Visitor registration for lunch! 2017 is now well underway and thousands of buyers have already registered to attend their favourite industry event at its brand-new venue of ExCeL London on 21-22 September.

Thanks to a 23% increase in stand space, the 10th anniversary edition of the UK’s favourite food-to-go show will also be its biggest yet. With new show features, a new easy layout, more exhibitors and product launches than ever before - this is one lunch! not to be missed.

The show’s pivotal focus on promoting new innovations is key to its continuing success.  From the latest food and drink to packaging, catering equipment and technology – everything that catering managers need to run their garden centre’s café or restaurant is here.  Since its launch in 2008, lunch! and its eclectic mix of exhibitors have been influencing ‘on the go’ menus across the UK (and beyond).  It’s helped introduce thousands of new brands and products onto the market, and its free seminars have enabled tens of thousands of visitors to benefit from expert Keynotes from all the leading lunchtime operators. 

It’s been called the “key event for our industry” by Pret’s Caroline Cromar, “extremely valuable” by Greggs’ CEO Roger Whiteside and his buying team, while for Tossed’s Angelina Harrisson it’s her “favourite show of the year”. 

Now, for 2017, lunch! has already confirmed a record 335 exhibiting companies (it sold out over two months in advance) and exclusive Keynote interviews with Roger Whiteside, CEO of bakery and food-to-go giant Greggs, Andrew Walker, chief executive of EAT, celebrity chef Theo Randall (hosted by The British Sandwich Association), and Paul Ettinger, business development director at Caffé Nero and many more. 

Join us for lunch! 2017 on 21-22 September at ExCeL London!

Book your free trade ticket today at www.lunchshow.co.uk, quoting priority code LUN70.

Woodstock Chimes founder and owner, Garry Kvistad, on his front porch, enjoying his Chimes of Olympos – the original Woodstock Chime.

• Authentic and original musically tuned windchime
• Premier quality, affordable & value priced
• Created by GRAMMY® Award-winning musician Garry Kvistad
• The choice of discerning UK customers for nearly 40 years
• Chimes are in stock and ship within 48 hours from our UK warehouse

The first ever musically tuned windchime

Woodstock Chimes founder and owner, Garry Kvistad, created the first windchime tuned to specific musical notes. In the 1970s he was fascinated by the scale of Olympos, a musical scale from the 7^th century B.C., that couldn’t be played on modern instruments. Inspiration struck when he realised he could cut and tune aluminium tubes to the exact frequencies of that ancient scale, and just like that the first musically tuned windchime was born! Garry continues to be the talent behind the design and tuning of all Woodstock Chimes.

The Amazing Grace Chime – Medium, tuned to the opening notes of the popular hymn.

In the beginning, Woodstock Chimes were tuned to scales from various world cultures, such as the Chimes of Kyoto™, which are tuned to an ancient Japanese scale. From there Garry added chimes that paid homage to beloved composers such as Mozart and Pachelbel, and introduced more modern tunings, such as the Amazing Grace Chime™ (above), tuned to the opening notes of that popular hymn.

GRAMMY® Award Winner at the Helm

In addition to his work at Woodstock Chimes, Garry is a professional musician. He has been performing and recording with the ensemble Steve Reich and Musicians since 1979 and is one of the 18 musicians to win a GRAMMY® Award for the 1998 recording of Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians. In 2002 Garry joined NEXUS, the internationally renowned chamber music ensemble based in Canada. Called “the high priests of the percussion world” by the New York Times, NEXUS is considered to be one of the premier percussion ensembles in the world today.

Nearly 40 Years of Chimes

A family-owned business, Woodstock Chimes has been making beautiful music for nearly 40 years. During this time, our product line has expanded many times over. We have the widest variety of price points, tunings and designs in the industry. Many of our chimes now include removable windcatchers that can be personalised to commemorate life events, making the gift of a Woodstock Chime even more special.

Garry is passionate about music, which is why the music made by our windchimes, bells and gongs is unparalleled in the industry.

Hearing a Woodstock Chime is like listening to a

perfectly tuned musical instrument, played by the wind.

See all the Woodstock Chimes UK products here

www.woodstock-chimes.co.uk

White Pebble International
Unit 2, Plot 11, Terminus Road
Chichester PO198 TX UK
Tel +44(0)1243 780501
Fax +44(0)1243 839332
info@whitepebbleint.com

As a leading worldwide supplier of Garden Décor, Evergreen Enterprises is quickly becoming known in the UK as an innovative and dynamic vendor, offering a wide variety of quality, on-trend products.

