre.

The project was carried out by R H Irving Construction Ltd.

The Blue Diamond Forge Garden was awarded Best Artisan Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021 along with a Silver Award. 

Managing Director, Alan Roper was delighted with the awards and said: “RHS Chelsea has provided us with a fantastic opportunity to showcase the talents within the Blue Diamond Group.

"Our Garden was originally thought up and designed by employees within the Group who have then worked closely and had excellent support from Conquest Creative Spaces and Project Consultant, Cherry Carmen, to bring the Blue Diamond Forge Garden to life.

"I am delighted with how the Garden looks and I have already had many complimentary comments from visitors to the show about the Garden with many saying that they cannot believe that Forge was built in only two weeks, its authenticity making it appear to have always been in the grounds of Chelsea."

The Blue Diamond Forge Garden celebrates the artisan craft of Blacksmithing, inspired by the National Trust’s Branscombe Forge in Devon, which dates back to the 15^th Century.

The Garden features a thatched roof forge and bespoke, handcrafted pieces of metal work created by the resident blacksmith at Branscombe Forge, Simon Hall, who kindly agreed to help the team at Blue Diamond on their show garden journey and is spending time at the Forge Garden this week until Thursday, demonstrating his craft.

The garden demonstrates the modern work of a blacksmith and how metal work has evolved over time from fish hooks to sculptures and garden art, the present-day blacksmith often taking inspiration from the nature they see around them.

The naturalistic trees give structure to an informal planting scheme but blends wild plants and more ornamental varieties. The colours in the leaves and flowers mirror the colours associated with a working forge, the flames, embers and soot.

There is a stream that runs from the front to the side of the garden, water being an important part of a working forge and so allowing the blacksmith it fill the quench bowl inside the forge from the trough outside.

The Blue Diamond Forge Garden will be rebuilt in its entirely after the show at Bridgemere Show Gardens (part of the Blue Diamond owned Bridgemere Garden Centre), in Nantwich Cheshire where it will take its place alongside other RHS Award Winning Gardens.

The Ball Summer Trials at West Adderbury was the first Professional Trial Grounds in the UK to open its doors to customers this season.  

This year’s event not only presented numerous leading varieties in baskets, containers and flower beds, but also included extensive Perennial and Annual presentations in ‘retail ready’ pot displays, something customers really appreciated being able to see.

The extended trialling area of over 2,000 experimental Annual and Perennial varieties provides visitors full transparency on ‘Whats cooking in the kitchen’, a great insight to the continuous stream of future new plant varieties.  

“Trialling is at the heart of everything we do as we believe it is incredibly important for anyone involved in production and retail to see how the up-and-coming new plant developments perform in real growing and garden conditions,” comments Stuart Lowen.

“So, we were delighted to have been able to open our doors and receive so many trade visitors this summer. Due to popularity we even had to extend the open days by an extra week!” 

As always, Ball offer visitors the opportunity to vote for their favourite varieties from any of the trials or plant displays. Over 1,000 votes were cast which were equally split between Annual and Perennial varieties.

Customers' Favourite Varieties for 2022 – Annuals

Calibrachoa Cabaret Good Night Kiss is a wonderfully exciting novel colour adding to the Calibrachoa Cabaret series. The punchy two-tone purple flowers feature a striking and stable yellow star centre.

Customers' Favourite Varieties for 2022 – Perennials

Delphinium hybrida Red Lark – this stunning new Delphinium stopped visitors in their tracks with its unique coloured flowers.

The Evergreen Garden Care Team have been FUNdraising for Greenfingers Charity at Chelsea and with a day and a half still to go have raised over £6,000.

Their fundraising is taking place in the Great Pavilion with David Domoney and Evergreen Garden Care's Miracle-Gro: My Houseplant Changed My Life exhibit which was awarded a gold medal and the accolade of Best Discovery Zone exhibit.

David Domoney, commented “With many people working, schooling and stuck at home during lockdown, there's been a big increase in indoor growing indoors. This exhibit looks at the symbiotic relationship between humans and plants inside the home and the benefits of keeping those plants healthy. Each of the 50 varieties benefits humans in one form or another and this exhibit highlights and celebrates their personalities.

“We’re trying to raise awareness of the environment inside homes and offices, exploring the sustainable benefits that plants (and microorganisms in the soil of plants) have in detoxifying the air. It also raises the awareness of reducing aerosol use and other products that potentially have negative impacts on air quality and the environment. The exhibit reviews extensive studies on the power of plants to detoxify air & produce fresh oxygen, including many scientific bodies and the original NASA experiments.”

Dobbies celebrated after being presented with a five star award for their trade stand at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

The Dobbies stand features an impactful living wall, an area dedicated to promoting the benefits of pollinators and sustainable gardening practices, as well as a grow-your-own area.

There are a range of plants including Delphinium, Echinacea, Heuchera and Rudbeckia, as well as houseplants including Monstera, Nephrolepsis, Calathea and Adiantum. The creation of the garden involved a range of sustainable products including new ranges that are landing in-store at Dobbies this September, such as peat-free compost products for young to mature plants.

Marcus Eyles, Horticultural Director at Dobbies, commented: “Five stars is a brilliant accolade for our team and all the suppliers who have worked together to bring our vision to life. We’ve had such a positive response to the garden so far and it’s been great to share details of our sustainable practices as well as our team expertise. Thank you to everyone who has contributed.”

