As this season got underway with early increases in March and April everyone said we needed to wait until the end of May to see how good a Spring it had been. With one week of May to go the only GTN weekly index that is now down on 2018 is for all plants sold, and that by only 0.9%.

Year to date volume sales summary, 2019 vs 2018

• All Items index – up 4.9%
• All Plants index – down 0.9%
• Garden Products Top 50 – up 2.1%
• Growing Media Top 50 – up 11.7%
• Wild Bird Care Top 50 – up 8.8%
• Veg-2-Gro Top 50 – up 54.3%

With a week of good weather during half term and on the back of massive media coverage for The RHS Chelsea Flower Show there’s every chance plant sales as well as all other areas of gardening could be up by the end of the month. This could be one of those years when our peak for volume sales comes right at the end of May, as in 2015 and 2017.

Are you making the most of Chelsea Flower Show sales opportunities?  The mix of green foliage with white, cream and pale yellow planting on the Greenfingers Charity Garden was amazingly well received. Surely that is a display that can be replicated to deliver increased sales with relative ease.

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

Outdoor living enthusiasts can enjoy entertaining to their hearts' content with the new Garden Fireplace from leading chimney manufacturer, Schiedel Chimney Systems.

The Fireplace is formed from natural pumice, which is sourced from the Hekla Volcano in Iceland, before being processed and then delivered in a complete packaged solution.

Versatile and stylish, the Garden Fireplace creates a stunning central focus for any outdoor living space while keeping smoke at bay, making it the ideal solution to alfresco living, dining and heating; a trend which is set to thrive this summer despite the unpredictable British weather!

It can be freestanding, raised or built against all wall which, along with its relatively small footprint, makes it perfect for even the tiniest of gardens. The addition of a barbeque grill allows this stylish fireplace to double up as an outdoor kitchen.

Part of Schiedel's Isokern range, the Garden Fireplace is constructed of naturally lightweight yet highly insulating pumice, making it easy to assemble and providing all the insulation needed to take the chill out of those cool summer evenings.

Key features

• Easy to assemble.
• Available in three sizes.
• Delivered in kit form, with all materials included.
• Can be built freestanding, raised or built against a wall.
• Chimney height can be increased by purchasing extra blocks.
• BBQ grill and extra Log Store available.

The Garden Fireplace is now available from various retailers, including Qubox, Primrose, Stoves Are Us, Specflue and many more.

Click here to watch a short video showing how the 950 model can be quickly built and then rendered to match with the client's surroundings and ideas.

Haskins Garden Centre at Ferndown is celebrating its 25th anniversary – in the year chairman Warren Haskins has chalked up 50 years since he took over the family retail nursery.

The family-run garden centre group has grown from a small market garden in Branksome to four centres across Dorset, Hampshire and West Sussex. Turnover has gone from £17,000 in 1969 to more than £32 million and the number of employees from seven to more than 600. Warren says acquisition of a fifth centre is on the cards in the near future.

 “When we opened the doors to our Ferndown centre, more than ten times the amount of people we expected to turned up,” Warren said.

“Over the years, Haskins has ridden the humps of recession and I put our continued success down to the fact we have never and will not rest on our laurels.”

Haskins was founded in 1882 by Harry James Haskins, Warren’s great grandfather. Warren decided to open a small garden centre shop at Trickett's Cross in Ferndown and moved to the site at Longham in 1994 to accommodate the company's growing popularity. This new 10-acre site and £4 million development, offered an extensive range of plants and gardening accessories, 560 parking spaces and a 230-seater restaurant.

Three generations of the Haskins family cut the ribbon on the day the Ferndown centre officially opened - Warren, his mother, and Warren's three children, aged 10, 11 and 14 (pictured on cover page). Fast forward to 2019 and the Ferndown restaurant now seats 530 people.

The very first member of staff that Warren employed in 1969 was Richard Tite, who took on the role of production manager. Richard was eventually appointed a director and remains close friends with Warren.

Warren added: "Gardening remains the biggest single recreational pursuit in the country and so we're hoping to acquire a fifth garden centre in the near future, but in the meantime will continue to focus on the development of our Snowhill centre which is currently being redeveloped and will open in spring 2020. The business constantly impresses me with what it achieves.”

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show added momentum to plant sales last week with sales volumes reaching their highest level of the year so far, albeit behind the peaks of both 2017 and 2018. Could it be that we peak next week for 2019? The warmer weather during half term may just do the trick.

Within plant sales it is veg growing that has really shone through this spring. With the GTN Veg-2-Gro Bestsellers Chart index sitting at 55% up on last year gardeners are getting ready to reap big crops from their gardens and allotments this summer.

In Chelsea Flower Show week the biggest plant winners were Lupins, Digitalis and Rhodanthemum (Moroccan Daisies.)

• Lupins climbed to No 20 most popular plant purchase during Chelsea week after re-entering at No 40 in the week before Chelsea.
• Perennial Chelsea favourites, Digitalis, were the highest Top 50 Plants chart re-entry last week, back in at No 27.
• With plenty of daisy-type flowers on display at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show it was Rhodanthemum (Moroccan Daisies) that saw our biggest percentage sales uplift of almost 300%.

