The Garden Centre Group (TGCG) has acquired Brooks Nursery & Garden Centre, which will become its 140th store.

The centre, which is located in Bude, Cornwall, was acquired from Ken and Gill Brooks. This acquisition follows last year’s additions of the seven centres of the Garden & Leisure Group, as well as the Cheddar, Lechlade and Bolton garden centres, all of which The Garden Centre Group has acquired under the ownership of Terra Firma.

Kevin Bradshaw, Chief Executive of The Garden Centre Group, said: “We are pleased to continue our growth with the addition of a centre with a strong and loyal customer base and an excellent reputation across a range of gardening-related products. The Brooks centre complements our estate well, and we look forward to offering gardening club membership to all of our new customers.”

With brands including Blooms Garden Centres, Country Gardens and Wyevale Garden Centres, The Garden Centre Group is the UK’s largest group of garden centres.

Gill Brooks and Ken Brooks, the previous owners, said: “Over the years the Bude community has shown they are avid gardeners, and we thank them and our employees for helping to create a loyal community of customers. I believe there will be even more products and experiences in store for them as result of joining The Garden Centre Group."

Phil Tushingham has joined Smart Solar as Sales Director with overall responsibility for the company’s revenues in the UK and Europe.

Phil is a well-known figure in the industry with over 25 years’ experience in the DIY, grocery and garden centre sectors, including the last 12 years at Gardman. He brings extensive expertise in terms of both business and product development within the garden products industry at home and abroad.

Phil said: “I am really looking forward to taking Smart Solar to the next level, building on what is already a well-established business stream. The team have some very exciting plans for rapid expansion and I am delighted to be on board to help them accomplish that.”

Jonathan Stobart, Smart Solar’s Managing Director, commented: “We are delighted that Phil has joined us at this pivotal moment in the company’s development. His wealth of knowledge and strategic vision will doubtless help us to achieve our ambitious targets.”

GTN Bestsellers Top 50 sales volumes compared to the same week last year

• Garden Products – up 87%
• Veg-2-Gro – up 100%
• Growing Media – up 133%
• All items index – up 75%

Everything is on the ‘up’ this week in garden centre sales terms, according to the Epos data supplied for the weekly GTN Bestsellers charts. And all because we’re actually having a Spring this year.

Look at those year-on-year increases from the same time last year – for instance, Growing Media volumes are up by 133%.

Customers are active on their plots and spending more time visiting and buying from garden centres – probably more than 75% up on footfall, using the GTN Bestsellers total volume sales as an indicator.

With Mothers’ Day on Sunday and more good spring-like weather forecast, we could be reporting record sales levels for the whole of March when we comple next week’s charts.

How are your volume sales looking for the first quarter? Up by 20% or more? And what promotions do you have planned to make sure you stay ahead as we move into  April? Let us know by emailing trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

                      

Key players from across the UK garden industry, including the HTA, GCA and GIMA, have pledged support for an industry wide marketing campaign, starting in 2015, aimed at encouraging 30-45 year olds to make greater use of their outdoor space.

At a Garden Industry Marketing Board (GIMB) meeting, held at Scotsdales Garden Centre on 18 March, members heard the findings of the in-depth consumer research exercise which looked into attitudes to gardens, gardening and the use of outdoor space amongst the target audience.

The consumer research revealed that whilst 30-45 year olds have aspirations to have a lovely garden they do not want to do the work – they want the results without the process. For them the most valued function of outdoor space is as a place to socialise and relax with friends and family, and for those with children, as a place to play in.

By venturing into their outdoor space they are able to escape the daily chores and also feel like they are on holiday. The terms ‘gardening’ and ‘growing’ were very much perceived by this group as hard work and requiring a reasonable degree of knowledge and expertise whilst ‘gardens’ have positive associations which could motivate use of their  outdoor space and stimulate garden products purchasing.

Using the research, Smoking Gun PR, the agency appointed to develop the GIMB campaign, presented a proposal outlining how the campaign could be implemented across different media specifically targeted at 30 -45 year old consumers.

HTA Chief Executive Carol Paris said: “The research clearly demonstrates that it is not ‘gardening’ as a process that is going to excite this audience. They need to be inspired and excited about using their outdoor space. This will involve taking a different approach in order to engage with them.”