Dobbies’ stand features contributions from a range of suppliers including Evergreen, Carbon Gold, Bloomin’ Amazing, Pure Greenhouses, Contemporary Fencing, Talasey Group, Southern Trident, Ecopots plus plant suppliers Darby Nursery, Allensmore Nurseries, Lovania Nurseries, Floreac and Pro-Veg Seeds.

Also featuring in the Dobbies’ garden is Ergrownomics who offer a sustainably designed system of raised planters that allow everyone, regardless of garden size, the opportunity to grow their own vegetables.

Dobbies will record a podcast all about its RHS Chelsea Flower Show Garden. This will be shared on:

https://www.dobbies.com/content/podcast.html

My Real Garden, a unique community gardening book born out of lockdown 2020 and led by award winning garden designer and Greenfingers Patron, Ann-Marie Powell, has raised £10,000 and inspired thousands of new advocates for Greenfingers Charity work. 

Announced last week at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021, proceeds will help deliver an ambitious new Greenfingers project at The Nook Children’s Hospice.

Written and photographed by over 100 amateur and professional gardeners, My Real Garden is a unique collection of tips, hacks and heart-warming stories that reflect how gardening became mental therapy for the nation during lockdown.  Its mission is to make gardening and green space more accessible and inclusive for all.

It all began in March 2020 when lockdown moved Ann-Marie to tackle her own, somewhat neglected garden.  As she shared the transformation over her daily Instagram Lives her positivity and practical how-to advice drew thousands of other real gardeners to join a community that today numbers over 25,000 followers from around the world.

Curated by Ann-Marie and Tamsin Westhorpe, the My Real Garden book captures the essence of this community, sharing their passion to inspire new gardeners and raise funds for Greenfingers.  The charity is benefiting from immediate book proceeds as well securing long-term community engagement, with some members committed to opening their personal gardens in support.

Funds raised from the book have been ring fenced to help Greenfingers Charity create a a new garden at The Nook, a children’s hospice in the heart of Norfolk. The Nook in Framingham Earl is part of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) and was officially opened by their Royal Patron, HRH The Duchess of Cambridge in 2019. This long-term garden project is part of Greenfingers’ mission to bring therapeutic gardens to more life-limited children and families who spend time in hospices across the nation.

The cheque was presented to Greenfingers’ Trustee, Boyd Douglas-Davies, in the garden Ann-Marie has created for the Gaze Burvill stand.  All plants in the garden have also been kindly donated to the Greenfingers Charity by Gaze Burvill.

Ann-Marie commented: “On occasion beautiful things rise up from ugly situations.  When I started My Real Garden I couldn’t have imagined how it would grow, produce a book and now help create a magical garden for such deserving families.  I’m absolutely honoured to represent this community and thrilled to share their support for your work”    

The book is currently on sale at British Garden Centres.

To find out more about Greenfingers Charity, and how to get involved in a range of fundraising events please email Linda@greenfingerscharity.org.uk.

You can also join in the conversation by joining Greenfingers on social media - https://www.facebook.com/Greenfingerscharity/, @GreenfingersCha on Twitter, and @Greenfingerscharity on Instagram and LinkedIn. 

Greenfingers Charity

Greenfingers is a national charity dedicated to supporting life-limited children and their families who spend time in hospices around the UK. The charity is committed to creating well-designed outdoor spaces for children to enjoy with family, friends and siblings, whether through play and fun, or therapeutic rest and relaxation. To date Greenfingers Charity has created 61 inspiring gardens in children’s hospices around the country and has a further waiting list of hospices that need their help now. visit www.greenfingerscharity.org.uk

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT GREENFINGERS CHARITY contact Linda Petrons, Director of Fundraising and Communications – linda@greenfingerscharity.org.uk – Tel 07908 221240 or visit www.greenfingerscharity.org.uk

East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH)

• We care for children and young people with life-threatening conditions across Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk, and support their families.
• We offer families flexibility and control over where they receive their care and support, including where their child dies - at home, in hospital or at one of three hospices at The Nook (Norfolk), Milton (Cambridge) and The Treehouse (Ipswich).
• Our family-centred approach includes specialist nursing care, symptom management support, short breaks, wellbeing activities, therapies and counselling, all meeting the individual needs of the child, young person and whole family.
• We are recognised as leaders in our field, with a reputation for excellence and commitment to pioneering development and innovation.
• We rely on voluntary donations for the majority of our income and each year need to raise over £6 million from fundraising and £5 million in income from our shops. Last year we received just 16% of our total income from statutory sources.
• EACH Royal Patron – Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge.
• Keep in touch:

www.each.org.uk

www.twitter.com/EACH_hospices

www.facebook.com/EACHhospices

www.instagram.com/eachhospices

As the C02 shortage continues to grab headlines and fears mount that everyday essentials will not be reaching our shelves as a result, the garden retail sector is also beginning to question the ongoing availability of key products which rely on this gas supply to complete the manufacturing process.

One company that is offering reassurance is DJ Turfcare as its full range of organic-based lawn fertilisers are manufactured exclusively with renewable solar power.

The DJ Turfcare portfolio which features the bestselling MO Bacter Lawn Fertiliser, MO Bacter Instant, Bio-Lime, Recovery, Lawn Boost and the all-new Autumn Lawn Treatment, is made exclusively by Belgium based, Viano.

In recent years Viano has heavily invested in updating its manufacturing facility to increase capacity – now exceeding 550 megawatts of electricity annually - and ensuring all its processes met strict environmental standards.

The biggest development being the installation of 2,300 solar panels which generate all the power the company needs to run the plant whilst also supplying the surplus to their national grid.

