‘Closing down’ signs have appeared outside garden centres in the beleaguered Home & Garden Group, which went into administration last month.

Newspaper reports claim that the signs have appeared outside at least two of the group nine centres – Plowmans in Bournemouth and Floralands in Nottingham.

The sale of the garden centres is being handled by Quinton Edwards, and Simon Quinton Smith told GTN Xtra: “We are looking for a quick sale because of the time of year. Interested parties should contact me quickly.”

Simon can be contacted by email simon@quintons.co.uk

The Home & Garden Group consists of the following centres:

• Rutland Garden Centre, Oakham
• Leighton Buzzard Garden Centre, Bedfordshire
• Willington Home and Garden
• Ise Garden Centre, Kettering
• Stansted Park Garden Centre, Rowlands Castle
• David's Nurseries, Worcester
• Shopwhyke Garden Centre, Chichester
• Plowmans Garden Centre, Bournemouth
• Floralands Garden Centre, Nottingham

According to the Bournemouth Echo, Vic Plowman, who owns Plowmans Garden Centre in Christchurch Road, has said he wouldn’t allow the centre to close down completely.

"I agreed to lease Plowmans to Home and Garden, which has gone into administration,” he told the newspaper.

"As it stands, the company will continue to run Plowmans until someone is found to take over the lease. If that doesn't happen, I will keep it open myself."

Adam Harris, joint administrator from Mazar, said: “The unexpected, severe weather conditions at the beginning of 2018 have materially impacted the group’s cash flow.

“Home and Garden is a well-established business with historically strong margins, and would represent a good opportunity for interested parties.

 “A sale would preserve jobs and provide the best outcome for stakeholders and creditors, and I welcome all enquiries.”

Offers are being invited from interested parties to acquire the business either as single acquisitions or multiple sites.

The full Plowmans story can be read on the Bournemouth Echo website. Click here

Garden Pride has been trading for nearly 30 years and 2017 saw the relaunch of the business at GLEE where the reins were passed over to the second generation! The business has made some huge steps into brand recognition, product development and manufacturing since then.

Luke Finnegan from Garden Pride has said:
“The success of our standard raw steel obelisks has lead us into expanding our raw steel range significantly. We now offer a larger range of plant supports, including interlinking bows and the unique peony cages in many sizes… Alongside our ever-growing raw steel obelisk range.

"This range is going from strength to strength with new shapes, sizes and designs being developed every week! However, we have not forgotten our roots and we are also working on developing the plastic coated range of obelisks and plant supports as well.

"We have also introduced many new pre lined ranges including the Hens Mesh range and the Gothic planter range! Having complete ranges such as this allows garden centres to stock our whole range whilst still having a variety and for customers to be able to continue a theme throughout their gardens."

Garden Pride is a family run business which prides itself on their customer service, attention to detail, loyalty and consistently high-quality products. Manufacturing in the UK allows them to ensure they produce first class products at competitive prices every time.

Order early to secure a May bank holiday delivery!

Sales Office: 01903 761222
Luke Finnegan (Sales Manager): 07764 225876

Take a look behind the scenes and get a glimpse of how Westland's new TV commercial was made to launch the new Resolva Pro Weedkiller. 

The full advert is on air 23rd April - 30th May.

This is part of a £2million campaign that will also feature in national newspapers and online.

The campaign will be seen by 11 million people in the UK.

Here's 10 Reasons to be Cheerful from the team at GTN after weeks of doom and despondency:

1. Last weeks garden centre trading was above the average for the first week of April over the past 7 years.  Sales are heading back on track!
2. We’ve had bad March’s before and that usually leads to a Mad May with big sales peaks around the May Bank holiday weekends.
3. There will be a spike of gardening activity in the next two weeks as late spring plants and trees come into flower and grass grows at rapid rates.
4. Customers still have money to spend – during the cold spell they have not been spending on the high street either.  As the new destination Blue Diamond Garden Centre shows, if they get out and go to a garden centre they will spend money.
5. Having not re-stocked during March or April, after the spikes coming later this month and with the first May Bank Holiday garden centres will be needing to fill gaps on shelves and add potentially Bestselling new product lines to ensure they have the best chance to get their turnovers back up to parity with last year by the Summer.
6. Mid May should be the time when the industries cash flows get back to normal, so orders for Autumn gardening, Autumn Wild Bird Care and Christmas Gifts will come on stream then.

7. Even the Met Office is now saying the weather will improve over the coming weeks: “There will also be drier periods with some sunshine.” Is their forecast for mid-April.  “By next weekend generally fine and dry conditions are most likely to be in place with above-average temperatures.”

8. Without a doubt more plants will be bought to be grown in containers this summer, more children will be encouraged to enjoy plants and gardens and there will be an explosion of gardening on TV around Chelsea and the flower shows.

9.  Analysis of EPOS data supplied by garden centres to GTN every week for GTN Bestsellers shows that generally when Easter is in April it provides a good sales benefit and when it is in March it only provides a benefit if the weather is exceptionally good. In other words we should not be looking at a poor Easter in 2018 as a sign of a poor year, just that Easter was at the wrong time and as always happens in the UK, gardening sales get going when plants start growing and that will just be a bit later this year and not at Easter as many would have been wishing for.
10.  The same amount of plants will grow - fast - when it all gets going and that will create new opportunities for sales.  The bold will make the most of that by ensuring their marketing gives them a loud voice during May while those who sit back and do nothing will miss out - just like they did if they were banking on Easter 2018!