She adds: “The HTA is committed to this initiative having already invested in it to get it this far and it is hugely encouraging to gain further support of the other key Industry players at the meeting this week. Now it is crunch time and we need commitment from across the whole industry in order to make this happen.”

GCA Chief Executive Iain Wylie comments: “This presents a fantastic industry-wide opportunity to help grow the market and increase the appeal to younger consumers who don’t currently spend much on their outdoor space. They have aspirations to have a lovely garden but need to be nudged into taking steps towards achieving this.”

GIMA Director Vicky Nuttall adds: “This presents an opportunity to attract the younger consumers of today, but also invest in the gardeners of tomorrow.  However, the success of the campaign really lies in the whole industry getting behind it. With the support of the trade associations and key players, the scale of the campaign will be determined by the funds available.”

Organisations and businesses that pledged support at the meeting include: Adam Pasco Media, Ball Colegrave, Bransford Webbs Plant Company, Briers, Farplants, Garden Centre Association, Garden Industry Manufacturers Association, Hillview Garden Centres, Horticultural Trades Association, Hozelock, Mr Fothergills’s Seeds, Scotsdales Garden Centre, Scotts Miracle-Gro, Westland Horticulture, William Sinclair Horticulture. Further supporters include: B&Q, Homebase, Gardman, RHS, Stewart Plastics, Solus.

Lighting lines are the highlight of this week’s GTN Bestsellers Garden Products chart with Gardman experiencing good sales.

Their LED Light String Starlight (50 lights) is the highest re-entry, jumping straight back into the chart at No 2.

The same company’s Solar Ice Orb Border Light is also the highest climber, moving up 24 places to No 26.

The highest new entry is Spear & Jackson Kew Bypass Secateurs at No 7.

Scotts Evergreen Complete makes it to top spot after a good sales week.

To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

It's time to enter your teams into the 2014 Greatest Awards – and we have some different and exciting new opportunities for your this year.

With the event taking place alongside SOLEX, the foremost outdoor leisure exhibition in the UK, we have introduced some new categories for the garden centre sales and display teams to get their teeth into...

• The Greatest BBQ Sales Team
• The Greatest Outdoor Furniture Sales Team
• The Greatest Garden Decor and Lighting Sales Team

Popular categories also available to enter are:

• The Greatest Planteria Sales Team
• The Greatest Garden Care Sales Team
• The Greatest Home Interiors Display Team
• The Greatest Garden Centre Merchandising Team

To register free for any or all of these categories, email trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

The Greatest Awards 2014 are produced in association with SOLEX...

and sponsored by Weber

Irish company Seahorse Atlantic, who have gained great success with their seaweed nutrition for animals and pets, are now branching out into the gardening market with the launch of  Kelp Care Organic Plant Food.

The company was founded by zoologist and marine biologist Sarah O'Sullivan. Kelp Care products are scientifically proven but 100% natural and formulated from different species of kelp and seaweed.

Kelp Care Olant Food Sprinkles for plants are 100% certified organic seaweed harvested in the purest of the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Ireland. The product has been scientifically proven for increasing:

• Crop yield (fruit of up to 47%)
• Microbial activity in the soil
• Resistance to pests and frost
• Ideal NPK ratio
• Contain natural plant growth hormones

Kelp Care Organic Plant Food has been launched with one of Irelands leading garden centres 'The Pavilion' in Cork. The Pavilion Garden Centre specialises in ornamental and specimen trees and shrubs which are sourced from specialist nurseries across Europe. The team includes six horticulturalists, including celebrity gardener Peter Dowdall and landscape architect Alan Wildes.

For more information visit the website www.seahorseatlantic.ie or send an email to info@seahorseatlantic.ie

Now the sun is starting to shine, homeowners across the UK will be starting to think about making improvements to their homes and gardens. Retailers wanting to tap into this sales opportunity without having to become DIY experts will be pleased to learn more about the new Easybuild range from Deco-Pak. 

Experts in aggregates and decorative accents, Deco-Pak has recognised the core products needed to complete the most common DIY and small-scale building jobs, such as bricklaying, paving, and patios, and created a range that features them all.

