Hundreds of customer votes for The Greatest Christmas Garden Centre Team have already been made and with 5 more weeks of voting there's plenty of opportunity for more centres to ask for the support of your customers.

So far, after only 10 days of voting the front runners are: Bosworths, Cooks, Ferndale, Gates and Planters Tamworth.  Votes have also already been submitted for Blue Diamond East Bridgeford, BGC Burford House, Bosworths Elton Hall, Goulds, Gordale, Jackson’s Boutique Garden Centre, Planters Bretby Tong, Wentworth Garden Centre and Woburn Sands Emporium.

To add your Christmas Team into the competition, whihc will have regional winners  as well as an overall custoer voiting winer, all you have to do is print off the poster, as above, that can be accessed via this link: GTN Greatest Christmas Awards Voting Poster, display them in store, add a link to your social media pages or website where you can put the voting link or the QR code as below and let the voting begin.

It’s as simple as that.  Voting is open now and will remain open until 4:00pm on December 21^st.

Here is the link to the on-line voting page: GTN Greatest Christmas Awards On-Line Voting Link

Here is a link to the poster artwork: GTN Greatest Christmas Awards Voting Poster

Here is a link to the Voting QR code: GTN Greatest Christmas Awards Voting QR code

Voting is free, but we are partnering with The Greenfingers Charity so that voters can, if they wish, make a Christmas donation to help build more magical gardens in Children's Hospices across the country.

If you have any questions please contact: trevor@pottingshedpress.co.uk

The GTN Xtra team visited Bosworths at Burton Latimer at the weekend to see how they were generating votes in store.  See our gallery of pictures below.

This week our team of judges have started the wonderful task of visiting the 100 garden centres who have been nominated for GTN’s Greatest Christmas Awards 2023.  And our sponsors have been lining up prizes of stock or hotel accommodation for the category winners.

Here are the categories for GTN’s Greatest Christmas Awards 2023

• The Greatest Christmas Houseplant Team
• The Greatest Christmas Tree and Outdoor Plant Team
• The Greatest Christmas BBQ and Outdoor Leisure Team – The Solex Sizzle
• The Greatest Christmas Wild Bird Care & Pet Team
• The Greatest Christmas Marketing Team
• The Greatest Christmas Community Event
• The Greatest Festive Gardening Gifts Team
• The Greatest Festive Retail Food Hall Team
• The Greatest Festive Garden Centre Catering Team
• The Greatest Garden Centre Christmas Video
• The Greatest Garden Centre Grotto Team
• The Greatest Group Small Garden Centre Christmas Team*
• The Greatest Group Large Garden Centre Christmas Team*
• The Greatest Small Garden Centre Christmas Team
• The Greatest Mid-Sized Garden Centre Christmas Team
• The Greatest Large Garden Centre Christmas Team

*The Group Garden Centre awards are for centres that are part of groups with 5 or more centres

Judging visits will take place during November and December with the winners being announced on The Stage at Spring Fair on Monday 5^th February 2024.

As well as the kudos and fame from winning a Greatest Christmas award, our Gold winners in each category will win prizes including stock, services or hotel accommodation from our sponsors, which at time of going to press include:

• AMES
• Garden Radio
• Glee 2024
• Kaemingk
• LeisureGrow - NOMA
• PATS 2024
• Smart Garden Products – Three Kings
• Solex 2024
• Stars for Europe
• Woodmansterne

Watch out for details of the prizes on offer in issues of GTN Xtra: www.gardentradenews.co.uk and in the next issue of GTN.

What the judges will be looking for when they visit:

As GTN's Greatest Christmas Awards firstly recognise the amazing teamwork involved in garden centre Christmas retailing excellence we asked our judges what specific things they will be looking for in each Christmas Awards category this year:

• The Greatest Christmas Houseplant Team
  • Christmas theming of the displays, link sales and plants as Christmas presents 
• The Greatest Christmas Tree and Outdoor Plant Team
  • Extending the Christmas experience out into the Planteria, not only making the sale of cut trees fun and different but what is being done to promote link sales to trees as well as plants as presents. 
• The Greatest Christmas BBQ and Outdoor Leisure Team – The Solex Sizzle
  • Effort (and success) being put to inspiring  sales of BBQ’s, firepits, furniture, arbours and leisure items normally associated with summer rather than Christmas
• The Greatest Christmas Wild Bird Care & Pet Team
  • From a gondola end of Christmas pet treats to a whole department dedicated to wild bird care or pets of all shapes and sizes. The festive feeling generated by the team, from their attitude for sales to their inspirational displays.  Who has been bold enough to include a pet or wild bird care display in the main Christmas area?
• The Greatest Christmas Marketing Team
  • On and off centre Christmas marketing activity: advertising, p.o.s. video, social media, influencer promotions. We are looking for originality, execution and sucess.
• The Greatest Christmas Community Event
  • A one off ‘launch’ or an ongoing feature – for example a zoo, woodland walk, colouring competition, cookery demonstration or a charity fundraiser that engages the community and extends the Christmas experience.
• The Greatest Festive Gardening Gifts Team
  • This is all about creating sales at this time of year through inspirational use/display/promotion of regular gardening tools and sundries items in a festive setting /department which are capturing sales to both new annd experienced gardeners.
• The Greatest Festive Retail Food Hall Team
  • Food Hall, Farm Shop or just a department in the retail area. Looking for seasonal lines, offers and services to build unit sales as well as dressing of the area. What is special to your Garden Centre offer over other food retailers?
• The Greatest Festive Garden Centre Catering Team
  • What have you done to make your restaurant or coffee shop a part of the Christmas experience? Looking for dressing of the seating area, servery, menu, special offers, link sales, promotions and of course, Festive staff!
• The Greatest Garden Centre Christmas Video
  • Simply a Christmas promotional video that creates garden centre visits and sales.
• The Greatest Garden Centre Grotto Team
  • What have the team done this season to create a really memorable and enjoyable experience.
• The Greatest Group Small Garden Centre Christmas Team*
• The Greatest Group Large Garden Centre Christmas Team*
• The Greatest Small Garden Centre Christmas Team
• The Greatest Mid-Sized Garden Centre Christmas Team
• The Greatest Large Garden Centre Christmas Team
  • For all of the overall team awards the judges are looking for happy, festive garden centre teams who can keep their Christmas retailing standards at their best throughout the Christmas sales period. 

By popular demand we have brought back Customer Voting for The Greatest Garden Centre Christmas teams, after all it is what customers think that is most important. See the details here

The first Greatest Christmas Awards Team visit the judges carried out this year was at British Garden Centres Woodthorpe, back in August.  See our gallery of pictures below:

Record volume sales increases of Zero In Home Flea Killers have followed the warmest early-Autumn weather on record and a surge in domestic infestations of cat and dog fleas.
 
Sales of Zero In Home Flea Killer are up by over 300% year on year and we are encouraging retail partners to stay fully stocked, even as mild weather gives way to cold over the coming weeks.
 
“As the UK switches its central heating on we will see an even stronger surge in flea infestations around the home,” says STV, warning that fleas spend 95% of their life cycle living off dogs and cats, and are typically found in bedding, furniture, and carpets around the home.
 
The full Zero In Home Flea Killer range is featured in STV’s new-season Autumn/Winter catalogue, available on request or for download at stvuk.com.

There are attractive pre-season deals and special offers now available from leading national wholesalers, including Decco, Stax, and Home Hardware.

Home Flea Killers are part of a range of speciality insect control products available under the Zero In brand, including bed bug, carpet beetle, clothes moth, and woodworm treatments. Zero In is the UK’s fastest growing insect control brand, now generating over £20 million of retail sales a year.

So make the most of your pre-season sales with Zero In Flea Control. For further assistance please contact us at:
Email: sales@stvuk.com 
Phone: 01953 881580

The newest – and most exciting – name in outdoor heating, Firestorm Heater, has brought to market unlike anything seen before.

A sleek design, UK-construction and ‘greener heat’ are just some of the reasons why the brand has already received a number of industry awards.

Here we delve a little deeper into what makes Firestorm Heaters so truly unique.

Find out more

For further information regarding Firestorm Heaters, and to find out more about becoming a UK stockist, please visit www.firestormheaters.co.uk, email info@firestormheaters.co.uk or call 01432 667 567

Five individuals from Garden Centre Association member garden centres have reached the finals of the industry body’s Rising Stars programme sponsored by Westland Horticulture.

The staff were put forward by their garden centres and took part in a series of workshops this year.

GCA inspector, Gordon Emslie, who mentored the workshops, said: “I’d like to say a huge ‘congratulations’ to our finalists: Shelley Harrison from Haskins Snowhill, Callum Spencer from Stewarts Broomhill, Haydon Walters from British Garden Centres Thatcham, Warren Bolter from Thurrock Garden Centre and Kerry Barrett from British Garden Centres Upminster.”

All the candidates undertook projects, which ran from June to September, within their garden centres. They then presented them to a Dragon’s Den panel of judges at Millbrook Garden Centre – Gravesend in October, who scored them and the final five were the top scoring projects.

Gordon added: “This season’s Rising Stars have again raised the bar on the outstanding quality of people employed in the garden centre industry. The commitment, enthusiasm and tenacity shown from them all to deliver a sustainability or environmental project has been truly fantastic. Every one of them should be extremely proud of their journey on this year’s programme and on how well they all did presenting last week.

“Each of the final 12 tackled important issues which many gardeners take for granted. They have all been extremely creative to make their projects work.

“They have all faced challenges during the year, which the programme is designed to flush out. As testing as those were, they have all been tenacious with their projects, as well as having the determination to see them through, and have become more resilient people as a result. It has been an extremely proud and humbling experience for me to work with all this year's candidates.

“The programme would not run without the strong partnership between the GCA and Westlands. I personally would like to thank both Peter Burks (GCA) and Keith Nicholson (Westlands) for having the enthusiasm and commitment towards supporting the development of colleagues within the industry.” 

British Garden Centres has two finalists who will be going forward to the GCA Conference in January – Haydon Walters from Thatcham and Kerry Barrett from Upminster.

Amy Stubbs, Development and Projects Manager, at British Garden Centres, explains: “I am really proud of both Nathan and Kerry. It’s been great to see them grow through the Rising Stars scheme.

“The garden industry is rapidly changing and young talent is supporting and driving change and it’s fantastic to see the enthusiasm and passion for horticulture continue to be represented in the British Garden Centres family. “

The finalists will present their projects at the GCA Conference at the De Vere Cotswold Water Park Hotel near Cirencester, Gloucestershire on Monday, January 29 and share with the audience how the Rising Stars programme has helped them develop during the past 10 months.

A final winner will be voted for by conference delegates and crowned at the event.

Gina Lewis, Social & Content Marketing Manager at Westland Horticulture, said: “Garden centres and the incredible teams that work within them, are critical to the success and future growth of the UK gardening industry. At Westland, we are passionate about supporting the future stars of the industry and we are delighted to have been able to sponsor and support this year’s Rising Stars on their journey over the last 12 months to the GCA conference.

“The presentations they have prepared, with Gordon’s guidance, are thought provoking, insightful and innovative, highlighting the huge potential of this talented group. Each Rising Star has really engaged with the sustainability brief, bringing something new and exciting to their centres. We wish them the best of luck as they move to the next stage of the competition.”

It’s time for a new chapter at Hillier Nurseries Ltd. Chairman Robert Hillier (pictured right) has announced that he will be standing down from his position of Chairman and will hand the reins of the family-run business over to George Hillier, who will take the role of Chairman from 1st January 2024. Robert will remain actively involved in the business as a Board Director on a part-time basis.

