Garden centre suppliers and retailers were left waiting anxiously for news of how the recently announced negotiations between Scotts and Solus would affect their businesses.

Yesterday, GTN Xtra revealed that top executives Martin Breddy, of Scotts (above left) Mark Pearson, of Solus (above right) have been "working on a plan that would bring the two businesses together in the UK".

GTN Xtra spoke to a number of suppliers who were aware of the Scotts-Solus meetings but none were willing to comment on how they felt a deal between Scotts and Solus would affect them.

Meanwhile, GIMA issued the following statement: "The Garden Industry Manufacturers Association are aware of the statements on industry websites today concerning the plan by Scotts and Solus to bring their two businesses together.

"Both Solus and Scotts are GIMA members and it is not our position to comment on individual member's business strategies.

"We are, of course, concerned about any business activity which can impact on the garden supply trade (suppliers and retailers) and we will continue to review developments in support of our members, many of whom are third party suppliers that rely on wholesalers and distributors  to get their products to their retail customers.

"We note from the published statements that a period of due diligence is commencing and that will inevitably include detailed conversations with stakeholders including other GIMA members. Any members who are concerned or would like to comment are welcome to contact GIMA in confidence.

"Given the imminent trading season we believe the focus of everybody in our industry should be on maximising sales over the coming weeks."

It was revealed on Friday that Mark Pearson, CEO of Solus Garden and Leisure, and Martin Breddy, Vice President and General Manager of The Scotts Company (UK) Limited, had been working on a plan that would bring the two businesses together in the UK.

In a joint statement the companies said they had developed a strong strategic partnership over the past 25 years, resulting in:

• Scotts' position as a leader in the UK lawn and garden market driven by strong brands and advertising excellence
•  Solus building a business based on consistently excellent service levels and strong own brand ranges.

While the negotiations are still in progress, the parties said they were pleased with the progress to date and were now entering the due diligence stage. This process is expected to last four to six weeks.

Simon Yealland, Founder and Chairman of Solus, said: "We have had an excellent 35 years working with our suppliers and our joint retail customers here in the UK and abroad. I am delighted with the plans that Martin and Mark are developing- it would be a great deal for all of our partners."

Mark Pearson added: "The partnership that Solus has enjoyed with Scotts is now ready to take the next step forward - the two businesses would be much stronger together. We are passionate about driving the sales of all of our brand partners' ranges as well as our own Solus brands. This, together with distribution excellence and the support that we can give each other, is what the market needs.

"If completed, this is going to be excellent news for our customers, our suppliers and the industry in general."

Martin Breddy said: "Scotts and Solus have looked at possible combinations for a number of years. We are delighted to finally work on this opportunity to bring the two businesses closer together.

"Such a union would create a fantastic opportunity to combine Scotts' innovation, advertising and marketing with Solus' service levels and complementary core gardening products, and we are excited to join forces to support the industry in its mission to drive a resurgence in UK gardening in 2014 and beyond."

While negotiations are still ongoing, Pearson and Breddy have confirmed that one of the chief goals of the proposed deal is to ensure seamless supply in the coming months and to make the 2014 season a success for the trade.

Following the recent acquisition of Borderstone, Kelkay now have available a large amount of stock to sell at discounted prices. Many of these items are best sellers but must go to make way for updated packaging.

Antony Harker, Managing Director of Kelkay, comments: “Many of these stock items are everyday proven bestsellers such as Slate, Granite and Natural Stone.

"We have large volumes ready and waiting to be delivered fast.

"Whether you’re a stockist of Kelkay, Borderstone or another supplier, these offers are available to all and are not to be missed.

"They can provide exciting spring promotions at a time when decorative aggregates and paving are becoming ever more popular. 2014 is sure to see big growth in these product areas”.

Customers are urged to act quickly as despite having large stocks, these items are expected to sell fast.

Call the offer hotline on 01405 869333 or visit http://www.kelkay.co.uk/borderstone-bargains to download the full stock list and prices.

The warmer, more settled weather, together with half term in some parts of the country, has pushed total garden centre volume sales back above levels for the past two years, according to GTN Bestsellers data.

By all accounts the gardening season has officially started with huge week-on-week increases across all three GTN Bestsellers Chart categories.

Evidence from the Eops data supplied reveals that plant sales are running up year-on-year by even higher percentages.

Some garden centres have commented to the GTN Xtra team that after all the rain we’ve had they are surprised by the amount of planting going on right now, especially of shrubs. There are clearly plenty of gardeners wanting to get on with it. 

Perhaps the fact that we’ve had two poor springs means the appetite to get on and plant this year is higher than ever. Let’s hope Mother Nature doesn’t have a trick in store – mild spring-like weather is just what we need now right through to Easter!