Each product in the Easybuild range is presented in brightly coloured packaging, and features ‘how to’ instructions, making it even easier for consumers to select the products they need for the job at hand. Deco-Pak has also created specialist Easybuild point-of-sale, making it even easier for retailers – from garden centres to landscape retailers – to take the range in-store this season.  And if that wasn’t enough, Deco-Pak is also offering a 10% discount on all first Easybuild orders making it an even more attractive proposition.

Deco-Pak’s Marketing Director, Craig Hall said: “Our Easybuild range has been designed to offer some simple, yet incredibly useful benefits - from retailers being able to diversify their range offering to quickly and efficiently incorporate DIY, to consumers quickly and easily identifying the products they need for a wide range of garden and home improvements. We’ve no doubt that our handy ‘how to’ information will also provide consumers with the confidence to tackle a range of jobs – as the name suggests, we believe that these products can make it easy to build!”

Deco-Pak’s Easybuild range includes:

Sand & Cement – EasyMix - designed for bricklaying

Sharp Sand – great for bedding paving and concreting

Post Mix – EasyMix for fixing gate and fence posts

Kiln Dry Paving Joint Sand – essential for brushing into paving joints

Mixed Ballast – great for concreting and foundations

Concrete Mix – EasyMix - designed for concreting; ideal for fixing gate and fence posts

Patio & Slab Mix – EasyMix - for laying paving & patio base

Building Sand – ideal for brick laying and pointing

The full Easybuild range will be available to view on Deco-Pak’s stand at the forthcoming NMBS Exhibition (9^th April, Ricoh Arena, Coventry). 

To find out more about Easybuild or any of Deco-Pak’s market leading aggregate and landscaping ranges log onto www.deco-pak.co.uk or call (01422) 204 394.

Stewart Garden, the gardening products division of UK manufacturer Stewart, has seen sales in its electric propagators increase by almost 30% in the last year.

This growth coincides with an increase of over 40% across the company’s full propagator product range, reflecting the upsurge in popularity of grow your own.

Independent research commissioned by Stewart suggests that keen gardeners under 35 are driving the grow your own movement. Nearly 30% of the money spent by respondents in this age group goes on seeds, propagation, pots and hanging baskets.

The Stewart Kitchen Garden collection, launched in 2013, is ideal for the novice gardener. Essentially a mini greenhouse, a propagator is a vital gardening tool. The electric models manufactured by Stewart Garden enable gardeners to set and maintain the temperature required to grow a wide range of plants from seed. The full range can be found at http://www.stewart-garden.co.uk/14-premium-propagators.

Studies show that children are confused about how food is produced. Only 19% of five to eight year-olds know that potatoes grow underground, with 10% believing they grow on bushes or trees. Grow your own can raise awareness of where food comes from to how it reaches our plates.

Stewart Garden supports this educational process by providing tools to produce fresh fruit and vegetables. Growing produce brings families together and keeps children active with hands-on activity. Grow your own also exposes young people to vibrant colours and new textures as they nurture their produce.

With the increasing popularity of grow your own and concerns about seasonal eating, shopping bills and the environment, Stewart Garden’s commitment to the gardening sector is stronger than ever. The company has major investments in new technology, new products and expanded merchandising and POS support for retailers planned. Stewart also works closely with the Carbon Trust to maintain high levels of efficiency and social responsibility.

For more information about Stewart Garden, visit www.stewart-garden.co.uk

Following extensive consumer research, Bayer Garden has radically changed its weedkiller portfolio, including product names, packaging and point of sale support. The new packaging highlights the key product benefits shoppers need to be able to make the right purchase decision and be confident in doing so.  

“We understand that shoppers want to be able to get all the information they need at a glance and then they want ease of use and flexibility in the garden,” explained Bayer Garden Product Manager, Alison Mulvaney. 

“Our new weedkiller packaging designs do exactly that. This is good news for retailers; shoppers leave confident they are buying the right product for the job and their positive perception is reinforced when they come to use the product in the garden, all of which increases the likelihood of their returning to the store.”