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

A burglar who smashed his way into a garden centre was caught on CCTV helping himself to a slice of cake and a bottle of Fanta, a court heard.

Nicholas McRae, 63, of no fixed address, struck at Coton Orchard Garden Centre, in Cambridge, in the early hours of 23 April.

Cambridge Crown Court heard that McRae used a sledgehammer (pictured), later recovered at the scene, to break a ground floor window, then cut himself as he climbed through, leaving traces of blood behind.

He In the café area, where he was captured on CCTV, he forced open the till. Finding  no money there, he took a tips jar containing £2.50, a bottle of Fanta and a slice of cake.

McRae, who wore a hi-viz jacket, escaped back through the broken window.

Five days later he broke in again using a metal crowbar, to open the automatic doors and stole charity boxes. He was found by police hiding in woods nearby.

PC Dan Harper, who investigated, said: “McRae brazenly targeted the garden centre on two occasions, even helping himself to a slice of cake, bottle of fizzy drink and charity boxes. Unfortunately for him he made a series of mistakes which meant we were able to link him forensically to the crimes.”

Watch the CCTV footage here

With its 2019 Summer Showcase just around the corner, Ball Colegrave has confirmed that it will have more than 200 new plant varieties throughout this year’s displays.

The event runs from 15 July  to 2 August (9am to 5pm) at its Oxfordshire trial ground (Milton Road, West Adderbury, Banbury, OX17 3EY)

Features include:

•  More than 200 new annual and perennial Varieties
  * Daily product presentations
  *Trend-inspired colour themed gardens
  *Quick and effective Product and Retail Solutions
  * Pergola 'Garden Room' displays of market leading patio plant varieties
  * 700 Experimental Plants - potential new varieties of the future
  * Perennial Gardens
  * Trade Exhibitors
  * Shade canopy for a place to relax whilst enjoying a complimentary packed lunch.

Presentations (starting 11am) include:

• ‘New Varieties and Retail Solutions’ with Stuart Lowen, Ball Colegrave (daily)
• ‘Substrates of the future - the materials and the potential consequences’ with Dr. Paul Alexander/Neil Bragg, Bulrush Horticulture (17, 24 and 31 July)
• ‘Why Bare Root?’ Discover the advantages and tricks of growing great plants from bare root’ with Fred Meiland, Darwin Plants (23 July)
  
  
• Exhibitors include: Anglo Eastern Trading, BPOA, Bulrush Horticulture, Desch Plantpak, Hortipak, Keter (Stewarts), Lechuza, MasterTag, Modiform, Omex, Panacea
  
  

Who should attend? Anyone involved in the production of seasonal colour, plant merchandising or the purchasing of plants and sundries.

Click here to book in a visit:

Value chain B&M, which plans add another 45 stores this year to its current 620, wants to capitalise on last year’s strong sales of gardening, outdoor and Christmas products.

Announcing trading profits up 13.5% to £297 million for 2018, with sales growth of 8.7%, chief executive Simon Arora said all three categories were “right in B&M’s sweet spot” where the chain’s pricing was at its most disruptive and where the flexible use of its store space could be used to its best advantage. “We believe there is an opportunity to continue to grow our market share in these large categories, given our competitive advantage and the structural challenges faced by incumbent retailers in those sectors,” he added.

Strong demand last summer led to stock shortages but Christmas decorations sold well at full price during the peak festive trading period.

Homewares, he said, experienced a challenging year.

There were 54 store openings, five re-locations and four closures during the year. The company is targeting a total of 950 stores.

The Dutch bulb display park at Keukenhof attracted 1.5 million people from 100 countries over the 8 weeks it was open this spring. Visitors gave the exhibition an average score of 9 out of 10.

Most visitors were from from the Netherlands (20%), followed by Germany, America, France, the UK and China. The number of Chinese visitors fell slightly. On four days, visitor numbers exceeded 45,000.

Thanks to the low temperatures, the park stayed beautifully colourful right through to the end.

Increasing numbers of visitors opted for public transport to the bulb fields, with more than 300,000 visitors choosing the Keukenhof Express direct bus service from Amsterdam RAI, Hoofddor, Schiphol and Leiden.

Keukenhof’s theme in 2020 (21 March–10 May)  will be 'A World of Colours'

Zest 4 Leisure has appointed P&O Ferrymasters for its UK-wide deliveries for 2019, underpinning its commitment to customer service.

One of the leading UK distributors, P&O Ferrymasters has a wealth of experience spanning 65 years plus of delivering within the UK, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and internationally. The company prides itself on increasing efficiency and improving transit times for its customers.

Commenting on the deal, Steve Morgan, Zest 4 Leisure Managing Director said:

“We are delighted to be working with P&O Ferrymasters. This deal will enable us to harness their experience and expertise to ensure our demanding customer service standards are not just met but also exceeded. Crucially, the company has a significant amount of haulage available which will allow us to easily step up to seasonal demands, particularly during the critical peak periods.

“This year we are totally committed to getting it right for our customers. 2018 proved to be a challenging year due to the move to the new nine-acre warehouse and distribution centre and the installation of the site’s new business system. In hindsight, we may not have chosen to do that, however, it has set us up to be able to get personnel and procedures in place in total readiness for 2019.”