This reliance on solar power bypasses the need for natural gas making for an uninterrupted supply of organic-based fertilisers as we look ahead to the 2022 season.

DJ Turfcare’s David Jenkins said: “Our partners at Viano are dedicated to being a sustainable brand and it is this dedication that makes our portfolio of products so effective. But more so than ever, the process that goes into manufacturing products is being placed in the spotlight, with consumers demanding more environmentally friendly methods.

"We are so proud to be bringing to market products that are manufactured sustainably and know that this makes a difference at the point of sale.

"We also hope that the knowledge regarding our processes will offer retailers peace of mind, safe in the knowledge that our supply will continue unaffected as we get ready for peak season in spring 2022 and beyond.”

The team at Southern Trident is delighted to have been awarded two New Product Awards at this year’s annual trade show, Glee, for its new range of coir-based, peat-free growing media under the new Harmony Gardens brand. These were the Best New Growing Media Product 2021 and the Sustainability Award.

Southern Trident is rightly proud of its high-quality range of peat-free, coir-based composts and other growing media. Previously, these were only sold as dried, compressed coir bricks, but the Harmony Gardens range is a new venture expanding the company into the world of bagged products.

Harmony Gardens includes: a peat-free multi-purpose compost with a balanced, mineral fertiliser; a full size grow bag that is perfect for growing fantastic crops of fruit and vegetables and delivering amazing flavour; top soil for creating new garden borders, replacing old soil and levelling lawns; soil improver, which contains a unique form of nitrogen, that helps improve all poor soils, adding organic structure and enhancing the performance of all plants.

All products in the Harmony Gardens portfolio are mixes of recycled or by-product substrates from other industries and as well as being peat free, are all uniquely carbon neutral.

Southern Trident has also recently celebrated Soil Association accreditation for all its responsibly-sourced coir growing media products, become an inaugural accredited member of the new Responsible Sourcing Scheme for Growing Media (RSSGM), and the company is now carbon neutral. Plus, this month, it won an International Green Apple Environment Award from The Green Organisation, and has become a Green World Ambassador – special people who demonstrate their environmental commitment by helping the organisation to achieve its prime target – to recognise, reward and promote environmental best practice around the world.

Steve Harper, Southern Trident’s CEO, said: “I want to thank the judges at Glee for voting our brand-new Harmony Gardens range as the Best New Product, and for awarding us the Sustainability Award. As one of the judging panel commented: “This is taking peat-free to a new level.” The Southern Trident team is delighted, and I want to thank them for all of their hard work in creating Harmony Gardens, the first carbon neutral, peat-free compost.”

Balaji Manoharan, Southern Trident’s co-founder and Managing Director, said: “While doing the right thing as a business may not always be easy, there is a more important metric that we are all collectively responsible for and one that should never be compromised – our planet. We’re delighted that our new brand, Harmony Gardens – the world’s first carbon neutral peat-free compost range – has been awarded the Best New Product and Sustainability Awards at Glee.”

Leading grass seed breeder DLF Seeds is to invest £3.5m in new state-of-the-art mixing and distribution facilities at its main seed processing site at Inkberrow in Worcestershire.

This comes on the back of a £3m investment at its Scottish site at Broxburn, near Edinburgh in 2015, which automated and revolutionised the handling of forage grass and clover mixtures into the agricultural market.

“This investment will transform our current production facilities and bring much needed additional capacity and efficiency to cope with the future market demands in the amenity, consumer, environmental stewardship, cover crop and wildflower markets,” says Tim Kerridge, managing director for DLF Seeds.

“We have already seen increased demand for our products, especially for environmental stewardship, cover crops and wildflowers, in response to the UK government’s focus on habitat creation and carbon capture.

“In the amenity and consumer sector we have also experienced sustained growth and continue to see opportunities in these markets, as the economy recovers from Covid and embraces the sustainability agenda.”

The investment encompasses a new fully automated mixing plant for amenity and consumer products, whilst freeing up existing mixing capacity to triple the throughput of environmental stewardship, cover crops and wildflowers.

“This is a very exciting time for our industry where we must invest to ensure our customers can continue to receive the highest levels of service and the quickest delivery times for their orders,” Mr Kerridge continues.

“Covid and Brexit have presented many challenges over the past two years but this investment will ensure we are well placed to serve our customers in the decades to come.”

Work, which has already started, is expected to be completed by spring 2023.

Keter, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of home and garden products, has launched its ‘Community Connection’ initiative, reinforcing its commitment to its ongoing sustainability drive. 

Keter hosted a series of litter picking events in Banbury and Cornwall. Sixty-five employees at its sites, which spanned across all areas of the business including production, warehouse, office, and sales, all joined together to help clean up the local areas.

In Banbury, the team marked the start of ‘World Clean-Up Day’ and litter picked in the town’s Spiceball Country Park and its vicinity, meanwhile in Cornwall, to coincide with the start of the ‘Great British Beach Clean’ event, employees helped clean up Portreath Beach.

Across the two events, the Keter teams picked up enough rubbish to fill five Keter Store It Out storage units, the equivalent of nearly 6000L. The company plans to recycle any suitable resin collected for use in its production.

The Community Connection initiative is another step forward in Keter’s ongoing sustainability drive, after the company aims to meet five transformational pledges by 2025. These include:

1. 55% of recycled content in total production
2. Continued zero production of single-use plastic consumer products
3. 25% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from production
4. Zero waste to landfill from production
5. Product end of life programmes in all regions

Kerry Murfin, Keter Marketing Director Europe, says: “Sustainability sits at the heart of the Keter business, so it’s really important to us that we connect with the community and play a part in helping to protect the environment.

