In This Issue
Remember to bring some floral cheer to the nation on #floralfriday tomorrow - Good Friday
FREE E-commerce Web Site for Garden Centres
The HTA launches ‘Plants Near Me’
Helping hands to combat coronavirus
Greenfingers Charity and friends bring a little social media cheer on #floralfriday - How will you join in on Good Friday?
Johnsons of Boston Food Hall open today despite major fire in garden centre yesterday
Horticulture hits the national and local headlines
Florainbow and Floral message of Hope
For sale - A long Established Garden Centre Business
Garden Centre Opportunities..from around the world
Bheta intervenes as big retailers threaten suppliers with extended trading terms
GTN Xtra - Send to all
Lofa members seek help with container charges at ports
Hillier announces five new plants for 2020
Gardening is deemed ‘critically important’ to physical and mental health during #stayathome
GTN Bestsellers Garden Re-Leaf Subscription Offer
LifestyleGarden® vow to support retailers during lockdown
Petindex postponed until 2021
More companies, including one from China, sign up for PATS Telford
Vitax donation helps rehabilitate lives of servicemen and women through horticulture
Get your own copy of GTN Xtra
Fiskars Wins Prestigious ‘Best Buy’ Award
RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch results show milder winter helps small garden birds
Garden Radio charges on hold
David Domoney takes on role of Patron for Greenfingers Charity
Growing Media Europe welcomes four new members
The best of last week's
Exeter garden centre stays open but cannot sell plants - Cherry Lane close all centres
Calling all businesses in garden retailing to sign HTA/RHS/NFU petition
Horticultural Sector Worth £1.4 Billion Could Be Wiped Out By Coronavirus Shut Down In Just Weeks
Glee at home
40th Annual GIMA Awards Cancelled
Garden Centre Photo Tours
Haskins Snowhill re-opens after £15m re-vamp
Bestsellers Top 50 charts every week
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Remember to bring some floral cheer to the nation on #floralfriday tomorrow - Good Friday

Cheer up Good Friday by going floral for the day with #floralfriday.  Here's how you can join in...


Here’s how you can join in, it's really easy and it does bring good cheer!

 

On your favourite social media platforms simply:  

  • post a photo of yourself in your favourite floral shirt, dress, hat, shoes, tie, pjs or similar (or your favourite floral photo)
  • use the hashtags #floralfriday #hortindustry #greenfingers
  • nominate a friend to do the same
  • send this story on to your colleagues while they are “working at home”
  • add this story into your customer communications so that your customers can get some floral cheer even if they’re unable to buy plants and garden supplies from you just now.

 

And PLEASE give a thought too, to the thousands of life-limited children, families, nurses and the wider hospice communities who benefit from spending time in the many Greenfingers Charity gardens in children’s hospices right across the UK.  You and those you nominate can donate by:

 

Texting FLORALFRIDAY to 70085 to donate £5 or by

Texting FLORALFRIDAYTEN to 70085 to donate £10

 

You can also add your #floralfriday photo to this story by e-mailing them to trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk and we will add them into a new gallery during the day.

 

See some of the #floralfriday images posted on social media last Friday using this link

 

FREE E-commerce Web Site for Garden Centres
GTN Xtra promotion

GrowNation (grownation.co.uk) is a new marketplace platform built to support the industry and make online sales a reality for all. Listing products on the platform couldn't be easier, with payment, order management, customer messaging and more built-in and ready to go...


GrowNation (grownation.co.uk) is a new marketplace platform built to support the industry and make online sales a reality for all. Listing products on the platform couldn't be easier, with payment, order management, customer messaging and more built-in and ready to go.

 

If you're a garden centre operator, you can easily add or import any products you wish, including photos, descriptions and your own unique prices. The process is simple, and GrowNation provide all the training and help you need to get selling fast.

 

GrowNation stores immediately benefit from:

 

• A completely free to set up online shop

• The ability to list as many or few products as each centre wishes

• Secure online payments by credit or debit card

• A unique web address with its own storefront and product range

• A simple to use vendor dashboard to help manage orders and customer details

• Full training and support to quickly get stores up and running

 

With current government guidance effectively shutting down the whole garden retail sector, local deliveries are the only viable fulfilment option right now. Pressure is mounting for restrictions to be fully or partially lifted, so the GrowNation platform has been built to seamlessly transition to click & collect as soon as that happens.

 

Steve Meleka, Managing Director of ConnectNation said: “It’s been encouraging to see garden centres doing their best to supply customers with local deliveries, especially at what is clearly the most important time of year for gardeners.

 

"For businesses who don’t already have an online shop it can be a daunting prospect, so many have taken to encouraging customers to order over the phone or on Facebook. This creates its own challenges, like keeping track of orders, organising deliveries, letting customers know what’s available and how much it costs - all of which generates a lot of work and potential for mistakes.

 

"Online stores are designed to organise and streamline this whole process, which is why we’ve developed the simple to use GrowNation platform. Garden centres can quickly take advantage of the system and start taking orders and payments while maintaining high levels of customer service and efficient operation."

 

The site supports secure online payments from the Square payment processing system straight out of the box, with no need to apply for a separate account. Garden centres can begin taking orders and processing payments straight away, later calling off what they're owed for fulfilled orders, paid straight into their bank account.

 

Claiming a free site is easy. Simply visit the registration page at grownation.co.uk, fill in your details and GrowNation will do the rest.

 

Future enhancements will see GrowNation enabling safe, contact-free click & collect protocols - fully supported by the software - and the provision of detailed product information sourced direct from growers and wholesalers. A full product roadmap will be published in due course.

 

The GrowNation platform is one of a series of marketplaces from ConnectNation Ltd, a company formed to help address some of the unique business challenges posed by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

 

ConnectNation was founded by a group of colleagues with specialisms in marketing (including in the horticulture sector), CRM platform design & integration, social media management and e- commerce web site development.

 

The team are working on a parallel project aimed at linking wholesalers of food and other products originally destined for the hospitality industry with NHS workers through a completely contactless click & collect service delivered within hospital grounds.

 

Find out more by completing the registration page at grownation.co.uk or call 03333 446601

The HTA launches ‘Plants Near Me’

To help connect growers with the public, the HTA has launched the ‘Plants Near Me’ webpage – plantsnearme.hta.org.uk, allowing the public to find local growers and garden centres that are offering home delivery...


Following on from the HTA campaign last week to highlight the financial plight of ornamental horticulture growers during the coronavirus shutdown, the HTA has been inundated with messages from the public wanting to support the industry.

 

To help connect growers with the public, the HTA has launched the ‘Plants Near Me’ webpage – plantsnearme.hta.org.uk, allowing the public to find local growers and garden centres that are offering home delivery.

 

To make this initiative a success, the HTA is urging members and non-members to add their details to the database, so that the resource can become a comprehensive online directory for the public to use. Since its soft launch at the end of last week 137 horticultural businesses have signed up so far but more are needed to allow for coverage across the whole country.

 

HTA President, Boyd Douglas-Davies, said of the scheme, “Following on from the media coverage of the plight of growers and garden retailers it has been encouraging to hear the messages of support from the general public. There is pent up demand for plants and the launch of ‘Plants Near Me’ provides some way of enabling the gardening public to access plants available to them from local suppliers.

 

“We continue to progress our discussions with Government around providing a grower stock compensation scheme, seeking clarity on access for the sector to the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and considering how garden centres can be reopened in the right way at the right time. In the meantime, I would encourage all those who are still operating their business online to register and that way we can promote out to consumers. We all know the benefits that plants can bring to our health and wellbeing – particularly so at this unprecedented time.”

 

If you would like your business to be included in this online directory, please fill in the form at: https://plantsnearme.hta.org.uk/get-listed

 

For more information about the scheme, please contact the HTA Media Office, Tel: 07515 061 988, Email: media.office@hta.org.uk

 
At Evergreen Garden Care, our priority is ensuring that our employees and their families as well as our retail, supplier and agency partners are safe and well. We are taking all reasonable and safe steps to continue serving our customers and maintain business continuity and to help and support our retail partners navigate through this extraordinary time.
 
Evergreen will continue to produce content to inspire, challenge and enable all gardeners to successfully complete their gardening projects. Hopefully, by the time we re-emerge from this life changing event, we will have more people than ever who have enjoyed the endless benefits of gardening and the real sanctuary a garden space can offer.
 
From all at Evergreen Garden Care, please stay safe and we commit to continuing to extend our help to you at this time.
 
Greenfingers Charity and friends bring a little social media cheer on #floralfriday - How will you join in on Good Friday?

Following the success of #floralthursday at Glee last year, last Friday, 3rd April 2020, saw the start of a new social media campaign, #floralfriday which aims to support the gardening industry and its favourite charity, Greenfingers...


Following the success of #floralthursday at Glee last year, last Friday, 3rd April 2020, saw the start of a new social media campaign, #floralfriday which aims to support the gardening industry and its favourite charity, Greenfingers. 

