The Garden Centre Association has announced that the location of its 2024 annual conference will be Cirencester in Gloucestershire. The event will be held at the De Vere Cotswold Water Park Hotel near Cirencester from January 28 until 31, 2024.

Following last year’s success, Easitill Ltd has signed up once more to exhibit at the Four Oaks Trade Show to be held in Cheshire, 5 & 6 September 2023...

Volume sales in January were 15% down on 2022 levels and only 4% up on 2019 according to analysis of GTN Bestsellers weekly garden centre EPOS Data.  However volume garden centre sales in February 2023 were 14% higher than 2022 and 35% higher than 2019.  That meant we reached the end of February only 0.6% down year on year and 20% up on 2019...

Among the many garden centres organising publicity and fundraising events for Garden Re-Leaf Day, St Peters Garden Centre in Worcester is hosting a staff Quiz and Curry night, for which they would welcome prizes as donations from suppliers...

Time might be running away too quickly but there is still time to book your place at the GIMA Day Conference, to be held on Tuesday 14^th March, 10.00 – 16:00 at The Willows Training Centre, Wyboston Lakes, Bedfordshire...

In this issue:

• Hillier grows – Interview with Chris Francis,
• GCA Conference 2023 – Big, bold, sustainable and £100k raised for Greenfingers,
• GCA Winners – All the winners from the GCA Conference,
• PATS Sandown Show preview,
• BeefEater – LOFA Member profile,
• Beautiful stonework from The Patio Black Spot Company,
• GTN’s Greatest Christmas Awards Presentations at Spring Fair,
• Pictures from all The Greatest Christmas Award winning centres: Barton Grange, Rosebourne, The Old Railway Line, Pughs, Gates, Longacres, Gouldings, Alton, Groves, Meadowcroft, Brimsmore and Poundbury, British Garden Centres, Pengelly, Blue Diamond, Klondyke, Gordale, Silverbirch, Woodlands, Little Dobbies, Azure, Stratford    , Chessington, Chacewater, Coolings, Sapcote, Wentworth, Perrywood, Garsons Titchfield, Keydell, The Grange, Tingley, St Peters, Garden King, Fron Goch, Ellerker Lodge, Chepstow, Birkacre, Bennybeg,
• Thank you to the judges and sponsors of The Greatest Christmas Awards 2022,
• Encouraging signs for Spring – HTA Column,
• Cash is king – GIMA Column.

The Horticultural Trades Association has welcomed parts of the deal struck between the UK and EU regarding the Northern Ireland Protocol – stating that ‘real trade can resume again’ for HTA members in Northern Ireland and Great Britain. Fran Barnes, CEO of the HTA, commented: “The HTA have been working hard to ensure our GB and NI members can trade again as a matter of urgency..."

Garden centre shoppers find ‘plant quality’ most important, with nearly half (48%) surveyed by music licensing company PPL PRS saying it’s what gets them into a centre, but the atmosphere created by the music playing keeps them inside. GTN provides the popular Garden Radio service and if you would like to know more about it then email trevor@pottingshedpress.co.uk...

Non-traditional categories at garden centres across the country continued to do well in January, according to the Garden Centre Association’s Barometer of Trade report...

Wyevale Nurseries in Hereford has supplied more than 100 different projects with trees as part of Gloucestershire County Council’s commitment to plant at least a million trees. Alan Young (pictured), Sales Executive at Wyevale Nurseries, said: “Most corners of Gloucestershire have seen trees and transplants being delivered..."

Jennifer Pheasey, HTA’s Director of Public Affairs, joined parliamentarians and stakeholders as speaker at a dinner of the Industry and Parliament Trust (IPT). The topic of the event was ‘Sustainable SMEs: Building a Better Future’ and was chaired by Selaine Saxby MP, with HTA and the Federation of Small Businesses as speakers...

As part of its 40^th anniversary celebrations Barnsdale Gardens is offering a donation to Greenfingers Charity from sales of Rose ‘Geoff Hamilton’...

Dobbies is launching its 2023 Helping Your Community Grow campaign. Designed to enhance communities local to its stores, this initiative will see 76 community groups receive gardening product, support and expertise from the Dobbies’ teams...

A month after His Majesty the King visited Barcham Trees near Ely, Cambridgeshire, on 3 March, Barcham Trees welcomed the South Cambridgeshire MP, Lucy Frazer to the site...

The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales has announced a new collaboration with social enterprise, Life at No.27, founded by Annabelle Padwick, to help it scale up its mission to create therapy allotments and gardens that will provide mental health support for communities across South Wales..

The team at Tong Garden Centre is celebrating after winning a regional sustainability award...

Over 400 members of the garden press and media made their way to the Garden Press Event on 21 February, for a one-day exhibition showcasing the entire supply chain of the environmental horticulture industry, organised by the Horticultural Trades Association and Garden Industry Manufacturers Association...

Launched in autumn 2022, T&M’s expert-led plant identification service, PlantIdentity, lets you find out exactly what those mystery plants are!

Hillier Garden Centres has announced the introduction of four new additions to its nurseries in 2023, some of which will be exclusive to Hillier Garden Centres...

Join friends and colleagues from across the horticulture industry on Thursday 4^th May at Core Bar in the heart of the City, for an evening of fun and fundraising for Perennial...

GTN January 2023 GTNs pictorial review of 2022. In this issue:

• Peter Burks back at the GCA – Interview with the new CEO
• 2022 in pictures – A look back at a challenging year
• Gone but not forgotten – people we lost in 2022
• A great year for Greenfingers
• Christmas Sparkle – Inspiration from The Greatest Christmas Awards judging visits
• Introducing Clever Pots
• One to Watch – GTN visits a new centre in Southend
• Opportunity in 2023 - HTA Column
• A healthy relationship with government – ORHG Column