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

• Garden Products – static 0%
• Veg 2 Gro – down 5%
• Growing Media – down 1%
• All items index – up 6%

Greenfingers has announced that actors Jim Carter and Imelda Staunton OBE are now patrons of the the garden-industry backed charity.

Jim Carter is perhaps currently best known as Downton Abbey’s Mr Carson, a role for which he has received great acclaim; whilst his wife Imelda Staunton is one of the country’s best loved actors, who has seen great success on stage and screen, including for her Oscar nominated role in Vera Drake.

Jim and Imelda both share a keen passion for gardening, in addition to having a direct involvement with the hospice movement, which is a real benefit for Greenfingers as it demonstrates their natural interest and understanding of the aims and focus of the charity’s work.

Matthew Wilson, Chairman of Greenfingers, welcomed the pair into their roles: "We are absolutely delighted to share the wonderful news that Jim Carter and Imelda Staunton are to be patrons of Greenfingers. We know they will be fantastic ambassadors for the charity and look forward to them spreading the word about the worthwhile work we do."

Jim Carter added: "It is an honour for us to become patrons of Greenfingers – we are extremely enthusiastic about contributing to the charity’s cause of bringing magical gardens to children’s hospices.  To give children with life-limiting conditions, their siblings and families a chance to spend valuable time together outside in a natural environment, creating precious memories is invaluable.  We are both very much looking forward to our involvement with Greenfingers."

Greenfingers is now approaching the half way point (in April 2014) of it’s most ambitious appeal to date – the ‘Rosy Cheeks’ appeal – which aims to raise enough money to create at least 10 more children’s hospice gardens. 



This year, under the umbrella of the ‘Rosy Cheeks’ appeal, Greenfingers will create magical gardens at Chestnut Tree House children’s hospice in Sussex (artist's impression above), Little Haven’s children’s hospice in Essex and Forget Me Not children’s hospice in Yorkshire.

The sun shone, the wine flowed but the plants were the stand out feature at the Europlants Open Days on Wednesday and Thursday. 

From pot plants to monumental trees, the quality and variety stood out down every aisle, vista and tree lined avenue. 

The whole Europlants team were on hand to give variety advice and all the displays had been colour themed to assist buyers in choosing what to buy. 

Attendees included The National Trust, landscape architects, garden designers, garden centres and retail nurseries. In fact so many buyers turned up they had to park down the road outside once the car parks had filled up. 

The excellent Italian lunch was followed by a Greenfingers raffle on both days, presided over by David Domoney. The upbeat mood of the buyers ensured that over £2,000 was collected for the Rosy Cheeks Appeal.



David Domoney, flanked by Sarah Lioveri, Charity Support Officer from Greenfingers, and the charity's new Trustee and Treasurer, Mark Rachovides. 

Deco-Pak, a leading supplier of garden landscaping materials, has added the Tidal Natural Stone Water features brand to its portfolio, providing even stronger linked sales for its retail customers.

This new product differentiation means that water feature products and decorative aggregates can now be cross-merchandised on the same stand to achieve greater linked sales.

Craig Hall, Marketing Manager for Deco-Pak, explains why this is good news for stockists with limited floorspace. 

“Natural water features can take up valuable space and most of our customers find it difficult to find the right spot for it that also makes sense to the consumer. Our new POS stands solve these problems by being space saving and versatile, but most importantly making it easier for the consumer, whilst also providing them with the information and products that they need in one place.”   

New POS

The POS display stands for the new Tidal products are available in different sizes and can be merchandised with display models depending on the retailer’s preference, says Craig: “We believe in giving the customer choice, not only with the products they can merchandise on our stands, but with shopfloor planning too. Our goal is to give them more options for this whilst also providing opportunities to increase average spend.”

Natural water feature products to stock

Deco-Pak’s water feature stands could be arranged to suit whichever models are in stock, yet the company can help with providing advice on bestsellers to display.  Deco-Pak have hand-picked the best Tidal water feature products for their 2014 catalogue, which include classic stainless steel spheres, natural stone columns and a cascading slate pyramid.  These proven top sellers come supplied with all the necessary parts for the customer to set up out of the box, and can also be sold alongside various accessories such as Tidal Care Stainless Steel Cleaning Cloths, Tidal Clear Wave Cleaning Solution and Deco-Pak’s existing ‘Finest Finishing Touches’ decorative pebbles range.  Craig adds: “There are accessories available not only to the novice, but also to the more ambitious consumer, such as a water feature kit, extension cables, and different sized reservoirs.”