 

The campaign, which evolved as the day went on, was kicked off by Greenfingers Charity Trustee, Boyd Douglas Davies. Hundreds of businesses and individuals, including Evergreen Garden Care and Greenfingers Chairman Sue Allen and Patrons Ann-Marie Powell and David Domoney joined in the conversation, which proved to be a great way to engage with garden lovers right across the industry and beyond.  

 

If you didn’t take part last Friday, the good news is #floralfriday will run throughout April and beyond.  We’d love your support to get the nation going floral.  Here’s how you can join in…

 

On your favourite social media platforms simply:  

  • post a photo of yourself in your favourite floral shirt, dress, hat, shoes, tie, pjs or similar (or your favourite floral photo)
  • use the hashtags #floralfriday #hortindustry #greenfingers
  • nominate a friend to do the same
  • send this story on to your colleagues while they are “working at home”
  • add this story into your customer communications so that your customers can get some floral cheer even though they can’t come and but plants from you just yet.

And PLEASE give a thought too, to the thousands of life-limited children, families, nurses and the wider hospice communities who benefit from spending time in the many Greenfingers Charity gardens in children’s hospices right across the UK.  You and those you nominate can donate by:

 

Texting FLORALFRIDAY to 70085 to donate £5 or by

Texting FLORALFRIDAYTEN to 70085 to donate £10

 

Speaking about #floralfriday, Director of Fundraising and Communications, Linda Petrons said;  “I would like to say a huge thank you on behalf of us all at Greenfingers Charity to all those amazing industry friends and many others who, despite these very difficult times, quickly rallied round and supported our first #floralfriday.  We’re looking forward to doing it all over again on Good Friday and in the weeks and months ahead.”

 

You can also raise money for Greenfingers while you are shopping from home using Amazon.  Simply change your Amazon setting to use smile.amazon instead of the normal Amazon and a small percentage of your spend goes to your chosen charity, which could be Greenfingers.  The prices of products are just the same as on the normal amazon so it’s a great way of raising money for your favourite charity just by shopping on-line.  Search for smile.amazon and away you go.

 

 

 

Johnsons of Boston Food Hall open today despite major fire in garden centre yesterday

Despite a major fire at Johnsons of Boston garden centre yesterday it is business as usual for essential food shopping...


Despite a major fire at Johnsons of Boston garden centre yesterday it is business as usual for essential food shopping.

 

Emergency services were called to Johnson's Garden Centre on the A52 Wainfleet Road near Boston on Sunday morning after a blaze broke out at the back of the property.

Aerial footage of the blaze was captured by Lincolnshire Police Drones and can bee seen on the BBC News website using this link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-lincolnshire-52182749/boston-garden-centre-fire-drone-footage-shows-damage

 

The garden centre has re-assured customers via their Facebook page that: "although the fire was serious, it has not affected or damaged the food hall, or the Garden Centre stock. Of course the Garden Centre and restaurant remain closed due to the measures in place to fight Corvid-19, but the plants are being looked after and the rest of the stock is intact.

 

"Thank you for your hundreds of kind messages. If you want to help, stay at home and stay safe unless coming out for essential supplies for you or your pets. When you need food, shop local whenever you can... we are here for you as always."

 

No-one was injured and staff at the pet shop based at the centre managed to get all of the animals out unharmed.

Horticulture hits the national and local headlines

Last week saw the most column inches about gardening and horticulture for years as the plight of growers and retailers hit the headlines...

 


Last week saw the most column inches about gardening and horticulture for years as the plight of growers and retailers hit the headlines.

 

"The Government is wrong. Garden centres are essential, and we need them reopened" was a headline in The Telegraph. 

 

The Independent ran a story headlined: "The online garden centres and nurseries to support during lockdown."

 

And BBC News featured the story of Tony Joyner at Plants Galore in Exeter with the headline "Coronavirus: Garden centre owner rips up closure order."

Deliveries from closed garden centres also made national news as The Express reported: "Taxis ride to rescue to deliver plants for garden centres as £200m could be wasted."

 

Over in Northern Ireland Altnagelvin Garden Centre in Londonderry made local press headlines of: "Green shoots of recovery for garden centre with launch of delivery service during coronavirus outbreak."

 

The Palace Gardener in Fulham generated the headline "London coronavirus: Fulham garden centre shows how indoor gardening can cheer us all up during lockdown" on the MyLondon news website.

 

And who'd have thought garden centres would feature in a story about The Great British Bake Off.  On ITV's Good Morning Britain Matt Lucas revealed his audition for the next series of Bake Off took place in a garden centre.  If you know which garden centre it was please let us know: trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

 

 

 

 

 

Florainbow and Floral message of Hope

The Scottish horticulture industry have come together to create a message of hope for all that are suffering and Royal Flora Holland have launched a pan-european campaign consumer campaign ‘Let hope bloom’...


We have all seen the pictures of empty pubs, cinemas and high streets and heard so many upsetting and tragic stories.  Horticulture too has a story of loss and sacrifice, and the lockdown could not have come at a worse possible time for us. Before the spring is done, many millions of plants will be composted. However, springtime is a time for renewal, so our story is also one of hope.

The Scottish industry have come together to create something - a message of hope for all that are suffering.  With plants destined for the compost heap and packs for recycling.  We'd like to share with you our interpretation of the worldwide symbol of hope.

Florainbow of Hope

The growing and the planting of plants is one of the most optimistic things people can do – we plant with the expectation for future reward, we all plant for tomorrow.  Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow, don’t stop thinking about your garden. As we look forward to tomorrow, why not create your own interpretation of the Florainbow of Hope. We must thank Garry Young and his family for bringing this living flowering rainbow to our screens.

 

“Through the sheer sadness and financial losses we all face due to Covid-19, yesterday we took pride and had smiles on our faces when making this living Rainbow of Hope”, said grower Garry Young.  "We will get through this, together."

 

Meanwhile, in Holland the The Flower Council of Holland Bloemenbureau Holland is doing everything in its power to bring flowers to the consumer's attention in a positive and appropriate manner. That is why the consumer campaign ‘Let hope bloom’ was launched on Friday 27 March. The campaign will run in Germany, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, and will be boosted through advertisements in daily newspapers and via online and social media.

 

Floral message of hope


Flowers offer a powerful symbolism and speak the international language of love and friendship, of gratitude, support and consolation. And of hope. That is why we are delivering a message with flowers now. Whether you can actually bring them into your home or not, they are sparks of hope in these turbulent times.

Campaign packed with hope and positive news


The campaign consists of videos and photos of a large floral sculpture containing the message 'Let hope bloom' in floral letters. We thereby want to show people that flowers will always be there, and give hope to the countries and people who are being hit hard. Everyone can share this floral message via social media with the universal message #lethopebloom.

 

About the project


Over 200,000 stems of different flowers were purchased and used to make two impressive floral creations in two days. A team of twenty people worked on this installation. All safety measures have been closely observed and the current mood within society has been taken into account. Production took place in an area of 50 by 80 meters. The Dutch Flower Group has opened up its grounds for this, and working with its growers, it offered solutions for logistical and practical cooperation.

 

 

For sale - A long Established Garden Centre Business

Available for sale due to retirement...


Available for sale due to retirement:

Location: Greater London / Home counties.

Leasehold. Turnover c. £4.2m

 

For further information please contact Allen Evans on 07540 268866 aevans@gilbertevans.com or Mike Gilbert on 07540 281960 mgilbert@gilbertevans.com

 

 
Garden Centre Opportunities..from around the world

John Stanley (international garden centre consultant) and Sid Raisch (USA garden centre consultant) have joined forces to present two zoom workshops to provide ideas and suggestions from around the world in these challenging times...


John Stanley (international garden centre consultant) and Sid Raisch (USA garden centre consultant) have joined forces to present two zoom workshops to provide ideas and suggestions from around the world in these challenging times.

 

"Garden centres are on a roller coaster at present. In some countries,they are looked at as non essential retail operations and being forced to close whilst in other countries sales are well up on average as they are seen as essential retailers," writes John Stanley.


"What are the short term opportunities for garden retailers ?

 

"The first zoom session will be held at 8.00pm Western Australian time on Wednesday 8th April. Meeting ID: 777-035-476.


"We realize getting a time that is convenient for all our global colleagues is a challenge.

 

"We hope you can join us and share this with colleagues"

 

On Saturday John will load the presentation onto "John Stanley's Gathering" Facebook page and early next week it will also go onto https://theposbureau.com/ebtv webpage so business owners and managers can absorb the ideas when they have available time.

Bheta intervenes as big retailers threaten suppliers with extended trading terms

 

The British Home Enhancement Trade Association (BHETA) has stepped in to defend DIY, housewares and garden suppliers from the actions of multiple retailers seeking to impose extended trading terms in these exceedingly challenging times...