The Garden Industry Manufacturers' Association's AGM took place on Thursday at Ettington Chase Hotel, Stratford-Upon-Avon, with over 65 members in attendance.

During proceedings Chris Ramsden (above left) of Hozelock passed the mantle of GIMA President over to Richard Pyrah of Kelkay after two years at the helm. 

The role of Vice-President will now be undertaken by Westland's Simon McArdle. Elsewhere the role of Treasurer has been retained by Nigel Thompson of Nigel Thompson Associates. The role of Honorary Secretary for 2018/2019 will now be the responsibility of Craig Hall of Deco-Pak. 

New council members elected for 2018/2019 include Dan Durston of Durston Garden Products, Neil Sims from The Scotts Miracle Gro Company, and Gardman's Scott McCabe, the latter of whom was previously co-opted onto Council.

These latest appointments means the GIMA Council 2018/2019 is now 11 members strong, made up of the following:

• Richard Pyrah, Kelkay
• Chris Ramsden, Hozelock
• Craig Hall, Deco-Pak
• John Gomersall, Forest Garden
• Heather Culpan, Burgon & Ball
• Simon McArdle, Westland Horticulture
• Matt Jackson, Mr Fothergill's seeds
• Mark Butler, Vitax
• Scott McCabe, Gardman
• Neil Sims, The Scotts Miracle Gro Company
• Dan Durston, Durston Garden Products

During his address, GIMA's new President, Richard Pyrah of Kelkay said: "With a strong Council of representatives from a range of membership, GIMA is in safe hands. 

"I am sure we will see some great things come forward for you all to support and get involved with for the benefit of your businesses."

He also thanked the GIMA members for their support and encouragement, and also expressed his gratitude to the GIMA Council for their continued support throughout 2017. 

Richard continued: "Chris has provided me with big shoes to fill and I'd like to thank him for his amazing work as GIMA President. I also look forward to working with Vicky and the team towards GIMA's goals in 2018/2019."

The Association also reported a strong financial position with a healthy operating profit being recorded.

Membership of GIMA is open to all manufacturers and suppliers of products to the garden retail sector, with a UK or European base.

For further information about GIMA and the benefits membership brings visit www.gima.org.uk or contact the GIMA office on 01959 564947 or email info@gima.org.uk

Last month’s Garden Re-Leaf Day was once again a blooming success with almost £65k already pledged thanks to the tireless enthusiasm of the garden industry and others who participated in events and promotions all over the country.

Garden Re-Leaf Walk

Current total raised: £15,000 and rising

Over 70 people from garden retailers, suppliers and manufacturers walked a sponsored 10 or 20-mile circuit through the Buckinghamshire countryside on the annual Garden Re-Leaf Walk. Starting and ending at World’s End Garden Centre in Wendover, the participants were put through their paces on a gruelling walk in the very muddy Chiltern hills.  Teams from Vitax, Elho, Mr Fothergill’s, Glee, Hornby Whitefoot PR, GIMA, Briers, HTA, Cadix, Kew Green Hotels and many others donned their walking boots for the scenic route, taking in some stunning sights, including Coombe Hill and a section of the historic Ridgeway.

A special shout out must go to Greenfingers Charity Vice-Chairman Dennis Espley who was the first to cross the finish line following his 10-mile walk. Special thanks to Mr Fothergill’s who raised just over £3000 for the walk and the cycle challenge through Just Giving, meanwhile the Glee team raised just over £800 through cakes sales, serving up breakfast for colleagues and other fundraising activities in their office.

The team at Hornby Whitefoot PR raised £725 with a mention to Robbie Cumming who livestreamed parts of the walk on his YouTube channel, encouraging many of his 5,500 narrowboat subscribers to donate, whilst the staff at HTA raised a huge £1,200.  GIMA’s Vicky Nuttall and her trusty companion Ruby the dog raised an impressive £600.

Garden Re-Leaf Cycle Challenge

This year saw the inaugural Garden Re-Leaf Cycle Challenge with 15 intrepid bike enthusiasts taking on the endurance test of 50 or 100 miles.  Matt Jackson from Mr Fothergill’s was first across the finish line having completed the 100 miles route.  Ian Clark from Taylor’s Bulbs completed his 100 miles in an impressive seven hours, raising over £400.   A massive well done must also go to Chris Ramsden from Hozelock who cycled the full distance of 100 miles, the first time he has cycled that far.

As if cycling 100 miles wasn’t tough enough, the inspiring Tara Truman from Briers also completed a 2.4-mile swim and 13 miles on the treadmill to raise money for Garden Re-Leaf.

12-hour Plantathons

Hillview Group CEO and Garden Re-Leaf founder Boyd Douglas-Davies set all 11 of his stores a challenge for this year’s Plantathon – to plant 101 plants in 12 hours. Totalling an impressive 1,111 pots, £1 from every planter sold will go to Greenfingers

The staff at Squire’s Garden Centres in Woking got their hands dirty, potting over 500 lovely, bright and cheerful spring plants for Garden Re-Leaf, as well as their opening weekend.   There was also a guest appearance by gardening expert and presenter Charlie Dimmock who also helped to plant her own containers in aid of Greenfingers. 

Bob Hewitt’s Klondyke held 12-hour Plantathons in six of their stores with the sales of potted containers donated to Greenfingers.  The garden centres also raised money in their restaurants throughout the day.