In addition to appointing P&O Ferrymasters, Zest 4 Leisure has invested significant sums of money into the infrastructure at Saltney including warehousing and storage areas and improved the traffic flow system around the site to deal with the significant increase in wagon deliveries.

Concludes Steve:

“We are committed to moving on from last year and getting it right for our customers throughout 2019. This new appointment of P&O Ferrymasters, combined with the improvements we have made, means that we can provide better support to our customers and ensure there is no dip in service levels during periods of high demand.”

Zest 4 Leisure is gearing up to showcase its quality timber garden furniture range at this year’s Solex on stand 310.

Dobbies won the ‘Best Trade Stand’ award at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, after being handed a top 5-star rating.

Pleased to be returning to the event after a long absence, the Dobbies team was joined by ambassador Huw Richards, who helped welcome visiting press to the stand on Monday morning with Dobbies horticultural director Marcus Eyles.

The Chelsea appearance following Dobbies’ acquisition of 31 Wyevale garden centres from Terra Firma. The company exhibited many times at Chelsea from the first show in 1913 until the 1970s.

GIMA is set to launch a bespoke garden industry trends report at an exclusive new event for members. The presentation, which will act as a launchpad for the study, will arm suppliers with valuable tools to become market leaders in their sectors, rather than reacting to shifts in consumer behaviour.

‘Trends for the Garden Industry’ - a presentation to be held at Dobbies Garden Centre in Milton Keynes on 26 June - will see leading consumer and design trend agency Scarlett Opus reveal what consumers will be buying in 2020 and beyond. The agency, which has a proven track history in research and intelligence, was commissioned by GIMA to provide valuable trend content, as part of a new service for members that will help to future-proof their businesses.

Scarlett Opus’s report will throw the spotlight on key consumer lifestyle and outdoor living trends, pinpointing how insight can drive the development of new products and ranges. In addition, keynote briefings by Marcus Eyles, horticultural director of Dobbies Garden Centres, will discuss how suppliers need to adapt as future trends change the face of garden retail. With Dobbies now the UK’s biggest garden centre operator, following its acquisition of 31 Wyevale stores, Marcus will argue that suppliers need to embrace a more proactive strategy that keeps their businesses ahead of trends – rather than reacting to shifts in consumer behaviour.

The Trends Report will initially focus on several key consumer trends and then drill deeper into seven areas of garden retail: garden pots and planters; gloves, boots, clothing and textiles; hard landscaping, materials and surfaces; garden lighting; garden décor, ornaments, water features and structures; garden furniture and accessories; and packaging, labelling, merchandising and displays.

GIMA Director, Vicky Nuttall, said: “In an increasingly competitive market place, few businesses have sufficient time and resources to accurately forecast future trends. When teams are armed with insight into shifting patterns of consumer behaviour, it significantly reduces the level of risk in decision-making processes by empowering manufacturers and suppliers with the knowledge to precisely tailor products that will satisfy the needs of shoppers two or three years down the line.”

Delegates will be equipped with critical insight that will help to inform planning, product development and sourcing, enabling suppliers to bring the right products to market at the perfect time. Knowledge of future trends ensures that product design, materials and colours meet consumer desires and expectations. Data from forecasters can help to inspire visual merchandising, too, whether in-store or online, while marketing messages will resonate with consumers – using a tone of voice that underpins confidence in a brand.

GIMA director, Vicky Nuttall, added: “This new interactive event will be an inspiring, exciting and challenging day that exclusively offers GIMA members a tool to future-proof their businesses. A host of activities – from merchandising to new product development, product updates, packaging, marketing plans and brand development can all benefit from trend-driven insight. Attendance is a must for members who want to drive sales growth and enhance experiences for their customers.”

GIMA members can already harness the power of quantitative data provided by Euromonitor, but the new Trends Report is an additional benefit. It will focus on how and when new trends will emerge, and probe situations that may cause trends to shift direction.

Full day delegate rates for the launch event cost £225 (additional delegates £45) and include the launch and presentation of the Trends Report, a copy of the report, lunch, and interactive afternoon sessions.

Half-day attendance is charged at a delegate rate of £175 (additional delegate rate: £25) and allows access to the morning presentation, a copy of the report and lunch. However, half-day attendance doess not permit access to the afternoon sessions on product categories.

Email GIMA for more information or call: 01959 564947.

Following in the footsteps of Stephen Mangan, Rufus Hound, Tim Vine, Russell Kane and Hal Cruttenden, TV and radio star Vernon Kay will host the 39th annual GIMA Awards this summer.

Vernon was a model before moving into TV on the Channel 4 show T4. He presented his own Radio 1 weekend show for six years, before moving to Radio X.  His CV includes All Star Family Fortunes, Splash!,  ITV’s Beat The Star, Just the Two of Us (which he hosted alongside his wife, Tess Daly), as well a leading the NFL Highlights coverage for Channel 4 and Sky Sports, and hosting Formula E for Discovery.

Vernon will host the awards ceremony, sponsored by Glee, at the GIMA Awards Gala Dinner on Thursday 4 July, once again held at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, South Wales.