The British Home Enhancement Trade Association (BHETA) has stepped in to defend DIY, housewares and garden suppliers from the actions of multiple retailers seeking to impose extended trading terms in these exceedingly challenging times.  This follows the actions of two significant retail names in the home enhancement sector notifying suppliers of their intention to implement revised payment terms, adding a further 90 days to the current agreements in place.

 

In strongly worded letters to Trading Directors and Chief Buying Officers, BHETA’s Chief Operating Officer, Will Jones has requested urgent telephone appointments to discuss the likely consequences for suppliers; and to point out that it should surely be the collective responsibility of both retailers and suppliers to face the challenges of Covid-19 jointly, to secure the future security of the sector.

 

Commenting on BHETA’s intervention, Will Jones said, “While we are all trading in extremely challenging and unprecedented times, retailers seeking to extend payment terms, which in many cases are already lengthy, only adds to the difficulties being faced at the moment.  To be blunt, huge retailers with considerably more resources than most of their suppliers are potentially going to cause the demise of many home improvement, housewares and garden companies.

 

“Put simply, by taking actions like these, certain retailers are posing a threat not only to their own supplier base but to the whole industry.  It is nothing short of commercial bullying – and at the very worst of times for us all.  I cannot imagine that consumers would be too impressed to hear that some of their favourite brands were trying to exploit this terrible situation in this manner.

 

“BHETA has received numbers of complaints from its supplier members about threats from large retailers over the last couple of weeks.  It’s ironic that this should happen just when the European DIY Retailers Association (EDRA)/ the Global Home Improvement Network (GHIN) and the Home Improvement Manufacturers Association (HIMA) - the leading associations representing the global home improvement sector - have issued reminders to all industry stakeholders that fair and constructive business partnerships are a necessity in these turbulent times.  I look forward to a swift and positive response from the UK retail players who appear to be out of step.”

 

For more information about BHETA’s lobbying service, contact BHETA’s member services manager, Nicola Adams on na@bheta.co.uk.

GTN Xtra - Send to all

If you want to keep your staff up to date with what's happening in the industry during the lockdown how about adding a link to the GTN Xtra weekly e-mail newsletter into your staff communications...


If you want to keep your staff up to date with what's happening in the industry during the lockdown how about adding a link to the GTN Xtra weekly e-mail newsletter into your staff communications.

 

All you need to do is add this link: www.gardentradenews.co.uk and that will take them to the current issue.

 

Or you can add an RSS feed of our newsletter using this link: http://tgcmc.newsweaver.co.uk/gtnxtra/rss/

 

Don't forget to send us your news and views during lockdown, GTN Xtra continues to be read at very high levels, for which thank you.  Send your news and views to: trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

 

 

 
Lofa members seek help with container charges at ports

Lofa have been lobbying MP's to get something done quickly to reduce or defer container storage costs at ports from Shipping Lines...

 


Lofa have been lobbying MP's to get something done quickly to reduce or defer container storage costs at ports from Shipping Lines.

 

The letter Lofa's Marketing manager Gina Hinde has been sending to MP's is below and garden centres can help by also sending a copy to their MP and by accepting their container deliveries thereby alleviating the situation as outlined in the letter.

 

Lofa letter to MP's:

 

I am writing on behalf of the Leisure and Outdoor Furniture Association (LOFA).

 

We are an association of 70 companies that all manufacture garden furniture, barbecues and accessories for the outdoor leisure industry.

 

The Corona Virus has caused uncertainty and looming financial crisis on our industry.

 

The majority of the industry manufactures products in the far east and imports them into the UK. The business is seasonal and we are now about to hit our main selling season April through to July.

 

Our LOFA members place orders on the far east factories in September/October for delivery into the UK, to meet the demand of the selling season in January/February the following year. However, this year the COVID19 outbreak in China in January caused the factories to close down therefore stopping the production and shipments of products to the UK to arrive in time for the season.

 

China have now resumed production and shipping, therefore the products that should have been in our stores in February/March are now being shipped across to the UK via containers into Felixstowe or Southampton ports. Ordinarily these containers would hit the ports and then go direct to stores, however due to the Corona Virus non-essential businesses have been advised to close therefore leaving our members with containers at ports incurring demurrage and detention charges.

 

 

DEMURRAGE

DETENTION

1 x 20ft Container

1 x 40ft container

1 x 20ft Container

1 x 40ft container

Days 1-7 = Free

Days 1 - 7 = free 

Days 1- 2 = Free

Days 1- 2 = Free

Days 8-14  =£30 per day

Days 8 - 14 = £48 per day 

Days 3-15 = £20.00

Days 3-15 = £25.00

Days 15 - 21 =£50 per day 

Days 15 - 21 = £80 per day 

Day 16 Onwards = £25.00

Day 16 Onwards = £50.00

Days 22 onwards = £70 per day 

Days 22 onwards = £112 per day 

 

 

 

6 weeks lockdown costs

 

 

 

£2030

£3248

£935

£1675

10 containers = £20300

£32480

£9350

£16750

20 containers = £40600

£64960

£18700

£33500

50 containers = £101500

£162400

£46750

£83750

*Approximate costs to our members per day if these goods cannot be delivered into stores

**All shipping line prices differ

*** E.G. Approx., total cost of 10 x 40’ containers sat at port for 6 weeks lockdown = £49230.00

 

Ports can only hold containers for a finite amount of time because they only have a certain amount of space. Space is becoming a premium because many manufacturers are having to hold the delivery of goods that cannot be delivered into stores due to enforced closures.

 

These charges will have catastrophic implications for our members, the supply chain and the industry as a whole and we would urge you to step in and speak to the ports and shipping lines to relax, defer or halt these charges for a minimum of three months so that the industry can work together and find a solution to this mounting problem.

 

Many of our LOFA members who have been trading for many years will find themselves having to close their businesses if something is not done and done quickly to reduce or defer these costs from Shipping Lines. There is also talk of a predicted rise in these rates due to availability and market pressure.  This will only compound the issue and cause more financial difficulties.

 

It is through no fault of their own that this situation has been thrust upon them and they cannot sustain these large demurrage and detention costs during this period of lockdown.

 

I would urge you to consider this situation seriously and the impact it will have on the supply chain in the UK and the effect it will have on the outdoor leisure industry as a whole and to take measures to help the many companies that this will effect before it is too late.

 

 

Hillier announces five new plants for 2020

Hillier Nurseries has revealed details of the five new plants the company was going to unveil at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show...


Hillier Nurseries has revealed details of the five new plants the company was going to unveil at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Although the RHS took the difficult but necessary decision to cancel the show, following the outbreak of COVID-19, Hillier hopes to still bring these new amazing new plants to the public this year, offering inspiration for every garden. All plants will be available from Hillier Garden Centres from May this year. The five plants are Lysimachia christianiae ‘Sunburst’, Salvia x jamensis Vibe™ Ignition – Purple, Leycesteria formosa ‘Little Lanterns’, Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Bannow Bay’ and Hydrangea x multiflora ‘French Bolero’.

 

A particularly special one of the new plants is Lysimachia christianiae ‘Sunburst.’ It has been developed by Hillier Nurseries from a plant originally grown by famed plantsman Roy Lancaster, who has a special association with the company, having worked under Sir Harold Hillier for many years and helped collate the original Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs. L. ‘Sunburst’ is a trailing perennial that can grow over 1.5 metres in a season. It has dark green foliage, and in early summer produces a stunning mass of vibrant golden yellow flowers for four to six weeks.

 

The new Salvia x jamensis Vibe™ Ignition - Purple boasts exceptionally bright flower colour, richly aromatic foliage, and a long flowering season. S. ‘Vibe Ignition’ is a fantastic plant for a sunny spot in the garden. It is drought tolerant and very easy to grow so is perfect for gardeners and gardens of all varieties.

 

Leycesteria formosa ‘Little Lanterns’ is perfect for the smaller garden. In spring it offers lime-coloured growth and red shoots, in mid-summer bright golden yellow foliage and pendant racemes of white flowers then in autumn deep purple, almost black, ornamental berries. It was bred and selected by Hillier Head of Wholesale Nurseries, Charles Carr.

 

Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Bannow Bay’ is ideal for patio containers and continues the Hillier ethos that everyone should be able to create a piece of a Chelsea exhibit in their garden.  It grows to form a dense mound of deep purple foliage, tinged pink, in the winter months and is pale green with flashes of white in spring.

 

The final Hillier plant introduction is Hydrangea x multiflora ‘French Bolero’. This is a truly distinctive plant that boasts masses of blue or pink flowers, dependent on the soil type. Thanks to its unique habit, every bud, including all the side shoots will produce flowers. 

 

 

Discussing the new varieties, Charles Carr, who has overseen the breeding commented: “We are all of course disappointed that Chelsea Flower Show won’t be going ahead this year, but that needn’t mean that people aren’t able to enjoy our new plants. Our fantastic growing team on our nurseries have been tending to them for months, keeping it all top secret. We have been very excited about unveiling them, particularly as we have so many this year and we look forward to hearing what people have to say about them.”