Hillier will celebrate its 160th anniversary next year and during that time there have only been four Chairmen. Robert has worked in the company for more than 50 years and has been the driving force behind Hillier since 1980.

It is his passion and dedication that has led Hillier to where it is today, from the introduction and growth of the retail chain of garden centres to the expansion of the Hillier Trees division, winning significant tenders for projects such as The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. 

Robert Hillier says: “It has been a privilege to be at the forefront of this company for so long. I am extremely proud to be handing over to the next generation of the Hillier family. We are a business that has always looked to the future, so it is wonderful to see George take the reins and continue to build on the fantastic achievements of the last 160 years."

George (above) has worked in the company for 23 years and is ready to build on the strong foundation that has been laid down. He began as a Garden Centre Assistant and worked his way up to become Manager of Hillier Garden Centre Chichester, before progressing to Area Manager for three years and then into his current role as Director of Property. He has managed the company’s recent property acquisitions and developments taking the portfolio from 12 to 22 garden centres, as well as acquiring additional land for growth in the Hillier tree nurseries. George has also been instrumental in setting and delivering the company’s sustainability objectives, working with Planet Mark to reduce the business’ carbon footprint.

Discussing his new position as Chairman George said: “I’m looking forward to the opportunities ahead of us. These are exciting times for Hillier following our recent acquisitions and our launch of online shopping. The world is experiencing some uncertain times right now, but we have a strong and experienced team at Hillier who support our values and our vision and care about our customers, so we’re in a great position to look at what’s next for our business and continue the growth that my predecessors championed for decades. Of course, this is all while we focus on what we do best – trees, plants and great customer experiences!’

Transitions like this are always a significant milestone in any company’s history and we’re looking forward to this next chapter for Hillier!

Sarah Raven ihas announced the acquisition of award-winning nursery, Taylors Clematis, cementing their position as the largest clematis retailer in the UK.

The full range of Taylors Clematis will become part of the Sarah Raven offering, with over 100 varieties of clematis available. Sarah Raven will continue to deliver the same outstanding quality and advice Taylors Clematis has become synonymous with, but customers will now benefit from the assistance of Sarah Raven’s dedicated UK-based customer support team, including its live chat feature.

The acquisition of Taylors Clematis by Sarah Raven is a perfect opportunity to integrate one of the UK’s most experienced clematis cultivators into the Sarah Raven family. Taylors Clematis has over 40 years’ experience breeding plants of the highest quality and has won multiple RHS Gold Medals. The brand is excited to embark on this new venture and is the perfect fit for Sarah Raven; sharing similar values and an innate focus on providing a range of premium products to customers.

Alison Doherty, CEO of Sarah Raven, said, “Through this strategic and exciting acquisition, Sarah Raven will now become the largest suppliers of clematis plants in the UK. We look forward to helping even more gardeners bring beauty, colour, and joy to their much-loved outdoor spaces, underpinned by our mutual commitment to excellence, knowledge, and quality.”

The expansion is a landmark journey for the Sarah Raven brand, as the introduction of Taylors Clematis provides the opportunity to enhance its offering of rare breed and award-winning clematises. Previous customers of Taylors Clematis will now be able to order their favourite exclusive varieties with lower delivery cost, while also benefiting from Sarah Raven’s extensive range of top-quality plants, bulbs, and seeds, plus expert advice, and dedicated courses for gardeners of all levels.

Chris and Suzy Cocks of Taylors Clematis said, “We are so excited for the future of Taylors Clematis as the brand joins the Sarah Raven family. It’s a great time for the business and ultimately our highly valued customers, who, whilst still benefitting from Taylors Clematis' extensive range, will also have access to Sarah Raven's dedicated customer support team and Live Chat function. It really is such a proud milestone for the company to join such a well-respected horticultural brand.”

The full range of Taylors Clematis by Sarah Raven will be available from 20th November. Customers will be able to browse hand-selected varieties, from old favourites to best in-show plants that are suitable for all gardens, whether you’re looking to elevate containers or incorporate a fencing feature.

Discover more here: www.sarahraven.com/taylors-clematis

Blue Diamond have been shortlisted as The Best Retailer over £250m in the Retail Week Awards 2024 alongside Boots, Frasers Group, ScS Group, Superdrug, Tesco, The Very Group and
Wickes.

Alan Roper told GTN Xtra: "I entered the competition on behalf of all our colleagues who work on the shopfloor and our operational retail teams that support them.

"Because when you take a step back and reflect on the extraordinary retail standards we have strived for and achieved over the years, I believe they stand shoulder to shoulder with the best retailers in the high street on any given day.

"I am very proud indeed that my colleagues have been recognised."

The Retail Week Awards take place on Tuesday 5th March at The Grosvenor House, London.

British Garden Centres and the leading surplus food app, Too Good To Go, have announced a significant milestone in their partnership. Together, they have successfully prevented more than 10,000 meals from going to waste since the initiative was rolled out across some sites earlier this year. 

With 40% of all food ending up being wasted and the current cost-of-living crisis putting pressure on purse strings, the Too Good To Go app is one way that British Garden Centres can offer support to their customers in each community effectively.

2023 saw the start of the collaboration with Too Good to Go across its 26 carvery sites -  Tarporley, Osterley, Chapel, Thatcham, Bressingham, Arcadia, Carr Gate, Roxton, Ramsgate, Hornsea, Horncastle, Wolseley Bridge,  Shipley, East Durham, Tring, Woodthorpe, Albrighton, Irton, Leyland, Louth, Braintree, Bolton, Gilberdyke, Crawley, Brigg and Mirfield.  These centres have handed out Surprise      Bags of food to local customers and collectively helped avoid      25,000 tonnes of CO2e emissions, equivalent to more than 4 million full smartphone charges or 114 flight tickets from London to Berlin.      

Too Good To Go is a social impact company working with companies to prevent food waste by enabling customers to purchase surplus food from restaurants, convenience retailers and producers in an affordable way. Users download the free Too Good To Go app and search for nearby businesses that offer unsold food, where they can then purchase a Surprise Bag filled with great food at a fraction of its original retail value, collect it at an allotted time and enjoy.      

Ricky Towers, Group Restaurant Director at British Garden Centres said:  “British Garden Centres and Too Good To Go have successfully reached the impressive milestone of 10,000 meals, showcasing their fruitful partnership. Our team takes great pride in the accomplishments and the food that we have saved from going to waste at our carvery sites in recent months. This significant achievement serves as a testament to our shared dedication towards combating food waste and its environmental implications. By demonstrating how small actions can yield significant transformations, we are looking forward to continuing our collaboration and achieving bigger milestones, all in the pursuit of a sustainable future.”

Sophie Trueman, UK & Ireland Managing Director at Too Good To Go adds, “We’re thrilled to have reached this incredible milestone together with British Garden Centres. Their commitment to tackling food waste has made them the perfect partner for us, and it’s amazing to see the significant impact we are driving together. Saving good food from going to waste not only carries huge benefits for our planet, but it can also be a great help in coping with the rising food costs we’re experiencing at the moment. I can’t wait to see our partnership continue to flourish and rescue even more good food from going to waste."

The team at a Bradford-based garden centre group is celebrating after winning the Sustainability award in a national competition.

Yorkshire Garden Centres, owner of Tong, Tingley, Bingley and Otley Garden Centres, won the Sustainability award at the 2023 Garden Centre Catering Awards.

Yorkshire Garden Centre's Commercial Director, Sharon McNair, is delighted with the win: "Sustainability and community are the heart of our business and we are investing significant time, money and manpower to achieve our ambition of being Carbon Neutral by 2026.

"From harnessing solar power and harvesting rainwater to using green electricity and improving our waste streams, we have already taken many steps to achieve this goal and are proud that our team's efforts have been rewarded with this prestigious award."
 

A spokesperson for Garden Centre Catering said: "Seven months after its launch, a bumper number of entries, many highly enjoyable covert investigations, much heated discussion and a final, highly argumentative, but ultimately unanimous judging session, Garden Centre Catering can finally announce the names of the four worthy winners of the Garden Centre Catering Awards 2023 competition - and what a competition it was!"

The winners of the other three awards in the competition were:

Independent Garden Centre Caterer of the Year: Thetford Garden Centre, Thetford, Norfolk; Winner of the Group Garden Centre Caterer of the Year: Bosworth Garden Company, Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire and Winner of the Afternoon Tea of the Year: St Peter's Garden Centre, Broomhill, Worcester.

The Yorkshire Garden Centres group employs almost 500 people across its four West Yorkshire sites.

Home fragrance specialists, Elements of Fragrance, has confirmed a new range of home scents will launch later this year and will exclusively raise funds for the children’s hospice garden charity, Greenfingers.

The new range, entitled ‘Elements of Garden’, will bring to market a stunning range of wax melts, oils, reed diffusers, candles, room sprays, sponge soaps, bath bombs, shower steamers and even fragranced carpet sprinkles. Inspired by the fresh scents of the English garden and orchard, the Elements of Garden will feature 12 scents, including six fruity aromas for the bath and body collection.

Reminiscent of days spent in the great outdoors and inspired by the nation’s love of gardening, these products are the perfect fit for garden centres and their consumer demographic, with repeat sales and gifting potential making them the perfect year-round seller. As such, these are products that have what it takes to continually boost Greenfingers’ fundraising total, with Elements of Fragrance confirming that 10% of every item sold will be donated straight to Greenfingers and is keen to develop a long-term fundraising plan with the charity.

To celebrate the launch and to kickstart the fundraising journey, Elements of Fragrance has revealed three new merchandise stand deals that are designed to help retailers optimise sales. For an extra pre-Christmas boost, all orders placed before December 31st will see retailers receive free testers to further entice shoppers instore.

Speaking about the new partnership, Mathew Thomason, Director at Elements of Fragrance said: “I’ve been active within the garden retail sector for over 20 years and have always seen how the Greenfingers Charity has been embraced by the industry. With Elements of Fragrance, I am in a position where I can fully support the charity, with this special garden-inspired collection the perfect way to kickstart this new partnership. I am excited about getting started and truly hope that our efforts will go a long way in supporting the charity in the amazing work they undertake at children’s hospices across the country.”

Linda Petrons, Director of Fundraising and Communications said: “On behalf of all of us at Greenfingers, we’d like to say a huge thank you to Mathew and his team for choosing to support our work. I have been lucky enough to have a sneak peek of the Elements of Garden collection and it is just stunning. I have no doubt that it will perform superbly in garden centres and in doing so will be a wonderful contributor to our fundraising targets.”

Find out more

To find out how you can start stocking the new Elements of Garden home fragrance range, please visit www.elementsoffragrance.com/register or email Mathew and the team via sales@elementsoffragrance.co.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.

Broadcaster David Domoney, presenter of numerous television shows for ITV, including their flagship prime-time show Love Your Garden, joins forces with Needlefresh to inspire and the nation on the benefits and enjoyment of having a real, UK-grown Christmas tree. Together, they’ve created a series of videos that showcase the growing popularity of the Fraser Fir Christmas tree, plus the benefits of bringing living trees into the home through Pot Grown trees.

One of the big Christmas tree trends of recent years is wanting a tree that has a big presence in a room, without all the bulk. The historically popular Nordman Fir and Norway Spruce have some emerging competition in the Fraser Fir. This tall Christmas tree has all the height of the Nordman Fir and Norway Spruce, but is much more slender, losing a lot of the bulk. This makes the Fraser Fir a great option for smaller spaces or as a second tree in the house for a kitchen or hallway.