"Our Community Connection initiative reinforces our commitment to being environmentally conscious after we set ourselves stringent targets within our five sustainability pledges last year. Together, we can help make a positive impact for the future to try and achieve a more sustainable world.”

Keter has also recently been named as a finalist in the Business Culture Awards in the Best Learning Initiative and Best Wellbeing Initiative categories. Winners are set to be announced on Tuesday 5th October 2021.

Keter’s Sustainability Report has just been published, read more here: https://bit.ly/3w3BG3k

This year’s unique autumn RHS Chelsea Flower Show has seen first time designers Peter Chmiel and Chin-Jung Chen be awarded Best in Show for their Guangzhou China: Guangzhou Garden.

The garden received a Gold medal for its design inspired by a philosophy of reconnecting people and nature and highlights the benefits of responsible city planning.

Designers Peter Chmiel and Chin-Jung Chen said: “This is our first time at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and we are absolutely thrilled to have received a Gold Medal, but then to have the super surprise of winning Best in Show, we are so delighted. It’s been a wonderful experience. Thank you to Guangzhou Government for giving us this opportunity to represent the city.”

About the award winning garden, James Alexander-Sinclair, RHS Chair of Judges said: “The Guangzhou China: Guangzhou Garden’ is a garden that has real heart and soul to it.  The combination of tall airy spaces, babbling waters and layers of cool green plantings cannot fail but to soothe even the most harried soul.” 

Best Construction in the Show Garden category went to The Trailfinders’ 50th Anniversary Garden designed by Gold medal winning designer Jonathan Snow and built by Stewart Landscape Construction.  The garden is inspired by landscape, plants and culture of the Himalayan foothills and features shelter inspired by its vernacular architecture.

Joining the two award winners in the Show Garden category, The M&G Garden and The Yeo Valley Organic Garden also won Gold Medals, with The Florence Nightingale Garden and Bodmin Jail: 60° East receiving Silver.

In the smaller garden categories Sarah Eberle receives her 12th Gold medal and adds to her award count receiving the ‘Best in Sanctuary Garden’ award as she builds on her title as the most decorated female designer at RHS Chelsea. The Bible Society: The Psalm 23 Garden built by Landform Consultants also received the Best Construction award in the Sanctuary and Artisan categories. 

The Blue Diamond Team received the Best in Artisan Garden award for The Blue Diamond Forge Gardenwhich features a thatched working forge nestled in a natural woodland setting.

In the Great Pavilion, the jewel in the crown of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, South West in Bloom and Stonebarn Landscapes received Best Exhibit amongst a total of 36 Gold Medals.

Raymond Evison achieved his 31st RHS Gold medal for his Clematis cultivars and was also awarded The President’s Award for the first time in his history at the show.

Plant of the Year was also awarded to Cercis canadensis Eternal Flame ('Nc2016-2') which was up against a shortlist of 18 plants. The unique colouring of the plant is new and changes throughout the growing season with new growth emerging deep red and then turning to burnt orange and golden yellow as the leaves mature.

GTN September 2021 - Excited to be back at Glee, GTN's Glee 2021 Preview

In this issue of news and information for garden centre professionals:

• Westland Glee Preview.
• Retailers look forward to Glee, comment from Mike Burks, Gerald Ingram, Matthew Bent, Andy Bunker, Simon Bourne, Kev Turley, British Garden Centres, Julian Winfield, Carol Paris and John Birch.
• A Glee Greeting from Woodmansterne.
• Glee 2021 – GTN’s Preview.
• Glee 2021 Show Plan and Exhibitor List.
• Whats On “The Stage” at Glee 2021.
• Onduline success at Alton Garden Centre.
• New Products at Glee – a sneak preview of Glee New Product Award entries.
• GTN Bestsellers – August garden centre sales analysis and charts in sample issue.
• HTA Column – Boyd Douglas-Davies signs off as HTA President.

Read the embedded issue above or use this link: https://issuu.com/gardentradenews/docs/gtn_september_2021?fr=sYTI5OTQyMzYyMTc

with all the news direct to your e-mail inbox.  The best news service every weekend and all the breaking news as it happens.

Subscribe for free using this link

As many centres are already setting up for Christmas and we can see sales starting to accelerate where products are on sale we thought we should break with tradition and start the GTN Christmas Chart this week instead of waiting until the first week of October.

Highlights of the week were:

• Wax Lyrical’s Under Mistletoe Reed Diffuser is the early Christmas leader.
• It could be a very sweet Christmas. Steenland Gold Net Chocolate Coins 100g is a re-entry at No 3.
• And sweet things are also a theme for popular early tree decoration sales as Kaemingk’s Foam Candy with Glitter Red & White is the highest chart new entry at No 4.

See the full GTN Bestsellers Top 50 charts, compiled from garden centre Epos data every week, with a years subscription to the printed newsletter for only £145.00 using this link.

Britons are being urged to get their Christmas tree ordered or face the risk of being without a festive centrepiece. 

Chris Bonnett, the founder of GardeningExpress.co.uk is expecting to see demand soar this year but says a shortage of lorry drivers and potential Covid restrictions could play havoc with Christmas preparations.

Lorry driver shortages in Denmark are expected to impact imports to the UK with any Covid related restrictions further adding to the problems. 

He’s also expecting a surge in demand after last year's muted celebrations as families and friends celebrate the festivities together.