Decorative aggregates

Deco-Pak are best known for their quality aggregates and gravels, and have a specific range that can be easily merchandised beside the Tidal products.  The Stainless Steel Sphere stand uses a handful of the decorative pebbles from the ‘Finest Finishing Touches’ range beneath each sphere to help the consumer see how to use them.  14 of the small, easy to carry bags of pebbles can be displayed with the water feature accessories stand, representing an excellent linked sales opportunity with no additional effort on the part of the retailer.  The Finest Finishing Touches range includes:

• Autumn Corn
• Candy Rose
• Classic Spar
• White Pearl
• Black/Snow White Pebbles
• Oriental Black/Brown/Gold/White

Versatile supply

Deco-Pak’s range of products, which now include other products such as birdhouses, has certainly evolved over the years, and continues to do so.  Craig explains one of the reasons for this.   “We are well known for our range of high quality decorative aggregates for landscaping and gardening, and because we can supply them without difficulty and at a competitive price, our customers naturally want to know if they can buy other products from us.”

This is great news for customers that don’t want to have to deal with too many suppliers.   

“We’ll always sell core products like slate and cobbles, but being able to offer things like water features makes it even easier for our customers to keep control of costs, as well as replenish their stock throughout peak times.”

Find out more

Retailers can contact Deco-Pak via telephone (01422) 204394, fax (01422) 204544, or email via the ‘contact us’ form on www.deco-pak.co.uk, where more details of the full Tidal range can be found.

Mr Fothergill's has invested in the fitting of nearly 500 solar panels on the roof of its Kentford, Suffolk, headquarters in a bid to provide some of its own electricity and lessen its carbon output while reducing the cost of its ever-increasing energy bill, which has risen steeply in the past year.

The company's joint-managing director John Fothergill revealed panels are now in place on the south facing roof of its production unit and the south, east and west facing roofs of the main office and mail order warehouse.

"We currently use 528,000 KWH of electricity a year. I believe the average house consumes 3,300 KWH. The panels will generate around 113,000 KWH of electricity and our usage is such that we will consume most of this, even at weekends. What we don’t use will go into the national grid. In broad terms this equates to an annual carbon output saving of about 50 tonnes.

"We believe it is also the right course to take, and it does make sound financial sense.

We will also be looking at other efficiency and green initiatives in the months ahead.  These will include insulation, energy efficient lighting and voltage optimisation. We are also encouraging our staff to submit their ideas on these matters."

Leading wild bird care supplier, Gardman has developed specialist wild bird care brand The Ernest Charles Co to offer retailers and consumers a greater depth of choice within the category.  Dedicated to providing quality products, The Ernest Charles Co will soon offer its specialist blends in 2kg and 12.55kg sizes, in premium re-sealable packaging.

Furthermore, a range of four premium bird tables has been launched with immediate availability, allowing Gardman’s retail partners to capitalise on spring trading. 

To demonstrate the brand’s commitment to design and quality each table carries a unique 15 year guarantee, is handcrafted in the UK from FSC-pine with a long lasting rot-protection treatment. Each has a slate effect roof and an embossed plaque as a marque of brand authority. Fully assembled stems and full colour packaging for the table heads provide a practical, impactful shop-floor solution for retailers as well as easy transportation for consumers. Prices range from £59.99 to £149.99.   

Marketing director Sarah Downing explained: “Our specific goal is to ensure that the brand offers an effective way to trade up customers and tempt them towards higher quality products – boosting sales and profits.  

"We spotted a gap in the market for a premium wild bird care proposition and have therefore taken great care to get every element right.  Heritage is at the heart of the brand, with its roots stemming back to 1844.  

"Our tables have been handmade and manufactured in the UK and our feeds have been selected, blended and packed locally. The quality of the packaging is as important to us as the product to ensure maximum stand out in store.” 

Gardman is now developing innovative themed POS that will express The Ernest Charles Co’s brand ethics and engage the consumer in the category. 

To complement the new bird table range, Gardman has launched a 12.55kg Robin Blend  – unique to the market and with a strong RRP of £17.99.  The ensure the tables get off to a flying start, they are also giving away a free bag of Robin Blend with selected tables ordered before the end of March.  Pallet wraps and tent cards that highlight the USPs of the new blend are available.  

The Bird Table range comprises:

• The Chatsworth Bird Table (RRP £149.99), which has a solid pine hexagonal table and can be used with a wide range of feeds including seed mixes and blends, peanuts, fat balls, suet treats and dried mealworms.  
• Wilton Bird Table (£119.99) is a solid pine square table with a slate effect roof.  It too can be used with a wide range of feeds.
• Osborne Bird Table (£89.99) is a solid pine table with slate effect roof and an integrated nut feeder.  
• Warwick Bird Table (£59.99) is a solid pine table with a slate effect roof.  

The Ernest Charles Co has almost 170 years of unrivalled expertise in sourcing, cleaning and blending seeds. 

Retailers wishing to order the new tables should contact their local agent on 01406 372237.  

They also said both full-time and part-time staff were having their hours reduced and that some of the current franchises at the garden centre would be replaced, with the likes of Mountain Warehouse moving in.