Another Christmas tree option growing in popularity in recent years is using Pot Grown, living Christmas trees. This is a wonderful planet-friendly option for your home, bringing a living tree in over Christmas, then planting it back outdoors for a permanent Christmas tree to decorate and watch grow for years to come. 

Christmas trees are one of the most sustainable crops grown in the UK, with each one being replaced as soon as it’s harvested. Plus, Pot Grown trees can continue living in your garden, making them an even more sustainable option. The popularity of having a real Christmas tree over plastic has been growing in recent years, making it a prominent and attractive choice.

David Domoney said, “There is magic to having a real tree at Christmas, it really becomes the heart of the home. The scent of the pines can connect us with the memories of our childhoods and set precious and invaluable memories for our own children too. The presents, baubles, decorations, and wonderful lights in the evening, all herald Christmas. This makes Christmas trees one of the most uplifting and joyful plants that we bring into the home.”

Domoney added, “Together with Needlefresh, we wanted to make sure that consumers know what the real benefits of choosing a Fraser Fir or Pot Grown tree for Christmas this year are. The Fraser Fir with its slim shape, nostalgic scent, and wonderful blue-green colour make it a popular and space-saving option without sacrificing its presence in the room. We also wanted to ensure that consumers knew how best to care for their Pot Grown trees, to make certain they would get the best out of their tree before planting it out after Christmas.”

Christopher Hood, founder and Chairman of Needlefresh said, “Its great working with David again this year. He is a real Horticulturalist and a great communicator. Not only does he understand what Real Christmas trees can bring to the festive season, but also really effectively gets the message across as to how they can make a really positive impact on our environment”

The videos are available to be shared on garden centre’s websites that stock Needlefresh Christmas trees. The range includes a whole host of trees including Traditional trees, Pot Grown trees, and Needlefast® trees that don’t drop their needles so easily.

British Garden Centres, the UK’s largest family-run garden retailer, has unveiled its new Christmas advert, “#AllWrappedUp” for 2023’s festive season.

The touching advert, which stars two local children from North Lincolnshire, has been rolled out in a multichannel campaign across email marketing, social media and YouTube.

The 106-second video follows an excited young boy and girl who unwrap Christmas in their front room, starting with the Christmas tree, followed by decorations and ornaments before being visited by Santa himself who offers them a golden ticket to British Garden Centres which offers everything, they could possibly need to make the big day as magical as possible.

Told in an enchanting rhyme, the advert positions a community’s local British Garden Centre as the ultimate Christmas destination and the home of the festive season, “full of candles, calendars and accessories galore. Lamps and lanterns, teddy bears and more. Biscuits and sweets and many more festive treats. And Christmas gonks with beards down to their feet.”

Shot and directed by British Garden Centres, Group Brand Manager, Ian Hutchinson, the short clip highlights how British Garden Centres stock an extensive array of festive items for every home big or small making it your one-stop Christmas destination.

Amy Stubbs, Project and Development Manager at British Garden Centres said, “British Garden Centres aims to deliver a memorable yet affordable shopping experience for all households and the ultimate in-store experience, so this video is perfect in illustrating both the excitement of Christmas and how each centre is the ultimate “one-stop shop for decorations, gifts and so much more.”

The heart-warming advert can be viewed on the British Garden Centres YouTube channel and can be viewed at https://youtu.be/6czJ6-swO88?si=MKcGkBbw4sfwBJwj

Garden centres have helped support horticultural industry charity Perennial this year by ordering two special fundraising salvias from Wyevale Nurseries.

The new plants – launched at the 2022 HTA National Plant Show and available for retailers to sell in the summer – have helped raise £1,600 for the charity.

Retail Sales Manager at Wyevale Nurseries, Colin Stanley says: “This year we’ve sold 4,000 of our two new salvias – Salvia gregii Cuello Pink and Salvia gregii Cuello White – to garden centres, who, in turn, sold them to gardeners. It’s a wonderful achievement and we’re delighted to have been involved with this fundraising initiative.

“Everyone who purchased a plant has helped to raise essential funds and awareness for Perennial, which supports all those who work with plants, trees, flowers or grass, whether working or retired, and their families. As part of this special Plant for Perennial promotion, our salvias were branded with a Perennial linked picture label and came in taupe kerbside recyclable pots too.”

Perennial is the UK’s only charity dedicated to helping everyone in our horticultural community, including garden centre employees. They are on hand to offer free advice, information or support for concerns such as the impact of health issues, bereavement, redundancy, family breakdowns and money management.

Both salvias were new to the market this year. They flower early summer to late autumn and are bush forming, wildlife friendly, hardy to -5°c, and reach a height and spread of 70-80cm.

They’re available now to order for 2024 delivery and sales through garden centres will continue to support the charity next year too. Wyevale Nurseries will donate 40 pence from each plant sold to Perennial.

Colin adds: “Plant for Perennial is a collaborative scheme between the charity and four major wholesale nurseries in Hereford and Worcester, including us. The initiative is designed to raise awareness and funds to help build better lives for all those in this industry.

“We’re very keen to promote Perennial’s work, especially since it’s closely linked with Young People in Horticulture Association (YPHA) and we’ve colleagues who are members of this organisation.”

Wyevale Nurseries and the other three commercial growers involved in the scheme sold a range of plants to fundraise for the charity this year. They worked together to help support the organisation and to highlight the services it provides to the commercial horticultural sector and across the industry.

The 2023 plant selection included the two salvias from Wyevale Nurseries, Dianthus ‘Pink Celebration’ from Allensmore Nurseries, Nemesia ‘Peaches and Cream’ from The Bransford Webbs Plant Company and Clematis ‘Prince George’ from New Leaf Plants.

Phil Swainston, Corporate Partnership Manager at Perennial, explains: “Plants for Perennial is an exciting collaboration between four renowned nurseries to highlight the services we provide to the commercial horticultural sector and to spread the word that we are here to help in a wonderful, eye-catching way. It was also a great fundraiser for us too.”

For further details about Wyevale Nurseries, please call 01432 845 200 or visit www.wyevalenurseries.co.uk. For more information about Perennial and the services the charity provides visit www.perennial.org.uk.

After another year as GIMA’s chosen charity, Greenfingers – the charity behind almost 70 therapeutic garden spaces at children’s hospices across the country – has recently received over £20,000 from the garden manufacturers trade association following another year of fundraising.

The amazing fundraising total of £20,350 is the result of several key activities including, most recently, the GIMA Awards which saw the evening’s Hozelock-sponsored table raffle and More People-sponsored main raffle raise over £4,750, with guests bidding for the chance to win a sound bar or Apple iPad. Adding to the pot was an additional £1,600. This money was raised by a special auction that took place following the GIMA Awards judging day in July, with many entrants to the 2023 awards kindly donating their product samples to help raise much-needed funds.

This level of generosity echoed that of the guests and players at the GIMA Golf Day in June, where an incredible £14,000 was raised! An ever-popular day in the GIMA calendar, the golf day welcomed 100 players as well as guests from across the industry, coming together for a day of fierce competition and fundraising for the Greenfingers Charity.

Jenny Douthwaite, GIMA President, who selected Greenfingers as the 2023 GIMA charity beneficiary said: “The work that the Greenfingers Charity undertake every day is incredible, with gardening at the heart of the magic it creates. Being able to shine a light on their work, bring together our members to raise essential funds and to show our ongoing support for the charity always makes for an action packed and thought-provoking calendar of events. Our thanks to all those that have helped us to reach such a superb fundraising total.”

Find out more

For further information about GIMA and its wide range of member benefits and future events, please contact the GIMA Press Office on (01959) 564947 or info@gima.org.uk

The Horticultural Trades Association has welcomed the publication of the report from the year-long House of Lords Horticulture Committee special inquiry for recognising the importance of UK horticulture as a key deliverer of environmental targets. 

At the forefront of the report’s recommendations is the HTA’s top ask for increased cross-departmental collaboration within the government to acknowledge the sector’s relevance across policy areas.

Having actively contributed to the inquiry through impactful written and in-person evidence, numerous industry visits and ensuring the voices and views of its members were heard, the HTA and wider environmental horticulture sector receive recognition throughout the report for their invaluable contributions to the economy and the pursuit of a net-zero future.

James Barnes, HTA chairman, commented: “We are a sector contributing billions to the economy, supporting nearly 700,000 jobs and enriching the UK’s public spaces – both urban and rural as well as our home gardens. The Lords’ report recognises this significant value and challenges the government to create an environment which supports the growth of our original green industry, allowing it to bloom and boom.

“The report prioritises one of the HTA’s key asks – for the machinery of government to work more effectively for horticulture. The report proposes the establishment of a cross-government working group, recognising that environmental horticulture spans many policy portfolios - planning, health, net-zero, trade, and business – to name just a few. We have called for a Government Office for Green Spaces to serve as that bridge.

“While the report delves into the distinctive aspects of environmental and edible horticulture, it identifies common challenges such as trade, peat, energy and skills. The report places significant emphasis on borders and trade and ensuring biosecurity remains a top priority whilst delivering smoother and speedier border movements. The report’s recognition of the importance of international trade is particularly welcome, given UK horticulture has been both first and hardest hit by border changes. We also appreciate the urgency placed on modernising the CITES permit system to ensure it is fit for purpose and avoid unnecessary lost consignments.

“The committee heard crucial evidence on peat, which clearly stated that time is a major factor in being able to transition to other forms of growing media sustainably, and the report acknowledges that bans alone will not deliver a sustainable transition, which is a significant step. We already have record lows of peat usage, surpassing our European neighbours, and the support measures outlined in the report need urgent review and implementation to aid further progress.

“The value of horticulture, whether in the pursuit of net-zero goals, urban cooling, biodiversity enhancement or promoting health and wellbeing, is celebrated throughout this report. It is now imperative for government officials and policymakers to fully embrace, champion, and initiate the necessary actions for the sector not only to survive but to thrive. We urge the government to seize this opportunity, utilise the insights from the report, and ensure that horticulture becomes a vital policy solution that transcends multiple departments. In short, it’s time to turn words into action and cultivate a brighter, greener future for all. The HTA is now working through the details of the nearly 200-page report and looks forward to discussing it in greater detail.

“We extend our gratitude to the honourable Lords and Ladies and the committee clerks for their dedicated work, as well as to the industry for their sincere and passionate contributions.”

Notcutts Garden Centres have been Highly Commended in the Community Engagement Award category at the annual PlanetMark Awards. This recognition reflects Notcutts' commitment to environmental sustainability and their achievements in the field of employee engagement, particularly in the area of energy reduction.

PlanetMark, are a renowned organisation that help companies measure and reduce their carbon footprint. Their annual awards celebrate those companies that demonstrate exceptional progress in their environmental and sustainability journey.

The Community Engagement Award celebrates companies that go above and beyond in engaging their employees to make significant contributions to the environment and community. Notcutts stood out with their comprehensive mobilisation of their teams to make substantial strides in energy reduction, a key aspect of their sustainability strategy.

Notcutts is committed to minimising their environmental impact by involving their employees in initiatives to reduce energy consumption, as well as waste management, water consumption and supporting biodiversity.

"We are delighted to receive this recognition from PlanetMark," said Julie Murray, Marketing and Customer Care Director at Notcutts Garden Centres. "Our teams are working hard to reduce the amount of energy we use and minimise our carbon footprint. We know we still have much further to go and will continue to take positive steps forward on our sustainability journey.”

