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GTN Bestsellers - garden centre sales data every week
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Sharper pricing on Wild Bird Care products from Gardman
Gardman is extending their price and promotional strategy to their new wild bird care offer from August...
Gardman has enjoyed buoyant trading in the latter part of this Spring largely due to the exciting price and promotional strategy they have adopted to overcome the negative impacts of both the weather and the squeeze on disposable incomes.
Customers who took up these opportunities have reported excellent sales on key Gardman lines and this has been borne out by the number of products featured in the GTN Bestsellers Top 50 every week. Eighteen out of the Top 50 Bestselling garden products last week were Gardman products!
Now Gardman is extending this strategy to their new wild bird care offer from August.
More than 50 key lines will see price reductions for the new season and the famous Gardman Booster programme is being extended to a further 30 lines with minimum order quantities slashed on more than 40 existing Boosters.
The Autumn promotion programme also features some market-beating lines – 20% extra free on 1.2Kg Mealworm results in a huge 1.5Kg bag for £19.99! 
And the new Vitality blend 800g bag is available now as a ‘buy one get one free’.
With market leading merchandising which has been proven to drive more sales per square foot, and their regular exciting NPD programme across the range of feeds and feeders, Gardman is set to really consolidate and grow their already brand-leading position in the sector. Make sure that you see your local Gardman agent to find out about this exciting programme, or contact Gardman on 01406 372237 or use this link: http://www.gardman.co.uk/visit-peterborough-showroom to book a visit to see the new range in their showroom.
Don’t make any decisions about your wild bird care range for 2013/4 until you’ve seen Gardman!
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Barton Grange Bolton bought by The Garden Centre Group
The Garden Centre Group has acquired Bolton Garden Centre (formerly Barton Grange Garden Centre, Bolton) to add to its 129 garden centres...
The Garden Centre Group has acquired Bolton Garden Centre (formerly Barton Grange Garden Centre, Bolton) to add to its 129 garden centres.
Bolton Garden Centre was bought from the Barton Grange Group, which has retained its other garden centre and nursery businesses.
This is the first significant addition to The Garden Centre Group since it came under the ownership last year of Terra Firma, one of Europe’s leading private equity firms.
 Kevin Bradshaw, Chief Executive of The Garden Centre Group, said: “We are delighted to have acquired Bolton Garden Centre and to be integrating this great property and team into our Group.
"Our garden centres have a reputation for outstanding plant quality and we look forward to expanding the range and quality of plants at Bolton as well as offering membership of The Gardening Club to all our new customers.
"This acquisition further strengthens our position as the largest plant- and garden-focused retailer in the UK.”
 Guy Topping, Director of the Barton Grange Group, added: “I have been personally involved with Barton Grange Bolton from the very beginning, even helping to build the garden centre.
"I would like to thank all the staff at Bolton who have contributed to its success during our years there. The business is now well placed to build on that success with the backing of The Garden Centre Group and Terra Firma, who have been a pleasure to deal with."
There are now 130 garden centres in The Garden Centre Group including Blooms Garden Centres, Country Gardens and Wyevale Garden Centres. More than 90% of the group's plant stock is British-grown, and much of this stock is grown in their own nurseries. It employs more than 5,000 staff and runs its own Gardening Club, with more than 2 million members.
Gilbert Evans advised the vendor during the negotiations.
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Is there light at the end of the tunnel?
Garden centres are being boosted by the sales of garden lighting products, according to this week's GTN Bestsellers data. Volumes of lighting products are up 20% on last week and 97% up on last year...
It’s a year since the royal celebrations of the Jubilee and the weather is still not great. At least it’s not cold and wet – remember the first few weeks of June last year? Although it still isn’t warm enough for lounging around it isn’t stopping people from getting active in their gardens. And that activity is spreading to garden centres too! Our GTN Bestellers All Products Index is a good barometer of footfall, as well as items sold, so the 27% increase over the Jubilee weekend last year is a welcome statistic. The fact consumers are buying products in higher volumes is even more re-assuring – garden products are up 20% on last year, growing media up 46% and veg plants up 116%! All we need now is for some warmer days to get those leisure furniture and BBQ sales going. Will that happen before or after the mid-summer solstice later this month? One of the stand out areas of garden product sales is lighting, up 20% on last week and 97% up on last year. Where garden centres are taking potential lighting sales seriously they are seeing fantastic sales results – just yesterday the GTN team saw this unique lighting display “peep show” in a garden shed at Poplars. Brilliant!