“Staff are obviously extremely upset at the news given the hard work that was put in by everyone during the busy Christmas period and now feel they were used by the new company to ensure profits were met during this time,” they said. “A lot of people are at risk of losing their jobs due to the loss of hours, especially those who require full-time jobs.”

A spokesman for TGCG would not confirm if jobs were at risk but said: “We are currently in the process of making investments in our Huntingdon centre to ensure it is fresh, exciting, and provides our customers opportunities to shop with us all year round.

“As part of this process we are reviewing the management structure and staffing models at the centre to ensure they are efficient and evaluating opportunities to collaborate with concession partners. We are very excited about the opportunities to invest and develop this centre.”

Sales across Town & Country’s entire footwear collection are showing impressive growth – due in part to the wettest winter period since rainfall records began.Now a welly review in the Daily Mail is set to give sales an extra push, with Town & Country’s ‘hard-working’ premium Wellington coming out on a par with Hunter and Le Chameau. All three brands were awarded an impressive 7/10 rating.

With a price tag of just £44.99, Town & Country’s Premium Wellington boot is a fraction of the cost of the Hunter (£95) and Le Chameau (£340) boots that were tried for the feature.

“Supplying superior quality products that represent excellent value for money is what the Town & Country brand is all about,” says chief executive, Barry Page, “so it is no surprise that our British designed, hand-crafted premium boots have come out so well against much pricier brands.”

Also enjoying impressive growth in the period 1st October 2013 to 31st January 2014 are the flagship Rutland Neoprene-lined Wellington boot – up more than 100% - and the Charnwood Ankle boot - enjoying an increase of 130% on the same period in the previous year.

Town & Country’s flagship boot, the Rutland Neoprene-lined full-length Wellington boot was launched at GLEE 2012. At 4mm thick the neoprene lining covers the whole of the inside of the boot including the insole area - making them supremely comfortable. A brand new concertina-style gusset on the inside gives the boots the best adjustable fit the company has ever produced. The boot exterior is similar to the existing rubber premium boot model in shape and style, with a textured surface for easy identification. They are available in sizes 4-11. (RRP £79.99)

Town & Country’s rugged Charnwood Boot was reintroduced at Glee 2012 to plug the gap between Wellingtons and Cloggies to provide sturdy, comfortable protection. They have a new plastic rubber shell to protect toes and keep feet dry and a Thermolite lining inside will keep feet warm.  The insoles are odour resistant and hypoallergenic. They are available in sizes 4-11 in navy. (RRP £39.99)

For further information contact Town & Country on 01530 830990 or email info@townandco.com.  See the full range of products at www.townandco.com. 

March is the perfect time for a garden spring clean after the winter, re-invigorating and livening up existing flower beds, borders and containers.  This makes pansies and violas the ideal choice for the HTA’s Plant of the Month for March.

Pansies are the perfect spring plants - along with primulas, forget-me-nots and wallflowers and are perfect contenders for patio pots, hanging baskets and window boxes, ideal and easy to plant under the HTA’s It Starts with a Pot campaign. 

Pansies and violas are two of the most popular bedding plants and are great for filling the gaps in borders once you have cleared away bedraggled or dead plants.  Their names are often used interchangeably. Plants considered to be pansies have four petals pointing upwards, and only one pointing down. Violets have three petals pointing up and two pointing down.

Pansies and violas are two of the easiest instant colour plants for this time of year and are much loved by broadcaster and gardener, Esther Rantzen CBE, the celebrity champion for the month. 

“I love pansies for their soft colours, all the shades of blues, purples and gold’s” she says, “and for their faces, turned down, as if in contemplation, as Ophelia said, ‘There’s pansies, that’s for thoughts’ – and indeed the name comes from the French word, pensee, to think. 

"They look fragile, but in fact they are tough, they can survive anything except the burning summer heat, and they seed themselves and return, year after year. And outside the garden wall their little wild cousins, the violets, send out their fragrance to reassure us that spring is on its way.”

Popular varieties recommended by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) AGM include:

• Viola Aspasia
• Viola Beshlie
• Viola Clementina
• Viola Cornuta
• Viola Cornuta Alba
• Viola Cucullata
• Viola Huntercombe Purple

Nominated and agreed upon by British growers and retailers, the HTA’s Plant of the Month campaign highlights the plants that are widely available and looking especially good each month.

For more details, please visit www.the-hta.org.uk/plantofthemonth

Plant of the Month point of sale materials can be purchased through HTA partners Hortipak and Floramedia.

Special thanks to Burston Nurseries for supplying the pansies, violas and pot for the photoshoot with Esther Rantzen.

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of World War One, the Royal British Legion is encouraging UK residents to plant poppy seeds in their towns and gardens. To raise awareness of the campaign, the National Garden Gift Voucher scheme has launched a limited edition £25 voucher, and will be giving a free packet of poppy seeds to customers with every purchase.