You can book tickets online here. Join in the conversation on Twitter hashtag #GIMAAwards19.

Hillier won its 74th consecutive gold medal at this years' RHS Chelsea Flower Show, maintaining the company's record as the most successful exhibitor in Chelsea history.

The Hillier Garden, sponsored by Stihl, was also a debut Chelsea Gold for designer Lilly Gomm, who won a silver gilt for her garden at Hampton Court last year.

The garden – a blend of contemporary and traditional themes – featured thousands of plants and a striking water feature designed to be viewed from any angle.

George Hillier, fifth generation family member and director of property at Hillier, said: “We get asked if we get complacent about getting gold - if anything it's the opposite. Each year, nerves and anticipation seem to run higher than ever. Thankfully we have a fantastic team and are incredibly fortunate to be working with our new designer, Lilly. Everyone at Hillier works so hard all year round to make Chelsea happen and this is a truly wonderful recognition of that.”

The garden featured three new plants that have been grown by Hillier Nurseries – Weigela 'Picobella Rosa', Isoplexis isabelliana 'Bella' and Cordyline 'Pink Star'.

Lilly Gomm said: “I am feeling so many emotions since receiving this medal - happiness, shock, relief! I am beyond thrilled that we have been able to carry on the momentum and win a 74th consecutive gold for Hillier. It has reiterated that all our hard work has paid off.”

Horticulture students from Pershore High School contributed to the ‘Helping Children Grow’ exhibit at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show with a display of mint and of scented-leaved pelargoniums in tea pots and china tea services.

Students were given the opportunity of taking gardening lessons and qualifications as part of their curiculum. The horticulture unit grows produce for the school kitchen, as well as for sale to staff and pupils, helps maintains the school grounds and undertakes other projects.

 “There is no direct funding for this”, said head teacher Phil Hanson, “so the unit has to be self sufficient. The work our lead  horticulture teacher Anne Watson does towards this and the education of our young people is tremendous and without her  as the driving force it would not be the success it is.”

The students have also been mentored by Neil Gow, proprietor of Fresh @ Burcot Garden Centre near Bromsgrove, who is an internal verifier for the school’s examinations. “Without his input and the contacts he has, we would not be able to do a fraction of what we achieve,” said Mr Hanson.

Kent & Stowe have helped us out with tools, Stewart Plastics supplied pots trays and planters, Hozelock donated new watering equipment, Johnsons Seeds contributed packets of seed and both Vitax and Westland assisted with compost and fertilisers.

Picture shows left to right: Student Alexander, Lead Horticulture Teacher Anne Watson and

Student Kristian who has already been selected as one of the 16 finalists in the RHS Young Gardener

packing up some of their planters ready for despatch to London

Also involved with the Chelsea exhibit was Peter Seabrook, The Sun newspaper’s gardening columnist. “The staff and scholars should be proud of what they achieve and so should the team from  Fresh at Burcot for putting something back into the community. Thank you for this tremendous support with this display,” he said.

Champion vegetable grower Medwyn Williams won his twelfth gold medal on his return to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show after an absence of nine years. The tally is a record for vegetable exhibit.

In the eight months leading up to the show, Medwyn has been working with sponsors CANNA, producer of nutrients and growing media, to develop the biggest and best vegetables.

The winning stand (above) flew the Welsh flag with pride by not only displaying the principality’s ubiquitous giant leeks but by introducing the brand new ‘Y Ddraig Goch’ (or The Red Dragon) F1 hybrid tomato – the first vegetable to have been registered with the Animal and Plant Health Agency in the Welsh language.

A Welsh dragon was carved from vegetables in honour of the Y Ddraig Goch launch, drawing attention from journalists and VIP guests such as Clare Balding and David Seaman.

Medwyn said: “Chelsea is horticultural Olympic Games, so to achieve a gold medal upon my return means a lot to me and makes the months of hard work worth it.”

Other highlights on the stand include another new tomato variety with a Welsh connection, ‘Maisey’ (named after tomato grower Charles Maisey) and a miniature okra, ‘Baby Bubba’, which is only half the size of regular okra plants but produces a hefty crop.  

The team at Tong Garden Centre is building on its partnership with the National Literacy Trust's Bradford Stories campaign by launching a competition to win prizes to play at its new indoor play area.

Pupils at more than 20 Bradford schools selected by the National Literacy Trust are being invited to create a name and a story for one of two new characters at Grass Hoppers indoor play that opens this summer.

"We want to celebrate the opening of the new indoor play in a way that supports the great work of Bradford Stories, so we have launched this competition to encourage children to be creative in naming and describing one of the new characters that will join Hopper and his gang in bringing Grass Hoppers to life, said Tong Garden Centre's Marketing Manager, Jo Dales.

"Grass Hoppers indoor play will be a brand new, fun-packed soft play area with lots of exciting and interactive features and means that children can enjoy the Grass Hoppers experience whatever the weather," she added.

Each winner will receive a Grass Hoppers goody bag and a free play pass for themselves, plus a ‘class pass' that gives all of the winner's school class a free play at Grass Hoppers. Bradford Stories will also award the winners with a bundle of books for their classroom. The winners will be announced on 12^th July.