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Berwick Garden Centre re-opens after blaze
Storage sheds at Berwick Garden Centre were badly damaged by fire on Thursday evening but the store still managed to open as normal on Friday morning...
Storage sheds at Berwick Garden Centre were badly damaged by fire on Thursday evening but the store still managed to open as normal on Friday morning...
The blaze was reported at 5.45pm, shortly after the centre had closed for the day.
Eighteen firefighters from Berwick and Belford attended and used two hose reels and a jet to douse the flames.
No-one was injured in the fire, which was contained to the storage area at the rear of the premises.
Investigations are being carried out but it is not being treated as suspicious at this stage.
A spokeswoman told GTN Xtra that fortunately wasn't major and that the centre had been able to open as usual the following morning.
The picture was taken by John Peters from Eyemouth.
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Lincoln-based horticulture supplier William Sinclair has slipped into the red during its first half as it invested in a £15m development in Ellesmere Port in Cheshire.Its revenues also took a hit as a result of the unseasonal weather. In the six months to 31 March 2013, sales stood at £20.4m, down from £26.2m a year earlier. William Sinclair also made a pre-tax loss of £1.8m, compared with a £400,000 profit in the first half of 2011/12. The £15m development in Cheshire is on track with demolition works completed and restructuring works continuing. The company has also signed an option to acquire an additional 12 acres. Chief executive Peter Rush said: "Our flagship site at Ellesmere Port is already demonstrating its potential. "The cost savings and operational efficiencies that the site will generate are now expected to beat previous projections. SuperFyba, after a slow start, is now under better control and will be producing at forecast volumes and quality by the end of June. "Additionally, we are ready to move the Silvaperl facility, currently at Gainsborough, to Ellesmere Port where savings from bulk buying of ores and more efficient handling of the product will allow significant margin improvements. The relocation of Silvaperl will be complete by the end of the calendar year. "Turning Ellesmere Port into a fully functioning manufacturing and bagging facility is a project that will take up to three years to complete. Its development is on track leading to the creation of one of the most advanced production facilities in the horticulture industry."
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Notcutts' Sage Privilege Club wins national award
Notcutts Garden Centres have won two awards against stiff competition at the prestigious Marketing Society Awards in London, including one for its Sage Privilege Club...
Notcutts Garden Centres have won two awards against stiff competition at the prestigious Marketing Society Awards in London with their Sage Privilege Club.
With national and global brands such as John Lewis, Sainsburys, Audi, British Airways and Unilever in attendance, Notcutts were an underdog on the night.
The Sage Privilege Club impressed the judges to win the awards for best Customer Relationship Marketing and also the Finance Director’s prize.
The Finance Director’s prize is one of the three biggest awards of the night and recognises the brand that the judges feel has best demonstrated effective use of marketing expenditure. The judging panel included Finance Directors from Unilever, Boots and British Gas.
The Sage Privilege Club was launched in 2009 and now has 125,000 members, which represents one in five of all Notcutts customers. The club offers best in class benefits including 10% off all purchases instore and online, and over £85 worth of benefits in the garden centre restaurants.
“We were very proud to win these two awards while rubbing shoulders with much bigger brands with much bigger budgets," said Notcutts marketing director Minnie Moll.
"It has been great team work with our agency partners BabyGRAND and Coniak and every part of the Notcutts business has made the Sage Privilege Club the success it is. Most importantly it is our colleagues in the garden centres who deliver the benefits to our customers each day.”
Jon Nadler, of BabyGRAND, said “Notcutts are our founding client. We were there from the inception of Sage and have worked on growing it for the last four years. We’re proud for the work to be recognised by the prestigious Marketing Society."