A special thanks to Apta and many other suppliers who supported the Plantathons around the country by supplying pots, plants and compost to create enticing containers for customers and bright spring colour for Garden Re-Leaf.

Garden Centre Events

Many garden centres got quizzical for Garden Re-Leaf Day with Poplars Garden Centre raising over £1,600 from their evening, masterminds at Perrywood Garden Centre raised over £1,600 whilst all monies from general knowledge experts at Altons Garden Centre totalled £450.  Tates Paradise Park held a garden quiz for local gardening clubs, as well as an auction of flower arrangements made by a local floristry group and selling special Garden Re-Leaf Day cupcakes in the coffee shop.  Old Railway Garden Centre raised a spectacular £1,000 for Greenfingers during their Garden Re-Leaf Fundraising Day and Quiz and Curry Night.

Cakes and coffee were in high demand at garden centres such as Whitehall Lacock, Whitchurch and Woodborough who donated £1 from every hot drink and cupcake sold in their restaurants.  The staff at Mr Fothergill’s head office baked green cakes to sell, meanwhile Haskins held staff cake sales at Snow Hill, at their HQ in Ferndown and at their West End store.  Downtown Garden Centre and A.H.S Ltd also produced their best bakes to raise money for Greenfingers.

Raffles and tombola’s proved popular with both garden retailers and customers.  Many were held across the country including Pondkeeper who held a raffle in their Billingham based shop to win pond planting goodies. Aylett’s Nurseries held a tombola and coffee morning instore, whilst in Wales, the Old Railway Garden Centre hosted an exciting raffle for customers and a fundraising curry night.  Lucky shoppers at World’s End Garden Centre were treated to a raffle where they could win a barbecue donated by Outback Direct.

Millbrook’s centres in Staplehurst, Gravesend and Crowborough all held fundraising events over the Garden Re-Leaf weekend which included crowd pleasing activities such as face painting, crafts, special animal guests, a ‘Char-i-Tea’ morning, planting demonstrations and a talk from their Managing Director, Tammy Woodhouse and Greenfingers Ambassador, Mark Lane.

Regional sponsored walks were organised for those that couldn’t get to Wendover.  Orchard Park staff walked approximately 15 miles to Lakeside Garden Centre in Warminster. Once they arrived, Managing Director Richard Cumming threw down the gauntlet or “glovie” for Lakeside to walk to them next year which has been accepted by the owner, Nick Morgan.

The Hozelock team completed a sponsored 10km walk through the beautiful surroundings of Sutton Park, a national nature reserve close to their Birmingham site.

Longacres fun day and sponsored walk which started at Shepperton and finished at Bagshot with a pit stop at their Chobham branch was such a great success that they plan to share their walk for others who may want to organise their own sponsored walk next year.  

Industry Promotions

Manufacturers and suppliers gave their full support to Garden Re-Leaf.  Rolawn donated £5 for every bulk bag of Beds & Borders Topsoil purchased on their website on the day and during the following week.

Garden Innovations also sold charity packs of their best-selling Bottle Top Waterers.  Inspired by the fun and bright colours and positive outlook of Garden Re-Leaf Day, a donation of 37p per charity pack sold went to Greenfingers.

QVC

The Garden Re-Leaf fundraising and awareness continued over the weekend with a special QVC Gardening Show on Sunday which raised a staggering over £32,000 through the sales of plants, bulbs and garden sundries.  Richard Jackson presented an exclusive programme on the channel with help from generous suppliers De Jager Bulbs, Marshalls, Hayloft Plants, Plants2Gardens, Montrose, Thompson & Morgan and Richard Jackson’s Garden.

Kew Green Hotels

The ever supportive and enthusiastic teams at Kew Green Hotels put the FUN into fundraising by “Going Green for Greenfingers”, with staff turning their hotels green across the country.  Many competed for the coveted Best Costume prize which was won by Emma Harding for her Crayola outfit.  Other branches held raffles, cake sales and had donation buckets in public areas. Staff and members at the Holiday Inn Leeds Brighouse will completed an epic 12-hour Bikeathon.

Head of Fundraising and Communications Linda Petrons said: “We can’t thank our FUNdraising heroes and sponsors enough for supporting Garden Re-Leaf Day in such a great way again despite the pressures we know so businesses are under this year.  The generosity from so many will help to ensure more children and families who spend time in hospices will benefit from a magical garden thanks to the money raised.”

The Homebase store in Lincoln's St Marks Shopping Centre is the latest of the beleaguered DIY chain's stores to be earmarked for closure, Insight DIY reported this week.

Signs appeared outside the store at the weekend confirming a closure date of 11th May, after a clearance sale.

 A Homebase spokesperson said: “We can confirm that the Lincoln Homebase store is set to close on May 11. Team members at the store have been informed and we are working to support them as much as possible.”

Two other stores on the site - Maplin and Toys R Us - have both closed in recent weeks, both businesses having gone into administration.

Homebase customers will have to travel to Newark, Sleaford, Scunthorpe or Grantham for their shopping once the Lincoln branch closes.

This story was first published here: http://www.insightdiy.co.uk/news/homebase-lincoln-faces-the-bunnings-axe/6152.htm

Meanwhile, Insight DIY also reports that Wesfarmers has called upon Boston Consulting Group (BCG) for support in reviving the ailing Bunnings/Homebase chain in the UK.

