Cowells Garden Centre extended their impressive run of GCA awards with success in this year’s Ruxley Rose planteria competition, which this year rewarded the best autumn displays.

Judge Roger Crookes said he was pleased to see so many centres “getting stuck in” to the autumn message and suggested that the ‘nature’s time for planting’ message promoted in the past might be due for renewal.

Close behind Cowells – and, according to Crookes, both “hungry for the top spot” – were Newbridge Nurseries, with St Peter’s Garden Centre, Worcester, in third place.

In the destination centre category, Bents were awarded the top prize, followed by Coolings, with Perrywood Garden Centre third.

Roger said the formula for successful autumn plant sales was to do a really great job on display with a focused approach to stok levels to ensure commercial  viability and minimise wastage.