For further information, visit www.hillier.co.uk, find Hillier Garden Centres on Facebook, or @HillierGarden on Twitter and Instagram.

Gardening is deemed ‘critically important’ to physical and mental health during #stayathome

With the nation currently isolating in their homes and facilities shut down, ..have little choice but to try and enjoy this enforced staycation...


With the nation currently isolating in their homes and facilities shut down, we have little choice but to try and enjoy this enforced staycation.  Maintaining mental and physical wellbeing during this time will be of paramount importance as so many areas of our lives feel very much out of our control. Thankfully the sun is beginning to make a more regular appearance, which means the garden is finally open for business. Here, leading garden PR agency, Hornby Whitefoot PR, explore the vital role gardening has for mental and physical wellbeing – as if we needed any further excuses to get out there!  

 

Just what the doctor ordered…..

The physical health benefits of digging borders and growing fruit and veg are well documented, while the medical profession is increasingly recognising horticulture’s pivotal role in therapy and tackling mental health issues, including stress and anxiety

 

Media reports citing medical experts have claimed that the NHS could make considerable financial savings if horticultural therapy is prescribed instead of traditional health treatments. As one leading doctor pointed out: “Since about £60billion is spent on long-term conditions, 80% of which could be prevented by a healthier lifestyle, there is a significant incentive to develop a programme that includes horticulture.”

 

As the benefits of gardening rise up the medical agenda, studies are confirming the link between horticulture and wellbeing. A report commissioned by the National Gardens Scheme, called ‘Gardens and health, Implications for policy and practice’, hit home the benefits that horticulture can bring. Author David Buck summarised: “Increasing people’s exposure to, and use of, green spaces has been linked to long-term reductions in overall reported health problems (including heart disease, cancer and musculoskeletal conditions). It has been linked to reduced levels of obesity and high physical activity, and higher self-rated mental health. Living in areas with green spaces seems to weaken the effect of income inequalities on health.”

 

The report described the mental health benefits of gardening as “broad and diverse”, pointing out that studies have shown “significant reductions in depression and anxiety, and improved social functioning”.

 

Benefits to older people, the core customer demographic for garden centres, were highlighted, too: “Surveys suggest that gardens become more important to us as a source of physical activity, but also in terms of our identity and independence, and in ameliorating loneliness. There is emerging evidence that gardening may be important in falls prevention (helping to maintain good gait and balance) and in dementia prevention and cognitive decline.”

 

It added: “The effects of gardens in care homes and hospices have been well studied, especially in dementia care. Most dementia studies report that exposure to gardens reduces agitation, aggression and other symptoms. Qualitative studies point to improvements in concentration, connection with past memories, and access to natural light.”

 

Recognition of gardening’s benefits

AXA PPP Healthcare is a leading private medical insurer that recognises the benefits that gardening can have on physical and mental wellbeing. In addition to reducing stress and anxiety, it says gardening achievements result in “satisfaction and empowerment” that can “improve self-esteem and confidence”. The resurgence of grow-your-own has implications for healthy eating.

 

The garden trade can take advantage of facts about physical benefits of gardening released by AXA PPP, to potentially boost sales of tools, products and plants. According to the insurer, heavy landscaping can burn 400-600 calories per hour, followed by raking leaves (350-450 calories), clearing the garden (400 calories), mowing the lawn (250-350 calories), weeding (200-400 calories), planting flowers (200-400 calories) and watering the garden (120 calories).

 

Businesses looking to spread the word about gardening for physical health should also note the “body benefits” of gardening highlighted by AXA PPP. Gardeners are claimed to have lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol, leading to improved sleep patterns, while outdoor physical activity naturally helps to strengthen the heart, building endurance and increasing stamina, reducing the risk of a heart attack and stroke. Activities such as raking and collecting-up leaves involve constant bending, twisting, lifting and carrying, all of which strengthen muscles. Finally, squatting, lifting and pushing helps to build and tone gluteal muscles, hamstrings and quads, improving balance and even helping to prevent falls in older people, according to the insurer.

 

Exploring holistic benefits

Gardening for health charity Thrive delivered 9,000 therapeutic gardening sessions last year at its centres in London, Birmingham and Berkshire, with 94% of its client gardeners saying they “felt better” as a result of attending the programmes. Thrive’s CEO, Kathryn Rossiter, says: “There is a lot of evidence for the holistic benefits of gardening, particularly in therapeutic settings. Spending time in nature, being meaningfully occupied and being with people offers a powerful combination of physical, psychological and social benefits that enhance health, wellbeing and quality of life.”

 

Kathryn adds: “It has been encouraging to see how the health benefits of gardening have been increasingly prominent in conversations within the gardening sector over the last year or two, particularly the emphasis on mental wellbeing.” She is calling on the garden trade to provide financial support to those running therapeutic gardening programmes and adds: “Support schools and families to help children to develop a love of gardening, which in turn will provide lifelong health and wellbeing benefits. They’ll end up being your next generation of customers.”

 

Social prescribing to boost health

When it comes to tackling health issues, the Royal Horticultural Society says GPs’ surgeries are often the first place that people go when they don’t know where else to turn. It is estimated that 20% of people visit their doctor for “what is primarily a social rather than a health problem,” according to the RHS, which is highlighting how “social prescribing” can relieve the burden on the NHS.

 

It will introduce such a scheme at its new garden, RHS Bridgewater in Manchester, where gardening therapy is to be rolled out, while three gardens, The Wellbeing Garden, The World Food Garden and The Wildlife Garden are being created at its flagship estate, RHS Wisley in Surrey. RHS Director of Science and Collections, Professor Alistair Griffiths, said in a recent report: “A gardening green revolution has started – with increasing scientific evidence highlighting the critical importance of plants, gardens and gardening benefiting our physical, mental and social wellbeing.”

 

As if we needed anymore excuses to get out in the garden! The team at Hornby Whitefoot PR is planning on getting out into the garden as much as possible over the coming weeks. We’ll be sharing our experience on Instagram - @HornbyWhitefoot – plus we’ll be sharing #gardeningismytherapy to highlight how others are using gardening as a way to relax and decompress during lockdown.

 
GTN Bestsellers Garden Re-Leaf Subscription Offer

As we approach trading times that are uncertain now is a good time to access information that could help with managing sales and expectations during what could be a slow Spring.

 

Over the coming weeks we’ll be keeping GTN Bestsellers subscribers as informed as possible about what sold when during March, April and May of 2018 and 2013, when we also had slow starts to the season.

 

Take out a subscription this week and we'll donate money to Greenfingers Garden Re-Leaf Day too...


As we approach trading times that are uncertain as a result of the Covid-19 Virus pandemic now is a good time to access information that could help with managing sales and expectations during what could be a slow Spring.

 

GTN Bestsellers has been recording and analysing garden centre EPoS data for over 10 years so we’ve got history of how garden centres have traded through slow Spring seasons in the past.

 

Over the coming weeks we’ll be using that analysis to keep our GTN Bestsellers subscribers as informed as possible about what sold when during March, April and May of 2018 and 2013.

 

To receive that information along with our weekly printed Top 50 chart updates of what is actually selling well this year all you have to do is take out a subscription to GTN Bestsellers which costs just £145.00.

 

And to add to the funds of Greenfingers Garden Re-Leaf Day, for every new subscription purchased during the lockdown we’ll send £10 to the Greenfingers Charity.

 

To buy your subscription on-line use this link or the button below:

 

 

Thank you for subscribing and helping Greenfingers too.  If you have any questions about GTN Bestsellers please e-mail trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk or call 07973 504214.

 

The GTN Bestsellers weekly EPOS analysis combines data from a pool of independent garden centres whose annual turnover is around £100m.  Data from the same centres is received every week which makes the week on week and year on year comparisons particularly useful and great indicators of trends as and when they happen.  By subscribing to GTN Bestsellers you don’t have to wait until the end of the season and next year to see if a new product or a new sector of products are selling well.

 

GTN Bestsellers subscribers stay ahead of the game.  Buy your subscription today.

LifestyleGarden® vow to support retailers during lockdown

LifestyleGarden® has taken steps to ensure that stock of its leading product portfolio is readily available to its customers including those set-up with transactional webstores, in a bid to meet consumer demand during the nationwide lockdown...


LifestyleGarden®, the pioneer of the ground breaking DuraOcean® chair and stunning outdoor furniture ranges backed by an environmental and sustainable business agenda, has taken steps to ensure that extensive stock of its leading product portfolio is readily available to its customers including those set-up with transactional webstores, in a bid to meet consumer demand during the nationwide lockdown.