Denmark is a major producer of live Christmas trees with around 90% of its crop exported to other European nations.

Last year it faced problems after it halted export in an attempt to control a Coronavirus mutation found on mink farms.

Now the shortage of drivers in Denmark could affect the distribution of Christmas trees across Europe.

With less than 100 days until Christmas, Bonnett is already seeing a jump in the number of customers searching for Christmas trees on his site despite the Christmas range not yet fully live. 

He’s urging customers to order early to ensure they’re able to secure a tree ahead of the big day.

Chris Bonnet said: “The last few years have played havoc with the Christmas tree market. Mild winters in Scandinavian countries have made it more complicated to fell trees. Add in the Covid restrictions in place last year and the current shortage of lorry drivers and you can see why we’re concerned that there could be a shortage of trees.

“A Christmas tree is an essential part of the festivities, not just on Christmas Day but in the run up - picking the tree, squeezing it into the car and decorating ahead of the celebrations.

“This year it’ll mean even more after the locked down restrictions of last year which is why we’re already seeing a surge in the number of customers searching for Christmas trees.

“Hopefully between now and December, things will improve.” 

Bonnett added: “We are seeing issues with disruption across the retail sector, from food and drink to gifts and clothing.

“For Britons really wanting to go all out to celebrate this year, the best advice is to plan ahead and get all the essentials pre-ordered so you can enjoy the festivities without the stress.”

After four weeks of Garden Product sales being ahead of 2020 levels, last week saw a dip to be 8% down on 2020, but still 17% ahead of 2019.

Highlights of the week were:

• Evergreen Garden Care Levington Tomorite 1L + 30% Free is still at the top of the GTN Bestsellers Garden Products chart. Normally we’d expect to see Autumn lawn care products take over at the top by now but with plants still growing well feeding is still a top priority.
• Woodlodge’s Pot 599 is the week’s highest chart climber as pots continue to sell in high volumes.

See the full GTN Bestsellers Top 50 charts, compiled from garden centre Epos data every week, with a years subscription to the printed newsletter for only £145.00 using this link.

Keen gardeners, nursery owners, farmers, landowners and environmental groups are all being encouraged to help shape the country’s future plant biosecurity strategy, as a 10-week consultation was launched to protect the country from the threat of plant pests and diseases.

Healthy plants are essential for both the environment and the economy. In the UK, 80% of the food we eat comes from plants, they produce 98% of the oxygen we breathe and the value that our plants and trees provide to society each year is estimated at £10.5 billion.

Great Britain already has some of the most robust biosecurity measures in the world but our approach is kept under constant review to ensure these standards are maintained and plants are protected as we face emerging challenges.

Rising temperatures increase the risk that non-native pests and diseases, which were previously unable to survive in the UK, will spread across parts of the country. Disease outbreaks can be hugely costly to businesses, government and the wider economy.

 Plant diseases like Xylella – a disease that affects over 560 different plant species and devasted olive trees in Europe - have the potential to cost the UK taxpayer millions of pounds a year if they arrived on our shores. 

The joint Defra, Scottish and Welsh Government consultation sets out a new vision for plant health and potential measures to strengthen the existing biosecurity regime. Specifically, views are sought on:

• the effectiveness of our current plant and tree health regulations;
• ways industry and the Government can work together to support a biosecure plant supply chain and ensures the safe sourcing of planting stock;
• how we enhance the nation’s technical capability, using innovative science and technology to keep pace with emerging threats and ensure preparedness for the future; and
• tougher action to protect against biosecurity risks associated with trees susceptible to high-risk pests and diseases.

Launching the consultation from RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Minister for Biosecurity Lord Benyon said: “The threat from plant pests and diseases is significant and growing due to globalisation and climate change. The risks to food production and our precious landscapes, trees, parks and gardens are all too real.  

“We already have some of the highest biosecurity standards in Europe but as we look to build back greener from the pandemic, we want to consider any further safeguards needed to protect our natural world. That’s why we’re asking for views from all sectors, including horticulture, forestry and farming, to help us shape our future biosecurity strategy and ensure our trees and plants are protected for future generations.”

UK Chief Plant Health Officer Nicola Spence said: “We take the nation’s biosecurity very seriously and currently have some of the strongest measures in Europe. This consultation provides an opportunity for us to build on our current regulations and ensure our high plant health and biosecurity standards are maintained. “I urge everyone working in the sector and the public to respond to this consultation so we can uphold our biosecurity standards for future generations.”

Wales’ Minister for Climate Change, Julie James said: “The consultation reflects our shared ambitions for a strengthened biosecurity regime, and is clear on the need to work in partnership to achieve our aims. “Plant Biosecurity is hugely important to address threats from pests and diseases and this consultation is an opportunity for all to inform our future approach to plant health.”

Scotland’s Minister for Environment and Land Reform Màiri McAllan said: “Plants underpin our environment, rural industries, wellbeing and biodiversity. With an ever increasing number of plant health threats, we need to work collaboratively to effectively shape our policies and safeguard against biosecurity risks in the years ahead. I would therefore encourage all stakeholders to contribute to that process by responding to this consultation.”

The announcement coincided with the Chelsea Flower Show. This year’s Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Show shines a spotlight on the importance of protecting biodiversity and our planet with the COP26 garden, ahead of the UK’s Presidency at the climate change summit this November.

This consultation supports Defra’s campaign - Plant for Our Planet – which aims to inspire the nation to get planting, helping us to build back greener and step up our efforts to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss. Our plants have a crucial role to play in fighting climate change, providing a home for nature, and bring numerous environmental, economic, social and wellbeing benefits.