With a customer-centric focus and an agile and creative product team, Evergreen works hard to stay focused on fulfilling their primary mission…

“To enhance life by providing exceptional home and garden décor products known for their quality, beauty, and functionality.”

Within the diverse Evergreen range, there is a product and a price point for everyone. 

In the soon to be released Spring 2018 range, consumers will be “wowed” by such unique products as their new Hydro-Wind Spinners.  These spinners spread water over a wide area while providing a fun “water show”.  Brass fittings will ensure a lasting and efficient effect.

Our Firefly Solar Lanterns are an easy, versatile, portable alternative for those times when a light source is needed.  These eco-friendly lanterns offer four different light settings, are waterproof, and can easily be charged with either solar light, or through their convenient USB connection. 

See these and many more of Evergreen’s  fresh, innovative, quality products by visiting their stand at GLEE (19H57) , or by contacting them at:

White Pebble International

Unit 2, Plot 11, Terminus Road

Chichester PO198 TX UK

Tel +44(0)1243 780501

Fax +44(0)1243 839332

info@whitepebbleint.com

• Cowell’s Garden Centre in the North East
• Fairways Garden Centre – Ashbourne in the Midlands
• Fron Goch Garden Centre in the North West
• Garden Wise (Dumfries) Ltd in Scotland
• Mains of Drum Garden Centre Ltd in Scotland
• Meadow Croft Garden Centre in North Thames
• Pacific Nurseries in the Midlands
• Planters at Bretby Ltd in the Midlands
• Stratford Garden Centre in the Midlands
• Sunshine Garden Centre in North Thames

• Aylett Nurseries Ltd in North Thames
• Barton Grange Garden Centre in the North West
• Bents Garden & Home in the North West
• Bicester Avenue Garden Centre in North Thames
• Burston Rose and Garden Centre in North Thames
• Pennells Garden Centre – Lincoln in the Midlands
• Perrywood Garden Centre & Nurseries Ltd in North Thames
• Simpsons Garden Centre in Scotland
• Squires Garden Centre – Twickenham in North Thames
• Woodlands Nurseries in the Midlands.

• Garden Products - down 32%
• Veg-2-Gro - up 12%
• Growing Media - down 16%
• All Plants Index - down 4%
• All Items Index - down 4%

We have a wealth of ‘good news’ this week to demonstrate the enthusiasm of the garden industry for supporting good causes.

In July Haskins presented the Greenfingers charity with a cheque for £12,002.37 (pictured on cover page) – a total that included £7,000 raised from buying director Conna Powles’ Wing Walk last month, as well as cash raised throughout the year from the sale of carrier bags at its four the centres in Ferndown, Southampton and West Sussex.

Earlier this month, seven staff from the Millbrook Garden Company walked 60 miles over three days between their three garden centres at Gravesend, Crowborough and Staplehurst, with the aim of raising £5,000 for the Kent, Surrey & Sussex Air Ambulance Trust. At the time of writing, the sponsorship tally stood at almost £4,600 with cash still rolling in. The proceeds are sufficient to fund two air ambulance launches.

Pictured (left to right): Louise English, Liz Dowling, Ben Woodhouse, Tracey Bowler, Kerry Smith, Tammy Woodhouse, Christy Briley.

Squire’s Chertsey centre has donated more than £200 worth of bedding plants, hanging baskets, herbs, seeds and compost to their charity of the year – the White Lodge Centre, which supports disabled people of all ages in Surrey.

“We wanted to brighten up their outside space and give the children and adults fun gardening activities that they can really get involved in,” said Sarah Squire, the group’s deputy chairman.

Jane Cartwright, White Lodge’s community fundraiser, said the children had worked in the garden as part of their summer project. “It’s been great as they have learnt how to tend the plants, how to water and deadhead them, and they have noticed how the flowers begin to grow and are really excited by how quickly things change, “ she said. “Some of the other products donated by Squire’s were shared out with our adults who run a gardening club, and they have been thrilled to have more work to do with all the wonderful pots, herbs and plants that they received.”
Pictured above (left to right): Claire Browne, Jane Cartwright, Kate Palmer (White Lodge Centre) with Matt Tanner (Squire’s).

Owner John Ainscow tells us his Summerseat & Bradley Fold Garden Centres raised £1,000 for the Bury Hospice by holding an enjoyable charity evening last Tuesday.