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Gardman's new Bauble Tea Light Holder is a bestseller
Garden Lighting is no supporting act
Gardman's Bauble Tea Light Holder is this week's highest new entry in the GTN Bestsellers Garden Products chart as lighting-related products become the biggest chart movers...
Sales of bestselling garden lighting products in the GTN Garden Products Top 50 increased by 20% week on week against the overall volume dropping by 11% after the Bank Holiday weekend.
With three products in the Top 10 and a new entry for Gardman’s Bauble Tea Light Holder at No 11, lighting has to be seen as a serious part of garden decoration and no longer a trend that might turn big.
Gardman also provide the highest climber with their Solar Mosaic Border Lights moving up 28 places to No 7, and the highest re-entry with their Post Light, Stainless Steel, at No 19.
Price points will be playing a part but is this increase also driven by the lengthy cloudy weather and customers seeking some extra brightness in their gardens? The year on year sales increase for the same week is 97%.
It may not be great weather but plants are growing and need plenty of support, so it’s no surprise to see three lengths of bamboo canes in the chart.
Two Scotts Clear Ultra products have seen big sales increases – RoseClear Ultra moves up to No 2 on the back of a 100% rise as gardeners start to protect their roses from the coming aphid season. BugClear Ultra Gun! is a new entry at No 40 with a 46% sales increase.
Scotts Levington Tomorite (1-litre) remains the bestselling garden product.
Re-entries into the chart include Vitax Nippon Puffer, Kaemingk LED Solar Garden Light, and Hozelock Standard Hose End Connector.
See the full GTN Garden Products Bestsellers Chart here. Subscribers Only
To Subscribe to the full GTN Bestsellers Weekly Charts for only £120.00 per year click here
WARNING the GTN Bestsellers Charts can seriously improve your business. Only subscribe if you want to invest 15 minutes each week in improving your turnover and customer satisfaction.
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Plant growers report tough season so far
Growers attending the HTA Ornamentals Committee in London reported a tough season to date despite business picking up significantly over the last few weeks...
Growers attending the HTA Ornamentals Committee in London reported a tough season to date despite business picking up significantly over the last few weeks.
March was undoubtedly a very poor month for many and with the season running behind significant trade did not really start until the May Day Bank Holiday weekend. Since then trade has been erratic – switching on when the sun shines. The consensus being that the garden trade really needs the weather on its side for the next five weeks in order to make some progress towards budget figures.
Businesses supplying into the amenity market reported that following a tough winter business didn’t really pick up for them until late March/early April. They are starting to see the early signs of growth in the housing sector which is positive. Cash and carry businesses present reported a similarly erratic trading pattern with the landscapers coming in when the weather was good.
HTA Director of Business Development, Tim Briercliffe, comments: “Many businesses put 2012 down as a climatic blip but with the 2013 weather being the way it is it has become apparent that weather patterns are becoming much more volatile. This is a real challenge for our industry given that the weather has to be right for people to go out into their gardens.”
Growers reported that there had been higher rates of wastage of plant material this year (10-15% on average) as a result of garden centres ordering cautiously and simply not turning stock around in the early part of the season and hence not requiring top up orders. Also, with the vagaries of the weather growers have needed to clear space to allow for follow on crops. As a result looking ahead to 2014 many growers will look to rationalise production recognising that it is far better to sell the crops they grow rather than providing too much additional surplus.
The season has demonstrated how growers and retailers need to take mutual responsibility for trading practices. It was noted that few retail buyers or nursery sales staff have received training in business skills such as forecasting, negotiating and business planning. This is an area that the HTA is already looking at with a view to running a series of workshops aimed at growers and retail plant buyers.
Growers attending the HTA Ornamentals Committee meeting also had the opportunity to find out and raise questions about Defra’s water abstraction reform proposals following a presentation from Henry Leveson-Gower, ahead of a formal consultation which will be out in December. Mary Bosley, Chair of the Horticulture Innovation Partnership (HIP) programme provided an overview of the initiative demonstrating how the sector can benefit from working more closely with industry and academic institutions to initiate new R & D.