 

Since the Government ordered all non-essential retailers, including garden centres, to close their doors just weeks before the peak Easter sales period, LifestyleGarden® has vowed to support its retail customers as much as possible, and has worked tirelessly to ensure that all the containers entering the UK have been allocated or are safely warehoused ahead of the long-awaited post-Corona sales peak.

 

To support retailers at this difficult time, LifestyleGarden® is also driving consumers to its dedicated stockist page at www.lifestylegarden.com so those isolating at home could safely obtain its products for home delivery during the Coronavirus crisis. The company will also be supporting its retailers with a wide-reaching consumer campaign to further engage and build awareness around its products; products that are ready and waiting to be sold once the doors open at garden centres post-lockdown.

 

“For much of the population the garden is their preferred retreat, as it provides a place to escape from the unprecedented restrictions that have been imposed on everyday life as the Government attempts to slow the spread of Covid-19,” said Paul Cohen, Sales Director at LifestyleGarden®.

 

Paul added: “Consumers are certainly looking for a pick-me-up at this time, and the garden is bearing witness to this. With a staycation likely to be the flavour of the month, it makes sense that the nation is looking to improve their garden spaces, with the furniture taking centre stage. What’s even better, with our DuraOcean® chairs playing its part in removing harmful plastic waste from the world’s oceans, purchasers can benefit from an extra dose of feel good endorphins.”

 

Paul concluded by offering a few words of reassurance. He said: “Press reports have suggested that sales of outdoor furniture and leisure products are going through the roof as the nation looks to improve their garden spaces, and our customers are echoing this. We’re hearing from many with online capabilities, that furniture is flying off the virtual shelves, and we’re only too happy to assist them – and all our retailers - in ensuring stock levels continue to meet this demand and will continue to do both now and long into the future. The team and I continue to be available to all our customers, so please reach out if there is anything we can assist with.”

 

If you want to find out more about LifestyleGarden® and the company’s market leading outdoor furniture collections, please visit www.lifestylegarden.com or follow the team on Facebook and Instagram.

 
Petindex postponed until 2021

The Pet Industry Federation (PIF) announced last week that Petindex, which includes the British Dog Grooming Championship and the PIF Awards, has been postponed...

 


The Pet Industry Federation (PIF) announced last week that in the face of the continued global spread of COVID-19 and the current UK lockdown, Petindex, which includes the British Dog Grooming Championship and the PIF Awards, has been postponed.

 

The 2021 Petindex date will be 18-19 April at the Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes.

 

In place of this year’s Petindex, however, PIF is pleased to announce the launch of a virtual trade show – Virtual Petindex – which is being scheduled for the 14-15 June 2020. This event will combine seminars and trade stands that visitors can visit using their laptop or mobile phone. It will be fully interactive and allow visitors the opportunity to engage with trade stands, as if at a face-to-face show, but without the need or cost of travel and accommodation.

 

PIF will be notifying delegates, speakers, exhibitors and other service providers directly with more information and the next steps to participate in this exciting new venture.

 

The PIF Awards will be re-scheduled to take place later this year during the Glee/PawExpo trade show on Wednesday 16 September.

More companies, including one from China, sign up for PATS Telford

 

More companies are signing up to exhibit at PATS Telford, including a pet product supplier from China.


More companies are signing up to exhibit at PATS Telford, including a pet product supplier from China.

 

Gambol Pet Group Co Ltd this week confirmed its attendance at the UK’s National Pet Industry Exhibition, which takes place in just under six month’s time.

 

“Covid-19 is controlled in China, and our work is being carried out normally,” company spokesperson Fangying Wei informed PATS organisers.

 

Gambol is one of four exhibitors – the others being Zoflora, Lah-De-Dah-Dog and Woof & Brew – to have booked stand space at PATS Telford since Monday (March 30).

 

“It’s a very difficult period for everyone but the fact that companies are this week committing to showcasing their new products at PATS Telford is a sign that the pet industry is determined to get through this crisis,” said organiser Gordon Thomas, of Impact Exhibitions and Events.

 

Zoflora, a brand with almost 100 years of home hygiene experience, is new to PATS, and senior brand manager Vicky Oldroyd said the company is looking forward to the Telford exhibition.

 

“We’re delighted to be exhibiting at this year's event where we’ll be showcasing our innovative 'Fresh Home' range. It has been specially developed to be better tolerated by a pet's sense of smell.

“The brand aims to connect with pet retailers to educate them about Zoflora’s Fresh Home range which contains patented malodour technology and has been tested against pet-specific odours, including vomit, urine, excrement and ‘wet dog’ smell.”

Zoflora will also be showcasing Coastal Breeze, which is the latest fragrance for 2020 from its Fresh Home Odour Remover and Disinfectant range, alongside a range of other products. 

 

Another exhibitor to book its stand this week was Lah-De-Dah-Dog, which is returning to Telford after launching its range of quality fleece dog coats at PATS two years ago.

 

Gambol, Zoflora, Lah-De-Dah-Dog and Woof & Brew have joined more than 130 other brands to have booked their stand space for PATS Telford on Sunday, September 27th, and Monday, September 28th.

 

During the coronavirus crisis PATS is using its large database of more than 13,000 contacts, including pet retailers, wholesalers, international distributors, garden centres, farm shops, groomers, kennels and catteries, and other pet professionals, to send targeted communications. Details of new product launches, deals and discounts, and other newsworthy items are being included in a series of e-shots, as well as being posted on the PATS website www.patshow.co.uk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gordon Thomas added: “By helping and supporting the pet industry in this way, it will mean that retailers and buyers will be more aware of our exhibitors and their product ranges when PATS Telford takes place in September. By working together, we can weather this difficult and hopefully short-term situation.”

 

Gordon added that the PATS team will be working extra hard to attract more visitors to the show in an effort to beat last year’s attendance figure of 2,103, and also on plans for next year’s PATS Sandown, which takes place on February 14th-15th 2021.

 

For all the latest information on PATS visit www.patshow.co.uk

 

Vitax donation helps rehabilitate lives of servicemen and women through horticulture

One of the world’s leading clinical rehabilitation centres for the armed forces is set to see its Horticultural Therapy programme grow with the support of Vitax...


One of the world’s leading clinical rehabilitation centres for the armed forces is set to see its Horticultural Therapy programme grow with the support of Vitax.

 

The Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre (DMRC) at Stanford Hall in Loughborough has received 100, 75 litre bags of Vitax Universal Q4 Grower Compost to help injured serving personnel on their road to recovery through the benefits of gardening.

 

Working in partnership with HighGround and ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, Vitax’s donation will support the Horticultural Therapy programme, an essential part of an individual’s rehabilitation journey.

 

To witness first-hand the difference its donation will make, Vitax was invited to tour DMRC and its outdoor gardens on Friday 13 March 2020, and to meet with the HighGround Horticultural Therapy team to learn how patients currently benefit from the programme.

 

Paul Gooding, Vitax’s chairman says: “DMRC is a fantastic facility and it is hugely rewarding to see what a difference gardening can make to both the mental health and physical wellbeing of servicemen and women who are currently undergoing Horticultural Therapy.

 

“We have worked with The Soldiers’ Charity for the past two years and are thrilled to work with one of its partners on such an innovative programme, which is changing lives as a result of alternative therapies.”

 

The DMRC combines neurological and complex trauma treatment with a full, state-of-the-art suite of rehabilitative facilities on one site, including advanced specialist care for amputations, serious or multiple fractures, muscular damage, spinal injuries and more. Its world-class neurological wing was funded by a £7 million grant from The Soldiers’ Charity.

 

Focusing on the therapeutic benefits of gardening, such as providing a sense of purpose, hope and achievement, Horticultural Therapy is popular amongst patients as Anna Baker Cresswell, executive director at HighGround Therapeutic Gardens at DMRC, explains: “Clinical rehabilitation is about getting people back to fitness, back to mobility and back to work after serious injury, and the use of Horticultural Therapy provides another pathway where certain clinically defined goals can be met.

 

“Since the magnificent new greenhouse was handed over to HighGround in March 2019, we have delivered 777 one-to-one sessions of Horticultural Therapy to 230 patients, as well as 51 group sessions, which are widely used for neurological patients.

 

“Vitax’s donation and The Soldiers’ Charity’s continued support will enable HighGround to continue its invaluable work to help servicemen and women return to service or onto the next stage of their lives.”

 

The addition of the garden and greenhouse at Stanford Hall are making a positive impact on lives, as Andy Wright from HighGround, commented: “Horticultural Therapy helps patients with functional skills such as bending and picking things up from different heights. They often find themselves talking to other patients too which is self-therapy and it’s good to offer others an ear to just listen.”

 

The DMRC is committed to providing the very best possible care for members of the armed forces who have been injured while serving their country.