The new strategy will align with forthcoming GB Invasive Non-Native Species Strategy, ensuring a joined-up approach to the restoration and improvement of the environment as set out in the 25 Year Environment Plan where we have committed to improving biosecurity. 

The consultation closes on 30 November 2021 and can be found here.

The challenges in bringing full integration to four separate and thriving businesses is what excited Kiran Patel about the role of IT Director at AMES UK. 

He comes with some major global brands to his name including Airbus, Grafton Group and Tarmac.  His considerable experience in global business transformation and his track record in bringing disparate business systems together are what made him an obvious choice for AMES UK.

Kelkay, La Hacienda, True Temper and Apta have all grown to be successful stand-alone business with their own processes and systems. Under the umbrella of AMES UK, the four brands continue within a group business structure which will see huge benefits to UK customers. Supply chains will be streamlined and sales and order processing integrated.

Customers are already benefiting from a new sales and account management structure and an integrated approach to customer service. The major benefits associated with a total systems integration are the goal and motivation for Kiran as he plans and implements a major transformation plan for AMES UK.

A new enterprise resource planning system (ERP) and business intelligence tool (BI) will form the backbone of the programme. Kiran is mindful of the perception of new IT projects and has a very clear view of how major problems are to be avoided. 

“The trick to successful major IT integration projects is to set the scope clearly at the start and avoid over complexity. My priorities are accuracy, consistency and speed which is why we are approaching this in a strictly phased approach. Each pillar of the programme is being developed and implemented separately in a series of phases. We will begin integrating the ERP and CRM in the second phase of the project once they are operating optimally, when we will also introduce other elements including a new expenses solution and a new HR system.”

The choice of platforms for each pillar of the programme has been made in partnership with the AMES group in USA where the entire business systems integration project is being piloted. Kiran expects the US deployment to be of further benefit to the organisation and the project team as they roll out the systems here in the UK.

“What motivates me is the reaction from staff and customers when a new business integration system begins to deliver results. I want to make peoples’ business lives better – bringing better quality information that allows everyone to make better quality decisions. We will make changes to all levels of technology across the group, to provide better equipment, more accurate real-time information to better serve our customers. This will enable us to be more competitive and grow more rapidly in the marketplace.”

Growing media sales continue to outstrip pre-pandemic levels with September to date sales running at 27% up on 2019.

As the drive towards a peat free future continues, last week saw four peat free lines in the GTN Top 10 for Growing Media sales.

Highlights of the week were:

• Evergreen Garden Care Miracle-Gro Peat Free All Purpose 40 litres stayed at No 2 overall.
• Westland New Horizon All Plant Compost 50 litres was at No 4.
• Growth Technology Houseplant Focus Repotting Mix Peat Free 8 litres moved up one place to No 7.
• Taylors Peat Free Bulb Fibre 10 litres moved up 2 places to No 9. 

See the full GTN Bestsellers Top 50 charts, compiled from garden centre Epos data every week, with a years subscription to the printed newsletter for only £145.00 using this link.

Hetland Garden Centre at Carrutherstown, Dumfries, has been sold by owners David and Karen Wilson to Caulders Garden Centres, which currently has eight centres in Central Scotland.

David said: “Our family business of 26 years is going to be in the safe hands of another family business, Caulders Garden Centres. 

“Colin and Mandy Barrie have been good friends for many years. They have a great reputation and a lot of experience. 

“All our existing team will carry on working for Caulders, including our sons Martin and Matthew.

“We would like to thank all our brilliant team past and present for their loyalty and hard work over the years and are confident that they will have a very exciting future.” 

The couple thanked their customers for their support over the years and for sharing their journey.  Customers who have the Hetland Gift Card and loyalty points will still be able to spend them at Caulders at Hetland Garden Centre. 

“We are extremely confident that the business is being passed onto safe hands and Hetland will carry on moving forward with the investment, knowledge, and experience Caulders will give,” added David. 

“Selling Hetland wasn’t an easy decision but after a brain aneurysm and the stress of running a business through lockdown during the dark days of Covid-19 it was time to let go of the reigns. 

“However, Colin and Mandy have given Karen and myself a great opportunity in leasing the Dino Park and Soft Play business from them. This will allow us to  concentrate on the entertainment and events side of the business which is already a four-star visitor attraction.

“We wish all of our team and customers the very best.”

The garden industry was reunited in remarkable style as suppliers and buyers gathered for a memorable three days of business and networking during Glee 2021 at the NEC Birmingham. And as the door closed on a spectacular event, show organiser Matthew Mein told GTN Xtra: “It's been a fantastic three days. We've been in anticipation for this show nearly two years, after the last Glee in person, and to be back here over these three days has been really special.

“To get the industry back together, I think everyone that's attended, whether it's exhibitors or visitors, have been really pleased to be here with a smile on their face.

“I think the fact that they can engage with each other again, it's a great friendly industry, linked in with actually being able to see product and compare and contrast with all the other aspects of seeing newness, it's been it's been fabulous seeing it all take place.

“This Glee has been bursting with so much newness! I think there's more enthusiasm than ever and after 18 really good months for the gardening industry, there's a real appetite for product and ideas to continue the really good retailing that's been going on in this sector.”

Matthews Glee 2021 highlights?

“The first was the first day of the show, that throng that noise around about midday, just the aisles being busy and just seeing lots of smiling faces and people picking up product talking about ideas. I think also the 125 new companies that were at the show as well.