The packaging has been designed to highlight the information gained from research on most important benefits to shoppers. Clear stamps on the front of each product signpost the primary message. For example, on Garden Ultrafast Weedkiller the stamp states effects can be seen in one hour, the stamp on Path Weedkiller says it keeps the area clear for up to six months and the stamp on Garden Super Strength Weedkiller explains the product kills weeds and roots.  

The new three litre packs of ready-to-use Path Weedkiller, Garden Rootkill Weedkiller and Moss Killer have a built-in 1m hose with a trigger spray, which means gardeners don’t have to hold the bottle when applying the weedkiller. The trigger sprays fit flush into the pack, so the products can be easily placed and displayed on the shelf. 

Most of the concentrated weedkillers are now available in Bayer Garden’s unique Simple Soluble Sachets or its patented touch-free Easy-Dose bottle. Both make it simple to get the dose right and almost completely eliminate the risk of the gardener coming into contact with the chemical.  

An increase in demand for the Sneyd’s Wonderdog range as well as their small animal feeds has led to the appointment of Simon Le Jeune to the company’s sales department.

John Sneyd (Chairman) said: “This is the first of a number of announcements we will make in the near future. We developed a two year expansion plan during Q4 last year and have started a substantial investment in the business to enable our strategy to come to fruition during 2014/2015.”

Phil Judson (Managing Director) commented: “We are delighted to be in such a good business position and furthermore to have Simon joining our team. He has spent the last two years gaining new product sales experience in the Pet Food Industry. In addition, his track record selling new products to a wide range of trade marketplaces, presents us with a perfect fit for our desire to look after our existing loyal and other potential customers.”

Simon Le Jeune admitted: “Opportunities to work for a family business with such integrity, values and principles are rare. Sneyd’s expansion plans are the most exciting I have seen for quite a while and I am delighted to have the chance to play a part in their implementation. The team at Sneyd’s is second to none and they have made me more welcome than any company I have ever worked for in the past.”

Sneyd’s is a family owned and operated company incorporating three generations of the same family and over 30 years experience in producing pet food products. We continue to maintain our values of delivering a high quality product priced well under the national average for equivalent feeds. By investing in the latest equipment we have been able to keep pace with the leading manufactures while providing you a superior quality product.

• Midlands, East Anglia & Northern Home Counties
• South East & London, including Hampshire & Sussex

Britain’s most popular advice book on growing vegetables and herbs has been completely revised and updated to include an array of new products that now appear in markets and shops, reflecting the country’s growing cultural diversity.

Since its launch in 1999, Dr D G Hessayon’s The New Vegetable and Herb Expert has sold more than six million copies in the UK and overseas.   He has now totally revised, updated and added whole new sections bringing the most comprehensive published work on this subject up to date and covering plants as diverse as Abyssinian Cabbage and Tomatillo as well as the more traditional ones.

The New Vegetable and Herb Expert is one of a series of 21 ‘Expert’ gardening books by Dr Hessayon that have sold a staggering 52 million copies since the first one was published in 1959.  The full colour, revised edition goes on sale in bookshops and garden centres on 13 March priced £8.99 and is already available to pre order online.

Expert books are the world’s best selling gardening advice books and are sold in more than 30 countries across the world.  The 2014 edition of The New Vegetable and Herb Expert will become a collector’s edition as it is the last one in the series that will be personally revised by Dr Hessayon, who is hanging up his pen and retiring after 55 years spent advising the nation’s gardeners.

“It is a sentinel moment,” says Susanna Wadeson, the publishing director at Transworld Publishers who have been responsible for Expert books since 1993.    “David Hessayon has transformed the way we garden in the UK and overseas.  It is an incredible and unparalleled achievement in publishing.

“His literary heritage will live on and Expert books will continue to guide and advise gardeners of all ages and varying levels of experience in its unique and informative way.  The existing titles will continue to be updated and new ones will appear regularly.”

Arthur Bowers Organic Stable Manure (50 litres) has jumped 25 places to the top of this week’s GTN Bestsellers Growing Media chart.

The same company also boasts the highest re-entry in the New Horizon Organic Growbag, the highest new entry in Landscape Bark (100 litres), and the highest climber in Seed and Cutting Compost (20 litres).