The event included a mini plant ‘expo’ with three plant suppliers, three plant societies and three trade suppliers represented, followed by a buffet and a Question Time session. Panellists were 17-times National Rose Show champion and local rose breeder Tony Bracegirdle, former Summerseat employeee Allen Standring, Bradley Fold centre plant manager Graham Vallis and Summerseat GC plant manager Adrian Jones.

Finally, Tong Garden Centre at Bradford tell us that 11 colleagues are preparing for an 18km walk to raise funds for their chosen cause of the year, the Cellar Trust, a Shipley charity that helps people recovering from mental health problems to get back into work.

The team aims to walk around Lake Ullswater in the Lake District  on September 2 – an idea mooted by the centre's marketing assistant, Pete Casci. He will be joined by Katie Young, Lee Parnham, Claire Spencer, Catherine Westmoreland, Jemma Jones, Sharon McNair, Diane Farrar, Janice Astbury, Phil Hemmings and Chris Hope on a challenge they hope will raise £2000 towards an overall target of £10,000. “We've got a good spread of staff from departments including catering, customer services and retail representing the centre, so it's a real team effort,” Peter said. “Everyone has been preparing by going on locals walks and spending time in the gym, so we'll all be raring to go when the day comes.”

The team at Tong, who are aiming to raise £10,000 for the Cellar Trust this year, became aware of the Trust’s work when they employed former client Dion Magyar last year.



Above, the Tong walking team: back row – Peter Casci, Katie Young, Lee Parnham;

middle row – Claire Spencer, Catherine Westmoreland, Jemma Jones;

front row –  Sharon McNair, Diane Farrar, Janice Astbury. 

Team members not  in the photo – Phil Hemmings and Chris Hope

Wyevale Nurseries is preparing its second commercial crop of a shrub described by product development manager Ben Gregory as “a game changer”.

Often described as the world's most scented shrub, Daphne ‘Perfume Princess’™ was awarded Plant of the Year at the 2016 Nursery & Garden Industry awards in Australia after its launch by Anthony Tesselaar Plants at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show in 2015.

‘Perfume Princess’ took New Zealand-based plant breeder Mark Jury more than 10 years to develop, becoming a true breeding success demonstrating both of the characteristics that Mark had hoped for: compact, shrubby foliage growth and heavy flowering. Plants reach a manageable 90-120cm and produce flowers between each leaf, double the size of those on usual D. odora varieties. Scent is improved too, with flowers offering an alluring fragrance with citrus undertones.

“ ‘Perfume Princess’ has been a game changer for us at Wyevale Nurseries,” said  Ben Gregory. “It is a superb grower, vigorous and branches well to create a very bushy potful with large, lush, deep coloured foliage. It is also tolerant of a range of conditions and will take full sun, higher levels of moisture and responds very well to pruning. So far, we have had absolutely minimal losses. It is unlike any other Daphne we have grown in the past.”

Gregory says the nursery will have good numbers available for Spring 2018 and are continuing to bulk and build the offer in a wider number of formats and increased volumes.”

Squire’s Garden Centre in Chertsey has donated over £200 worth of bedding plants, hanging baskets, herbs, seeds and compost to their charity of the year White Lodge Centre, which supports disabled people of all ages in Surrey.

Sarah Squire, Deputy Chairman at Squire’s said, “White Lodge Centre is a fantastic charity, and one that Squire’s in Chertsey have been supporting all year.

"We wanted to brighten up their outside space and give the children and adults fun gardening activities that they can really get involved in.”

Jane Cartwright, Community Fundraiser at White Lodge Centres added, “Our children have really enjoyed planting the flowers, making hanging baskets, and then taking care of them.

"This has been part of their Summer project, and it’s been great as they have learnt how to tend the plants, how to water and deadhead them, and they have noticed how the flowers begin to grow and are really excited by how quickly things change.

"Some of the other products donated by Squire’s were shared out with our adults who run a gardening club, and they have been thrilled to have more work to do with all the wonderful pots, herbs and plants that they received.”

Pictured: from left to right, Claire Browne, Jane Cartwright, Kate Palmer (White Lodge Centre) with Matt Tanner (Squire’s).

A child at White Lodge Centre planting up hanging baskets donated by Squire’s.

Anthea McIntyre MEP,  (pictured) who will bring the audience up to speed on the results of her Government lobbying and what problems we may be facing on R&D, Pest & Disease and many other horticultural issues connected with Brexit.