Bradford Stories is a campaign from the National Literacy Trust and Bradford Council to improve literacy levels in the city by promoting reading, writing, speaking and listening. 

In addition to supporting Bradford Stories with writing and reading related activities, the team at Tong aims to raise £10,000 for Bradford Stories throughout 2019. £4,500 has already been raised by a team of cyclists led by Tong's MD, Mark Farnsworth who tackled the Tour de Yorkshire ride earlier this month.

"This is a fantastic competition that really connects with our purpose and gives the children in our selected schools an exciting and engaging opportunity to get creative. We are really looking forward to seeing just how imaginative these young minds have been and reading their creative descriptions for the new characters at Grass Hoppers," said Imran Hafeez, Manager of the National Literacy Trust Hub in Bradford.

According to the National Literacy Trust, last year, one in three children in Bradford left primary school unable to read well and research shows that there is a strong link between low educational attainment and high poverty.  Bradford is repeatedly ranked amongst the most deprived places in England; in some partsnearly half of adults (47.2%) have literacy skills lower than those expected of an 11-year-old and one adult in three is held back by low literacy. These adults are far more likely to struggle to find a job and on becoming parents they will be unable to support their children's literacy development.

"The community is at the heart of everything we do at Tong and we're delighted to be able to help children and young people to grow by unlocking the opportunities that being able to read brings," Marketing Manager Jo Dales concludes.

The 'Helping Children Grow' exhibit, supported by National Garden Gift Vouchers, at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2019 was awarded a bronze medal.

The exhibit, in the Discovery Zone of the Great Pavilion, promoted National Children's Gardening Week, which ends today (2 June).

Working with National Children's Gardening Week ambassador Chris Collins, the exhibit featured fun and inspiring projects such as edible planters, a pizza wheel, runner bean tipis and a wildlife hotel. Information and images about the benefits of getting children involved in gardening were provided by schools and garden centres.

The exhibit featured:

• Edible 'GROW' wording grown by Chilton Primary School in Oxfordshire
• Teapots filled with scented pelargoniums planted by children from schools including Galleywood Primary School in Essex, Charlton Manor Primary School in Greenwich and Pershore School in Worcestershire. These schools have been part of an initiative spearheaded by The Sun's gardening correspondent Peter Seabrook.

Chris Collins said: “It feels like we have come a long way with children's gardening in the last 10 years. Campaigns like National Children's Gardening Week have brought the subject of healthy eating, growing plants and mindfulness to almost every primary school in the land. This year at Chelsea we aim to celebrate this incredible rise in the numbers of young gardeners and inspire even more young people with simple ideas and fun projects to encourage them, their parents and grandparents to have a go.”

With many other gardens at RHS Chelsea Flower Show, including the RHS Back to Nature Garden designed by HRH The Duchess of Cambridge with Andree Davies and Adam White, choosing to focus on getting children outside and involved in gardening, it showed the importance of the issue both within and beyond  the industry.

Exhibit supporters included Aylett Nurseries, Frank P Matthews, Gardener’s Kitchen, Lindum Turf, Melcourt Industries, Suttons, Thompson & Morgan, Volmary, Woodlodge and Worfield Plants. HTA staff Caroline and Natalie grew runner beans and tomatoes.

More information on the new plants and 'Helping Children Grow' exhibit can be found here www.hta.org.uk/chelsea2019

Team Klondyke, a group of intrepid garden centre managers and head office staff have been putting on their walking boots and to take on the challenge of climbing the three tallest peaks in the UK.

They aim  to raise funds for Cancer Research UK, the Greenfingers Charity and the Multiple System Atrophy Trust.

The first mountain climbed was Snowden on 3 April, when the snowy conditions made the climb extremely challenging.

This was followed by Scafell Pike on 16 May in glorious sunshine (see cover page). The final ascent will be up Ben Nevis on 13 June – possibly in the rain…

The challenge has been organised by garden centre managers who wanted to raise funds and increase awareness of causes very close to their hearts

.  

The team has set a target of £10,000 to be shared between the three charities. To make a donation, go to Klondyke’s fundraising page. 

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DLF Seeds, the company behind the Johnsons Lawn Seed brand, is channelling investment into research designed to meet the challenges posed by climate change.

More than 10% of the workforce at DLF Seeds is employed solely in research and development, with the company committing €14million each year to pioneering research projects that will help them to create products that offer outstanding performance even during periods of drought and heavy rainfall.

Johnson’s Lawn Seed’s Guy Jenkins said consumers were understandably worried about the effect of weather extremes on gardens. “We are running an extensive research programme that is investigating grass varieties that will tolerate the types of extreme conditions that are expected in future. New products that deliver proven results despite challenging growing conditions hold the key to future growth in lawncare, and give retailers the confidence to dedicate floorspace to this important category.”

A Royal Horticultural Society report, Gardening in a Changing Climate, predicted “extreme rainfall events” that may lead to waterlogging and flash flooding, while hot, dry spells are tipped to increase, resulting in water shortages. Milder springs and autumns may extend the growing season – potentially expanding the lawncare sales season for retailers.