The Press Association reports that BCG has been brought onboard to help Damian McLoughlin and the rest of the UK senior leadership team as part of a strategic business review by Wesfarmers.

Wesfarmers will reveal its plans for the DIY chain in June. Earlier this year, it revealed that it had taken a £584m write-down as a result of the acquisition, resulting in a widening of half-year losses from £28 million to £97 million.

At the time, the managing director of Wesfarmers, Rob Scott, said that up to 40 stores could be closed, with the loss of 2,000 jobs.

http://www.insightdiy.co.uk/news/bunningshomebase-calls-in-consultancy-giant/6172.htm

Herefordshire-based Allensmore Nurseries have won the coveted LEAF Accreditation following their investments in sustainable production methods and facilities, and rigorous inspections across their business to ensure compliance with the exacting standards required to achieve the marque.

LEAF accreditation requires holders of the marque to demonstrate their on-going commitment to producing crops using sustainable methods and in ways that enrich the environment and engages with their local communities.

Over the past 5 years, Allensmore Nurseries has increased its production area by nearly two thirds and by the beginning of next year this will have expanded to 100 acres of both covered and outdoor production.

Underpinning this huge expansion is the family-owned business’s total commitment to ensuring the utmost care for the environment and managing biodiversity throughout its production processes.

Allensmore have invested heavily in state-of-the-art water management systems across their entire production areas, including recycling and rainwater capture, and the construction of a 5-million-gallon reservoir which is to be linked to an additional 5-million-gallon reservoir being constructed in the coming year.

Over the past 6 years, Allensmore Nurseries have been working hard to reduce the amount of peat they use in their compost mixes, to date they have reduced this by 40%. They continue to develop new compost mixes to reduce their peat use further still.

Landscaping enhancements on their outdoor production areas include hundreds of metres of new indigenous species hedging and tree plantings, together with wildflower seeding of soil banks around the sites’ perimeters.

This major investment is designed to ensure the establishment of protected wildlife environments, especially for pollinators and birds, including a number which appear on the RSPB’s “Red List” of severely endangered species, among which are Ringed Plovers, Skylarks and Yellow Wagtails, all three of which are regular visitors to the Allensmore Madley 50-acre production site.

Allensmore MD, Mark Taylor, said, “Attaining our LEAF accreditation is a proud moment for us all at Allensmore and builds on our long-standing BOPP certification to take our company to even higher levels of plant production best practice.

"Throughout our programme of large scale expansion, we have continued to take the utmost care in enhancing the biodiversity around our three production sites and making investment in providing natural habitats for wildlife.

"We have a total commitment throughout our business to produce our plants in the most sustainable way and reduce the impact on the environment.”

It was all “go go go” at Poplars Garden Centre as a Red Bull F1 racing car took up pole position in their Plantarea.  At first they thought their Plant team has misinterpreted the term ‘F1 hybrid’!

Each year, Poplars are the starting point for the MK Classic Car Rally, where all participants park up their wonderful cars and gather in the Restaurant@Poplars for breakfast at 7.30am before heading off on their 95 mile tour, which includes a visit to Millbrook Testing Ground & Holdenby House & Gardens, before finishing up at Silverstone.  This annual car rally raises vital funds for the Milton Keynes Hospital’s Neonatal Unit.

And in conjunction with the car rally, Poplars were lucky enough to have the F1 car for the whole day, kindly loaned to them by Red Bull Racing, who are based in Milton Keynes. The car was a huge hit and there was a continuous stream of F1 enthusiasts through the Garden Centre doors, all eager to get that fantastic photo opportunity.

Garden Centre Manager Alastair Jackson was delighted at the response having the car there created and even asked the Red Bull representative who delivered the car how he felt about leaving it so they could plant it up!

Brigg Garden Centre, the Lincolnshire flagship store of the British Garden Centres family, is one of a number of independents who have recently upgraded their natural water feature range through decorative landscaping supplier Deco-Pak.

Commenting on the 2018 season so far, Robin Bosworth, Group Operations Manager said: “It’s been a quiet spring for us all – but that just means you have to think ahead and get smarter with your offering. 

"With that in mind, versatile merchandising solutions such as Deco-Pak’s water feature plinths are just what we need, and we are positive we’ll see an uplift in sales in the category going forward.”
 
Uptake in Deco-Pak’s new water feature displays has increased by over 50% since last year, due in part to ease of installation and flexibility. 

Deco-Pak Director Rod Slater explains why: “The difference with these displays is simple, they come ready to “plug and play”, and can take up as little room as a single pallet space. Each display can be easily moved, formatted and height adjusted, so whether you want a more linear dispaly, a 360° showcase or just a single sample, the choice is yours and our team are always available to help advise.”

The Eastern Stone collection features five premium handcrafted sandstone water features and statuary, including a handcrafted 90cm Buddha head and a striking 95cm tulip planter.

Find out more
Visit www.deco-pak.co.uk, connect via Twitter @deco_pak, or call the sales office on 01422 204394.

Four Haskins Garden Centres have named their chosen charities for the year.

Employees at the centres aim to raise several thousands of pounds by running events throughout 2018, as well as providing the charities the space to host information and awareness evenings to raise further donations.

Lisa Looker, brand director at Haskins Garden Centres, commented: "We hope to be hosting lots of events throughout the year and encourage our customers to get involved when they can."

The team at Haskins Garden Centre in West End has announced it will be focusing its fundraising efforts towards supporting Silk Bow Foundation for the year.

