GTN Xtra - GTN Xtra - Issue 26 2017

The five BBC Radio 2 gardens at RHS Chelsea stole the show on Press day morning with live broadcasts by Chris Evans and the other presenters and the themes used could be easily replicated in garden centre settings...

Great success for HTA 40 Sunbury Road exhibit at Chelsea following a busy press day

The industry exhibit ’40 Sunbury Road’ has achieved a Silver Medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and one of the featured new plants Dwarf Mulberry Charlotte Russe from Suttons has taken the title of RHS Plant of the Year.

Crocus buys its first bricks and mortar garden centre - and it won't be the last - Chelsea update

Following on from the announcement about the purchase of Dorney Court Kitchen Garden more "clicks and bricks" aquisitions appear to be in the pipeline...

24th Gold for Johnny Walkers, Guy Hands with Gemma Arterton, Scotts win Best Discovery Exhibit and other show highlights

Johnny Walkers won a 24th consecutive Gold Medal for his display of Taylors daffodils, Guy Hands and Gemma Arterton attracted one of he biggest paparazzi crowds, Scotts Miracle-Gro won Best Discovery exhibit in The Great Pavillion and purple was the dominant planting colour theme for Chelsea 2017...

See our complete Chelsea Press Day gallery

Sales explosion of local wine at Green Pastures GC

Green Pastures Garden Centre in Norfolk experienced a 'sales explosion' of a wine from a local vineyard after it was declared 'The World's Best White Wine'...

Exclusively Shows focus on future trends and kitchen needs
GTN Xtra Promotion

This year trade shows Exclusively Electrical and Exclusively Housewares have their sights firmly set on what will be in the kitchen of the future...

Terra Firma props up Wyevale Garden Centres

The Sunday Telegraph has revealed today that Terra Firma had to dip into its warchest to buy out £25m of bank debt related to the purchase of Wyevale Garden Centres in 2012...

Woodstock Chimes – excellent quality at a reasonable price
GTN Xtra Promotion

Woodstock Chimes maintains high standards by using premium grade materials such as top grade aluminium and North American hardwood as well as by enforcing exacting specifications for elements like tube thickness, clapper placement, placement of tube string holes, windcatcher weight, and stringing methodology...

Hopes for footfall to rise in the warmer weather

According to GTN Bestsellers, plant, veg and growing media sales all fared better year-on-year than decorative and core gardening products during the second week of May so there is plenty of desire and potential for all garden centre sales to soar when footfall gets back to ‘normal’ early summer levels.

Evergreen Enterprises lights up homes with Night Garden
GTN Xtra Promotion

Evergreen Enterprises offers dozens of lighted products throughout its various brands, with glow in the dark, LED battery powered and solar color-changing features to help you capture this opportunity...

BBQs are for life, not just for Summer
GTN Xtra Promotion: Rexmartins’ outdoor living range is ideal whatever the weather

Rexmartins’ luxury RMB outdoor living range of modular kitchens provides a long-term solution for customers wanting to take garden entertaining to the next level.

Notcutts Garden Centres and Shrek’s Adventure! London strike up ‘green’ partnership

Family-owned garden centre group Notcutts, will be welcoming a visitor with very green fingers to its stores this summer when Shrek the Ogre will be taking a break from his London attraction to encourage children to get planting in their gardens...

Wyevale Nurseries unveils 5 new plants in Chelsea garden

One of the UK’s leading nurseries in Hereford has supplied five new plant introductions to be used in the Horticultural Trades Association’s Chelsea Flower Show garden titled ‘40 Sunbury Road’...

RHS Chelsea Garden Product of the Year finalists

The Burgon & Ball Ltd Hip-Trug (pictured) is among 13 finalists in the RHS Chelsea Garden Product of the Year competition, which will be judged tomorrow (Monday). Other finalists include Harrod Horticultural Metal Planters & Raised Beds, Agralan Permafelt and Haxnicks Vigoroot Easy Table Garden...