DLF’s investment in R&D led to this year’s launch of organic triple-action Super Smart Lawn Feed. Significant scientific research went into the product, which uses beneficial bacteria (Azospirillum) to fix nitrogen to roots, soluble mycorrhizae, which can increase the root system by 150 times and seaweed extract for dense green growth.

Another notable success story is tetraploid lawn seed, which bosts three times as much energy as ordinary seeds and is faster to germinate and establish, even at temperatures as low as 3C, while offering the benefits of improved colour, better drought-tolerance and deeper rooting, reducing the need for watering and feeding.

Many of Johnsons’ top-selling products, including Lawn Thickener Lawn Seed, Luxury Lawn and Shady Place Lawn Seed, contain an innovation called Seedbooster ^®. The two-in-one coating of fast and slow-release fertiliser, developed for the professional turf market, offers consumers the benefit of fast germination and establishment, with up to 30% more grass. Another key selling point is a coating unpalatable to birds.

Information: johnsonslawnseed.com/product-range.aspx

Garden product sales reached their highest weekly volumes sales total of the year last week to be 2% up on last year to date but still 6.5% down on 2017 levels.

Pot feet and pot saucers were amongst the biggest winners of the week along with notable sales of watering equipment.

Highlights were:

• Woodlodge Small Pot Feet moved up nine places to be the second highest garden product sold in volume terms.
• Stewart Flower Pot Saucer 8 inch Terracotta was the highest re-entry at No 14.
• Hozelock’s Hose Gun Starter Set climbed 21 places up the chart to No 24.

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

Growing Media sales reached their highest volume sales levels during Chelsea Flower Show week and are now cumulatively almost 12% up on last year’s volumes and 5% up on levels of 2017.

Container growing and veg growing are driving big sales increases with sales of topsoil and soil conditioners also on the increase as garden projects get into full swing.

Highlights were:

• Westland GroSure Easy Container, 25 litre bags, climbed 34 places up the GTN Chart to No 5.
• The Evergreen Garden Care Levington Original Gro-bag jumped two places to No 2.
• Westland The Gardener’s Soil Conditioner, 50 litres, re-entered at No 36 with an 83% sales increase.

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

As Springwatch starts again on BBC2, sales of Wild Bird Care products are holding up well, up nearly 9% on last year and not too far off 2017 levels.

Are you running Springwatch related promotions to make the most of the heightened profile?

Highlights were:

• Gardman Fat Snax, Bag of 25, climbs 14 places to No 3 with Tubs of 50 Fat Snax still at No 1.
• Gardman Poppy Feeder With Stem is the highest re-entry of the week at No 13.
• Gardman Nyger Seed 0.9kg moved furthest up the charts, flying up 28 places to No 19.

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

What a season for veg growing!  The GTN Bestsellers Top 50 Veg-2-Gro Index now sits at 54.3% up on last year when we lost a lot of the veg planting season due to the Beast from the East but it is also 16% up on 2017 and currently at the highest level through to mid-May since we started compiling the GTN Bestsellers charts.

Highlights were:

• Quantil Tomato Gardeners Delight 8cm sits at the top of the chart for yet another week.
• Farplants Parsley Moss Curled is the highest re-entry at No 21.
• Farplants Cucumber Tasty Green in 1 litre pots is the only new entry of the week, in at No 49.

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

The Greenfingers Charity garden, which has been awarded a Silver-Gilt Medal, was a magnet for celebrities yesterday, all wanting to learn more about the work of our industry charity building wonderful gardens in Children's Hospices across the UK.

See our photo gallery below and watch out for more Chelsea news in future issues of GTN Xtra and GTN's June issue.

Follow this link for the full RHS Chelsea 2019 Awards winners list.

Andrew Peers, technical sales manager at Bathgate Horticulture, offers advice to independent retailers on how to push sales of horticultural products.

1. Create eye-catching displays

Horticultural products such as compost and soil improvers may not be the most exciting products but that shouldn’t prevent you from creating an eye-catching display. Bathgate can supply stockist with informative point of sale material and offer downloadable high-resolution images to enhance displays and encourage sales.  Point of sale material can be supplied pre-priced on request and include multi-buy options to further increase sales.

Attractive and recyclable packaging, along with clear product descriptions, enables customers to make an informed choice and select the most appropriate product for the intended application.

2. Understand customers’ needs

Gardeners are increasingly demanding higher quality products that are fit-for-purpose. Providing a wider choice of products that can meet specific applications and performance requirements will not only improve the buying experience but ensure great results.

3. Stock up

A reliable supply of horticulture products that is flexible enough to meet customers’ changing demands can make a huge difference to sales. That is why Bathgate Horticulture offers a prompt nationwide delivery service for quantities ranging from a single pallet through to a full load.

For further information or advice on boosting sales of horticultural products, including technical guidance, please contact Bathgate sales office on 01270 762828 or sales@bathgatesilica.co.uk or visit us www.bathgatehorticulture.co.uk  

Maxine Finnegan (Vincent) – Garden Pride Manager:

“Following a very successful preseason period and a strong start to 2019 we are delighted to see our newly branded business going from strength to strength! Our products are selling through well and our customers are very happy with our services and their sales.