 

To find out more about ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, visit: www.soldierscharity.org

To find out more about The DMRC programme, visit: www.thednrc.org.uk

To find out more about HighGround, visit: www.highground-uk.org

To find out more about Vitax, visit: www.vitax.co.uk

 

PIctured above, before social distancing measures came into place: 

Front row (left to right): Paul Gooding - chairman at Vitax, Jane Taylor (HighGround) and Sean Bonnington, national fundraising director at ABF The Soldiers' Charity

Back row (left to right): Anna Baker Cresswell - executive director at HighGround, Mark Butler (Vitax), Dr Heather Barrett-Mold OBE - Master of the Worshipful Company of Gardeners, Andy Wright (HighGround)

 

 
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Fiskars Wins Prestigious ‘Best Buy’ Award

Fiskars, one of the UK’s leading gardening tool brands, has been given a prestigious BBC Gardeners’ World ‘Best Buy Award’ for its PowerGear™ X Pruner M Bypass PX92...


Fiskars, one of the UK’s leading gardening tool brands, has been given a prestigious BBC Gardeners’ World ‘Best Buy Award’ for its PowerGear™ X Pruner M Bypass PX92.

 

The Best Buy Award is part of BBC Gardeners’ World’s ‘On Test’ feature, which rates tools in four key areas; handling, cutting, maintenance and value for money.

 

Fiskars’ PowerGear™ X Pruner PX92 is a winner in the ‘Secateurs’ category, after being named best for “repetitive pruning and cutting” thanks to being “comfortable and light, with an easy and smooth cutting action.”

 

Georgina Taylor, Trade Marketing Manager at Fiskars, comments: “We are extremely proud to be given this prestigious Best Buy Award. Here at Fiskars we are dedicated to making gardeners’ lives easier, and that shows through our PowerGear™ X Pruners. The tool is a true evolution of engineering and ergonomics, delivering exceptional performance that meets the needs of all types of gardeners, whether they are novice or experienced.”

 

Part of the state-of-the-art PowerGear™ X range, the Fiskars Pruners have been cleverly designed for ease, efficiency and comfort. With iconic orange detailing for increased visibility, and a special locking mechanism for safe practice, the PowerGear™ X Pruners are superior in every sense. With three times the cutting power of traditionally designed pruners, the PowerGear mechanism offers impressive power for bigger, more efficient cuts with less effort.

 

The PowerGear™ X Pruner range is available in Bypass Pruner M (RRP: £34.99), Bypass Pruner L (RRP: £38.99) and Anvil Pruner L (RRP: £34.99).

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch results show milder winter helps small garden birds

The house sparrow remained at the top of the Big Garden Birdwatch rankings at the most commonly seen garden birds with more than 1.3 million recorded sightings throughout the weekend. Starling held down the second spot once more, with the blue tit completing the top three...


House sparrow remains at the top of the Big Garden Birdwatch rankings with almost 1.3 million sightings throughout the weekend.


Almost half a million people across the UK spent an hour watching the birds that visit their garden or outdoor space as part of the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch, counting nearly 8 million birds in total.


For many people, garden birds remain an important link to nature and the RSPB will be helping people to share their wildlife encounters and provide ideas for things you can do for wildlife close to home.


The latest results from the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch have revealed smaller birds such as long-tailed tits, wrens and coal tits were seen in greater numbers in gardens across the country than in 2019 thanks to the milder winter.

 

Now in its 41st year, the Big Garden Birdwatch is a chance for people of all ages to count the number of birds that visit their garden helping the RSPB build up a picture of how they are doing. This year, almost half a million people across the country took part counting nearly 8 million birds.

 

The event held over the last weekend in January revealed the house sparrow held on to its number one spot whilst there was an increase in garden sightings of long-tailed tits, wrens, and coal tits, three of the smallest species to visit our gardens. More gardens reported seeing long-tailed tits up by 14%, wrens up by 13% and coal tits up by 10% in 2020 compared to 2019. The milder weather we experienced at the start of the year appears to have helped populations of these species as small birds are more susceptible to spells of cold weather.

 

Over its four decades, Big Garden Birdwatch has highlighted the winners and losers in the garden bird world. It was first to alert the RSPB to the decline in song thrush numbers. This species was a firm fixture in the top 10 in 1979. By 2009, its numbers were less than half those recorded in 1979, it came in at 20th in the rankings this year, seen in just 9% of gardens.

 

Daniel Hayhow, RSPB Conservation Scientist, said: “Small birds suffer during long, cold winters but the warmer January weather this year appears to have given species such as the wren and long-tailed tit a boost. Over the survey’s lifetime, we’ve seen the increasing good fortunes of birds such as the coal tit and goldfinch and the alarming declines of the house sparrow and starling. But there appears to be good news for one of these birds. While the overall decline in house sparrow numbers, reported by participants, since the Big Garden Birdwatch began is 53% (1979 – 2020), in the most recent decade (2010-2020) numbers appear to have increased by 10%. Giving us hope that at least a partial recovery may be happening.”

 

The house sparrow remained at the top of the Big Garden Birdwatch rankings at the most commonly seen garden birds with more than 1.3 million recorded sightings throughout the weekend. Starling held down the second spot once more, with the blue tit completing the top three.

 

Throughout the first half of the spring term the nation’s school children took part in the RSPB’s Big Schools Birdwatch. The UK-wide survey of birds in school grounds saw close to 70,000 school children and their teachers spend an hour in nature counting the birds. Blackbird was the most numerous species seen with an average of 5 per school; and was seen in 85% of all schools that took part.

 

Beccy Speight, the RSPB’s Chief Executive, said: “We know that for many people, garden birds provide an important connection to the wider world and bring enormous joy. These are difficult and unsettling times for all of us, but we hope that nature can provide a welcome respite in whichever form and wherever you may encounter it.

 

“Despite everything that’s going on in the world, nature is still doing its thing. Birds are singing and blossom is bursting. Watching wildlife, whether from a window or a balcony or even online, can offer many of us hope, joy and a welcome distraction, and so we are keen to help you carry on connecting with the natural world.

 

“Over the coming days and weeks, we will be helping people to share their wildlife encounters and provide ideas for things you can do for wildlife close to home. You can also join the RSPB for #BreakfastBirdwatch from your home, weekdays, 8:00-9:00am. Follow the RSPB on Twitter and Facebook ”

 

For a full round-up of all the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch results and to see which birds were visiting gardens where you live, visit www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch

 
Garden Radio charges on hold

Thanks to help from suppliers and licence authorities Garden Radio charges have been put on hold from Tuesday 24th March 2020 when the lockdown started...


Thanks to help from suppliers and licence authorities Garden Radio charges have been put on hold from Tuesday 24th March 2020 when the lockdown started.

 

"We were able to immediately suspend the Garden Radio service when all garden centres closed and thanks to the licence authorities and our suppliers help we've also been able to suspend charges until garden centres open up again," said Trevor Pfeiffer, Director of Potting Shed Press who run Garden Radio.

 

"We have had calls from a couple of centres who have asked for Garden Radio to be kept playing where they have a farm shop that is still open, but for the rest or our customers they are happy to know we have put the service and charges on hold."

 

If you'd like to know more about Garden Radio please contact Trevor on 07973 504214 or by e-mail trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

 
David Domoney takes on role of Patron for Greenfingers Charity

TV gardening personality, David Domoney, has recently been confirmed as the Greenfingers Charity’s newest Patron.  The role will see David support the charity’s work in building magical and therapeutic gardens for life-limited children in hospices across the country...


TV gardening personality, David Domoney, has recently been confirmed as the Greenfingers Charity’s newest Patron.  The role will see David support the charity’s work in building magical and therapeutic gardens for life-limited children in hospices across the country.

 

David has been a great supporter of Greenfingers for many years, giving his time to support for the charity’s and initiatives, including Garden Re-Leaf Day, where he has raised awareness through social media, given gardening talks and hosted children’s workshops at garden centres to raise vital funds for the charity. 

 

David is an ITV television presenter, and co-presents with Alan Titchmarsh on Britain’s most popular TV garden show ‘Love Your Garden’ over the last 10 years. He is also the resident garden presenter on ITV’s This Morning and presents on Saturday Morning with James Martin.  In 2018, David was selected by HRH Prince Edward to receive the Excellence in Horticulture Award. David has also won 30 RHS Medals for garden design, horticultural displays and science exhibits.

 

A strong believer and prolific public speaker on the benefits of plants and gardens on our mental and physical wellbeing, David has also created educational exhibits, presented on TV shows and regularly written on the topic, promoting the positive power of plants to international audiences.

 

Speaking about the role, David said; “The positive impact these beautiful gardens have on families at the most vulnerable and emotional times of their lives is a credit to Greenfingers. The charity’s tireless work in fundraising and landscaping is mirrored by the generosity of the horticultural industry and I have always found this deeply moving. I have enjoyed supporting this marvellous charity over the years and I am very honoured to take this role of Patron.  I look forward to supporting the Greenfingers team in their future activities.”