Other good performing products include Scotts Levington Tomorite Giant Planter with Seaweed, and Gem Cambark Chunky Chip Bark (70 litres).

To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

The British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) and People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) have announced that their joint submission for a hedgehog-friendly garden has been selected as one of this year’s summer gardens at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. 

The charities’ summer garden, called Hedgehog Street, aims to raise awareness of the plight of threatened hedgehogs and show how gardeners can help the species in their very own back yard.

Created by award-winning garden designer Tracy Foster, the garden will feature various elements that are beneficial to our native hedgehogs. Hedgehog populations in the UK have plummeted by over a third in the last ten years, and one of the factors contributing to this decline is tidy, fenced-in gardens.

Fay Vass, Chief Executive of BHPS explains: “The decline of hedgehogs can be attributed to a number of environmental factors, including neat and tidy gardens that are isolated from one another by fences or walls, preventing hedgehogs from finding shelter, food and mates. 

"The average range for a hedgehog in an urban area covers about 500 gardens, so we need people to help these iconic creatures by joining up their gardens.”

One of the simplest steps gardeners can take to help hedgehogs is to link gardens in their neighbourhood by teaming up with their neighbours to make a small hole in shared boundaries so that the creatures can roam freely. A hole that is 13 sq cm in size at ground level will be big enough for a hedgehog to pass through. 

Jill Nelson, Chief Executive of PTES said: “The hedgehog is known as the ‘gardener’s friend’ and by creating a summer garden at RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show we hope to prove to professional and amateur gardeners-alike that it is easy and inexpensive to create a hedgehog-friendly space, no matter what type of garden you have, whether modern and contemporary or wild and rustic.”

For more information about Hedgehog Street and how to help hedgehogs in your garden and neighbourhood, visit: www.hedgehogstreet.org

The series of storms from October until early March have meant that the UK is now subject to a long-term fence panel shortage, the level of which has not been seen since the great storms of 2007, says Forest Garden, the UK’s leading supplier of core and decorative garden timber products. 

The shortage is primarily due to insufficient raw material availability, caused by both the recent upturn in demand for construction timber and the unusual series of five major storm periods since November of last year, leading to a dramatic upturn in demand for replacement fence panels.  Despite some manufacturers, including Forest, putting increased fence panel production measures into place, there isn’t the capacity in the UK market to meet this demand meaning that retailers and trade outlets need to face the reality of reduced fence panel availability for some time to come, confirms Forest.

Despite the last of the storms battering the UK over six weeks ago, demand for stock is still incredibly high says John Gomersall, Forest’s sales and marketing director.  He said: “The storms may have died down but the long term implications are still being felt. Presently we are witnessing demand that is upwards of five times the normal level, and still increasing.” 

Whilst the weather has meant there is an unexpected demand for materials, issues can also be placed at the door of the UK’s increasing economic growth. As the building and construction industry gets back onto its feet, the need for timber increases.

“The knock-on effect of this raw material shortage has also resulting in some short-term capacity issues for smaller manufacturers”, says John Gomersall.  “Lack of material has meant that some have had to cease production.  The demand that they would ordinarily see is being passed onto companies such as our own further increasing our ongoing demand.  Add to this the fact that spring marks the time of year when we’d normally be building stock levels ahead of the core gardening period, and you can begin to understand the pressures that suppliers such as ourselves, and retailers and trade outlets are currently dealing with.”

“In order to help our customers make the most of the situation, we are working closely with them to place stock in the right locations.  Regular stock allocation to where it is most needed in relation to sales history has actually helped our customers increase their sales against a backdrop of reducing stock levels within their outlets.

“Additionally, Forest is in a unique position, in that we are a UK supplier that is vertically integrated with its own sawmills.  This means that we are able to increase product availability better than most when it’s needed, and as far as possible can replenish stock as quickly as possible.  We’ve also recently added 100 new workers to our team, and due to the continued high levels of demand these workers will be retained for much longer than first anticipated.  This will help to ensure that our retail and trade customers are armed with stock in both the short and long term.”

In celebration of the 150th anniversary of Hillier Nurseries & Garden Centres, Jean Hillier (wife of Hillier Chairman, Robert Hillier OBE) has written the remarkable story of Hillier, from its foundation in Winchester in 1864 to the present day. 