The group were also updated on the UK Plant Health Biosecurity Conference, held in York at the end of May and the forthcoming HTA National Plant Show. Further updates were received on plant health issues, neonicotinoids, the abolition of the Agricultural Wages Board and plans for a cross industry PR campaign to promote gardens in 2014/15.
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New head of trees and shrubs at Squire's Garden Centre
Squire’s Garden Centres have appointed Kat Hunt as their new Head of Trees and Shrubs at their centre in Windsor...
Squire’s Garden Centres have appointed Kat Hunt as their new Head of Trees and Shrubs at their centre in Windsor...Kat has a broad range of experience in the horticulture industry having gained her general certificate in horticulture from the Royal Horticultural Society. With more than eight years experience in working in the horticulture industry, Kat joins Squire’s from The Garden Centre Group. “I’m delighted to be working with Squire’s," said Kat. "They have the highest standards among regional chains of garden centres and I’m looking forward to meeting with our customers and helping them in choosing the right products for their gardens.” Sarah Squire added: “We’re thrilled to welcome Kat into the Squire’s family as she brings a wealth of experience to the team, with her qualification and broad knowledge of horticulture plus her exceptional customer service skills, she will be an asset to the team at Windsor and we wish her every success in her new role.”
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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 and on the GTN website www.gardentradenews.co.uk.
New for this year, every week we'll give sales volume comparisons with 2011 as well as 2012 to allow your teams to see variations over a three year period. Access is by subscription only. For £120.00 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, or subscribe on-line here or 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 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.
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The peak for growing media sales may have passed now but a few more positive weeks could get volumes back to parity year on year.
Currently the GTN Bestsellers Growing Media Top 50 volume stands at minus 5% year to date and after the spring we had it’s no surprise that we’ve been doing 5% less gardening. Some might expect the figure to be even higher.
This week’s sales, up 46% on the same week last year, and only bettered by the same first week of June in 2010, show plenty of core growing activity being undertaken. Westland 50 litres Multipurpose continues to lead the way, selling over 50% more volume than last year.
The highest climber is Westland Decorative Mini Bark while there’s a new entry this week from Growise with their Hanging Growing Bag.
The best indication that serious growing activity has been delayed but is now happening is from the sales of farmyard manure – Westland 60 litre Organic Farmyard Manure sales up 50% from last week.
See the full GTN Growing Media Bestsellers Chart here. Subscribers Only
To Subscribe to the full GTN Bestsellers Weekly Charts for only £120.00 per year click here
WARNING the GTN Bestsellers Charts can seriously improve your business. Only subscribe if you want to invest 15 minutes each week in improving your turnover and customer satisfaction.
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Veg plants drive Grow Your Own growth
Veg-2-Gro sales volumes may be down from last week’s Bank Holiday peak, but they are massively up on last year, and plants are driving that growth...
Veg-2-Gro sales volumes may be down from last week’s Bank Holiday peak, but they are massively up on last year, and plants are driving that growth. This week there is not a single seed packet in the Top 50, the first time that’s happened in the five years we’ve been compiling the GTN Bestsellers charts.
Tomatoes, cucumbers and chilli peppers dominate sales with Gardeners Kitchen again topping the chart with six entries, five of which are tomato plants. Tomato Tumbling Yellow stays at No 1 for another week.
Gardeners Kitchen Tomato Alicante is the highest re-entry at No 13, while Quantil Tomato Gardeners Delight moves up an impressive 31 places to be the highest climber at No 19.
More specialist plants from Gardeners Kitchen have also had a good sales week.
- French Bean Slenderette is at No 28.
- Butternut Squash - F1 Sprintel is No 37.
- Sweetcorn Senica has seen 100% increase in sales to become a new entry at No 40.
- French Bean Flat Atlanta enters at No 46
See the full GTN Veg-2-Gro Bestsellers Chart here. Subscribers Only
To Subscribe to the full GTN Bestsellers Weekly Charts for only £120.00 per year click here
WARNING the GTN Bestsellers Charts can seriously improve your business. Subscribe if you want to invest about 15 minutes each week in improving your turnover and customer satisfaction.