60,000 packs of poppy seeds will be given away with one pack being given away with every purchase of a ‘limited edition’ poppy National Garden Gift Voucher. In addition a further 60,000 packs of poppy seeds has been donated to the campaign as part of their wider activities.

The seeds, grown and harvested in the UK, are being supplied by HTA member Thompson & Morgan.

HTA members can order the limited edition £25 voucher stock today and receive free point of sale and free poppy seeds to give away with every purchase. Order your POS online at www.htamembers.co.uk or email nggv@the-hta.org.uk

The bright red Flanders poppies (Papaver rhoeas) also known as corn poppies, will be planted by thousands of people all across the nation this spring, and will flower late July/early August. The 2014 Real Poppy Campaign is the brainchild of The Greenhithe (Kent) Royal British Legion. Chairman, Phil Berry said; “We would like to see the UK covered in real Flanders poppies during August 2014, just imagine thousands upon thousands of bright red poppies growing in every garden and window box - the entire nation covered in poppies.”

For further information about The Real Poppy Campaign (TRPC) visit: www.realpoppy.co.uk

Whether you’re a landscaper, garden designer, grower or retailer, the fast-evolving business landscape coupled with the economic uncertainties of recent years has not only made for challenging times but challenges to our time as well;  finding space in busy schedules to just stop, think, learn and plan ahead has become increasingly difficult.

Thank heaven then for Classiflora-Zelari! Whether you’re seeking inspiration, education, motivation or simply a good day out, the Classiflora-Zelari 2014 open days 5th-6th March 2014 will magically pull together those nagging  items from your ’to do’ list and help you keep up with industry developments.



Inspiring retail customers

TV’s James Wong, botanist and foodie grower, will deliver inspiring talks and demonstrations showing retailers how they can better connect with younger gardeners, not only using social/online media but also learning a trick or two from James’s unique ‘pot to plate’ recipes, which have proved to be so popular with the youth market.

And from catwalk to catmint, new exhibitors will include Town & Country designer wellies, and Kelkay landscape products, so when they’ve finished checking out the latest in garden /festival footwear and landscaping materials, buyers can kick-start the growing season browsing Classiflora’s extensive range of shrubs, trees and ornamentals, with 180 bespoke shelf deals.

Streamlining systems and flexible buying

Bespoke shelf deals give buyers the ability to purchase in the most economic and flexible way – just make up your order by mixing and matching the plants you know your customers will buy. Less waste, less risk, more profit!

And Classiflora’s new ordering app is a brilliant innovation that really does save time, enabling a quote to be emailed to a customer with prices, offers and images in just minutes.

Sales & Marketing Manager Andrew Dayes will be happy to demonstrate!

Landscaping inspiration
Landscapers can get their creative juices flowing exploring Classiflora’s unrivalled on-site selection of hardy exterior European specimen plants, trees, shrubs and topiary, including larger architectural plants and specimen trees.

Business education

Neville Stein will be offering two one-hour training and development taster sessions, endorsed by the HTA (with the opportunity to sign up to the complete courses), covering topics that relate to increasing the profitability and loyalty of existing customers and attracting new customers.

Motivating networking opportunities

Catching up with old acquaintances and making new contacts is so much more productive face-to-face and the famous Classiflora- Zelari hospitality makes it all so easy! For landscapers and developers, the APL will be holding one of their popular Networking Seminars on March 6th.

Mouth-watering Tuscan cuisine

Enjoy a delicious, leisurely Italian lunch courtesy of Classiflora-Zelari.

Supporting horticulture’s favourite charity

Classiflora will make a donation to the Greenfingers Charity for every customer who books their open day reservation online. The Greenfingers Appeal builds wonderful gardens for children’s hospices – so every online booking will be helping to create memorable experiences for children and families who use the hospices.  There will also be a raffle in aid of Greenfingers with prizes drawn on both days.

For more information visit www.classiflora.com

VISIT THE UK’S NUMBER ONE GARDENING GLOVES BRAND

Town & Country will be showcasing some of their best-selling gloves and footwear lines, as well as introducing some exciting new designs.  

T&C have been manufacturing gloves for nearly 30 years and offer a comprehensive collection - from top of the range luxury leather gloves, through to hardworking gloves for heavy-duty tasks, and lightweight water-resistant gloves for light-duty jobs requiring dexterity.  Their Master Gardener gloves are the UK’s best-selling gardening gloves.

The company's footwear collection offers a variety of styles to suit all tastes and price points. The range currently comprises slip-on flat shoes, cloggies, ankle boots, short boots and a variety of full length wellingtons, including the top of the range Rutland neoprene-lined boot.

For more information visit: www.townandco.com


BE INSPIRED BY KELKAY AT THE CLASSIFLORA-ZELARI OPEN DAYS

With over 12 years experience in the garden industry, Kelkay offer a strong range of products across aggregate, rockery, paving and fountains.