Hillier: The Plants, The People, The Passion, published by Hillier Nurseries, is an absorbing account of five generations of a horticultural family from its roots among 18^thcentury agricultural labourers to its present-day status as one of the world’s leading nurseries.

Proud of its horticultural heritage and still in family ownership today, Hillier has built up an extensive archive of personal and business documents, photographs and correspondence. Over the past decade, Jean Hillier has delved deep into these records and conducted painstaking research to compile the story of one of Britain’s greatest horticultural businesses.

Lavishly illustrated with over 300 archive scans and photographs, this 224 page, beautifully designed hardback recounts both the joys and tragedies of family life and the firm’s survival through war, recession and social change.

Hillier: The Plants, The People, The Passion charts the legacy of an extraordinary passion for plants from Edwin Hillier’s early years as a journeyman and Edwin Lawrence’s first days at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show to Sir Harold Hillier’s plant-hunting exploits, the development of the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens from his private collection and the origins of the famous Hillier Manual of Trees & Shrubs.

Jean Hillier maps out the radical transformation of the company under the direction of Robert Hillier and John Hillier from a large-scale mail-order retailer to the UK’s largest wholesale hardy plant nursery and specialist tree nursery. The books gives a fascinating insight into the stories of the expert teams of plantsmen, botanists, propagators, managers and production staff who have been crucial to Hillier’s reputation for excellence over the past 150 years.

Published: 01 April 2014

ISBN: 978-0-9507430-1-1

Price: £20.00. OFFER PRICE until end May 2014: £14.99 or £17.49 inc P&P from www.hilier.co.uk

Two tomato plants have caught the eye in the GTN Bestsellers Veg-2-Gro Chart this week – Quantil Tomato Beefmaster (8cm) moves up 32 places to No 3, making it the highest climber; and Quantil Tomato Tumbler (8cm) jumps into the Top 50 at No 22 to be the highest new entry.

Meanwhile, the highest re-entry is Quantil Carrot Chantenay at No 9.

Quantil Courgette has also had a good sales week to return to the chart while Suttons James Wong Homegrown Revolution Seeds is performing well.

To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

Cat poo has been voted the nation’s top gardening annoyance – according to a new survey.

The poll by online gardening retailer, GardeningExpress.co.uk quizzed more than 600 shoppers about their number one horticultural hate.

Cat mess came out as the thing guaranteed to make most gardeners see red, with almost a third, 31%, of respondents naming it as their top annoyance.

In second place came slugs and snails, scoring more than one in six, 16%, of the gardeners’ votes.

Weeds took the number three spot with 13%, closely followed in fourth by noisy neighbours on 11%.

The irritation of having neighbours whose bushes over-hang into your garden came in fifth with nine per cent of the vote.

In sixth place were balls and other toys coming over the fence with seven per cent of respondents naming it as their number one gardening gripe.

Broken fences came in seventh on six per cent closely followed in eighth by oversized trees and bushes on four per cent.

Ninth and tenth places were reserved for nosey neighbours peeping over the fence and pigeons scoring two and one per cent respectively.

One woman who took part in the survey commented: “My garden is my pride and joy. I spend hundreds of pounds each year making it look fantastic not to mention the number of man-hours I spend in it each week.

“Therefore it is infuriating to discover that all my neighbours cats have decided to use my flower beds as their communal litter tray.

“I’ve got so fed up of it now, I am almost considering chucking the mess over the fence. After all, it’s their cat, they should have to deal with its droppings.”

One man said: “My garden is my little sanctuary. I go there to unwind and relax after a busy day. Therefore, the last thing I want is to be constantly interrupted by noisy neighbours.

“Mine have just bought a trampoline for their children, and all I hear at the weekends while I try and garden peacefully is the sound springs squeaking and children scream.”

A spokesperson for GardeningExpress.co.uk commented: “Every gardener has their pet hate.

“There are many products on the market which claim to stop cats messing in your garden, but their effectiveness is at best hit and miss. However, the Pee-Off-Plant product we sell does work particularly well (http://www.gardeningexpress.co.uk/pee-off-plant).

“All gardeners face annoyances, however to achieve the perfect garden you just have to battle through them as best as you can.”