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Keeping the gardening sector fresh
Gardening consultant and journalist Adam Pasco will share his views on the year ahead for garden centres at the HTA National Plant Show on June 26...
Gardening consultant and journalist Adam Pasco will share his views on the year ahead for garden centres at the HTA National Plant Show on June 26...
Adam will review the trends we’ve seen over recent years and where he sees these going, looking ahead to 2014 and beyond.
Here we catch up with Adam for a 60 second interview to get a taster of what’s to come during his seminar on Wednesday morning at the show:
What do you think the future holds for the garden sector?
When I entered the gardening sector in 1978 it was a much more predictable place to operate. Over the past decade or so we've experienced unprecedented upheaval and changes in retailing, the media, consumer confidence, plant and garden trends and aspirations, environmental concerns, not to mention the weather.
Any one of these would pose a significant challenge to the garden sector, but combined they could appear almost overwhelming. However, there's something comfortingly 'real' and grounding about gardening in an increasingly digital world, and this provides consumers with an alternative.
Shaping that alternative is the opportunity at our door. Those working within this sector have a passion for plants and gardening, so we must now explore new ways of working together to share this.
Following a difficult season, what advice would you give to garden retailers?
More than ever before I think retailers need to drive their market in new, creative and imaginative ways. Gone are the days when retailers can rely on the media to do this for them. We all remember The Dimmock Effect of the late 1990's, but with no new 'Ground Force' alternative on the horizon the industry must start working more closely as an industry to get plants and gardening on the consumers’ agenda. Of course individual retailers can develop their own initiatives, but just think what we could achieve if we worked together.
Why should visitors come to your seminar?
As a passionate gardener I think I know what makes gardeners tick. Having launched BBC Gardeners' World Magazine from scratch back in 1991 and remained its editor for over 21 years I appreciate how you need to change and adapt what you offer in order to move with the times and excite gardeners.
During my seminar at the HTA National Plant Show I hope to share ideas on how the garden sector can stay fresh, offering something different and distinct. With competition around every corner – or just a click away – it’s now essential to develop a personal relationship with your customers, and I'll review ways this can be done.
Register to attend the show now at www.nationalplantshow.co.uk
HTA National Plant Show takes place Tuesday 25 and Wednesday 26 June 2013 at Stoneleigh Park, Coventry.
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Proposed garden centre would provide 45 jobs
A planning application for a new garden centre near Faringdon in Oxfordshire that would create 45 jobs has been submitted to the local authority...
A planning application to open a garden centre at the Chowle Farm Industrial Estate on the A420 near Faringdon in Oxfordshire, has been submitted to the Vale of White Horse District Council.
The proposal, from Ferax Planning in Wantage working on behalf of Tapecrown Ltd, includes the re-development of the estate by demolishing a number of existing industrial and former agricultural buildings and the conversion for re-use of other existing buildings.
The garden centre plans to have indoor and outdoor sales areas and a cafe. There will be car parking for 161 cars including 12 for disabled drivers.
Access to the garden centre from the A420 would be improved by the creation of a right hand ghost island, plans for which have previously been approved in 2007.
The plans estimate that the new use will create 25 full time and 20 part time jobs.
The planners regard this proposal as sustainable through the re-use of existing buildings, increasing employment opportunities and by reducing car trips to more distant garden centres.
The plan states that consideration has been given to local wildlife habitat with the existing stream being protected whilst the ponds and wetlands to the north will be managed to enhance bio-diversity and create habitat.
Dominic Lamb, Countryside Officer for South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Council, lodged an objection to the plans stating that the presence of great crested newts and reptiles will need to be established and, if necessary, a suitable mitigation strategy developed. He noted that there could also be potential disturbances to nearby badgers and otters as the proposed retaining structure is shown as being close to the edge of the stream.