Notcutts Garden Centres' success is a testament to their innovative approaches to sustainability, which include employee participation, energy-efficient practices, and environmental consciousness. By actively involving their workforce in sustainability efforts, they have fostered a sense of shared responsibility creating a positive impact on the environment.

For more information visit www.notcutts.co.uk

Notcutts Garden Centres has received a Best Employers Award in the Eastern Region, recognising the positive colleague engagement at its garden centres in Peterborough, Brampton, Norwich and Woodbridge, and its support office.

Pure and Eras created the Best Employers Eastern Region initiative to identify and promote the region’s best employers. This initiative is sponsored by law firm Birketts and 490 regional businesses took part in the survey, with 30 per cent of the top performing businesses qualifying to enter the awards as a result.

Notcutts joined around 170 local professionals at the Best Employers Eastern Region Awards event hosted in Newmarket on 19 October. Notcutts’ survey data was compared to previous years, as well as data from other organisations with similar employee numbers.

In their survey results, Notcutts colleagues demonstrated a strong emphasis on building and maintaining customer relationships and identifying customers’ needs, scoring 9.2 out of 10 in this area. Notcutts colleagues also scored highly for personal engagement, teamwork, motivation, clarity of the company’s vision and goals, and a strong understanding of brand values.

Colleagues selected ‘Teamwork’ and ‘Customer Focus’ as the values that are most important to them personally. They also selected the same values for Notcutts as a business, illustrating a strong alignment between individuals and the company.

Sarah Dempsey, HR Director, Notcutts, said: “We’re thrilled to have won the Best Employers Award for Hospitality and Retail in the Eastern Region. Our colleagues in all 19 of our garden centres and at our support office complete a survey every year.

“We believe it’s vital to invest in our colleagues, to take time to understand their perception of Notcutts, and to support everyone on every level, so that they can continue to deliver brilliant experiences for our customers.”

For more information about the Best Employers initiative visit www.bestemployers.prs.uk.com. To find out more about Notcutts visit www.notcutts.co.uk.

The Old Railway Line Garden Centre, a family run, independent garden centre in Three Cocks, is thrilled to announce donations of £1002 from their recent ‘Spooky Halloween Walk’, to be donated to Wales Air Ambulance. 

In a spooktacular display of community spirit, the Old Railway Line Garden Centre hosted a Halloween Walk that has not only sent shivers down the spines of its visitors but also encouraged voluntary donations from the hundreds of people who passed through. The Spooky Halloween Walk was open for two weeks in the lead up to Halloween and the half term week after, raising an astonishing £1002 in donations from people who embraced the spirit of giving during the Halloween season.

The Halloween Walk at the Old Railway Line Garden Centre has become a beloved annual tradition for local families and visitors alike. This years’ experience, while filled with eerie decorations and ghoulish delights, had an extra special element: a commitment to supporting a charitable cause. Participants were encouraged to make donations as they strolled through the hauntingly enchanting pathway.

The incredible sum of £1002 raised during the Halloween Walk will go toward Wales Air Ambulance, who are purely funded through charitable donations. They operate some of the most advanced air ambulances in the UK, saving precious time and lives.

Event Manager, Matthew Lewis, expressed gratitude to all those who attended and made donations, saying, "We are overwhelmed by the generosity of our customers. The Halloween Walk has always been about bringing people together for a memorable experience, and this year, the generous donations have been the icing on the cake. We're thrilled to be able to donate over £1000 to support our Charity of the Year, Wales Air Ambulance further in their vital work."

For more information on their upcoming events and to secure your spot, visit the Old Railway Line Garden Centre event page at www.oldrailwaylinegc.co.uk/pages/upcoming-events or contact them at 01497847055.

Leading UK sourcing show, Source Home & Gift, has announced a partnership with Retail Economics to deliver retail trends and insights at the show, across its digital and social platforms, and via webinars.

Retail Economics, an independent economics research consultancy focused on the UK consumer and retail industry, will deliver monthly blogs on the retail landscape and consumer trends available at https://www.source-homeandgift.com/latest-articles  and is hosting a webinar with its CEO Richard Lim (pictured right) on Wednesday 15th November at 11am. The UK Retail Landscape – Outlook and Opportunities for 2024 webinar will provide invaluable expert views about retail in 2023 and what 2024 may bring for the UK retail market.

The session will provide an overview of the UK retail market, whilst examining consumer trends, the opportunities and trends present across major retail categories including, fashion, home and garden and shares insight into macro trends that may impact 2024 performance, and strategies to mitigate these risks.

Register at https://www.bigmarker.com/hyve/Trends-and-Opportunities-in-UK-Retail-for-2023-2024.

Suzanne Ellingham, Director of Sourcing, Source Home & Gift says, “As we continue to grow our sourcing shows, we know how important it is to provide our audiences with year-round retail insights to help them understand the key economic drivers behind UK retail and consumer sectors and help offer a competitive edge through deeper insights of the retail industry. With world class research, Retail Economics transform information into actionable insights, so this webinar is a must-attend.”

Source Home & Gift has also partnered with retail trends consultancy Insider Trends, launching a Transparency Report exploring what transparency and accountability really looks like in retail. Looking at whether retail can ever truly consider itself sustainable when it’s all about the sale of new things; how even resale, repairs, and rental have an environmental impact and are treated as add-ons for businesses who make money selling new products; and a move away from terms like ‘sustainable’, the Transparency Report outlines how fashion and retail can move forward.

To launch the report, join the Insider Trends Report Webinar on Thursday 23rd November at 11am. The session will provide an overview of the UK retail market, whilst examining consumer trends, the opportunities and trends present across the fashion landscape, and why sustainable and ethical sourcing matter to UK consumers. Register at https://www.bigmarker.com/hyve/Insider-Trends-Report.

About Source Home & Gift

Uniting global manufacturers and artisan makers who all pride themselves on responsible manufacturing and sustainable production, with key retailers, brands, and contractors, Source Home & Gift takes place on 4th – 7th February 2024 at NEC Birmingham with producers from UK, China, India, Africa, Philippines, Nepal and many more showcasing their wares.

Source Home & Gift brings the world to the UK as an easier, cheaper, and more effective destination to discover what’s trending, and develop and source new materials and products. All exhibitors are required to have had a recent audit from Sedex or a recognisable audit institution giving buyers the confidence that they will meet suppliers that have responsible business practices. The show features eight sectors including Homewares, Toys, Packaging, Stationery & Greetings, Gifts, Furniture, Textiles, and Technology & Services.

With a content stage dedicated to presenting and discussing the latest trends and topics in responsible and sustainable manufacturing from internationally renowned industry professionals, and co-located with Spring Fair, Source Home & Gift is the must-attend event for the retail community.

Source Home & Gift takes place on the 4th-7th September at NEC Birmingham. Visit www.source-homeandgift.com for more information.

Are you an experienced or first-time garden designer, a horticulture or garden design student, or a gardening club or charity? BBC Gardeners’ World Events is offering the opportunity to inspire tens of thousands of keen gardeners, experts, media, and influencers by entering its 2024 Beautiful Borders competition. 

The Beautiful Borders are a hugely popular highlight at the flagship BBC Gardeners’ World Live at the NEC Birmingham, as well as at the boutique Spring and Autumn Fairs at Beaulieu and Audley End House and Gardens. Applications are open now. 

At just 9m2, these mini gardens are packed with imaginative design elements, creative features and planting combinations, offering a treasure trove of ideas for small spaces and challenging places. Entering the Beautiful Borders competition is a great way to get experience of building a small Show Garden and to showcase your design flair and skills. Entrants receive full support from BBC Gardeners’ World Events’ highly experienced horticultural team, and all entries are assessed by esteemed horticulturalists and design experts, with medals awarded. Headline awards are presented to the most outstanding entries for Best Beautiful Border, Best Interpretation of the Theme, and Best Subscriber Border for the best design by a subscriber to BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine. Show visitors have their own say by voting for their favourite Border for the Peoples’ Choice award.   

New for 2024 is a £200 bursary for select applicants for plants or props. Grants are limited and all applications will be considered on their own merits. 25 bursaries will be awarded for BBC Gardeners’ World Live and 12 for each of the Spring and Autumn Fairs.

The 2024 Beautiful Borders competition theme for all three events is ‘Share My Space’. These mini masterpieces demonstrate that size is no barrier to beauty or functionality, and the theme is all about harnessing the potential of small garden spaces to build a sense of community and bring us together through gardening. Interpretations of the theme might be an idyllic and quiet oasis, a gardening workshop, a space to share with family and friends, nature and wildlife, or visitors to the shows, or even a trip down memory lane.

Lucy Tremlett, Head of Horticultural Division at Immediate Live, organisers of BBC Gardeners’ World events, said: “The Beautiful Borders are miniature masterpieces, demonstrating that size is no barrier to beauty or functionality. No matter what size, gardens are spaces where we can come together, learn from one another, and cultivate a shared green oasis. Whether it’s growing vegetables, nurturing pollinators, or simply enjoying fresh air, the Beautiful Borders reflect a creative use of space while inspiring others to make the most of their own gardens. These tiny show gardens may be limited in size but there are no limits to the creativity that goes into designing them or their potential.”  

Winners of the 2023 BBC Gardeners’ World Events Beautiful Borders competition were:

BBC Gardeners’ World Live, NEC Birmingham: … and breathe, a Platinum award winning garden escape for mindful rest, created by first-time designer, Claire Morrell.

BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair, Beaulieu, Hampshire: ‘Not all those who wander are lost’ by Furzey Gardens and Minstead Trust who provide training and work experience for people with learning disabilities. The Platinum award winning garden was inspired by a poem from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring.

BBC Gardeners’ World Autumn Fair, Audley End, Essex: Free Thinking by Rachel Sporborg, inspired by artist David Tremlett’s wall drawing, Drawing for Free Thinking, at Tate Britain.

Cara Thompson won a Gold award and the People’s Choice title at the BBC Gardeners’ World Autumn Fair 2023. She says: “Putting my design application forward was one of the best decisions I have made. The whole journey from designing the vision to creating the Border has been absolutely incredible. It was my first time ever designing a garden and I have now found a new passion for designing. I’ve learnt so much from this experience and am incredibly grateful for the opportunity. Being presented with the People's Choice Award from Adam Frost made my year! If anyone is thinking about putting an application forward, just go for it!” 

For full information and details about how to enter a Beautiful Border for a BBC Gardeners’ World Event, go to www.bbcgardenersworldlive.com or www.bbcgardenersworldfair.com, or contact Lucy Trernlett, Horticultural Manager, at: lucy.tremlett@immediate.co.uk, tel: 020 7150 5130. Applications for BBC Gardener’s World Live and the Spring Fair close on 23 January 2024. Applications for the Autumn Fair close on 2 May 2024.

Tickets for BBC Gardeners’ World Live and the Spring Fair are on sale now. Autumn Far tickets go on sale in the spring. In addition to the Beautiful Borders, event highlights include inspiring gardens, spectacular floral displays, plant and garden shopping, theatres and stages featuring gardening tips and advice from BBC Gardeners’ World TV presenters, Magazine edtors and plant experts, garden tours and talks, workshops and demonstrations, plus delicious food and drink with live entertainment.

www.bbcgardenersworldlive.com

www.bbcgardenersworldfair.com

Following the success of this year’s open day event “Plant Retailing: A Sustainable Future”, Frank P Matthews have joined forces with The Bransford Webbs Plant Company and New Leaf Plants to host another retail focused event in February 2024.