The Silk Bow Foundation helps those that find everyday tasks challenging. Trustees are alerted to potential situations and the charity decides how best to lend a helping hand.

The team at Roundstone will be focusing its fundraising efforts towards supporting Wadars Animal Rescue for the year.

Wadars, based in Worthing, provides protection to animals of all kinds and co-ordinates their rescue and rehoming. The charity rescued more than 1,700 injured, orphaned and at risk birds and wildlife last year, as well as rehoming over 400 cats, dogs and other companion animals.

The Ferndown team has announced it will be supporting Autism Wessex for the year.

Autism Wessex provides high quality specialist services for adults and children affected by autism throughout Dorset, Hampshire, Wiltshire and Somerset. According to statistics there are around 700,000 people affected by autism in the UK.

The team at Snowhill will be focusing its fundraising efforts towards supporting Alzheimer's Society for another year.

Alzheimer's Society provides information and support to people affected by dementia, as well as funding research for a better future. According to statistics there are around 50,000 people living with dementia and it is predicted this will rise to 66,834 by 2021.

Visit www.haskins.co.uk for more information.

Produced by FIRA to give a greater understanding of fire safety issues that may concern those buying or selling outdoor furniture, the LOFA Outdoor Furniture Flammability Guide provides a basic introduction to the LOFAssured Scheme with essential information for retailers and consumers.

One of the conditions of LOFA membership is that members must adhere to a code of conduct, part of which is compliance with all current legislation. The new guide explains that, in order to achieve LOFAssured status, LOFA members must pass an audit process supported by Hertfordshire County Council which acts as prime authority and offers assured advice which will be accepted across all county and borough councils. The scheme shows a member company is compliant to flammability regulations and performs sufficient due diligence to ensure products are fit for purpose.

Providing answers to 12 key questions relating to flammability concerns, the LOFA Outdoor Furniture Flammability Guide makes it clear that any form of garden/outdoor upholstered furniture that could be set up or carried into a dwelling and conservatory must meet the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire Safety) Regulations 1988 (as amended in 1989, 1993 and 2010). These regulations are enforced and policed by all local trading standards departments across the United Kingdom.

Flammability labels are an important aspect of fire safely regulation compliance. While some of these are for display purposes, others must be permanently attached to outdoor furniture and the guide gives invaluable details coupled with illustrations of what to look for. The final section of the LOFA guide provides invaluable details of further resources, including organisations relating to consumer support, associations and regulations.

For further information on the Leisure and Outdoor Furniture Association, call 02392 258844 or visit www.lofa.co.uk. https://www.lofassured.co.uk/

(https://www.firesafe.org.uk/furniture-and-furnishings-fire-safety-regulations-19881989-and-1993.)

Photograph courtesy of Jati & Kebon

The Pot Company has announced the launch of The Anniversary Planter designed and developed in association with Thrive.

Thrive is a leading charity in the UK that uses gardening to bring about positive changes in the lives of people living with disabilities or ill health, or who are isolated, disadvantaged or vulnerable.

Using gardening tasks and the garden itself, Thrive horticultural therapists build a set of activities for each gardener to improve their particular health needs, and to work on certain goals they want to achieve.

Last year Thrive worked with over 1,440 client gardeners and in 12 months they will receive almost 3,000 enquiries by phone and email asking for advice and information.

Thrive and The Pot Company have been in talks to collaborate for some time and, as the charity approaches its 40th anniversary, the teams decided a dedicated planter would mark the occasion.

The Anniversary Planter is an oval trough with Thrive’s logo in the centre on both sides. It is made from Terracini which is a harder wearing variety of Terracotta and is available in two sizes.

• 30 x 14 x 11cm - RRP £12
• 50 x 24 x 18cm - RRP £32
• There is also a gift set of both sizes available at RRP - £42.

Both teams wanted to create a planter with a traditional design that would appeal to a wide variety of people whilst also using a tried and tested high quality material.

The planter celebrates 40 years of Thrive’s work and in recognition of their achievements, The Pot Company is donating 10% of their revenues from sales of the Planter.

Although initially the range consists of the one design, new ideas will be developed by the teams at The Pot Company and Thrive and will be launched throughout 2018 and 2019.

As with the entire Pot Company range, planters can be ordered individually or in nested sets and pallet combinations. Good margins are on offer to the end retailer and increase with volumes purchased. Merchandising solutions are also available, including point of sale marketing material.

To learn more about Thrive visit www.thrive.org.uk for more information contact Alyson Chorley on alyson.chorley@thrive.org.uk or 0118 988 5688.

 For more information on The Pot Company contact Katie Weller on Katie@thepotco.com or 01892 890 353.

Perennial is reviving its traditional Festival Dinner, a fantastic evening of fundraising, with the help of partners and supporters from across the UK horticulture industry.

Taking place on 12 October at The Mandarin Oriental Hotel, one of London’s most celebrated 5-star hotels overlooking Hyde Park, the event will be a glittering evening beginning with a champagne reception in the Carlyle Suite, followed by a delicious three-course dinner and entertainment in the Ballroom.

The annual festival dinner was a prestigious event dating right back to Perennial’s origins. On 17 January 1839, the Gardeners’ Benevolent Institution was founded at the inaugural dinner, which was attended by gardeners, nurserymen and wealthy estate owners.

During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the dinners drew the attention and support of high society. In 1852, Charles Dickens presided over the ninth festival dinner and in 1867 it was the turn of Sir Robert Peel, founder of the modern police force.