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Vitax’s pest and disease control product range, PY, has received Organic Farmers and Growers approval.The certification reassures consumers that the three products which control aphids, blackfly, caterpillars, ants and other pests, can be used in organic systems. The OF&G logo will soon be on the packaging of all three products in the PY range to make it easily identifiable for consumers. PY Bug Killer Spray is a highly effective and easy to use insect killer in a trigger spray. It is based on Pyrethrum which is a naturally occurring insecticide. The formula is also available in a concentrated form and a ‘Dust-On’ powder. Colin Wetherley-Mein, sales manager at Vitax, says: “Organic Farmers and Growers have rigorous guidelines and regulations determining certification standards and we are delighted that the PY range has been granted the organic go-ahead. “Certification of this standard has become increasingly important as organic products have entered the consciousness of the buying public.” For more information about Vitax and its products visit: www.vitax.co.uk
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Pagoda Furniture bought by Munro
Leading retail supply group Munro Importers has bought Pagoda Furniture from its parent company HTI Group for an undisclosed sum...
Leading retail supply group Munro Importers has bought Pagoda Furniture, one of the garden furniture sector’s best-known brands, from its parent company HTI Group for an undisclosed sum.
Ipswich-headquartered Munro, which was established in 2006, sources and supplies a wide range of products across multiple categories including garden furniture, hand and power tools, electrical and lighting and kitchen and bathroom, working closely with manufacturers in the Far East.
Pagoda Furniture, which is renowned for its product quality and innovation, distributes through the UK’s leading multiple retailers, garden centre chains, buying groups and hundreds of independent shops. Major customers include Tesco, Shop Direct, Dobbies, Notcutts, Klondyke Garden Centre Group, Blue Diamond and STAX.
As well as its Pagoda range, it also designs and supplies retailers with exclusive bespoke designs and is the license holder for the successful Homes & Gardens branded range of garden furniture.
The agreement, which includes the purchase of the name Pagoda Furniture, adds a high profile branded range to Munro Importers’ extensive garden furniture range, as well as opening up a broader customer group for the brand.
It also enables HTI, the UK’s largest independent toy design and supply group, to focus on its core market.
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Town & Country appointed Nicole Dopson to the position of marketing assistant.A graduate with a first class BSc Honours degree in Media Production from De Montfort University, Nicole will be putting her grounding in marketing, design, photography and the production of high quality visual media to good use in her new role.
She will be responsible across a range of marketing roles including product development, advertising and promotions, and will play an instrumental role in developing the company’s on-line and social media strategy. “We are delighted to bring Nicole on board to support the marketing effort," said chief executive Barry Page.
"She joins as Town & Country continues to enjoy year on year sales growth despite the difficult trading conditions in recent years.
"With a keen eye for fashion and her experience in retail, she will bring a fresh new approach to the business."
HTA and APL members win medals at BBC Gardeners’ World Live
Members of the Horticultural Trades Association and Association of Professional Landscapers have been reaping in the rewards by winning a number of medals at BBC Gardeners’ World Live...
Members of the Horticultural Trades Association and Association of Professional Landscapers have been reaping in the rewards by winning a number of medals at BBC Gardeners’ World Live.
The RHS Flower Show Birmingham, which is running at the NEC Birmingham in conjunction with Gardeners’ World Live, has seen members win in both the Show Gardens and RHS Floral Marquee.
The Best Show Garden went to ‘The Austerity Garden’, designed by Jade Goto and Armando Raish and sponsored by HTA member Lovania Nurseries. The concept behind the garden was to show that being innovative with affordable materials will result in a garden that will showcase creative design solutions.
APL member, Keyscape Landscape and Construction won a Bronze Flora for their build of ‘Balance at the Edge of Reason’ garden, designed by Graeme Thirde. The garden was built to highlight the relationship between agriculture and the British countryside and illustrates the need for balance between the vital role agriculture plays in the rural economy set against the need to find space for nature.
In the Floral Marquee, there were celebrations for HTA members – David Austin Roses and Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants who both won Gold.
Silver Gilt Flora went to Cooks Garden Centre, Harkness Roses, Peter Beales Roses and Desert to Jungle.
HTA Director General, Carol Paris, said: “Once again, I am delighted to see HTA and APL members gain national recognition for their work. Many congratulations to all of those involved.”
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