"The feedback on our new products and merchandising solutions is very positive and we are seeing record breaking figures across all ranges.

"We still have our complete 2019 brochure in stock and ready to despatch for all existing and new customers. We have some great new Summer lines to see us through to July/August.

Don’t forget we have secured our 2019 stand at Glee – Hall 7 Stand H36 – J37. Plans have started for the biggest and best stand we have ever produced!"

Sales Manager: Luke Finnegan 07764 225876   luke@gardenpridemarketing.co.uk or maxine@gardenpridemarketing.co.uk 01903 761222.

Here's a Garden Centre Tour from Boston USA.  Peter Seabrook received these photos from Farid Khalil, plant buyer for the Mahoney chain of garden centres in the Boston area and thought we should share them via a GTN Xtra Photo Tour.  "They show the kind of dahlias they are selling in Boston mid April. When I was in Boston mid March they still had snow on the ground!," Peter said.

Farid reports that they are extremely busy buying and growing many spring products to meet their customers demand.  "The season started so early this year because of the good weather we are having, officially the big selling time would be in the beginning of May but we’ve been busy since the start of April. We are doing wonderful with moving lots of Tropicals still and there’s no slowing with this category."

See Farids photos below and watch out for more GTN Xtra Garden Centre Photo Tours over the coming weeks.

Billed as "Farnhams Favourite Garden Centre", Forest Lodge has loads of competitors around them so it’s no surprise they are giving themselves an edge by stocking wide ranges of products - really deep gardening ranges and plants with the extra dimension of Garden Style plants where large specimens can be bought by gardeners and landscapers alike.

In garden furniture Forest Lodge report good early sales, particularly the small corner weave sets and the metal framed lower couch style furniture from Life “it’s appealing to the younger audience looking for some style on their patio”

The extended Forest Lodge restaurant has a wonderful conservatory feel overlooking the extensive Planteria. With friendly staff and a great menu no wonder this is a favourite destination for many.

See GTN Xtra's Photo Tour, taken at the start of April 2019.

GTN Xtra had the pleasure of visiting Notcutts Norwich last week.

As you'd expect with a Notcutts centre the planteria is particularly strong with great linked sales and plenty of recycled plastic pots in evidence that were selling very well.

We loved the colour themed room sets in garden furniture and the star of the show we thought was the excellent houseplant area.  Norwich is the best performing for houseplant sales in the Notcutts group and we believe it is in the Top 10 of all garden centres in the UK.

Enjoy our photo tour of the centre below.

Having completed the purchase of their second garden centre at Hilgay on the A10 near Downham Market the Baytree family team held their Grand Opening Event this weekend.

Baytree MD, Jutta Whitworth Biehler, told GTN Xtra: "I’ve never spent so much time cleaning as we have over the past six weeks. Getting a five star inspection this week was a brilliant result for everyone’s hard efforts."

The garden centre and farm shop has been fully stocked with all the immediately useable retail space spruced up and Baytree merchandised. Sales have been growing every week and early furniture an BBQ’s are above expectations.

The 260 seat Oak framed Barn table service restaurant is a wonderful asset - it’s fully booked every Sunday- that will enable Baytree to pull good footfall and develop increase product and plant sales.

The car park has already been resurfaced and extended, a new Entrance is being constructed off site to add some theatre at the front door. With other buildings that can be used for retail along with a coppice and grass paddock on the 10 acre site Hilgay could quickly become another destination venue for the Baytree team.

See GTN Xtra's photo tour of the centre taken on Friday afternoon as the team completed their set up work for the Grand Opening Weekend.

Alan Roper welcomed staff and suppliers to an evening event on Monday 15th April at Bicester Avenue Garden Centre to celebrate the completion of the refurbishment from a Wyevale Garden Centre that they bought last summer to a Blue Diamond Centre that is ready and raring for Easter 2019.

"Welcome to Bicester. The new Bicester. The best manifestation of Bicester in its history since it was built, I think you'll agree. We've been refurbishing many of the ex-Wyevales:  Cadbury has been going through some refurbishment, Nailsworth, my old centre has been completely finished and Endsleigh in Devon is being done currently.  It's about to start at Weybridge with a new restaurant and at Melbicks. We're working on all the ex Wyevales to get them to a standard."

See GTN Xtra's photo tour of the refurbished centre below

What would you expect from a Hillier centre? Authoritative ranges of products and plants, crisp merchandising, and expert staff. That’s exactly the delivery at Botley plus there’s the Rosemary and Thyme restaurant concept that is now being rolled out across the Hiller estate of centres. This classy, counter ordered but table served concept will be a huge benefit when the Wyevale centres just purchased get an upgrade from their current Garden Kitchens.

Out in the Planteria the customer care extends to trees where the team retain the use of their Christmas tree netting equipment to net all trees purchased to help customers get their valuable trees home safely.

In garden care they were selling plenty of grow houses with displays that included the Veg Trug wooden version at £99. At Botley they were still to sell one of the Veg Trug versions when we visited at the start of April - it’s a spot on Hillier customer product but time will tell to see if people want a more expensive wooden framed grow house.

See GTN Xtra's Photo Tour taken at the start of April 2019

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 2016 as well as 2017 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 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 £120m.