Kelkay are the number one supplier in the market place on decorative aggregates. The recent acquisitions of leading brands 'Borderstone' and 'Henri' mean that Kelkay have strengthened their offering in natural paving and stone fountains.

So from laying 'Buildmate' sub-base to switching on the 8-piece 'Henri' finial fountain, you can rely on Kelkay to cover the foundations to the finishing touches of a spectacularly created garden.

For more information visit: www.kelkay.co.uk

John Athwal, Managing Director of Premier Decorations has committed to spending a night sleeping rough in London’s iconic Paternoster Square, St Paul’s on Thursday 27^th March to raise £10,000 for Action for Children. 

Action for Children has been at the heart of child welfare in the UK for 145 years. Across 650 services in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, they support over 300,000 children, young people, carers and parents every year with safety, wellbeing and happiness at the forefront of all they do.

The ‘CEO Sleepout’ is specifically aimed to highlight the shocking truths that exist in the UK around youth homelessness and raise funds to aid Action for Children in their direct work keeping vulnerable young people off the streets and offering a path to a safe and secure future.

It is thought that approximately 100,000 young people were homeless in the UK last year, some as young as 13 years old. 1 in 7 will have experienced physical or sexual abuse. 1 in 3 will have attempted to take their life. Less than a third of these young people will not have even been reported missing from home.

John is sleeping out to raise awareness of these issues and to contribute to Action for Children projects like Derbyshire Shared Housing and Dorset Nightstop – safe, supported lodgings where staff aim to build confidence and self-worth preparing care leavers and young people who are otherwise homeless for independent, sustainable living and the opportunity to reach their aspirations.

If you can find it in your heart to sponsor John, please send a cheque made payable to Action for Children, or make a donation online at http://www.justgiving.com/JohnAthwal

  

As sales of the Top 50 bestselling garden products matched those of the past two years, Chicken Manure Pellets were the biggest volume winners in the GTN Bestsellers chart.

Sinclair New Horizon 7kg tub moved up to No 1 spot in the chart while Westland Organic 2.25kg pack was the highest new entry at No 15.

Most chart Top 50 re-entries are growing related products

• Gardman Seed Tray Insert 24 Cell, pack of 5 at No 32
• Stewarts Standard Seed Tray 38cm at No 37
• Haxnicks Potato Patio Planter, Pack of 3 at No 41

All but three GTN Bestsellers Top 50 Veg-2-Gro lines increased sales on last week, but they're still not quite achieving last year's levels.

The chart is still topped by Allensmore Rhubarb Timperley Early.

KinderGarden young plants saw the biggest sales growth:

• KinderGarden Tomato Golden Sunrise up by 75%
• KinderGarden Sweet Pepper Celica up by 73%
• KinderGarden Tomato Moneymaker up by 67%
• KinderGarden Tomato Tumbling Tom up by 65%

Onion sets continue to dominate sales with half of the Top 10 lines:

• Taylors Onion Sets Stuttgarter Giant moves up 2 places to No 2
• Taylors Shallots Golden Gourmet moves up 22 places
• Taylors Onion Sets Hercules F1 are the week's highest chart climber, up 32 places

RHS Garden Rosemoor, in partnership with the Dartmoor Chilli Farm, will host the county'sfirst-everchilli festival with a whole weekend (May 10-11) dedicated to the world of chillies.

Devon Chilli Fiesta has a theme of ‘Growing Chillies' and offersa great day out for chilli enthusiasts, gardeners, food lovers and families alike.

Commercial chilli growers and experts from across the UK will be on hand to meet visitors and answer their flame-hot questions.   

The Terrace Marquee will befull of artisan chilli companies from across the UK offering chilli plants, chilli seeds, chilli jewellery, mild to wild chilli sauces, chilli chutneys, chilli chocolate, chilli fudge and much more.

Two great chefs will demonstrate cooking with chillies, giving visitors ideas and recipes to try at home.

With photography and chilli sauce competitions, chilli talks, samba music, dancing, children's activities and guided walks of the garden, the Devon Chilli Fiesta has plenty for the whole family to enjoy. 

For more information visit www.rhs.org.uk/rosemoor

A 52% growth of sales of growing media products has to be the best sign that gardeners are just getting on with whatever growing they can do while the mild spring like weather is with us.

Every single outside growing media line in the GTN Bestsellers Top 50 increased its sales last week. The biggest winners were:

• Scotts Levington Multipurpose Compost with John Innes, 55 litres, up by 95%
• Westland Multipurpose Compost, 75 litres, up by 84%
• Arthur Bowers John Innes No 3, 25 litres, up by 81%

Multipurpose composts dominate in total volume, with Farm Manure selling well too:

• Westland Multipurpose, 50 litres, stays at No 1 for another week
• Scotts Levington Organic Choice Farmyard Manure, 56 litres, moves up 1 to No 17
• Arthur Bowers Organic Stable Manure, 50 litres, is a new entry at No 45

The tulip is the distinctive icon of the Netherlands throughout the world. And as the Keukenhof’s theme for 2014 is Holland, it can do no other than give the tulip centre stage. Holland = Tulips = Keukenhof.
 