Kelling Estate acquires North Norfolk garden centre

The Kelling Estate has acquired the business and assets of EMCY Garden & Leisure in North Norfolk from Mike and Caroline Crane.

Rising Stars ready for world famous flower show

Three Rising Stars will be taking part at Chelsea flower Show this week, having created a specially planted container to exhibit. The Rising Stars themselves will be travelling to Chelsea on Thursday, May 25 to tell the story of their container, which is based around the theme of ‘unusual containers’...

All the latest news from the world of garden centre catering

Celebrity chef Vivek Singh confirmed for Commercial Kitchen Keynote Q&A

The Cinnamon Collection's executive chef and founder Vivek Singh has been confirmed for a headline Keynote Q&A at Commercial Kitchen 2017. The UK’s only dedicated event for catering equipment buyers and suppliers returns to the NEC Birmingham next month, on 6-7 June...

Cotswold Fayre’s Christmas Roadshows are coming to Town

Cotswold Fayre, is offering retailers the chance to preview the latest festive products at its Christmas Roadshows...

Growth Technology Orchid Days are true crowd pleasers

As we approach peak season for growing media and plant food sales, we talk to Manos Kanellos, Sales & Marketing Manager at leading manufacturer Growth Technology, about the increasing popularity of orchids...

Pets at Glee: an unrivalled profit opportunity

With a recent report suggesting that 70% of UK garden centres now feature a dedicated pet care section, it is clear that the UK's love for their pets shows no sign of slowing. The trade event that offers pet care suppliers the very best opportunity to communicate with garden centre buyers is Glee (11th - 13th September, NEC Birmingham)...

Durstons work hand-in-hand with local schools

Somerset-based Durston Garden Products has a reputation for working closely with local schools in an effort to instil gardening skills in children as early as five years old and their latest project involves working in partnership with All-Hallows Catholic Prep-School in East Cranmore...

GIMA wins silver at the inaugural Awards Awards

Last week, the GIMA team were over the moon to win silver at the inaugural Awards Awards ceremony...

GTN May 2017 Issue

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New Senior Executive Director for HTA

As part of the on-going review into the management structure the HTA Board have appointed Mrs Alex Vick as the Senior Executive Director with immediate effect...

Spring ‘hibernation’ hits product sales

Three weeks of cold weather has effectively put gardens into hibernation and this is clearly illustrated in the sales of core garden products. However, Smart Solar Eureka! Lightbulb Lantern was one of the highlights of GTN Bestsellers this week...

Briers invests in new systems for improved customer service

Briers – one of the UK’s leading suppliers of design-led garden gloves and accessories – has confirmed significant investment in its operating systems, offering customers improved service levels and accountability...

Multifunctional city comfort - these are the outdoor trends of 2017/2018

Carrots in the pot or salad in the box: Trend-conscious city dwellers and even the Hollywood actor Liam Hemsworth take joy in growing their own vegetables. What in the past was only common in the country or in allotment gardens that were labelled as being square, is now conquering the metropolises...

Cucumbers and courgettes up year on year

Veg-2-Gro plants continue to buck the trend of all plant sales and garden product sales, only dropping 8% on the same week last year. Cucumber and courgette plant sales grew by 9% on the same week last year...

There’s still lots of growing potential in May

Growing media sales volumes continue to indicate high levels of growing activity...

Businesses urged to get behind community farms & gardens

UK businesses, big and small, are being urged to take action to support their local community growing groups, many of which struggle to make ends meet...

New route planner on FlowerTrials® website

To help visitors make the very most out of the event, FlowerTrials® has designed a brand-new route planner that defines the shortest itinerary and calculates the travel time between locations...

Bedding Geraniums are 10% of all plants sold

Plant sales picked up last week, but the continued “not warm enough to get into the garden” weather meant volumes were still down 21% on the same week last year...