Chris Crooker, Events Manager at Perennial, says: “Continuing the tradition of supporting those who look after Britain’s gardens and green spaces, this year’s festival dinner will raise funds to help make sure Perennial can continue to offer its essential welfare services, which are needed by horticulturists of every profession today more than ever. And in keeping with the tradition of illustrious hosts of these fundraising events, James Alexander Sinclair will be the speaker at our new look festival dinner this autumn.”

An auction will take place, presided over by Andrew Fisher Tomlin and Jeremy Storey Walker, with a host of fabulous lots to bid for on the night. Already confirmed are a spa break at Barnsley House, a package for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2019 and a holiday cottage stay at Easton Walled Gardens.

Support for the event is growing with two headline sponsors already on board – The Landscape Show and the London College of Garden Design – with further sponsorship opportunities still available. Contact Laura Garnett (01372 384033 lgarnett@perennial.org.uk) for information.

The 2018 Perennial Festival Dinner tickets cost £150 each and are available individually or in tables of 10.

To find out more and to book tickets visit the website here or call Maya Albert on 01372 384043 or email malbert@perennial.org.uk

Registration is now OPEN for ornamental exhibitors at the International Floralies – Nantes. 

This prestigious ornamentals and vegetal show, amongst the most popular in Europe, is back for a 12th edition on May 8-19th 2019 in Nantes (France). The program is expected to be very rich in terms of colours, sceneries and botanical discoveries.

The International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) approved the show as a ‘C Category International Horticultural Show’ during their meeting in Melbourne on 21st March where they actively encouraged participation in the event.

Floralies Nantes is a major event in Western France and is internationally renowned.  It takes place every five years in the La Beaujoire exhibition park. After the great success of « Art Bouquets » in 2014, the whole ornamental design of the 2019 edition will have « Fleurs à vivre » (flowers to live by) as a theme.

Inspired by a quote from Montaigne, « If life is nothing more than a passage, let’s at least sow flowers along it », the theme will be divided into seven ambiances presented all throughout the indoor and outdoor areas of the park, giving the visitor a sense of change of scenery, enchantment and wonder.

Registration is now open for all plant aficionados, professionals and amateurs, willing to take part in a great floral, botanical and human adventure. Potential ornamental exhibitors are invited to visit the Floralies Committee’s extranet (www.comite-des-floralies.com/eng/extranet) so they can submit their application, find a partner to combine skills and team up with or even just to get more information.

As a reminder, exhibition space, technical support & basic materials are provided free of any charge, just like the dedicated communication space and the contribution to accommodation expenses. Applications should be submitted before 30 June 2018.

About Floralies Internationales - Nantes :

• The event’s goal is to unify a large audience, composed of people passionate about flowers, plants, nature and the environment.

• The first edition dates from 1956 and every single one attracts hundreds of thousands of people.

• The Committee is also invested in numerous French and international events including Bourg-en-Bresse Floralies, Genova Euroflora and Taipei Floralies.

Commenting on the approval by AIPH, the Secretary General of AIPH, Tim Briercliffe said “AIPH members were pleased to grant approval for Floralies Nantes which has a long history of delivering an outstanding event that attracts many people.  As the Show is now welcoming participants from all over the world we hope that many cities, countries, businesses and organisations will take advantage of this special opportunity.”

Credit Photo: Comite Floralies, Aurelien Maho

A remarkable journey into the world of the orchid, whereby millions of plants can be admired in the space of seven days.

Although it sounds like a fantasy, this will soon be a reality. The preparations for Orchid Inspiration Days, the commercial orchid event, are once again in full flow.

The social media channels are already counting down to the start of the inspiration days, and the 14 participants are readying themselves for the arrival of their (inter)national customers. That means that invited guests and interested visitors can announce their visit via the orchid event's website.

Commercial orchid event from grower to end-customer

Orchid Inspiration Days is a remarkable collaboration between the various orchid nurseries. The nurseries are working together in order to inform the customer and international end-customer about the range and innovations within the business in an inspiring way.

The commercial event will take place in three regions in the Netherlands between 6 and 14 June 2018.

By organising these inspiring days before and during the FlowerTrials the organisers are also targeting foreign clients who can make extra good use of their visit to the Netherlands. The central coordinating role is being played by Pull Position, which is carrying out the preparations for the event on behalf of the fourteen participants.

Online registration and inspiration

From Phalaenopsis, Zygopetalum and Brassia to eye-catching packaging, cachepots in the latest trends and other orchid concepts, the inspirational tour of the participants remains surprising thanks to the content of the programme, which is different at each location.

To ensure rapid entry at the various nurseries, visitors are being asked to register in advance. They can do this on the website www.orchidinspirationdays.com



Participants in Orchid Inspiration Days 2018

No fewer than 14 nurseries spread across three regions in the Netherlands will welcome the international trade customers and end-customers during the inspiration days. The participating nurseries are: Aphrodite Orchidee, GreenBalanZ, Van der Hoorn Orchideeën, Orchids4all, Pannekoek Orchideeën, Stolk Flora, De Vreede Holland, De Hoog Orchids, Wooning Orchids, Levoplant, Lansbergen Orchideeën, OK Plant, Opti-flor and Piet Vijverberg.

The Plant Health Coordinator at one of the UK’s leading nurseries has contributed to a study published this month in a leading scientific journal.