The three nurseries involved cover a broad spectrum of UK retail horticulture, and for our 2024 event will look ahead to investigate and discuss the plant area of the future. 

The day will consist of talks from industry experts considering the future of plant retailing and the challenges ahead, presentations from each of the nurseries, interactive sessions where retailers can have an input into what they need from their suppliers and a guided tour around Frank P Matthews Worcestershire Production Facility. 

This free event is open to all retail nurseries and garden centres and will be held on Wednesday 28^th and Thursday 29^th February 2024 at The Bank House Hotel, Bransford. Look out for more details coming soon direct from the nurseries. 

A new mix-and-match option from LifestyleGarden is set to create a wealth of opportunities for retailers, enabling stockists to build a bespoke offerings and to try lines they might not have considered before, all whilst helping their customers find the perfect set up for their outdoor space.

The exciting new move by leading furniture manufacturer, LifestyleGarden means that, from 2024, retailers (and consumers) will be able to build their perfect furniture set, drawing from LifestyleGarden’s extensive portfolio of table and chairs across the Topaz and brand-new Urbanite collections, plus a selection of exquisite selection new FSC teak tables. Choosing from these stunning collections, retailers can put together a wish list and create almost bespoke offerings that will give them an exclusive range and provide stand out from competitors. 

With a focus on three core colours across new and existing ranges, these products are perfectly designed to blend seamlessly with one another, making mixing and matching easier and putting 300 configuration options at your fingertips.

The new Urbanite collection provides a contemporary upgrade on LifestyleGarden’s popular core aluminium dining ranges and features two colourways: Coral Sand and Mouse Grey. When mixed with the chic Topaz collection and new FSC teak lines, consumers will have access to a seemingly endless choice of stylish combinations.

Flexible volumes

This versatile new sales tool also enables stockists to be more adventurous and try listing items they wouldn’t necessarily consider, whilst still carrying tried and tested ‘bread and butter’ ranges. By offering greater flexibility with volumes, LifestyleGarden aims to give retailers the confidence to broaden their offering and the opportunity to try something new.

Where possible, LifestyleGarden will also utilise its strong UK holding to support retailers and deliver extra stock from the range if they find their customers are looking for particular items. These changes elevate the level of service stockists are able to provide consumers with, giving them access to configurations that best suit their needs and personal tastes and helping them put together the perfect furniture combination for their outdoor space.

Positive feedback

So far, the response from LifestyleGarden customers to the new ‘mix and match’ strategy – first launched at SOLEX 2023 - has been overwhelmingly positive, with retailers using the flexibility on volumes to explore materials or styles that they might not otherwise be able to offer to their customers.

There continues to be huge demand and confidence in LifestyleGarden’s maintenance-free collections but ‘mix and match’ is already doing what it was designed to do, as retailers have enjoyed filtering several different designs into the proposition and are creating an exclusive offer that truly caters to their customers. With the all-new mix and match concept, retailers can fill containers with the products they want and create endless combinations through LifestyleGarden’s proven, trend-led ranges.

LifestyleGarden Commercial Director, Paul Cohen said: “We are really excited by this strategy and have had a fantastic response from retailers, who are using ‘mix and match’ to build an offer truly tailored to meet the wants and needs of their customer base. It’s been full steam ahead since we launched the concept and, on the back of such a warm welcome from stockists, we are excited to expand on it further going forward.

“We want our retail customers to be able to offer the best products and exceptional service, which is why it’s so important for us to support them in any way we can and help them remain ahead of the curve. As a group, there has been a lot of hard work behind the scenes with regards to pricing and logistics for season 2024, to ensure retailers can stay competitive in the outdoor living market and offer consumers great value.”

Find out more

To see more of LifestyleGarden‘s impressive portfolio, visit www.lifestylegarden.co.uk

As the AMES Companies continues to bring to market more and more gardening expertise through its market leading product portfolios, whilst also future proofing its heritage brands, it will come as no surprise that the company has also improved its facilities for customers. The new trade portals – dedicated to each brand – are now live and offer 24/7 access to multi-layered asset libraries to support sales.

Representative of efforts that the AMES Companies is undertaking to support its customers throughout every step of the retailer journey, these new dedicated portals, available for the Kelkay, Apta, La Hacienda, Easy Fountain and all-new AMES Tools brands, provide everything retailers need to easily find, list and sell every product from every brand.

Each portal includes access to the 2024 AMES catalogue, image libraries full of lifestyle and cutout imagery that’s perfect for use in marketing content and social media campaigns. You can also find POS guides and product databases, which provides information on everything from barcodes to short and long product descriptions, available colourways, dimensions and key features and benefits.

Where applicable, instruction manuals and product guides are also featured, enabling retailers to become experts on key products or to share with consumers to support their shopping experience.

Caroline Elliot, Product & Marketing Director at the AMES Companies said: “As our brand portfolios continue to expand, with new product offerings and new range presentations, the introduction of the new trade portals could not have come at a better time. Curated to offer everything retailers need to maximise sales or create their own marketing and social media content to entice, educate and engage with customers directly, our trade portals are the perfect one-stop-shop and are demonstrative of our commitment to ensuring our retail customers are supported throughout every step of their ‘AMES Companies’ journey.”

Beyond the portals

Whilst the new trade portals offer an unrivalled resource for retailers, the support available does not simply stop there. The AMES Companies also proudly provides its customers access to the most comprehensive product portfolios on the market today. Benchmark setting marketing provisions and customer service levels, are further bolstered by near 100% stock availability and delivery service level agreements that continually exceed the market standard. What’s more, the company is undertaking a series of significant investment plans which will offer even more value across the board in both the short and long-term.

Caroline added: “There has never been a better time to be an AMES Companies customer. We’ve been working tirelessly to ensure that the customer journey, from start to finish, is as effective as it can be. Through multiple key touchpoints, 24/7 support and a product portfolio that leaves no corner of the consumer wish list untouched, we believe we have created our strongest proposition yet, and one that will enable retailers to thrive in the coming season and beyond.”

Find out more

The AMES Companies trade portals can be found online via each brand’s website – look for the ‘trade’ link in the top right-hand corner. Available to existing customers only.

www.ames-tools.co.uk

www.lahacienda.co.uk

www.apta.co.uk

www.kelkay.com

www.easyfountain.co.uk

Find out more about the AMES Companies by visiting www.ames-uk.com

GTN September/October 2023: The Complete Glee New Product Showcase Directory.  In this issue:

• A passion for pots – GTN Interview at Woodlodge
• Norwegian Style outdoors with Fandango
• Captain of garden machinery – Mark Moseley Interview
• GCA Regional Awards – Full 2023 results
• GTN’s Greatest Christmas Awards – Enter now!
• Water-wise Planteria retailing from Timber Displays
• Home comforts - GTN visits Yarnton Home & Garden
• Glee New Product Showcase – The complete directory
  • Garden Growing Containers
  • DIY Products
  • Garden Decoration
  • Gifts, Body & Bath, Christmas, Greetings Cards, Toys & Games
  • Garden Tools & Machinery
  • Growing Accessories
  • Growing Materials
  • Homewares, Clothing & Fashion Accessories
  • Landscaping & Garden Buildings
  • Garden Leisure & Entertaining
  • Pet Products
  • Plants, Seeds and Bulbs
  • Retail Services & Experiences
  • Wild Bird Care & Wildlife Products
• Pets show success – PATS Telford 2023
• GTN Planteria Special
  • Highlights from Four Oaks
  • Plants of the future
• Challenging success - LOFA Column
• Reaching our full Potential – Environmental Horticulture Group Column
• Notes from an Indian Summer - HTA Column
• They think it’s all over… – GIMA Column

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.

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.

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

Global Consultancy Director Josh McBain will be offering Garden Centre Association (GCA) members an insight into ‘The Future of Garden Retailing’ at its 2024 Conference in January (January 28 until 31, 2024).

Josh is the first speaker to take to the podium on Monday, January 29 and will illuminate attendees with his predictions for garden centres – the main theme for 2024’s event.

Chairman Elect for 2024/25, Will Blake, explains: “Josh is Global Consultancy Director at Foresight Factory and led the research for the Ornamental Horticulture Roundtable Group’s ‘Growing a Green Economy’ report in 2021, which demonstrated the future value the industry could have in driving UK economic growth.

“He’s also been listed by Data IQ magazine as one of the top 100 most influential people working in Big Data in the UK.”

Josh joined Foresight Factory in 2012 and has since then been heavily involved in developing the company’s thinking towards the future of sustainability, retail, technology and the consumer world.

Expanding the company’s trend analysis, he has worked with industry bodies and leading global brands to produce a wide range of reports on topics from the future of Ornamental Horticulture to the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Josh has presented regularly at horticultural industry events during the past decade including those for the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA), Garden Industry’s Manufacturers’ Association (GIMA) and the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH).

GCA CEO, Peter Burks says: “We’re really looking forward to hearing what insights Josh can offer us all to help us drive our industry forward and so it continues to prosper in the future. This year’s conference is very much about the way ahead and how we evolve and cover all the opportunities available to us, as well as ensuring we’re doing all that we can do with regards to sustainability too.

“To find out more about our 2024 conference, please visit our members’ section on our website. There is also a dedicated email for any queries members, and those wishing to book, may have: conference@gca.org.uk. If non-members would like to join us, so they can attend, please email us via info@gca.org.uk. Until the end of November 2023, we’re also offering a 10% off discount to early bookers.

“There are other discounts available for garden centres who have not been to our conference before and for Young People in Horticulture Association (YPHA) members too.”

The GCA represents more than 200 garden centres nationwide.

Through sharing information and its inspection programme the GCA helps members to achieve high standards in customer service, plant quality and reliability.

Its 2024 annual GCA Conference will be held at the De Vere Cotswold Water Park Hotel near Cirencester, Gloucestershire from January 28 until 31, 2024 and places can be booked via www.gca.org.uk.

Specialist consultants Pleydell Smithyman have announced the promotion of Kathryn Farden and the new appointment of Andrew Burton as Associate Directors.

Kathryn and Andrew will work closely with Paul Pleydell to form the new senior management team, along with Project Architect Martin Giblin and Landscape Architect Sally Churn, who are promoted to the role of Associates.

With 17 years of experience and a successful track record in town planning, Kathryn will head the planning portfolio as well as internal operational organisation. Andrew joins the team with over 20 years’ experience in garden centre operation and development consultancy and will be working with clients to develop innovative and commercial strategies for improvement and change.

Paul Pleydell, director of the specialist consultancy, comments: “I am delighted that Andrew Burton is joining our team, bringing a wealth of experience in our core sectors. For Kathryn, Martin and Sally, their promotions reflect and reward their commitment to delivering great solution-focused results for our clients, and helping Pleydell Smithyman to be the best it can be.”

Leading pet and wild bird food producer Henry Bell & Co has appointed Andrew Mellowes as National Sales Manager to support the company’s growth in the garden centre sector. He will work alongside an extensive network of sales agents to consolidate and develop customer relationships.

Andrew, with vast experience of the gardening trade, has held a variety of positions over the past 20 years. He worked at Gardman, where he became Commercial Support Director, and was General Manager of Woodlodge Products, a supplier of garden and indoor pots and accessories.

Before joining Henry Bell, Andrew was Commercial Director of Burpee Europe, a wholesale supplier of vegetable and flower seed to the UK’s home garden seed market. 