“And then the other highlight, was the New Product Awards on day two. The volume of new products entered, the theatre that we've had doing the pitches, it's been fun and presenting the winners in The Stage for the first time in front of a packed audience. Great fun!

“And that's the whole thing that you've seen over these three days is how sociable it's been as well.”

On the move to June next year:

“it's a decision that's taken a while to form. We were looking at some of the trends that were happening pre-pandemic and really understanding those in a bit more detail going back into early in the year.  This spring, we spoke to the industry, the retailers, both independent and multiple, to get their viewpoint of where their businesses are going to really get a better understanding.

“From that we can see the lead times are longer lead now for new products to get them supplied, manufactured and into the supply chain. And I think by changing that dateline, we make sure that the show is at its optimum time for transacting. There will be an access shift by doing this. But we've been led by the garden retailer feedback and they are really backing it. Linked into that, the exhibitors are really backing it as well. We've seen that with a really strong re-book already."

Thank you to all exhibitors and visitors:

“I want to say thank you to the efforts of all the exhibitors who have come to Glee 2021 and for putting on a great show. And thanks to all the visitors who came.

“The exhibitors that have supported this show have really got behind it. In terms of their efforts, the look and feel of the show, it's amazing the level of quality of exhibitors stands here. Some of the merchandising ideas that they're creating should look fantastic in store next season. I think consumers are in for a really good time and they can really shop off those point of sale stands.”

"See you all in June 2022."

Glee’s Floral Thursday promotion in aid of the Greenfingers Charty has raised at least £2,000 so far – and the total could be even higher as donations continue to pour in. 

The event, supported by Garden Trade News, saw exhibitors and visitors to Glee joining in the fun by wearing an array of floral clothing throughout the day.

All those taking part were asked to support the charity by buying a raffle ticket which was entered into a prize draw to win fabulous prizes, donated by generous Glee exhibitors.

In 2019, when the first Floral Thursday took place at Glee, over £1,420 was raised for Greenfingers, with the array of floral looks bringing smiles to the faces of everyone who took part.

Linda Petrons, Director of Fundraising & Communications said: “We’re so grateful to Glee for allowing us to run Floral Thursday on the final day of the show. We are so pleased that the garden retail industry gets together and embraces the Floral Thursday concept. From a flash of floral to outrageous outfits, Floral Thursday represents an incredibly easy way to show your support for our work, and we are forever grateful to every single person that joins in and especially to the exhibitors who so generously donated prizes for the Floral Thursday Grand Raffle."

Winners of the award for the best-dressed large team in Floral Thursday attire was Evergreen Garden Care – for the second year – while SP Trading of Brechin took the award for the best small team.

The organisers were inundated with prize donations from exhibitors for the Greenfingers draw. The winning ticket was drawn by Andy Smith of Hyve Group, the organisers of Glee – it won him a top of the range grill from Kamado Jo of Farnham.

See below a gallery of pictures from Floral Thursday...

Ground-breaking new garden and pet products have been confirmed as the winners of the coveted Glee New Product Awards 2021, run in association with GTN...

The winning products were chosen by an expert panel of judges representing independent and multiple retailers, consumer gardening media and trade media.

After initial judging of the new products entered, the judges selected finalists in each category. Then those finalists had the opportunity to meet the judges, answer questions and make a pitch to be chosen as the winner.

The results:

Plants Seeds & Bulbs: Granvia Pink Flame Imp – MNP Flowers

Growing Materials: Harmony Gardens – Southern Trident

Growing Containers: Tall Vertical Herb Stand – Zest 4 Leisure

Garden Decoration: St John's Solar Mirror – Woodlodge Products

Tools & Machinery: Kent & Stowe Capability Trowel – Westland Unwins

Landscaping: Carolina Border – Primeur Ltd

Leisure & Entertaining: Kettle Joe – Kamado Joe

Homewares, Gifts, Toys & Games: Wholeleaf Platters, Bowls & Plates – The Wholeleaf Company

Pet Food: Edible Greeting Cards for Dogs – Scoff Paper

Pet Health & Beauty: (Joint winners) Anti-Bacterial Dog Shampoo with Hosepip Applicator – Aqueos; The Woof Pack (Deluxe Doggy Bag & Grooming Kit) – Sniffe & Likkit Ltd

Pet Accessories: (Joint winners) Petface Planet (Toucan) – LeisureGrow; The Friendly Squid (Cleaning up our coast) – Goodchap's

Retail Services & Experiences: Evergreen Trade Website & Training Academy – Evergreen Garden Care

Wild Bird and Wildlife Products: Gardman Aura Bird Bath & Feeder – Westland Unwins

Growing Accessories: Pot Trellis – Treadstone Products

Sustainability Award: Harmony Gardens – Southern Trident

Best of British Award: Kent & Stowe Eversharp Secateurs – Westland Unwins

Overall Best Glee New Product 2021 – Pot Trellis, Treadstone Products

The 2021 judging panel was made up of Ian Hodgson, Garden News; Andy Bunker, Alton Garden Centre; Mel Livingstone, Fron Goch Garden Centre; Nicola Gow – Retired garden centre owner; Rachel Gilbert – Rosebourne Garden Centre; Lilidh Matthews, Primrose.com; Elliot Kirby, RHS Wisley; Jack Slater, Summerseat Garden Centre, and Trevor Pfeiffer, Editor & Director, Garden Trade News.

