In This Issue
spoga+gafa 2021 is postponed to August
All sales up by 93%, plant sales up by 170%
Christmas & Gift 2021 cancelled
PATS Sandown is cancelled
SOLEX 2021 CANCELLED
Heaven Sends welcomes buyers to showroom to view new Christmas Collection
Scottish businesses and key personalities unite in call for garden centres to be re-opened
Happy sowing, happy growing, happy days!
Garden centre set to reopen in Northern Ireland
More events confirmed for Garden Re-Leaf Day 2021
Plants sales at the double
SylvaGrow Farmyard 100% Peat Free wins New Product Award
Turbo charged gardening as February breaks all records
Garden centre food hall and farm shop sales stay positive in January
Engaging 3 million new gardeners and being kind to our planet: key themes at the 2021 Virtual Garden Press Event
What Lies Ahead for 2021? - GTN's February Issue On-Line Now
Evergreen Garden Care partners with PlantSnap to make plant identification and care as simple as snap and grow!
UK’s first ‘Home of Gardening Science’ to open on June 24
Luxury, complete houseplant care solution launched
How the pandemic changed the way customers shop at their favourite garden centre
Tong supports Kirklees School with role play setting
New BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair
Altons BBQ World, Aylett Nurseries, Barton Grange, Baytree, Busy Bee, Groves, Pengelly, Pughs, The Old Railway Line and Squires Badshot Lea are the winners of GTN's Greatest Christmas Awards
Christmas Future Trends at Glee's Festive Focus Day
Get your own copy of GTN Xtra
Are New Gardeners the key to gardening sales increases?
Frank P Matthews Delivers Over 4000 Japanese Flowering Cherry Trees
The natural way to protect Box plants
Double bubble for Growing Media
Highest weekly turnover in ten years at Royal Flora Holland
68% turaround for Veg-2-Gro sales in February
She Grows Veg launches first book to promote “beautiful and bountiful” growing
HTA reacts to Chancellor's budget
The best of last week's
February sales - 37% above average - Gardening is Essential!
Hillier Nurseries bidding farewell to 2021 Chelsea Flower Show
Dobbies reports 51% increase in sales
Half term sales set course for a record February
Going from strength to strength
Why choose Meadow View Stone?
Hayes Garden World launches online Grow Your Own range
Bents introduces new virtual shopping service
The GIMA Awards are back!
Get your own copy of GTN Xtra
Barton Grange Christmas 2020 - Exclusive GTN Xtra Photo Tour
Squires Badshot Lea - Christmas 2020
Perrywood at Christmas 2020 - with correct photo gallery now...
British Garden Centres open their 58th centre at Thatcham
Haskins Snowhill re-opens after £15m re-vamp
Bestsellers Top 50 charts every week
Buy your subscription to the GTN Bestsellers printed weekly newsletter
All the latest news from the world of pet products
Natures Menu celebrates 40th anniversary
Pawfect Foods launches Nature’s Feast
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Scottish businesses and key personalities unite in call for garden centres to be re-opened

 

Representatives from Scotland’s horticulture sector have joined together to call for garden centres to be re-opened before the end of March.

 

Eighteen high profile organisations, businesses and individuals have put their signatures to an open letter to the Scottish Government. With the peak Spring season fast approaching - 70% of bedding plants sold between March and May - it is a crucial time for the hard-pressed Scottish domestic horticulture industry. 

 

Organised by the Horticultural Trades Association, well-loved gardening name Jim McColl, National Farmers Union Scotland, Scottish Retail Consortium, Royal Horticultural Society and other garden industry bodies, joined with Scottish headquartered businesses such as Dobbies and Klondyke and Scottish independent garden centres and growers to make this urgent appeal to the Government.  

 

It comes a week before Ministers meet to review and give further detail on the routemap out of lockdown, first outlined by the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon on 23 February. The open letter set out seven key reasons for why garden centres should begin trading again:

  • Health and Wellbeing: Gardening brings well documented and significant benefits to mental health and well-being.  
  • Stay at Home: Allowing garden centres and retail plant nurseries to reopen would support the Government’s efforts to encourage people to remain at home by giving them a safe, healthy activity to do.
  • Safe Trading environment: Garden centres are spacious, well ventilated with large outdoor areas. The industry is committing to implement enhanced social distancing measures in conjunction with the Scottish Government.
  • Economic turmoil: The garden retail sector is proliferated by smaller, independent businesses key to their local communities. Facing the loss of the crucial Spring gardening season a second year running will mean disaster for some businesses, possible closures and job losses. 
  • Plants are being thrown away: Scottish growers overwhelmingly supply Scottish garden centres. Growers are throwing out thousands of plants which should have been on sale in March because they don’t have this ‘route to market’.
  • An industry worth saving: The Scottish ornamental horticulture industry contributes £2.2 billion to Scottish GDP directly and indirectly and supports 53,900 jobs. 
  • Click & Collect doesn’t work: Click and collect and home delivery services are at best only achieving 3-10% of the usual levels of demand.  

Jim McColl said: “Over a 62-year career in horticulture, north and south of the border, I have worked with people of all ages, from all walks of life, and seen first-hand how gardening has a significant influence – helping people to forget what is bothering them. I have no doubt this positive impact has been magnified in recent times as people learn how best to manage the effects of this pandemic.  

 

"Reports abound of how people have found solace and contentment simply by spending a wee while in the garden. It doesn't take long before the worries of the wider world seem some way off! Stand back, have a look at what you have achieved in the last 30 minutes and feel relaxed - time for a cuppa or even a dram! " 

 

Horticulture’s unique supply chain for perishable, seasonal products is a particular risk from continued lockdown and Chairman of the HTA, James Barnes, says the letter is a clear indication of the strength of feeling within the industry:  “The signatories of this letter include representatives from grower, retail, landscaper and charity organisations, all of which are important employers and contributors to the economy and society as a whole. They are joined by our own HTA members and together show how deeply we as an industry are feeling a lack of recognition for what we have to offer and what we stand to lose.” 

 

The letter has been shared on the HTA website and sent to the editors of several national newspapers. 

 

Meanwhile, the petition to get Scottish Garden Centres re-opened is still open and needs all the help anyone in the UK Garden Centre Industry can give them:

 

 

And you might like to watch this video created by Helen MacDonald of Merrythatton Garden Centre that includes footage of the First Ministers rather flippant reply to a question asked in the Scottish Parliament about garden centre re-opening...

 

 

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