With its millions of tulips in thousands of varieties, the Keukenhof has been unparalleled for some 65 years. And as this year’s theme is Holland, the tulip will take even more of a starring role.
 
A new interactive exhibition has been designed in the Juliana Pavilion on the history of the tulip, 17th Century tulip mania, today’s tulip as contemporary icon and modern tulip cultivation.
 
Authentic tulips from the 16th and 17th Centuries will flower in the renewed Historic Garden. The Walk of Fame will be home to recently christened tulips and tulips named after famous people, such as Vincent van Gogh, Rembrandt, Andre Kuipers, Rob Verlinden and Hans Klok.
 
And the highlight of the theme year, the flower bulb mosaic depicting an Amsterdam canal scene with a tulip as large as a canal house. The 23 x 13-metre mosaic is planted with 60,000 tulips and muscaris. The design symbolises tulip mania during the Golden Age.
 
Tulips from Amsterdam is known across the world. The typical Amsterdam atmosphere created in the Orange Nassau Pavilion includes, of course, an Amsterdam flower stall designed as backdrop for the flower shows.
 
The Holland theme also highlighted in the restaurants, which include a traditional Dutch pancake restaurant. Events at Keukenhof are all about Holland, with Dutch music on 29 and 30 March, and a traditional Dutch weekend on 5 and 6 April. For the very youngest, Miffy - or Nijntje, the Netherlands most famous rabbit - will visit Keukenhof for Easter. And at Keukenhof on 26 and 27 April you can experience the Taste of Holland.

Garden centres look set to benefit financially from the latest Electronic Point of Sale (EPoS) technology available to them.

EPoS experts at Easitill have developed software solutions that have been designed specifically to help retailers and growers manage their stock and increase their sales opportunities.

Managing director Rob Gardner explained: “All our software is created in-house specifically for garden centres and nurseries and it allows them to improve their efficiency, reduce errors, increase security and increase turnover and retention.

“One of the key areas where garden centres can make money from the system is by using it to record and target customers thus making marketing effort much more effective. Our EPoS system allows people to create loyalty schemes and give discounts to specific customers.”

Easitill, which is a family-run business, has assisted garden centres with their EPoS requirements since 1988.

It helps small to medium-sized garden centres and nurseries with EPoS, website, mobile and mail order solutions to improve the profitability and quality of their business operations.

Rob added: “Our systems also make the running of a garden centre much more efficient and effective. We can install a real-time set up that sends accurate product data to and from tills and master/back office as and when it happens. It can record accurate sales data using simple screen layouts, programmable touch screen keys and multiple button sets/layers.

“The simple key layout emulates a manual cash register ensuring the switch over is straightforward and the system is easy for till staff to use.”

Easitill’s EPoS system can also be integrated with the company’s existing plant database, which holds more than 20,000 plant records and descriptions, and 15,000 photographs, for garden centres to use.

Rob continued: “And that’s not all, we can integrate everything with our plant labelling design system. This allows retailers to create their own in-house labels for products.

“But perhaps the most important two aspects are how the system helps minimise errors associated with complex promotions, such as multi buys and mix and match offers, as it automatically calculates them. It also helps increase security by providing an audit trail of changes.”

For further details, please call Easitill on 01604 882030, email support@easitill.co.ukor visit www.easitill-horticultural.co.uk.

The organisers of Garden Re-Leaf Day – the annual season-starting garden retail event in aid of children’s hospice garden charity Greenfingers – have announced a new and simple way to enable garden product and plant suppliers to get involved in time for March 14...

The ‘Loose Change’ scheme involves suppliers placing special, coin-shaped stickers in denominations of 50p or £1 – available from Greenfingers – on products of their choice, either before despatch or after delivery to the retailer. 

The selected products can then be featured in dedicated Garden Re-Leaf Day product displays set up by participating garden centres, with the stickers showing consumers how much money the supplier will donate to the Greenfingers ‘Rosy Cheeks Appeal’ upon purchase of the goods.

The Loose Change initiative aims to ensure no supplier, or retailer, misses out on Garden Re-Leaf Day’s promotional and fund-raising opportunities due to time and budget constraints. 

The idea was devised by former Gardman marketing director Jane Lawler, who is now helping to support the partnership between Greenfingers and Garden Re-Leaf Day. 

Jane (left) explained:  “Loose Change offers a fast and easy way for product suppliers and growers to take part in Garden Re-Leaf Day and be associated with the appeal.  You can buy just a few stickers for a small display in a single centre, or hundreds for distribution across all your participating customers.  