“I am really looking forward to working with the Henry Bell team to build on the company’s significant success and to re-engage with customers and colleagues across the garden centre industry,” he said. 

Henry Bell Managing Director Thomas Lee added: “We are delighted that Andrew has joined us. His experience and knowledge of the garden centre and wild bird care markets make him a great asset to our company, and I am extremely pleased to have him on board at this exciting time.”

Andrew who has three grown-up children and enjoys cooking, gardening, walking and cycling in his spare time, took up his new role on 1 November. Retailers interested in becoming a Henry Bell stockist should contact Andrew by email, andrew@henry-bell.co.uk, or telephone 01476 565761.

One of the UK’s leading growers of soft fruit plants has joined Berkshire-based Joy of Plants’ ‘PlantShare’ library.

James McIntyre & Sons in Blairgowrie, Perthshire, Scotland, has signed-up to be part of the platform to help customers promote and support its plant range via online and in-store information.

Stuart McIntyre, Partner at James McIntyre & Sons, says: “We are delighted to have teamed up with Joy of Plants and have our products available on their platform. We hope it will help inspire people to grow their own soft fruit. Easy to grow and a great way to save money, there is nothing more satisfying than picking and eating fruit straight from the garden.”

The family-run firm has specialised in growing soft fruit in Scotland for more than 60 years. It produces more than a million raspberry canes every year on 60 acres of ground in the beautiful Strathmore valley in Perthshire.

On its nursery, the team also grow a large range of other soft fruit such as blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, redcurrants and strawberries. Five members of the family are actively involved in the business, as well as fifteen full-time staff and more than thirty part-time members of the team who help out at peak times of the year.

Joy of Plants’ mission is to make plant information easy and accessible to all. It has created a library of more than 16,000 UK garden plants and trees and offers a platform of tools to help garden centres, retailers and growers maximise their plant sales.

It provides information in many forms including a Plant Finder for websites and Touchscreen Kiosks, an Image and Text Library for ecommerce sites and print-on-demand Bed Cards.

Amanda Barber, Library Manager at Joy of Plants says: “We are excited to be working with James McIntyre & Sons to showcase its extensive range of soft fruit. The team is truly passionate about growing your own and there are some excellent varieties to choose from. I particularly love the patio raspberries, which work really well in pots and are just perfect for small spaces.

“Our ‘PlantShare’ library and information services provide an easy way for James McIntyre & Sons to give new gardeners and retail staff information about their soft fruit plants and the care products to use to help them be productive and thrive.

“Our Plant Finder Touchscreen kiosks bring information about all the soft fruit plants into stores, so that staff can help consumers choose exactly the right soft fruit plant for them, and our Bed Cards inform browsing shoppers. Our Image and Text Library also makes it quick and easy to add high quality images of these plants to webshops based on WooCommerce, Shopify or Bluepark.”

For further information about Joy of Plants, please visit www.joyofplants.com and for James McIntyre & Sons soft fruit plants www.james-mcintyre.co.uk or call 01250 873135.

BHETA has appointed Lee Martin as its new DIY Sector Manager for Home Improvement and Garden.  His role will be to support existing members with added value initiatives in the home and garden markets, as well as building the membership base through recruitment.

A well-known industry figure with a substantial career history in both the DIY and builders merchant sectors, Lee has worked in trade and retail sales director and manager roles in FMCG, technical and industrial environments from Oakey, Stanley, and Tetrosyl, through to Castolin Eutechtic.   Dealing with national multiple retailers such as B&Q, The Range, Wickes-Travis Perkins, Homebase, and Toolbank, Lee also has experience of global organisations including Tarmac-Lafarge, Bostik, and Evo-Stik Mapei International.

With a track record including the management of both UK and European distribution models, as well as P&L responsibility, Lee can support BHETA members with strategic business plans for growth, domestic and international business development, product marketing, brand launches, managing teams and processes, implementing change, and financial management. 

Commenting on his new role at BHETA, Lee said, “I’m delighted to be joining the BHETA team and taking on a new challenge.  I believe my experience, drive, and focus on all aspects of the home improvement and garden market can be put to good use.  It is great opportunity for me to contribute to the continuous enhancement of members' engagement with BHETA while adding value to their businesses.”

Will Jones, Chief Operating Officer at BHETA added, “Lee brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the established BHETA team, and I look forward to working with him spearheading existing and new added value initiatives for BHETA members.”

Further information about BHETA’s extensive programme of events and initiatives together with all BHETA member services can be found on the BHETA website www.bheta.co.uk or by contacting the BHETA Member Services Team on 0121 237 1130.

Breeder MNP/Suntory has seen a significant increase in demand since receiving the 2023 - 2024 FleuroStar Award for Mandevilla Sundaville Double Blush Pink.

Together with its partners in production, the breeder is running at full speed to maximise the availability for the upcoming season. Double Blush Pink will be on display at the Fleuroselect booth during the Royal FloraHolland Trade Fair in Aalsmeer (7-9 Nov) and at MNP/Suntory in Leimuiderbrug during the Future Open Plant Trend Days (6-9 Nov). 

Significant increase in demand
Francesca Lanzillotta, marketing and communications manager at MNP/Suntory; “Winning FleuroStar Award has really kickstarted the commercial journey of Mandevilla Double Blush Pink. The days following the announcement, almost every trade magazine has been contacting us for photos and additional information, resulting in an enormous amount of press coverage.

Subsequently, the demand for this new double-flowered Mandevilla has increased enormously and all our suppliers are currently working very hard to meet the high demand. So far, we could not have been happier with the outcome!”

Double flowers, double happiness

Mandevilla Sundaville® Double Blush Pink can either grow staked as a bushy plant, as a climber on a trellis or hanging from a basket. MNP/Suntory guarantees the typical growing characteristics of the Sundaville® series namely user friendly, suitable for any climate, masses of bright colors and large flowers to name just a few. Consumers will love this sophisticated must-have to add a dash of luxury to the terrace or patio. The first double Mandevilla on the market, a real eye-catcher!

The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA), jointly with the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and other leading businesses and groups, have set out a united call for a freeze in business rates in Scotland. This clear ask is directed towards the Scottish Government's Deputy First Minister and Finance Secretary ahead of the upcoming budget announcement on 19 December, which will set the business rate and associated reliefs for the 2024-25 financial year.

Scotland’s business rate is already at a 24-year high and a fifth higher than at the start of the previous decade. If increased in line with current CPI inflation, ratepayers across Scotland could face an extra £205 million on their rates bills from next Spring. This would be at odds with the Scottish Government’s recently stated aim to use business rates to “boost business”.

The joint letter from the business representative and trade bodies was submitted to Shona Robison MSP, the Scottish Government’s Finance Secretary, at the end of last week. The text of the letter can be read here.

Fran Barnes, Chief Executive of the HTA, has highlighted the importance of providing businesses with cost certainty and asks the government to acknowledge the significant role the horticultural sector plays in Scotland's economy. In 2019, the industry contributed £2.8 billion towards GDP and supported over 64,000 jobs in Scotland.

“Our sector has faced a year of challenges and volatility around climate change, high inflation, workforce access, and regulation changes. Whilst the sector has shown resilience, it is vital that the Scottish government demonstrates an understanding of the economic and business context they are operating in. Alongside the other signatories of this letter, we are confident that freezing the business rate in the upcoming Scottish Budget would be a positive and welcome step to help ease the burden that our members have been facing for a long and difficult time and, in return, we can deliver more sustainable economic growth.

“We also need the government to recognise the value of environmental horticulture in delivering across policy areas and support our members to help them deliver on Scotland’s green ambitions and green growth as outlined in our Scottish Environmental Horticulture Growth Strategy.”

The HTA has also asked for action by the Chancellor on business rates in England. In its submission to the Chancellor of the Exchequer ahead of the 2023 Autumn Budget, the HTA has asked for the Spring cliff-edge for businesses with both rates reliefs ending and rates rising to be addressed as businesses face ongoing cost pressures.

Environmental charity Hubbub has today launched a new fund to support green spaces that benefit local communities.

The charity is urging local community groups across the country to apply for a grant of up to £6,000 to help enhance or create a green space that can be accessed by the local community to visit, relax and connect with nature in.

Applications must relate to any one or more of these four themes: increasing access to green space, upskilling the community, bringing people together and building climate resilience. This could be a community allotment which provides local residents with opportunities to grow their own produce; a green space to help with urban cooling; an area to support biodiversity and attract pollinators; or a space to engage the community on sustainable lifestyles.

Hubbub recently commissioned research by Censuswide* which reveals that more than a third of people in the UK (36%) spend less than an hour a week in nature. Bringing green spaces closer to people will not only help provide better access to such space (a key barrier), it will also boost mental health. The research showed just over 3 in 4 people (78%) who spend time in a green or natural space feel better in nature.

Gavin Ellis, Co-founder at Hubbub said: “This funding will provide a real boost to communal green spaces across the country which bring so many environmental and social benefits. They lift community spirit, support mental health and provide valuable physical health benefits from being outdoors. At the same time, they also support biodiversity, cool our streets and provide opportunities to grow produce.

“The growing season may be over for this year but it’s a great time to plan for 2024 so we’re appealing to community groups to apply for funding before the deadline of 11 January. We’re really looking forward to seeing the impact this has on communities next year.”

TV Presenter and Garden Designer Danny Clarke is Director of Grow to Know CIC, which is engaged in connecting nature to a wider audience through horticulture. He said: “I’ve witnessed first hand the benefits communities get from their involvement in green spaces.  By bringing businesses and local communities together we have transformed otherwise unloved pieces of land into areas where people and nature can thrive.

“For example with the help of local residents and volunteers we recently partnered with a large business to reconfigure a small piece of land not far from the Grenfell Tower and turn it into a wildlife haven full of pollinating plants and bug hotels. It was wonderful to see folk from diverse backgrounds and all walks of life enjoying themselves as they got their fingers in the soil while connecting with each other. 

“Not only will enhanced spaces in urban settings make us feel better about ourselves, but the habitat will benefit greatly too. The Nature Hubs grant will help communities up and down the country facilitate this by offering funding to support aesthetically pleasing green spaces which can be used for relaxing and connecting with each other.”

Organisations interested in applying should do so here: www.hubbub.org.uk/the-nature-hubs-fund and have until 11 January 2024 to apply. Successful organisations will receive their funding by the end of February 2024 to coincide with the start of the next growing season.

The Royal Horticultural Society has announced that Hidden Valley Gardens, an intimate three-acre cottage style garden in Treesmill, Cornwall, has been voted overall winner in the RHS Partner Garden of the Year Competition 2023.

Owners Tricia and Peter Howard have spent 24 years transforming an overgrown ‘pick your own’ into an idyllic and peaceful garden, encapsulating the ‘Feel Good’ theme of the competition. Visitors describe it as “a warm and welcoming garden” and as having “an imaginative design, incorporating flowers and vegetables, with insect and bird life taken into consideration.”

The winners said: “We were quite emotional when we had the telephone call to say we won the overall 2023 Partner Garden of the Year. It is a great privilege and honour and lovely to think our visitors have loved the garden as much as we do.”