 

Linda Petrons, Director of Fundraising and Communications at Greenfingers Charity said: “We are delighted to welcome David as our Patron.  David is passionate about helping families through Greenfingers and has already done great work to raise awareness of our campaigns and the work the charity does for children’s hospices.  David’s public profile and his enthusiastic approach to gardening will really help us to reach out to garden lovers across the UK and increase awareness of the charity’s mission”

 

David stands alongside an impressive team of Greenfingers Charity Patrons who all play a part in helping to raise the charity’s profile and supporting its ongoing initiatives to build inspirational outdoor spaces where children and families can spend precious time outside together, enjoying the relaxing and sensory benefits of a garden.  Other patrons include actors Jim Carter OBE, Imelda Staunton CBE, award-winning garden designer, Anne-Marie Powell, as well as garden and landscaper and television presenter Adam Frost.

 

Find out more

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

 
Growing Media Europe welcomes four new members

Growing Media Europe (GME) keeps growing strongly with four new members having joined the association since the beginning of 2020...


Growing Media Europe (GME) are pleased to announce that the companies Eifel-Holz AG, Floragard and Hawita as well as the Estonian Peat Association Eesti Turbaliit have joined and will further strengthen the voice of the growing media sector on a European level. 

 

Eifel-Holz AG: “In Bütgenbach, in the Belgian part of the Eifel, we have been producing growing media products at the highest level in our company since 1989. Surrounded by forest areas used for forestry, we have been using the bark from the wood harvest for the production of potting soil and bark mulch for many years. From summer 2018, a new, state-of-the-art wood fiber plant in our factory will complement the selection of renewable raw materials. (…) Green waste, which is delivered from the surrounding area, is expertly composted by us and, like most of our other raw materials, is RAL quality assured.” www.eifel-holz.eu


“For more than 100 years the Floragard Vertriebs-GmbH in Oldenburg has successfully been developing, producing and distributing products for the professional horticulture. Since then we let this knowledge flow into our hobby potting soils. Because of that we nowadays refer to innovative premium recipes with a high standard from which the trade and hobby gardeners benefit equally. Regardless of whether indoors or outdoors, in a bed, on the balcony, in the greenhouse or in a winter garden, whether magnificent blossoms or delicious harvest of vegetables and herbs.” www.professional.floragard.de


“The HAWITA Group is a globally operating company with more than 400 employees, eight production states as well as more than 4,500 ha of moor land in Germany and the Baltic states. Thanks to our consistent company policy, a great deal of expertise and the best employees, we have developed into one of the premium manufacturers of modern horticultural products during our 80 year company history. Our portfolio serves the “green sector” ranging from gardening enthusiasts to professional horticulturalists. With our name and motto: »Your plants in good hands«, we represent an innovative spirit, top products, customer orientation and complete logistics.” www.hawita-gruppe.de


“The NGO Eesti Turbaliit unites companies producing, processing and marketing peat in Estonia. Turbaliit was founded on November 27, 1992, being one of the first professional unions in the newly independent Republic of Estonia. The Union aims to be a reliable partner for all parties involved in peat, both in the economic, legislative and environmental fields.” www.turbaliit.ee

 
The best of last week's

If you missed last week's GTN Xtra, below are the most-read stories...


 
Exeter garden centre stays open but cannot sell plants - Cherry Lane close all centres

After trading through the first week of the emergency lockdown Cherry Lane Garden Centres have now closed.  Plants Galore in Exeter, after being served with a prohibition notice, have been allowed to carry on selling hardware and pet products but not plants...


After trading through the first week of the emergency lockdown Cherry Lane Garden Centres have now closed.  Plants Galore in Exeter, after being served with a prohibition notice, have been allowed to carry on selling hardware and pet products but not plants.

 

The East Devon News reported last week:  "Plants Galore, in Topsham Road, near Countess Wear, Exeter, became one of the first business in the UK to be served notice of an offence under new Health Protection regulations that came into law this week to protect the public from coronavirus – including shutting non-essential shops and retail outlets.

 

"The notice said the branch had continued to open to the public as a garden centre and must stop immediately.

 

"The notice was served after Exeter City Council received complaints from members of the public.

 

"The council said the store can continue to operate ‘via electronic means’ and function as a store for other permitted items."

 

Read the full report at https://eastdevonnews.co.uk/2020/03/28/exeter-plants-galore-garden-centre-is-one-of-first-businesses-in-uk-served-with-prohibition-notice-for-staying-open-during-coronavirus-lockdown/

 

Plants Galore owner Tony Joyner told GTN Xtra "I've had to cordon off all my plants.  Why then are Aldi, just 500m up the road still allowed to sell plants?"

 

The 14 strong Cherry Lane Garden Centres, part of the QD Stores Group, closed all of their centres at the end of the day on Monday.  GTN Xtra understands that police were asking customers in some centre car parks why they were out shopping for non essential items.

 

At The Barn Garden Centre in Peterborough on Sunday they were only allowing 15 people into the centre at any one time and customers were shopping for gardening supplies, pet supplies and food items.  All other product lines normally stocked by the garden centre were also available for sale.

 
Calling all businesses in garden retailing to sign HTA/RHS/NFU petition

As growers experience huge issues the HTA have created a lobbying alliance for horticulture with the NFU and RHS...


The HTA have created a lobbying alliance for horticulture with the NFU and RHS.

 

Boyd Douglas-Davies explained to GTN Xtra their 3 objectives:

 

"Our first objective is to get govermnent agreement to a Plant Scrappage Scheme that would provide help for growers, landscapers and retailers who will lose seasonal plant stocks.  We've included into our calculations that stocks which can be maintained for sale later in the year are maintained but that prompts our second ask of government.

 

"We need the government to confirm that ornamental plant workers at growers, landscapers and retail are allowed to travel to work through the lockdown.  Apparently there have been instances in Scotland where workers at Pentland Plants have been turned around on their way to work.  I suggest all plant workers travel to work in their uniform to make it obvious that they are heading to work and there is also a letter template on the HTA website that members can adapt and give to their employees.

 

"Thirdly, we want horticulture to be allowed to be at the frontline of getting back to normality as part of the fresh produce industry."

 

"The HTA are co-ordinating a campaign to raise awareness of the situation within our industry and are asking for as many signatures as possible to send an open letter to the government.

 

"We need to add as many industry signatures to the letter as possible but we need to be quick.  Please send an e-mail to Boyd Douglas-Davies via BDD@britishgardencentres.com  with your name, business details and "YES", nothing more needed, if you are happy to add your signature"

 

An idea of the scale of the issue facing young plant growers can be seen in this video from Bruce Harnett at Kernock Park Plants in Cornwall.

 

Horticultural Sector Worth £1.4 Billion Could Be Wiped Out By Coronavirus Shut Down In Just Weeks

The ornamental horticultural industry is facing a crisis point which will severely impact the availability of British grown seasonal plants and flowers.


Due to the plunge in demand following the UK shut down, the value of lost plant sales in the UK will be £687 million by the end of June and if it continues £1.2 billion by the end of December.


The perishability and seasonality of plants means that the sector potentially faces total stock write off unlike that of any other industry...


The ornamental horticultural industry is facing a crisis point which will severely impact the availability of British grown seasonal plants and flowers.


Due to the plunge in demand following the UK shut down, the value of lost plant sales in the UK will be £687 million by the end of June and if it continues £1.2 billion by the end of December.


The perishability and seasonality of plants means that the sector potentially faces total stock write off unlike that of any other industry.


Hundreds of UK growers face complete loss of income, cannot afford to take on the debt of a government loan and many may not even be eligible.

 

A major part of the UK’s gardening industry worth £1.4 billion, which includes hundreds of family businesses up and down the country, could be destroyed following the UK coronavirus shutdown, claims the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA).

 

Peak season has only a matter of weeks left for the horticulture sector which has formed an essential part of British life for over 350 years. It includes the ornamental crop sector, which grows bulbs, bedding plants, cut flowers, pot plants and stock mostly sold through garden centres, supermarkets, florists and DIY stores.

 

Around 650 businesses across the UK produce ornamental crops, which contribute £1.4 billion in total to the country’s GDP annually and employ over 15,000 people directly and almost 30,000 indirectly. Many of these jobs form a vital lifeline for rural communities.

 

The perishability and seasonality of plants means that an estimated £200million of seasonal plants will have to be scrapped across the ornamental horticulture industry.

 

Since Mother’s Day weekend when demand is typically high but people were beginning to self-isolate, sales dwindled dramatically, while lockdown means that there is unlikely to be any sales through to the May bank holiday, the busiest trading period of the year.

 

Alan Titchmarsh MBE said: “This spring could well bring about the end of British horticulture as we know it. Hundreds of nursery owners and growers are facing huge losses of plants and revenue simply because the stock they have spent many months nurturing for the spring market - their peak season - will have to be destroyed since garden centres and other outlets are closed for business. This means not only a loss of billions of pounds to the UK economy and of thousands of jobs but, more than this, it will decimate an industry that will be unable to recover for the foreseeable future.

