There has been a fresh crop of displays aimed at helping non-gardening 30-45 year olds make more use of their outdoor space.

The latest in the round of Masterclasses was held at Glendoick Garden Centre near Perth on Thursday this week. Twenty delegates from eight Scottish garden centres braved the wind and rain to build some inspiring Love Your Plot displays. They were given just half an hour and it was amazing what they achieved.

Ian Boardman said: “When you take some creative people and give them some goals and free rein in the garden centre it’s fantastic what they can achieve. It’s simply using stock items and putting them together in new ways – across departments. It’s all aimed at inspiring people to use their outdoor space more and just enjoy it.”

Neil Cummings from HTA, who sat in the Masterclass, added “I’ve never seen garden centre staff move so fast. They loved it when they stood back and saw what they had achieved.”

Ken Cox from Glendoick said he would leave the displays for a few days to test customer reaction – with the occasional tweaks as they hopefully get shopped!

For more information about the Love Your Plot campaign and how to get involved, contact David Arnold, GIMB Campaign Manager: Email:daaltd@virginmedia.com

Call:  07876 643 638

There are still a few places left on the two remaining Masterclasses. These are at Coletta and Tyson on Tuesday 17 March, and Bernaville Nurseries on Monday 30 March.

To book places at the remaining Masterclasses for garden centre teams – contact Ian Boardman at i.boardman@ibbis.co.uk

Love the Plot You’ve Got is designed to help and inspire 30-45 year olds who have access to a garden or outdoor space but don’t currently make great use of it. Industry research has revealed that skills and knowledge once handed from one generation to another are being lost, and that while lots of people want to improve their outdoor spaces and environment, a lack of knowledge and confidence is holding them back.

GTN Xtra also visited Glendoick last week and spotted some great examples of bold and easy to read POS out in the planteria.  See a selection of pictures in the gallery below.