Hidden Valley Gardens was selected from six regional finalists after visitors chose their favourite gardens in each of six regions. The regional winners were:

• Scotland: Attadale Gardens
• North of England and Northern Ireland: Holehird Gardens
• Midlands and East Anglia: Wyken Hall
• South East and Channel Islands: Denmans Garden
• South West and Wales: Hidden Valley Gardens*
• Overseas: Brahman Hills Garden

Attadale Gardens in Scotland’s Highlands offers meandering paths through water gardens and woodland, with sculptures, a herb garden, sunken garden and Japanese garden, all against the wild backdrop of the mountains and the sea loch.

Overlooking Lake Windermere, Holehird Gardens comprises a walled garden with herbaceous borders and island beds, spring bulbs, autumn colours, collections of rhododendrons, hydrangeas, alpines and six National Plant Collections.

Nine miles north east of Bury St Edmunds, Wyken Hall is home to a series of old-style gardens to complement the Elizabethan house. These include a knot garden, herb garden, traditional English kitchen garden, wildflower meadows, nuttery and a copper beech maze.

Denmans Garden is a tranquil contemporary garden on the southern slope of the South Downs. Converted by plantswoman Joyce Robinson from a post-war market garden to an ornamental garden it features extensive gravel gardens dating to 1970. From 1980 this Grade II garden was taken over and stylized by world-renowned landscape designer John Brookes MBE who lived at Denmans until 2018. Denmans is horticulturally diverse, and comprises a diverse series of spaces connected by curving paths of gravel and mown lawn through rough grass.

A new Partner Garden for 2023, South Africa’s Brahman Hills Gardens boasts a formal layout with repeating geometric motifs in circles and rectangles of hard landscaping softened and beautifully contrasted by abundant flowers and plants. Interspersed are oases of water – fountains, ponds, formal pools and the lake beside the Lake House.

Helen Feary, RHS Partner Gardens Manager, said: “In this third year of the RHS Partner Garden of the Year competition, visitors have once again touched us by voting in their thousands for their favourite gardens. Their heartfelt comments, describing gardens as ‘magical’ or even ‘balm to the soul’ show just how much good a visit to a garden can do for us.”

Details of the 2024 RHS Partner Garden of the Year competition, and how to vote, will be revealed next spring. There are currently 221 gardens in the RHS Partner Gardens scheme, which allows RHS Members to visit non-RHS gardens free at selected times of the year. They comprise some of the most famous gardens in the world as well as privately-owned hidden gems, and beyond the UK can be found in 9 countries across the globe, including Barbados, France, Japan, Singapore, and South Africa.

To find out more about RHS Partner Gardens, visit: www.rhs.org.uk/partnergardens

Tingley Garden Centre has added an undercover boutique ice rink for up to 130 skaters to its seasonal activity programme for 2023.

"We're very excited to introduce an Ice Rink to Tingley for fabulous family fun this festive season. Make memories over Christmas and the New Year with festive music and decorations, festoon lighting, plus a Skating Special menu at Blooms Kitchen, where you can warm up and unwind with a delicious selection of seasonal food and drink," said Amy Walledge, Ice Rink Manager.

Tickets for the Ice Rink, which is open until 7th January for pre-back-to-school fun, start at £8.50 for a child's off-peak ticket for a 50-minute session and skate hire. Visitors to Santa's Grotto at Tingley Garden Centre can get 10% off the Ice Rink prices when they book both activities together. Groups of 10 or more automatically qualify for a 10% discount and the rink is available for exclusive hire bylarger groups, schools, companies, and sports clubs. Booking is online at https://bit.ly/TingleyIceRink

Other festive activities at Tingley Garden Centre include Santa's Grotto, Breakfast with Santa, Festive Afternoon Teas, seasonal menus, special offers and late-night opening.

Tingley Garden Centre is part of the Yorkshire Garden Centres family that also owns Tong Garden Centres and the former Stephen H Smith's Garden Centres in Otley and Bingley.

The Garden Centre Association’s GROW (Garden Retail Online Workshops) e-Learning platform In-Store Security course has now been launched just in time for the busy Christmas sales period. 

With most retailers seeing an increase in thefts, resulting in significant money being lost each year, this course has been written to help prevent those losses.

GROW’s Instructional Designer, Antony Snow, says: “There has been a lot of publicity recently regarding the rise in retail crime and how significant sums of money are lost as a result of it, so I’m delighted that we have launched this new course on In-Store Security.

“Retail theft is a problem that affects all retailers throughout the year, but with the busy Christmas trading period just around the corner, this course will provide our members’ employees with an insight into why people steal and an understanding of the part that they can play in deterring and preventing theft from their garden centre.”

GROW courses cover a range of important topics to help employees gain knowledge and confidence in products and services, so they can successfully assist others, whether colleagues or customers.

Peter Burks, GCA Chief Executive, adds: “This is a pertinent new course, especially relevant for this time of year, which has been written to provide our garden centre members’ teams, and also those at Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) garden centres, with the knowledge to help prevent thefts. Antony is also putting together an equally as important Sustainable Pest Control course and this will be live soon too.

“We are always working on developing GROW and increasing what we provide to cover all the topics our members might need. It’s available 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year, so people can log-in when convenient for them. It’s also a cost-effective way of delivering training and personal development that enhances customer experience and this is great for everyone.

“Many members have told us how effective it is in giving their staff confidence while providing essential education and training for them too.”

GROW started as an initial idea, devised during a strategy meeting of the GCA’s executive committee, to bring education and training tailored to individuals employed in the garden centre industry.

It’s a self-funding and non-profit facility with any surpluses being reinvested into its ongoing development and improvement. Currently there are more than 100 courses and 12,000 plus users throughout the UK.

These courses include a wide range of topics that cover horticulture, customer service, food safety, regulated sales and health and safety.

All the courses have been written by experts in their field and are designed to apply to a garden centre environment, with the content for the horticultural courses drawing on the vast experience of members within the GCA.

Peter adds: “If you’re not using GROW already, but would like to find out more, please contact Antony or I for further details. You can also find out about it on our website www.gca.org.uk/gca-grow-information, or by emailing grow@gca.org.uk.”

The GROW e-Learning facility is available to GCA member garden centres, as well as to HTA garden centre members too. The new course is accessible immediately to existing subscribers.

With Christmas on the horizon, festive jumper lovers are set to enjoy 24-days of the best jumpers the garden retail sector has to offer with the return of the ‘most jumperful time of the year’, a special fundraising event held annually to support the Greenfingers Charity.

This year, taking on the mantel of ‘dedicated jumper wearer’ will be Millbrook’s Tammy Woodhouse and Greenfingers’ very own Fundraising and Communications Director, Linda Petrons. Following in the footsteps of Woodlodge’s Abigail Stocker and industry stalwart, Boyd Douglas-Davies and the brains behind the whole idea, Natalie Porter, together Tammy and Linda hope to bolster the fundraising total that this festive challenge has already achieved, which currently stands at over £16,500!

Talking ahead of the challenge, Tammy Woodhouse said: “Having seen the joy that Nat, Boyd and Abigail have spread before I am pleased to carry the baton into this year’s 2023 festive season, ready and willing to fall in love with every single jumper no matter the day or what circumstances might dictate!”

Linda Petrons added: “The most jumperful time of year is such a fun way to fundraise for the charity, with every day of the challenge bringing a smile to the face of so many. A huge thank you must go to Nat, Boyd and Abigail for their efforts in previous years, and to Tammy for joining me this year on what I expect will be a rather fun few weeks!”

Get involved – call for ‘jumperful’ sponsors!

With a wardrobe full of jumpers to choose from Tammy and Linda’s efforts will be supported from the sidelines by the 24 sponsors, however these sponsors are still to be confirmed with Linda requesting that interested parties get in touch to nab their sponsorship spot. So far only December 1st has been confirmed with the team at Hornby Whitefoot PR supporting the event by wearing festive jumpers in solidarity with Tammy and Linda.

In fact, the wearing of jumpers by sponsors is a newly introduced concept that will make the jumperful challenge more interactive than ever. Every sponsor is requested to get as many team members as possible to don their best Christmas jumpers on the day they have sponsored in exchange for the small donation, as a fun way to bolster the fundraising total even further.

Find out more

To show your support of Tammy and Linda please visit www.themostjumperful.co.uk

Those interested in becoming a 2024 jumperful sponsor are asked to email Linda Petrons directly via 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. 

The latest GRIDSERVE Electric Retail Hub has opened at Dobbies Leicester, as part of a long term partnership between the charging company and garden centre to increase the number of High Power charging locations across the UK. 

Dobbies Leicester, located near the A6, now features 12 GRIDSERVE charging bays in total to ensure space for all visitors, including two accessible bays for those with additional requirements.

The GRIDSERVE Electric Retail Hub has four dual charging units, with eight charging bays. These chargers allow two cars to charge at once at Medium Power speeds, giving EV drivers time to explore the garden centre and other amenities. There are also four High Power chargers, charging one car at a time, for a quick top up.  

To make it as easy as possible for customers to charge their EV, the Dobbies Leicester Electric Retail Hub features CCS and CHAdeMO connectors as well as AC sockets, accepts contactless payment and provides real-time status updates to a myriad of popular EV charging maps. The chargers are powered by 100% net zero carbon energy, supporting GRIDSERVE and Dobbies’ purpose to move the needle on climate change.  

Toddington Harper, CEO of GRIDSERVE, said: “We are delighted to be opening another Electric Retail Hub with our partners at Dobbies. Fast and reliable charging at convenient locations is what is needed to give drivers the confidence to switch to electric. We continue the rollout of new locations and chargers at speed and scale, and look forward to open even more GRIDSERVE chargers at Dobbies locations in the near future.” 

Nick Anderson, Dobbies Operations Director, said: “It is very important to us at Dobbies that we are constantly developing our store in line with the needs of our customers. As more drivers are switching to electric vehicles, we are delighted to be opening the electric retail hub to provide the local community with easy to access affordable and fast EV charging.”

Two Electric Retail Hubs are now open at Dobbies Swindon and Leicester, with more planned. This latest location is part of 50 new locations either already open, awaiting energisation, or in construction as part of phase one of GRIDSERVE’s 2023 delivery plans which will see 400 new chargers added to the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway.  

A frosty Christmas walk, a gingerbread house, an enchanted forest and a peaceful Christmas are just some of the heartwarming themes featured in The Gardens Group’s new Christmas displays, which are all now open to the public seven days a week until Christmas Eve. 

Featuring more eco-friendly initiatives and products than ever before, these magical winter wonderlands are the perfect setting for anyone dreaming of a greener Christmas.  

Staged at Brimsmore Gardens in Yeovil, Castle Gardens in Sherborne and Poundbury Gardens near Dorchester, the elaborately decorated walkways have been constructed using repurposed and recycled materials, and are brimming with glass baubles, twinkly LED lights, recycled candles and plastic free toys.

Many of the decorations and sustainable gifts have been sourced from small scale makers and fair-trade businesses, with the hope that they last a lifetime and are passed down through families. 

In the planning since January and consciously constructed behind closed doors by The Gardens Group’s dedicated team over the past few weeks, the Christmas displays return following another award-winning year in 2022, when Brimsmore Gardens’ scooped first prize in the Garden Centre Association’s national Christmas Competition. Having now won this coveted award 11 times, The Gardens Group remains committed to delivering an immersive and special experience for visitors, while making their Christmas celebrations more eco-friendly each and every year. 

Dobbies has unveiled its new Christmas campaign, “Dobbies: Find Your Christmust”. The multichannel push was developed in partnership with creative agency elvis.

Dobbies has worked with elvis to develop a digital-first, integrated campaign, with the aim of delivering the brand’s best Christmas ever. It seeks to drive footfall and sales, as well as continuing to increase brand awareness.