Markus Kobelt of Lubera, Switzerland and Felicidad Fernandez of NIAB EMR, who will deliver a joint presentation, illustrating how countries can work together to produce new varieties which benefit the grower community and the industry. 

George Beach, Managing Director of Mudwalls Farms Ltd, who will demonstrate how he has transformed his multi-generational family grower business into a modern, branded retail and catering supplier of local fruit, salads and vegetables,  while also trading with growers internationally.

Jack Ward, Chief Executive of the British Growers Association, who will give an overview of how Brexit is affecting the grower community to date with particular emphasis on staffing and wages.

Professor Simon Pearson of LIAT (Lincoln Institute for Agri-Tech), part of Lincoln University, who will be speaking about the effects of light manipulation on crop growth and development, including the development and application of glasshouse spectral filters and LED lighting systems -- important work, which is of interest to the international grower community and not just the UK.

Peter McDermott, Managing Director of You Garden and Garden Bargains who will talk about controlling supply chains for the future. As a grower who sells huge volumes of his own company’s plants, and those of other growers, via the TV channel Ideal World, Amazon, E-Bay, Groupon and Wowcher, Peter is looking at life after Brexit and setting up a network of UK nurseries to plug any gaps in supply.

Steve McCurdy, Managing Director of Majestic Trees, who will talk about his award winning business and how they weather challenges to be at the forefront of nursery stock growing, both in the UK and internationally.

David Gunson, former air traffic controller, and one of the most popular after dinner speakers in the UK, who will be delivering a humorous and award-winning account of the trials and challenges of working with European air traffic controllers for many long years.

GrowQuip is held in association with Bulrush Horticulture and also proud to be sponsoring the event are XL Horticulture, Hortifeeds, Vitax and MorePeople.

This is your ideal opportunity to network with fellow growers, suppliers and service providers at our one-day conference, learn from our speakers, browse our supplier showcase, enjoy a relaxed three course dinner with wine with colleagues, hear our humorous after-dinner speaker, stop overnight at the four-star Stratford Manor hotel with spa and indoor pool and leave the following morning after breakfast equipped to tackle the post-Brexit world – all for the all-inclusive cost of £265 plus VAT (early bird discount available currently -- £238 plus VAT).

CHA is also pleased to announce that GrowQuip is now registered for BASIS points, see the BASIS website for full details.

Allied to the conference programme is an industry showcase, where conference attendees will be able to view the latest products and services available to commercial growers from major suppliers to horticulture.  Industry showcase participation starts at £369+VAT. CHA members receive a 10% discount on delegate packages or industry showcase bookings.  Further sponsorship packages are also available on request.

Contact Pat Flynn or Theresa Swann for details and to book your places at the conference, dinner or your industry showcase presence. E-mail pat@cha-hort.com  or ring Pat on 07778 313623 or contact the CHA secretariat head office on 01959 565995.

Congratulations to the Millbrook Garden Company staff members who managed to walk between all three of their Garden Centres, from Millbrook Gravesend in Kent, to Millbrook Crowborough in East Sussex via their Staplehurst, Kent, centre last weekend.

The team made the epic 60-mile walk over 3 days - Friday 4^th to Sunday 6^th August with the aim of raising money for the company’s chosen charity Kent, Surrey & Sussex Air Ambulance.

Each journey made by the life-saving Air Ambulance costs £2,500 and they receive no Government funding, relying almost entirely on charitable donations and fundraising. Millbrook therefore set a fundraising target of £5,000 - enough for launching the Air Ambulance twice. The money is still coming in but so far the total is £4,821 – a fantastic achievement - and the team are confident that those aching legs, blisters and sore feet will take them to their £5,000 target and possibly beyond!

Millbrook at Crowborough was the original Garden Centre in the Millbrook stable. Millbrook owners, Dick and Sue Allen, bought the Gravesend site in 1994 and realised it would be possible to walk between the sites using part of the Weald Way, but nobody had taken up the challenge until now.

The Kent, Surrey & Sussex Air Ambulance Trust provides a Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS), responding to patients who have suffered trauma or serious medical emergencies. They operate 24 hours a day, ensuring they can be there for the most critically ill and injured people in the region. They operate two aircraft – one from their Marden base in daylight hours, and the other from their Redhill base 24 hours a day. This means that no matter where you are in Kent, Surrey or Sussex, you are never more than 20 minutes away from the life-saving care that only they can bring directly to your side.