Kyle Ross, who works at Wyevale Nurseries, studied for his BSc in Horticulture at Worcester University in 2015 and contributed to a study aimed to improve biocontrol of black vine weevil.

The 24-year-old explained: “As part of my dissertation I worked under the guidance of the UK’s horticultural crop research organisation, NIAB EMR, and its microbiologists Ralph Noble and Andreja Dobrovin-Pennington and my course supervisor from Pershore College, Colin Perkins.

“Our combined work, with assistance from entomologist Jean Fitzgerald of NIAB EMR and other Worcester University/Pershore College students has this month been published in BioControl Journal, one of the leading scientific journals for biological control.

“The study aimed to improve biocontrol of black vine weevil (Otiorhynchus sulcatus) with entomopathogenic fungi in growing media by incorporating spent mushroom compost. The fungi studied in the trial were Metarhizium brunneum (Met52) and Beauveria bassiana (Naturalis-L).

“The results showed that incorporating 10% spent mushroom compost with a peat-based growing medium provided fungal chitin for Met52 and Naturalis-L to establish and to prolong the persistence of the products. This resulted in increased efficacy of M. brunneum and B. bassiana against black vine weevil compared with using the biocontrol products without spent mushroom compost.

“Black vine weevil is an important pest of ornamental and fruit crops and causes millions of pounds in crop loss damages annually. Understanding more about how biocontrol fungi interact with the pest and the growing medium will result in increasingly more effective pest management plans.”

NIAB EMR is located in Kent and has a history dating back to 1913 when it was established by the fruit growing sector to address the many challenges faced by growers. Since its establishment, the team at East Malling have introduced wide-ranging advances to horticulture, which have shaped the way produce is grown and supplied to the consumer.

Today, its mission is to conduct high-quality strategic and applied research in horticultural and environmental sciences, and to deliver knowledge, products and services that benefit public and private customers.

A major fire that broke out on Friday night has destroyed Strikes Stokesley Garden Centre.  

North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service reported that on Friday 6th April at 21:18; " Strikes Garden Centre, Stokesley. Incident ongoing at a large garden centre. Whole building involved in fire with large amount of fire damage. Three pumps are still in attendance. Fire fighting still in operation with more details to follow."

BBC News and local newspapers have since reported that at least 40 firefighters battled the blaze at its peak, with three crews still on scene on Saturday morning.  North Yorkshire Fire Service said there had been "major damage" to the centre and the roof had collapsed.

https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/strikes-fire-what-know-far-14502731

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-43680659

A post on Strikes Facebook page stated that the fire had destroyed most of the building.  "Sadly we need to share the news that our garden centre is closed until further notice due to a fire that has destroyed most of the centre. We will keep you updated through this page and our website. Our centre at Northallerton will be able to assist with any gardening needs in the meantime."

Klondyke Strikes CEO, David Yardley, told GTN Xtra this morning: "We are heartbroken and can't believe this has happened to us again, seven years after the fire at Wilmslow.

"We are devastated by this event and especially as the centre was looking so good and ready for the season albeit a late one. It is so sad for all the staff who have put so much effort in to get the centre ready this year and we really feel for them , many of whom have been there for so long and treat it like a second home.

"The most important thing is there were no injuries and it was only property that was damaged, our thanks go to the fire service and their efforts to contain the fire and minimize the loss.

"We don't know the cause of the fire yet and are working with our insurance brokers and loss assessors/adjusters to get the centre trading again as soon as possible.

After the fire at Wilmslow it took until October 2012 to rebuild and fully open the garden centre.  David said that given their experience of that fire they hope to get some temporary trading up and running very soon at Stokesley and he added "I advise all garden centre owners to review their cover to ensure business interruption is fully covered.  You hope the worst never happens but it is really important to make sure you have the right levels of cover so that business recovery can happen without it effecting the rest of the business."

An office manager at Abergavenny Garden Centre has been jailed for 15 months after admitting fraud at the family-run centre in Llanfoist. Cardiff Crown Court heard 37-year-old Zena Price conned her employers out of £32,021.92 over a three-year period.

Ian McDonald, director of the garden centre, said Price betrayed his trust and her offending had a direct impact on the small family-run business.

In a victim impact statement read out in court , he said: “I feel personally devastated as I had full confidence and trust in her.”

Nuhu Gobir, prosecuting, said she was employed in April 2014 as an office manager, responsible for day-to-day transactions. She was the “financial mind” of the company responsible for payroll, payments to suppliers, and setting up electronic financial systems.

Prosecutors said Price set up false payees, created fake invoices, and paid herself double wages.

Mr Gobir told the court she set up payee accounts with almost duplicate names of suppliers and transferred funds from the garden centre’s account into her own personal account.

Her fraud was discovered when she was off work due to illness in September 2017 and Mr McDonald took over the financial running of the company.

There was an investigation and Price was interviewed by the police a month later.

She told officers she started taking money because she was £2,000 in debt from catalogue shopping but then carried on when she thought she could get away with it.

Price, from Penylan Road in Pontypool , admitted fraud.

Owen Williams, defending, told the court she had no previous convictions and described her as a “caring mother”.

He added: “She is truly ashamed for what she has done.”

Mr Williams said his client has been affected by depression and back problems and asked for any jail term to be suspended instead of immediate.

But Judge Thomas Crowther QC said the offending was too serious and Price was jailed for 15 months.