 

“Our gardens and green spaces - the very things that provide spiritual and physical sustenance at times like this - will no longer be able to call upon the variety of plants that are currently available - a range that has taken decades to develop. Without some form of rescue package, we are destined to see our gardens and public open spaces decline as growers find it impossible to recover from unsustainable losses. Businesses will disappear overnight in a situation that will take many years to reverse.

 

“I urge the government to put in place a rescue package which will enable British horticulture to survive. Without it, our gardens and open spaces - a vital source of solace and nutrition to those at home - will suffer irreparable damage.”

 

Speaking on behalf of the HTA, Chairman James Barnes said: “We have hit a perfect storm in the UK. The seasonality and perishability that is unique to our industry means that growers are potentially facing stock losses on an ever-rising scale as each day passes. Stock is one of the biggest components of asset value in the sector - stock write offs will destroy the balance sheets of many and make it impossible for them to continue.

“We are calling for the government to work with the HTA, as the industry’s representative body, to come up with a financial support scheme to help those businesses which have had to scrap perishable stock and are facing a huge financial crisis.

 

“For those that can stay in business, there are also significant longer term issues as growers may not have time to plant next year’s crop, leading to a two year supply hit on the whole industry including retail, which will severely impact the availability of British grown seasonal plants and flowers.”

 

The HTA claims that while the government’s financial measures related to the agriculture and horticulture firms are welcome, in many cases they are not suitable for ornamental businesses. Investment in stock means that many nurseries do not have the reserves to take on the debt of a government loan, and often fall out of the scope of any support scheme due to EU state aid rules.

 

The HTA estimates that a minimum of a third of UK ornamental producers may fail in a matter of weeks, leading to a loss of around £250m in direct GDP contribution to the UK economy annually. Allowing for a 2.4% per annum growth factor, the value of this lost contribution to GDP over five years would be £1.34 billion.

 

Around 70% of bedding plant sales are made between March and the end of May. Many of these growers are facing huge difficulties and a near complete loss of income due to the coronavirus.

 

Horticulture not only provides a great deal of grow your own produce but also contributes to positive physical and mental wellbeing and serves some 23 million gardeners in the UK. The longer-term impact from the failure of the UK businesses will be significant. The wipe out of British commercial growers will increase the volume of imported plants, raising the risk of Britain being hit by plant pests and diseases - undermining efforts by the garden industry and the government to manage the nation’s biosecurity strategy.

 

Case studies:

 

Porters Fuchsias is a family run wholesale bedding plant grower based in Merseyside, that needs urgent action now or the family risks losing their livelihood. Natalie Porter, who helps run the business said: “The uncertainty surrounding the length of the coronavirus crisis is hindering the industry’s ability to make quick and efficient decisions to save businesses like ours. Time is running out. Most of our summer stock has already been planted and will be ready in three weeks. Our remaining stock due to be planted will be ready in five weeks and go to waste in eight.

 

“We are facing a potential write-off of £350,000 in the next three weeks due to perishable stock. This would jump to £200,000 per week thereafter.”

 

In the likely event that the impact of coronavirus continues beyond three weeks, the outlook for Porters Fuchsias looks bleak. Natalie continued: “In this case, a loan becomes unfeasible. Even if the payback deadline were extended, it would mean writing off many, many years of future potential profits.”

 

Kernock Park Plants based in Cornwall has traded plants for nearly 40 years. The firm produces up to 12 million plants per year and the turn of Spring would normally be the start of peak season, however when the Covid-19 pandemic was announced and subsequent measures enforced across the UK, the business had to prepare for uncertain times ahead.

 

A specialist provider of carpet bedding the firm also produces a vast range of ornamental plants including herbs and vegetables. Managing Director Bruce Harnett said: “The recent fall in sales and mass cancellations from hundreds of our customers is extremely worrying, as we are now nearing full capacity with approximately seven million unsold plants on the floor.”

 

Like thousands of nurseries up and down the country, Kernock is now faced with the difficult decision of closing its doors, resulting in a massive revenue hit and numerous job losses.

Bruce fears for the British garden and plant industry and calls for a form of scrappage compensation, to help cover the costs of plants that will inevitably have to be destroyed.

 

“We have already paid and produced for the inputs and the labour to create the products for nearly all of our sales, catering for the peak demands in spring and summer. We can’t simply shut the doors and struggle through waiting to reopen. I can only hope that we can continue trading in some way and secure some sort of compensation for our unique sector.”

 

Alex Newey is Managing Director of the Newey Group based in Chichester and agrees that the ornamental growers’ sector is particularly unique: “I can’t think of another sector which invests throughout the year for such a short sales window to recoup the costs. We are about to lose an entire industry which will severely impact the availability of British grown seasonal fruit, vegetables, plants and flowers.

 

“We need to access funding immediately to avoid a catastrophe. This pandemic is hitting our industry at the worst possible time. We have made all the investment but have made virtually none of the sales. It is a low margin sector and, with all sales outlets closed, the costs will swamp businesses very quickly.

 

“Our problem is not one of freezing fixed costs or even controlling staffing costs but of the massive amount of money already sunk into the crop. This is crop that is perishable and will very soon be completely unsaleable.”

 
Glee at home

Bringing people together is at the heart of what Glee does...


Bringing people together is at the heart of what Glee does.

 

That’s why, with the rapid spread of COVID-19 continuing within the UK and around the world, the Glee team want to stay connected with our community during this uncertain time.

 

Matthew Mein, Glee & Pawexpo Event Director at Hyve Group explains:  "Like many of you, the spaces we work from right now are looking a little different – from home offices to shared dining room tables. We understand though, that for some businesses, this is not possible and some of you are facing unprecedented challenges to keep your businesses up and running."

 

"We want you to know that our inboxes are open, and our phones still running as we continue to work remotely. We are reaching out to as many of you as we can directly, and we urge you to get in contact with us if you have any concerns about exhibiting."

 

"If you're interested in keeping your message in the market and maintaining strong brand awareness in the coming months, please reach out to us to find out more about our online platforms and other publication services as a part of your marketing strategy."

 

Glee will take place, alongside Pawexpo, on 15-17 September 2020 at the NEC Birmingham.

 

"Stay safe and stay connected."

 

 
40th Annual GIMA Awards Cancelled

Last Friday GIMA have taken the difficult decision to cancel this year’s GIMA Awards...


Last Friday GIMA have taken the difficult decision to cancel this year’s GIMA Awards.

 

Whilst the health and wellbeing of everyone in our sector is our main concern, it would also not be appropriate to be planning a celebration at a time when many of our members and their customers have had to temporarily close their businesses during their key trading time.

 

GIMA would like to wish all members and their customers the very best wishes at what is a difficult time for everyone, and we hope to be able to celebrate our glorious industry once again with you all again in the near future.

 
 
Haskins Snowhill re-opens after £15m re-vamp

Haskins Garden Centre in Snowhill, Crawley, has opened its doors to customers following a 12-month refurbishment costing £15m...


Read more and see GTN Xtras photo tour of the new centre

Haskins Garden Centre in Snowhill, Crawley, has opened its doors to customers following a 12-month refurbishment costing £15m.

 

The new centre boasts a retail space of 11,813 sq.m., including an outdoor plant area and 440-seat restaurant complete with a newly installed pizza oven. Additional space has also been created to accommodate 170 restaurant guests on an outdoor patio.

 

Up to 70 new jobs have been created to accommodate the centre's expansion. Car parking has increased to 346 spaces.  See GTN Xtra's photo tour of the new centre below.

 

Chief executive Julian Winfield said the Snowhill team worked tirelessly to ensure the centre was able to remain open for the majority of the project, with minimal disruption.

 

“We can't wait to receive our customers' feedback on our new and improved facilities,” he added. “Over the years, we have built a loyal customer following and we are proud to be able to give back to them in this way with our new expanded centre.”

 

Haskins acquired the Snowhill site in 2003, inheriting a number of ageing buildings.

 

Haskins also has centres in Ferndown in Dorset, West End in Southampton and Roundstone in West Sussex. The family business recently acquired Forest Lodge Garden Centre, Bird World and Garden Style in Farnham.

 

Pictured (left to right): Julian Winfield, Jamie Haskins, Ally Haskins (married to Jamie) and Warren Haskins, the group's chairman. 

 

The opening event was attended by the current GCA Chairman Mike Burks and three past Chairs; Warren Haskins, Sue Allen and Julian Winfield.

 

 

 
Bestsellers Top 50 charts every week

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


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 01733 775700, e-mail karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk or buy on-line using this link.

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

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


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

 

Highlights of the GTN Wild Bird Care Products chart for this week are here

 

Highlights of the GTN Veg-2-Gro 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.

 

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

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

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

For further information contact karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk or call 01733 775700.

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