Matthew Mein, Glee Event Director said: “After such a long period of lockdown and our first live event in two years, we were thrilled to see so many superb new products entered for the 2021 Glee New Product Awards. Huge congratulations to our 19 very worthy winners and a big thank you to the judges who were so generous with their valuable time and expertise”.

Guy Topping has thanked GCA members for all the messages of condolence following the passing of his father Eddie at the age of 89 on September 6.

“It has really helped to bring back the real Eddie after a few months/years of the elderly Eddie,” he said.

“It is times like this that I am yet again reminded what a remarkable industry we are part of.”

On Tuesday, September 28, Eddie’s coffin will rest at Barton Grange Garden Centre from 1.15pm to 1.45pm for the paying of respects.

The funeral cortege will leave the garden centre at 1.4pm and travel through Bilsborrow and Barton, pausing at Barton Manor Hotel en route to a private family cremation.

This will be followed by A Celebration of his Life at St Lawrence’s Church, Barton at 3.30pm. All are very welcome. The celebration will be live streamed (for instructions follow the link on Eddie’s obituary page at:www.greghodgkinsonfunerals.co.uk

No flowers please. Donations may be made in memory of Eddie to Cancer Help (Preston) Ltd, c/o Greg Hodgkinson Funerals of Garstang.

Every week GTN receives and analyses epos data from a number of UK garden centres to produce the GTN Bestsellers charts and weekly bestsellers sales tips.

The full charts which provide useful insight into product sales peaks, new trends and new link sales opportunities are published in the weekly GTN Xtra newsletter.

As the year goes on we give sales volume comparisons with 2018 as well as 2019 to allow your teams to see variations over a three year period.

Access is by subscription only.  For £145.00 per year you and your team can have access to the most up-to-date gardening sales analysis that has already helped many UK garden centres increase their sales.  To subscribe call 07973 504214, e-mail karen@pottingshedpress.co.uk or buy on-line using this link.

Highlights of the GTN Garden Products Bestsellers chart for last week are here

Highlights of the GTN Garden Plants Bestsellers chart for last week are here

Highlights of the GTN Growing Media Bestsellers chart for last week are here

Highlights of the GTN Christmas Bestsellers chart for last week are here

WARNING the GTN Bestsellers Charts seriously improve the business of our subscribers.  Invest 15 minutes each week in improving your sales using the GTN Bestsellers charts and your turnover and customer satisfaction will improve too.

Get the GTN Bestsellers charts in full every week in the GTN Bestsellers newsletters for only £145.00.

GTN Bestsellers is the only industry source of weekly garden centre sales information, collating Epos data from centres with an aggregate turnover in excess of £100m.

Use the weekly Garden Products and Growing Media Top 50 sales volumes charts to plan your hotspot and other promotions and ensure you have the right products in stock to satisfy the needs of your customers.

For further information contact karen@pottingshedpress.co.uk or call 07973504214.

Buy your subscription today and start receiving the GTN Bestsellers charts this week.

This month marks 160 years of Wilsons Pet Food, and to celebrate this milestone the Scottish company has created a limited edition Haggis recipe.

Having produced pet food in Scotland since 1861, Wilsons now provide customers across the UK with a range of nutritious and delicious cold pressed, working dog and raw frozen dog food using 100% natural and quality ingredients. 

Originally based in Dundee, Wilsons now has two purpose-built factories in Perthshire, with a new, higher capacity factory currently being developed to support their recent increase in demand. 

As a proud Scottish company, they have produced a delicious Haggis recipe in both cold pressed and raw frozen options, suiting all types of feeders. Using a blend of delicious, single sourced Lamb, their new recipe celebrates their Scottish heritage by giving dogs the chance to enjoy this delicious dish.

Their premium cold pressed Hunting Haggis is a complete meal which can be fed as simply as the rest of their range, available in 2kg cardboard boxes and 10kg paper bags, while their Haggis Supper raw frozen dog food is a complimentary meal in 500g compostable trays which is recommended to be served alongside freshly prepared vegetables - you could even add neeps and tatties (swedes & potatoes) for a traditional Scottish meal.

Wilsons Pet Food MD, Craig Wallace says “The Wilsons name has been around for 160 years. In order to celebrate the achievement of surviving for such a long time, we wanted to do something special. As a Scottish company it seemed only right that we created a limited edition Haggis range so that dogs across the UK can enjoy this amazing meal just as we do.”

Their new Haggis dog food recipe is now available to purchase online at www.wilsonspetfood.co.uk or in select stockists across the UK.

Luxury British dog bed and accessories brand, Designed for Dogs, has added a new Picnic Pad to its collection which is great for lorries, tack rooms, car boots, and anywhere else an easy to carry and comfy place to sit is needed!
 
The Picnic Pad is padded and has a wide range of fabric options for the top, including bees, stars, tartans, tweeds, hares, and foxes. It also benefits from a durable and waterproof base, making it great for damp grass. It’s finished with carry handles and matching straps to make it easy to roll up and move along to your next destination.
 
“The Picnic Pad is so useful; it’s one of those products that every dog owner will use again and again,” says Holly Bryant, founder of Designed for Dogs. “We’ve seen it used for lorry dogs at shows, people with caravans, in the back of cars, and obviously for picnics too! Because of the design, it’s really easy to move around, and as it’s fully machine washable too, it’s easy to keep it clean.”
 
The Picnic Pad is available in three standard sizes, but can also be made-to-measure if specific sizes are needed. Prices start from £24.99.
 
For more information or to buy, see www.designedfordogs.com