 List in full

1.     Catt mess – 31%

2.     Slugs and snails – 16%

3.     Weeds – 13%

4.     Noisy neighbours – 11%

5.     Over hanging bushes – 9%

6.     Balls coming over the fence – 7%

7.     Broken fences – 6%

8.     Oversized bushes/trees – 4%

9.     Nosey neighbours peeping over the fence – 2%

10.Pigeons – 1%

A new exciting online tool has been launched by the Crop Protection Association (CPA) and Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) to provide training for garden retail staff on the safe use of garden plant protection products.

Developed by the HTA and CPA this cost effective, one hour long, e-learning course will increase the knowledge of garden retail staff when it comes to garden care chemicals. This will help them to provide good quality advice to customers and ensure that businesses comply with new legislation under the Sustainable Use Directive (SUD).

SUD legislation, which comes into force on 26 November 2015, requires that garden retailers* selling garden plant protection products have a sufficient number of trained and certified staff available at the time of sale to provide advice to customers on use, storage and disposal.

The e-learning course is interactive, visual and based on realistic scenarios that will enable staff to develop a good knowledge of garden plant protection products by understanding the label in relation to use, environmental safety, correct disposal and where to go for further information.

Gary Philpotts, Chair of the CPA Garden Group said: “This interactive course is an excellent way for garden retailers to ensure they meet the requirements of the SUD legislation and improve the service they offer to customers. After completing the course, garden retail staff will have excellent foundation knowledge that enables them to give confident, clear and accurate advice about how, where and when to use products and how to dispose of them safely.”

HTA Chief Executive Carol Paris comments: “This new e-learning course, whilst developed in order to meet legislative requirements, presents an invaluable opportunity for all garden retailers to ensure that their staff have a good understanding of garden plant protection products and are able to deliver sound and informed advice to customers.”

This course has been specifically developed for those involved in the sale of non-professional products and has been formally recognised by the Health and Safety Executive. The course has also been endorsed by Pershore College, part of Warwickshire College a specialist in horticultural education.

The course cost is £10 plus VAT per delegate, subsidised by CPA member companies, it includes an assessment and download of a personalised certificate once successfully passed. The course can be accessed via www.htalearning.org.uk

The Lost Gardens of Heligan has welcomed back emus to the Cornish estate, 100 years since they were last seen on site.

“We have been researching the livestock and practices that took place at Heligan a hundred years ago,” comments Michael Hart, Heligan Stock Manager, “in their Victorian heyday the Heligan landowners, the Tremayne family, had a fascination with exotic plants and pets, and archive images reveal a number of emus roaming the estate.”

Advice was sought from Heligan friends and wildlife conservationists Wingz Bird and Animal Sanctuary, who coincidently had two emus they were looking to re-home, and arrangements were made for them to be brought to the estate.

Heligan are currently in the process of turning back the clock 100 years in preparation for a ‘living stage’ performance in collaboration with WildWorks Theatre commemorating the outbreak of World War 1 on August 3rd. The West Lawn too has been ploughed and planted with poppy seeds that, once in flower, will stretch into the distance towards Mevagissey. Funding for the initiative is to be sourced from an innovative crowdfunding campaign, looking to raise £7,500 to help pay for the poppy seeds, performers, costumes and event materials.

“We are delighted to have found such a great new home for our emus Queenie and Edmund,” comments Grenville Allen, Wingz Bird and Animal Sanctuary, “when re-homing our animals we want the best for them, somewhere they will be cared for, appreciated and loved and we are delighted to have found that at The Lost Gardens. It’s also great that they have such historical relevance to Heligan too.”

To welcome the new emu couple into their new home a new Emu Trail has been designed to celebrate their arrival and will be part of family entertainment at Heligan this Easter.

The six-week crowdfunding campaign launched on Friday 21st March and people can pledge by visiting: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/100

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 printed newsletter.

As the year goes on we give sales volume comparisons with 2012 as well as 2013 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 upto date gardening sales analysis that has already helped many UK garden centres increase their sales.  To subscribe call 01733 775700, e-mail karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

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

Highlights of the GTN Veg-2-Gro Products Bestsellers chart for this week are here

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

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