He told her: “You had been given a high degree of trust and you breached that trust, taking from the man who gave you that job in the first place.

“It takes a certain sort of selfishness to do that.”

It’s dark, it’s cold, it’s full of stock and deliveries are heading out daily from the “new” old Gardman Warehouses in Kings Lynn.

It may be a long way from the scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark when they put the Ark of the Covenant away in that warehouse as Pete Utting, CEO of Gardman, described their new 70,000 pallet space warehouse at Daventry which burned to the ground last month, but the calm workman like atmosphere in three of the re-established old Gardman warehouses should fill garden centre retailers with confidence that as soon as the products are back in stock, deliveries will be back up to the standard set and expected by Gardman prior to the Daventry move.

GTN Xtra called in last week to see how the business recovery operation was progressing.  “We shipped out 1,500 pallets in four days,” Operations Director Paul Young explained.  “We now have 1,200 lines ready for picking with more arriving next week.”

We were particularly pleased to know that there are seven containers of bamboo canes arriving during this week, which should be a great relief to all gardeners across the country for when they need to get their plants supported.

By the end of next week Gardman at Kings Lynn will have received 200 containers from China, trailers of products from the UK and Europe and some lines that have been air freighted in to leapfrog the shipping times since the fire on March 12^th 2018.

The “new” old warehouse is being staffed by 100% Gardman employees who have come back to work for the company.  XPO logistics are providing the delivery services.

Paul Young told GTN Xtra: “I’m hugely appreciative of the loyalty and ownership of the Gardman team.  We are already able to provide a basic service and provide it very well.  Huge thanks go to all of the Kings Lynn team who have made it happen.”

“This is by far the fastest business recovery I have been involved in,” added Paul, “the whole team immediately switched their focus onto getting deliveries back into operation and keeping projects such as the new Wild Bird Care launch, planned for August 1^st, on track.”

During our morning spent with the Kings Lynn team it was good to see well picked, well packed and full pallets labelled up ready to be delivered into many garden centres.   It would appear that Gardman are very much back in business and providing a level of service more akin to before the Daventry move.  If you receive a delivery from Gardman this week please let us know your teams reaction to it; trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

Feedback from Gouldings Garden Centre in Scotland:

"We placed our 1st order post Gardman’s fire last Monday (2nd April) with our agent. The order arrived before lunchtime on Thursday 5th April (our usual delivery day before the new warehouse was Thursday/Friday).

"All the stock we ordered was present and correct. But best off all Gardman have returned to using the original paperwork. It is so much clearer and easier to follow than the paperwork we were receiving form the new warehouse.

"It was a breath of fresh air to see pallets arriving from Gardman, in their absence the last few weeks it has been a bit of a challenge to try and “fill the gaps”. It’s not until Gardman are not available that we realised how much we rely on their products and the great service we receive. Keep up the good work Gardman!"

Gordon Shute, Shop Manager, J L Goulding & Son

Having to close on Easter Sunday, right at the end of month didn’t help sales at all, which meant that the GTN Bestsellers All Product Sales index for the month was lower than 2013, 35% down on March 2017 and 32% down on the average for March between 2011 and 2017.

We now have 10 weeks to make up sales before the summer lull that usually starts in mid June. 

Parity with last year for April, which included Easter, and then plus 15% during May and June, would put sales at 1% up year on year at the end of June.  Time to dust off all those summer promotional plans!

GTN Bestsellers Top 50 sales volumes compared to the same week last year (week 13)

• Garden Products - down 52%
• Growing Media - down 52%
• Veg-2-Gro - down 62%
• Wild Bird Care - down 42%
• All Plants Index - down 40%
• All Items Index - down 35%

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

Highlights of the GTN Wild Bird Care 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 receiveing the GTN Bestsellers charts this week.

The website for London's big new summer event, the GO! Organic Festival, has gone live, including full details of the impressive line-up, combining great bands, celebrities, talks, organic kitchen demos, kids' stuff, features and over 100 exhibitors to celebrate all things organic, in a fabulous festival setting.

With headline sponsors confirmed and big-name brands lining up to book stands, the new GO! Organic Festival, taking place in London's Battersea Park over 8-9 September, is shaping up to be one of the most important new initiatives seen for the UK's growing organic and sustainable living sector, according to organisers Diversified Communications.

"We have had a fantastic response to this ambitious initiative, with support from across the organic sector," says Amanda Thackray, sales manager for the event. 

"It's going to be an amazing event, with a brilliant, eclectic line-up, including top bands such as The Hoosiers and The Magic Numbers on the main stage, television personalities such as Jonathan Dimbleby, Simon King, Janey Lee Grace and children's entertainer, Mr Bloom; whilst some of the country's most exciting chefs can be seen in the Organic Kitchen. 

"Add to that some amazing feature areas, Meet The Farmer, circus acts, a free fun fair, a children's farm, hands-on workshops, an Organic Beer Festival, bug hunts and so much more, and you can begin to see that we have the makings of something quite special."

Sponsors confirmed include: Abel & Cole, Clearspring, Crazy Jack, Tarrantella, Pukka, Helen Browning's Organic, Wyld Wood Organic and G's Fresh, with more to be announced over the coming weeks.  The event forms part of the Organic September celebrations and has the support of the Soil Association and the Organic Trade Board.

Discounted advance tickets can be purchased via the website, with tickets for adults at £29, children £15 and a family of four at £69.  

For full details  visit www.goorganicfestival.co.uk