The Millbrook team hopes that their walk will inspire others to support this charity and visit their Just Giving page at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/millbrookgc to donate. 

Summerseat Garden Centre in Bury raised over £1000 for their local hospice with a Gardeners Question Time event last Tuesday.

Owner John Ainscow, pictured above with the Lady Mayor, told GTN Xtra: "We were pleased with our efforts and most importantly everyone enjoyed themselves. It was an excellent evening and we raised well over £1,000 for Bury Hospice."

The event included a mini plant “Expo” with 3 plant suppliers, 3 plant societies and 3 trade suppliers represented including Westland and Neudorff, a buffet followed by Gardeners Question Time.

The panellists were:

• Tony Bracegirdle: Local rose breeder and 17 times National Rose Champion
• Allen Standring: Ex Summerseat G.C. YTS employee, Pershore and now with Pickmere Perennials
• Graham Vallis: Plant Manager, Bradley Fold Garden Centre
• Adrian Jones: Plant Manager, Summerseat Garden Centre

• Plants for late summer and autumn colour dominate the major moves up the chart with Pansies the highest climber, moving up from No 41 last week to No 9.
• The striking flower spikes of Crocosmia generated increased sales of over 400%.

Clyde Valley garden centre Gouldings is to hold a 'Think Pink' charity event on the 30 September to raise money for the St. Andrews Hospice...

A similar event held in 2007 raised more than £22,000.

• USP Wonderwall Vertical Garden Planter with 3-pockets moves up 35 places to No 14.
• Premier Decorations 17cm Lightbulb Tealight Holder is the highest new entry at No 15.
• Scotts Weedol Pathclear 6+2 Tubes increased sales by 81% to re-enter at No 44.

Allensmore Nurseries will launch their 2017 Christmas ranges at the Four Oaks Show next month (5-6 September, stand C6-7).

It follows extensive consumer research into the latest consumer trends for Christmas. The  40-item range, created by their own in-house floristry trained designer Victoria Atkinson, features three key themes:

• “Snow Flurry” – inspired by pristine, pure white snowy landscapes and frosted forests
• “Traditional Christmas” – evoking the rich colours, scents, tastes and the spirit of Christmas
• “Gilded Christmas” featuring metallic golds and coppers to add a touch of luxury to Christmas

Each product is carefully hand made using fresh-cut British foliage under temperature controlled conditions to preserve peak freshness.

Commercial director Jane Davies said the research had found that in a fast-movingh digital age British consumers were seeking a return to the traditions and true spirit of Christmas. “Our new 2017 product range has been specially designed with this research firmly in mind to evoke the images, colours, scents and even tastes of a traditional Christmas,” she added. “Our beautiful hand crafted wreathes, garlands and table decorations are available in a wide range of sizes and price points to appeal to the widest range of consumer tastes and needs.”

Information: 01981 500 946. Click here to email email Jane Davies.

• Quantil Brussel Sprout Strips increased sales by 180% to move up to No 5.
• Farplants Asparagus Pacific 2000 in a 3 litre pot is the only new entry at No 48.
• Quantil Curly Kale Strips are the highest chart climber, up 32 places to No 14.

• Westland Plant Protection Bark, 90 litres, increased sales by almost 500% to re-enter at No 49.
• Scotts Levington Bark Bale, 100 litres was the highest climber, up 36 places to No 9.
• Bord na Mona Growise Landscape Mini Chip Bark, 100 litres, increased sales by 87% to re-enter at No. 40.

Briers has again expanded its sales team following appointments through the year to cope with increased demand at home and overseas.

Elke Beuvink (left) has joined from Kaemingk and Tara Truman (right) from the Coleman Company and formerly Sinclair.

Earlier, Charlotte Prentice from Suttons was appointed national sales manager, with Chris Keightley as international sales manager. Other recruits during the past year have included Tahnee Miles as head of supply chain, Collette Pope as project manager and Emma Johnson as junior sales manager.

Briers CEO Jackie Eades said it was a relief to have the right team in place at such a crucial time. “As we warm up for Glee we are now in the best place possible to deal with increased demand, last-minute and new-season orders,” she added.

Information: 01963 269 077 or click this email link 

www.gardentradenews.co.uk

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 2015 as well as 2016 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 Veg-2-Gro Bestsellers chart for this week are here

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

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