Against the backdrop of consumers being more conscious of their spending, the campaign presents Dobbies as a magical, stress-free festive destination, where money is well spent.

The creative idea is inspired by the moment when your head is turned by that perfect Christmas item or experience that you simply must have – something Dobbies is calling a “Christmust”.

A 20-second hero film, directed by Daniel Liakh at Spindle, features multiple vignettes of people finding their Christmust at Dobbies, highlighting the incredible feeling that finding that specific thing gives you.

A series of digital display and social carousel executions use playful and bold typography to evoke that Christmust feeling, featuring reactions like “Gifts PHWOOOOAR them” and “OMGrotto”, while radio and digital audio spots explain the feeling of a Christmust at Dobbies.

Digital and dynamic audio spots namedrop listeners’ local stores, including dynamic countdowns as Christmas gets closer, and swapping out product names to align with shopper behaviour. The campaign also uses a number of variants for social and digital display, carrying countdown messages with different product focusses.

In line with its Better World approach, elvis selected Spindle, an award-winning production studio that represents a progressive and diverse roster of talent, as its production partner for the campaign. elvis and Spindle took an inclusive approach to casting to show that Dobbies is a brand for everyone.

Kirsty Rockey, Head of Brand Strategy and Innovation, Dobbies, said: “At Christmas, Dobbies is more than just a garden centre - it’s a day out at a festive destination where you can immerse yourself in shopping, food and events. Our new campaign really brings that to life, evoking the feeling of finding that specific item that makes Christmas feel like Christmas.”

Neale Horrigan, Executive Creative Director, elvis, added: “Dobbies has a huge range of products and experiences to choose from at Christmas, making it easier to find something special, so this campaign dramatises that feeling we’ve all experienced – the moment of spotting the perfect Christmas thing. Whether it’s a gift for a loved one, a bauble for the tree or a delicious mince pie, we all feel happy when we set eyes on a “Christmust”.

Family business Wheelie Klips Limited has won a National Award at the Clean and Tidy Home Show held at ExCel London where nearly 12,000 people visited the show.  The company walked away with the Home Organisation Product of the Year accolade.  They were also finalist in a second category Home Scent of the Year.  

The award was presented to Director Mike Deacon by Georgina Burnett ex-BBC Weather Presenter and TV Presenter on This Morning show on ITV.  A panel of influential judges decided on the winners against innovation and originality in design and strategy, commercial success, great feedback, and strong marketing and future growth prospects.  Public voting was used to identify the finalists then the winner was decided by the panel of experts.

Mike Deacon said: “We are delighted to win such a prestige award and to think that we were finalists in two categories is very pleasing.”  “Winning gives us the confidence that our products are liked amongst those who value a clean and tidy environment.”  “We had a tremendous amount of interest in our products we displayed on our stand and to realise that we were in competition with well known brands and winning was magnificent.”  “We believe our embrace of environmental issues and our solutions give us the reason to believe we were recognised in this category as it is not easy to have such a focus.  Our cleaning and tidying solution is new and different to anything else found at the Clean and Tidy Home Show.”

Penny Moyes Founder and Director of Latch Events, an event company, and organiser of the Clean and Tidy Home Show said: “Congratulation Wheelie Klips, we are so delighted that you were part of the Clean & Tidy Awards and we hope you are as pleased with receiving the award for Home Organisation Product of the Year as much as we were please to award it to you. Once again, thank you for being a part of the Clean & Tidy Awards 2023.”

Wheelie Klips Limited is a small, friendly family business in Rothwell, Northamptonshire, and has developed a new brand of solutions to help solve the problem of unhealthy waste disposal in the light of reducing local council support and responsibility.  They have a range of accessories for the household wheelie bin market, primarily for 240 litre bins along with smaller bins.  These products are all manufactured in the UK.  The solutions involve the end user clipping a bin liner in place hence keeping their wheelie bins clean and fresh.  An alternative solution to that of using a jet wash which is more expensive and usually leaves a mess on the road.  They sell clips, fragrances, bags, and safety awareness stickers.  Furthermore, to deter flies from entering wheelie bins there is a spray bottle that sits inside the bin in one of the patented clips and is applied within the bin cavity and stops the owner having that horrible experience of maggots in their bin.  The spray has been scientifically proven to deter flies.  There is no other solution like this on the market and the liners are probably the strongest available in the UK.  There is no single use plastic in the products.  Using the Wheelie Klips solution could save over 52% of plastic going into landfill when disposing of household rubbish.

The products are branded around two clip types: Klip n Fresh, Klip n Bag with a replenishment fragrance bottle Klip n Spray and a roll of 12 extra strong and large bags Klip Bags.

Both clips have a UK patent (GB2553841) design which comprises of a double step/shelf which enables them to be clipped onto the outer rim on the sides of the wheelie bin over the liner.  This is achieved with ease; no need for any tools just a small amount of pressure to push them onto the wheelie bin.

In the last two years there has been an increase of followers on Instagram to over 3600 and nearly 400 on Facebook.  All reviews on the company website are 5* and 4.6 average on Amazon.

Wheelie Klips products can be found in one of the top six football premier league grounds and a previous FA Trophy winners’ ground, a school in Chichester, and a large restaurant in Dorset and the liners are used in a multi-discipline equestrian venue in Devon, although the main customers are householders.  The company has several customers in Australia where they are prepared to pay more for post and packing than for the product itself.

Using Wheelie Klips bags and throwing householder rubbish directly into the wheelie bin, as opposed to using those from a kitchen environment, such as under sink rubbish bin liners or pedal bin liners, would involve over 52% less plastic going into landfill in respect to keeping a wheelie bin clean.  Thus, not only do our customers save money by not buying kitchen bin liners or paying for jet washing but they will also be supporting the environment.  Not having to jet wash using water to clean bins, and that all products are made within a 160 miles radius of the company home the carbon footprint is better.

Mike Deacon added: “Previously our Klip n Fresh product had been nominated for a Best New Product Award at GLEE 2019 and shortlisted for Garden and Outdoor Product at Gift of the Year 2020.  The fragrance spray has received confirmation of its fly deterrent properties from The Crop Research Institute in Prague.  As a company we were also finalists for a Family Business of the Year at the SME Northamptonshire Awards 2022.  So, winning this award at the Clean and Tidy Home Show was extremely welcomed and appreciated.”

More details about Wheelie Klips and its products can be found on its website www.wheelieklips.co.uk or by emailing info@wheelieklips.co.uk.

It was a night to remember at the GIMA awards for Sipcam Home and Garden as ecofective® Organic Superfood Ideal for Peat-Free Compost took the headlines, winning two awards. This included the prestigious Sword of Excellence for best overall product.

Sipcam also picked up an award for best product in the ‘Garden Care’ category for Organic Superfood Ideal for Peat-Free Compost with the judges highlighting how the product had delivered a solution to help get great results with peat-free growing.

Since the launch of ecofective® Organic Superfood Ideal for Peat-Free Compost in 2022, Sipcam Home and Garden have been working towards accelerating the popularity of peat-free gardening by giving consumers the confidence in their peat-free gardening projects. The product’s idea was also commended at Glee 2022, where it also won an award for best product in the ‘Growing Materials’ category at the New Product Showcase awards, alongside its sister product Organic Superfood for All Plants.

A solution for Peat-Free projects

In recent years it has been a concern for gardeners that peat-free compost lessens results, however when using Organic Superfood as a partner feed this could not be further from the truth. ecofective® Organic Superfood Ideal for Peat-Free Compost (RRP £7.99) contains a complete package of nutrients to help plants flourish in peat-free compost. Plants require the basic nutrients of Nitrogen, Phosphate, and Potassium (NPK), to enable great growth. Due to the ecofective® organic NPK and many other properties, it helps promote bigger and healthier plants. 

‘The single biggest issue that we face as an industry is the move to peat-free compost and this helps to address this challenge. It's also well-presented and has great commercial opportunities’.

GIMA Judging Panel on awarding the Sword of Excellence to Sipcam Home & Garden

Happy Plants

Organic Superfood Ideal for Peat-Free Compost creates healthy and happy plants with its multi-action 6 in 1 booster. Available in powder form, gardeners can easily mix it into compost or around the planting area, resulting in up to 2 x crop yields and bigger brighter blooms! 

Once mixed in the powder feed provides improved root development of plants. One of the concerns about peat-free compost is that it may dry out quickly, however Organic Superfood is here to help by promoting improved water retention during the growing process. It also strengthens the plant to help resist disease attack due to thecombination of natural bio-stimulants, magnesium, and organic matter which provide everything the plant needs to thrive indoors and outdoors, in pots or planting out in the garden. 

Organic Superfood Ideal for Peat-Free Compost slow release of nutrients promotes long lasting support. This slow-release mechanism also supports the plant during stress conditions such as heat, drought, and over-watering. 

Happy Planet

The ecofective® mission includes creating thriving safer gardens and outdoor spaces friendly to wildlife with products that are kinder to the planet. Organic Superfood Ideal for Peat-Free Compost carries on this mission and more! Manufactured in a sustainable process it reduces the brands carbon footprint and avoids harmful gas emissions such as methane and ammonium, resulting in a much happier planet.

Happy Retailers

Using high impact branding aimed at eco-conscious consumers, each 800g recyclable pouch offers value for money by helping up to 40 plants, seedlings, and potting plants thrive no matter the soil type or conditions. With user-friendly weather-proof packaging, the product enables retailers to maximise sales by offering cross-merchandising opportunities alongside existing peat-free compost products. Full sales support is also supplied with point-of-sale options to shout loud about a product that is the best solution for peat-free growing in our industry.

If you are interested in stocking the perfect partner for peat-free compost email the Sipcam team - enquiries@sipcamhg.co.uk or for more information regarding Organic Superfood, visit our website - Organic Superfood Ideal for Peat-Free Compost- ecofective. Order now ahead of the 2024 season.

Organic Superfood is growing

New for 2024 are Organic Superfood liquid feeds. Promoting bigger, healthier, and happier plants, fruit and veg, Organic Superfood liquid feeds provide great results for gardeners with increased crop yields and bigger brighter blooms! Part of the reason behind these results is due to the ability of Organic Superfood to provide improved root development of plants and also supporting plants during stress conditions such as heat, drought and over watering. 

ecofective® Organic Superfood for All Plants is a concentrate formula that provides healthy vibrant flowers and bumper crops of fruit and vegetables to include peppers and chillies. 

ecofective® Organic Superfood for Tomatoes is also a concentrate solution that encourages the plants to take up nutrients quickly, giving results sooner, for happier, healthier, tastier tomatoes.

Up to 70% Less Plastic

The new Organic Superfood liquid range is available in an 800ml bottle and a brand new 1.2 litre pouch. The new flexible pouch, which is recyclable, also uses up to 70% less plastic and consumes less energy resources throughout its entire lifecycle, compared to that of a rigid plastic bottle. 

As well as being more sustainable, ecofective® Organic Superfood 1.2 litre pouches are supplied as a value-added launch promotion with 50% extra feed, retailing at £7.99. The 50% extra promotion and flexible pouch also features on the new ecofective Organic Seaweed, a natural growth stimulant for all plants.  The 50% extra deal is highlighted on pack so the special offer can be easily seen by shoppers in store. 

If you want to help create happy plants and a happy planet enquire today by emailing the Sipcam team - enquiries@sipcamhg.co.uk to discuss the expanding Organic Superfood range, the right choice for the planet.

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