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.

Work will soon begin to build a new larger and brighter restaurant at Notcutts Woodbridge Garden Centre, as part of an ongoing redevelopment programme across the company’s 18 garden centres nationwide.

Due to be completed by the end of 2019, the brand-new restaurant will create a modern, light and spacious dining experience for up to 250 people, with a new outdoor terrace for eating alfresco. Customers will enjoy fantastic views across the garden centre and The Notcutts Garden, a permanent display designed to inspire local gardeners with creative ideas and beautiful plant combinations for their own outdoor spaces.

While this exciting work is carried out, a ‘Marquee Restaurant’ will be in operation serving a reduced menu of lunchtime and afternoon favourites including sandwiches, salads, soup and jacket potatoes. Hot drinks will also be available, including much-loved Paddy and Scott’s artisan coffee, and an array of customers’ favourite cakes.

Darren Brooks, General Manager at Notcutts Woodbridge Garden Centre, said: “This is an exciting time for Notcutts Woodbridge and we’re very much looking forward to unveiling our brand-new restaurant to all of our customers later this year. The garden centre and restaurant will continue to remain open as usual throughout the transformation.”

Caroline Notcutt, Vice Chairman of Notcutts and Great-Granddaughter of Notcutts’ founder Roger Crompton Notcutt, said: “We are very excited about the future of our Woodbridge Garden Centre, where our family business first started over 120 years ago. The restaurant has always been extremely popular with the local community, and our new restaurant will cater for the growing demand as well as provide our customers with a fresh, relaxed and contemporary dining experience.”

For more information and regular updates on the refurbishment project at Notcutts Woodbridge Garden Centre, visit notcutts.co.uk/garden-centres/Woodbridge

The list of contenders going head-to-head in the Innovation Challenge at next week’s Commercial Kitchen show (taking place at the NEC Birmingham on 4-5 June) has been announced. 

True Refrigeration, Jestic Foodservice Equipment, Cibo, Regale Microwave Ovens, and Roller Grill (UK) are among the leading manufacturers and suppliers who have fielded new product entries for 2019 (many of which will be launching at the show).  As are UNOX UK, Synergy Grill and Hupfer – all hoping to repeat their success of last year and take home another prestigious Gold Award for best new innovation of the year.

It’s a win-win for everyone involved.  For visiting buyers and members of the press, the Innovation Challenge Gallery is a great starting point to discover the newest and most cutting-edge catering equipment and kitchen tech on the market – and they’ll also have the chance to vote for their favourite.  The first round of visitor voting takes place from when doors open at 10am on day one of the show (Tuesday 4 June) until 4pm that day.

Those exhibitors with the most votes by the end of day one will be invited to pitch their products to a panel of leading industry judges at the second day of the show.  Visitors can catch all the action at the Innovation Challenge Live in Keynote Theatre 2 at 11.15am on Wednesday 5th June, with the results being announced back in the theatre later that day at 3.45pm.

• Chef Line Solutions: SmartMix by Smabo
• Chef Line Solutions: Pegasus DCS
• Cibo: Cibo
• Filta: GreaseMaster
• Fogarty Charcoal Ovens: The Fogarty Fire Box
• Gamble Foodservice Solutions: Foldaway Bar 
• GreaseShield: GS2000-SS
• Hupfer: Therma Dry
• Jestic Foodservice Equipment: Winston CVap 7-Series Cook & Hold
• Jongor Hire: Cabin Kitchens
• Kingspan Water & Energy: SmartServ Pro
• Klipspringer: iClean Mini
• Klipspringer: FOM330 Food Oil Management System
• Medem UK: SEC-K v5 Ventilation Interlock
• Reco-Air: Reco-Air
• Regale Microwave Ovens: MICROSAVE
• Roller Grill (UK): Premium VC
• Synergy Grill: Product to be announced 
• True Refrigeration: TCR True Counter Refrigerator
• UNOX UK: Unox Bakerlux Shop Pro - DECK
• UNOX UK: Unox Evereo CUBE
• Valentine Equipment: Rustica Lava Stone Electric Grill
• Yellow Shield: Spill Kill Super Absorbent Powder
• Yellow Shield: Commercial Kitchen Spill Kit

Innovation Challenge Awards judges for 2019 include: Phil Shelley, immediate past chair of the Hospital Caterers Association; Simon Woplin, head of innovation at Ambassador Theatre Group; Mark Kendall, commercial director at cedabond; Jack Sharkey, managing director at Vision Commercial Kitchens; Martyn Clover, head of food at Tortilla; and chef and food consultant Jay Morjaria.

“Commercial Kitchen is really what our industry needs, it brings together all parts of the supply chain in a focused and convivial environment.  One not to be missed,” says Mr Kendall.

Free visitor registration

Commercial Kitchen returns to the NEC Birmingham on 4-5 June 2019.  Show features include a free two-day seminar programme, the Innovation Challenge Awards, and ceda Awards Gallery.

For further information and to register for a free trade ticket, please visit www.commercialkitchenshow.co.uk and quote priority code CK12 (https://eventdata.uk/Visitor/CommercialKitchen2019.aspx?TrackingCode=CK12).