"The consumer pays just the normal in store price – but with the knowledge that 50p or £1 of their purchase is being paid to the Greenfingers Rosy Cheeks Appeal on their behalf by the product supplier.”

The Greenfingers Rosy Cheeks Appeal aims to raise £750,000 over two years to fund the creation of at least ten more, unique children’s hospice gardens.  “By suppliers offering these specially labelled products, Greenfingers will be able to give more families the gift of spending precious time together in the fresh air, away from the hospice bedside, in carefully designed gardens,” added Jane.

The Loose Change initiative follows the announcement of support for the Garden Re-leaf Day quiz from celebrities such as Jude Law, David Tennant, Alistair MacGowan and Patsy Palmer; and a competition for garden centres to win a visit from ITV’s Love Your Garden presenter, David Domoney.

Garden centres across the UK are registering to run special events and activities for Garden Re-Leaf Day, which takes place on Friday 14^th March and across the weekend.

Find out more

• Suppliers looking to take part in the Loose Change promotion should call 01494 674749 or contact info@gardenreleaf.co.uk
• Retailers and suppliers wanting to participate in Garden Re-Leaf Day need to register their details on www.gardenreleaf.co.uk
• Retailers looking to enter the free, ‘Gardening Date with David’ competition should email info@gardenreleaf.co.uk by the closing date of February 7
• Anyone wishing to run the Garden Re-Leaf Day Celebrity Gardening Quiz, can order an organiser’s pack (£100) from 0118 930 8918 or email pat@gca.org.uk

Hollywood star Jude Law and Dr Who actor David Tennant have joined the growing list of household-name celebrities to support Garden Re-Leaf Day’s popular Gardening Quiz, by recording a round of questions.  The brain-teasing audio quiz is available as a customer event opportunity to any garden centre taking part in the annual fund-raising day in March.

The two stars join Skyfall’s ‘Miss Moneypenny’, actress Naomie Harris – currently on cinema screens as Winnie Mandela in Long Walk to Freedom – in presenting a section of the questions.  EastEnders cast members Danny Dyer (new Queen Vic landlord Mick Carter) and Patsy Palmer (fiery market trader Bianca Butcher) have also lent their familiar voices to the quiz, in addition to a round recorded by impressionist Alistair McGowan – in the vocal style of celebrities John Humphrys, David Mitchell, Matt Baker, Dara Ó Briain and Stephen Fry.

David Tennant, Naomie Harris and Alistair McGowan have agreed to support Garden Re-Leaf Day’s popular Gardening Quiz.

The quiz – which includes both general knowledge and gardening rounds – can be ordered by all retailers, suppliers and other organisations participating in Garden Re-Leaf Day; with funds raised going towards its chosen charity, Greenfingers. The production of the quiz and accompanying CDs are being provided by Garden Radio, as part of its support for Garden Re-Leaf Day.

The quiz is also a ready-made opportunity to boost customer footfall, as Garden Re-Leaf Day’s founder and Hillview Garden Centre CEO Boyd Douglas-Davies explains: “We’re enormously grateful that so many mainstream stars have supported this year’s Garden Re-Leaf Day quiz – it will be more popular than ever!  It’s a simple way for retailers both to take part in Garden Re-Leaf, and attract scores of customers in-store at the start of the spring gardening season.  You can make the event even more effective by running other sales promotions, refreshments and fund-raisers alongside. The organiser’s pack costs just £100 and is available by calling 01993 871456 or emailing pat@gca.org.uk”

Garden centres and suppliers across the UK are expected to take part in the third annual Garden Re-Leaf Day, held on Friday 14 March 2014 and across the weekend. Participants – who can run any number of nationally-coordinated or local fund-raising initiatives – are being urged to register their involvement as soon as possible by emailing the organising team at info@gardenreleaf.co.uk with an overview of your planned activities.  Your location and events will then be added to the Garden Re-Leaf Day website: www.gardenreleaf.co.uk.

As in its first two years, Garden Re-Leaf Day’s nominated charity in 2014 is Greenfingers; the nationwide charity dedicated to building gardens in children’s hospices around the UK. Since 2012 Garden Re-Leaf Day participants have raised more than £116,000 for the cause; enabling several life-enhancing hospice gardens to be created.

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

The full charts which provide useful insight into product sales peaks, new trends and new link sales opportunities are published in the weekly GTN Xtra printed newsletter.

As the year goes on we give sales volume comparisons with 2012 as well as 2013 to allow your teams to see variations over a three year period.

Access is by subscription only.  For £145.00 per year you and your team can have access to the most upto date gardening sales analysis that has already helped many UK garden centres increase their sales.  To subscribe call 01733 775700, e-mail karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

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

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

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

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