Woof woof! Me again… all four legs working and raring to go. But where does your old faithful Newshound start scratching?

Enough of Trump (there are other snooker players) and Brexit (which means what, precisely?), there must be far juicier bones to chew on, if only one could find the right trail…

Hang on, what’s this? A hastily scribbled Post-it from ’im upstairs suggesting one should be pointing one’s tracker kit northwards in the region of Liverpool and Edinburgh.

Liverpool…home of the Premier League’s current top goal scorers… but I guess the boss isn’t sending me to watch football. Merseyside also happens to be the home turf of B&M, those very cheap (or should one say ‘best value’) and just as cheerful discounters who have opened more stores in the past year than I’ve had hot dinners. (Sorry, boss, but you forgot the tripe again).

And Edinburgh? That’s where Dobbies the garden centre chain lives, under shiny new management, now including the not-so-new Mr N Marshall (of whom more later), who in the past week was installed as the CEO to replace John Cleland.

So what have they got to do with each other? Well, here’s a clue. A certain Knight of the Realm who once ran Tesco, which once owned Dobbies, is now chairman of B&M (tee-hee, it’s Leahy!). And the word on the street is that the buyers from Dobbies and B&M have been working closely together of late. Coincidence, that, wouldn’t you say?

Now, it could be, of course, that they just like taking coffee together. But I have a teeny weeny hunch they might be more than just café society pals.

Let’s see…Dobbies needs to be able to compete with the big boys at Wyevale GCs, who operate more than four times as many garden centres and enjoy the extra buying clout that goes with them.  Meanwhile, B&M, whose revenues sailed past £2 billion a year ago, operates from 533 UK stores, having opened at least 34 in the past year (one loses count) and signalled an ambition to get to 850 in not too many years from now.

Now that carries the kind of buying clout Dobbies could make use of, not to mention the two massive distribution centres in which B&M might have a spare sq.m or two right now.

And Sir Terry Leahy, with his intimate knowledge of both parties, may well have seen how mutual benefits could be engineered.

If B&M also intends to make more of the gardening business in its stores, then staying close to Dobbies could be quite useful (no, make that very useful).

A Dobbies presence in B&M stores where there is not a Dobbies garden centre nearby? A few useful percentage points on the margin for Dobbies when buying core brands?

Who knows…I don’t, you don’t….but a resurgent Mr Marshall might be thinking about the possibilities.

Mr M, you will recall, was in the queue for Homebase before the Bunnings acquisition. It’s well-known that he is itching to get back to mainstream garden centre action, having had to let go of The Garden Centre Group (Wyevale ) when Terra Firma flashed the cash.

Sir Terry likes Dobbies (it was he who persuaded Tesco to buy them), and Mr M will quickly grow to love them, I’m sure. If they were to get their heads together, 'Sir Terry meets M' could be a double-act worth wagging my tail for…

For now, though, a lie-down beckons….woof woof!

• Garden Products - up 10%
• Veg-2-Gro - up 1%
• Growing Media - up 11%
• All Items Index - down 17%

Gardman, the UK’s leading provider of gardening and wild bird care products, continues to implement its growth strategy throughout 2017 and beyond.

After undertaking a 12 month review of its current operations it has taken the decision to consolidate and relocate its warehouse facilities in the Kings Lynn to a single, purpose built, 415k sqft site in Daventry, Northamptonshire.

The current facilities in Kings Lynn are ageing and inefficient to run and presently do not have the capacity to support the current business needs nor accommodate the future growth aspirations, this has a direct impact on the businesses ability to operate efficiently and retain a competitive edge.

The review considered various options which included new warehousing within the Kings Lynn area but was unable to identify suitable alternative sites.  A Daventry location will enable Gardman to work more efficiently due to being based closer to its core customers.

Whilst this is an important step, Gardman are committed to protecting service levels to customers through the 2017 season, therefore Gardman's seasonal stock intake is well advanced and will continue to build over the coming weeks ensuring coverage through the significant peak period and throughout 2017. 

The new facility is due to be handed over in Q3 2017 and during the handover process both operations will run concurrently to ensure a smooth transition.

“This is a very significant investment in our business, supported by Rutland Partners, and reiterates our commitment to the gardening industry and to support the growth of our customers,” said Peter Utting, CEO.

The initial stage of the build is underway, with on-site construction already commenced.  In addition to new warehouse space, the facility will include a ‘Customer centre’ providing the ability to showcase our entire product range in a central location.

Pictured: (left to right) Chris Brook of Winvic (Lead Contractor), Martin Cooper of Pro-Logis (Developers), Peter Utting – Gardman CEO, Matthew Payne - Gardman Operations Director.

The Unwins Sweet Pea and Emma Bridgewater vase promotion saw more than 8,000 claimants hit the Unwins website in the first 30 minutes.

Garden centres stocking the promotion reported shoppers arriving at 9am on March 1 (the day the promotion started) to purchase seeds to allow them to claim a limited edition Emma Bridgewater sweet pea vase. The vases were made bespoke for Unwins to celebrate its new sweet pea seed range and so are real collectors’ items.

Westland, which is now looking to extend the campaign, is urging garden centres to make sure their Unwins Sweet Pea displays are at the front of stores to get maximum exposure over the coming weeks.

Andrew West, head of purchasing at Hillier Garden Centre Group, said: “In the first week of the promotion from March 1-7 we saw a 25% uplift in Unwins Sweet Pea unit sales over the previous week, which we can only attribute to the successful advertising of the promotion. One centre had a customer buy 50 packets in one go!”

On social media, shoppers were whipped into a frenzy. One fan said: “Got hubby to go into the garden centre only for him to be told by staff that shelves have been cleared by one woman who spent hundreds of pounds shortly after the store opened!” Another said: “Sweet Peas are my favourite! Will be planting seeds in our new garden when we move house and the bottle will live on my dresser!”

Amy Roberts, brand manager for Unwins, said: “The speed and impact of this promotion has been outstanding and clearly shows the effect and impact social media has in driving consumer uptake. Its purpose was to bring Unwins Seeds to a new consumer base and to push our Sweet Pea heritage into the minds of consumers. I think it’s fair to say that we’ve certainly done this.

“In fact, it’s been so successful that we are now looking into ways to extend it over the coming weeks, so there is still time for your centre to take part in the promotion. If you would like to engage in the promotion please contact your Westland territory manager.”

The Sensational Sweet Peas range was inspired by the prevalent period drama trend – made popular by the BBC drama Downton Abbey – an era which invoked grandeur, with elegant and romantic show-stopping colour. The collection includes old favourites and brand new varieties, including:

Sweet Pea Little Red Riding Hood – Enchanting blooms of light and deep red, this Sweet Pea has a beautiful heady fragrance and looks great in a cut flower display.

Sweet Pea ‘Maloy’ – Delicately-scented light and deep salmon pink. A lovely partner to dark and rich coloured varieties.

Sweet Pea ‘Erewhon’ – Two-tone mauve-purple variety producing delicately-scented flowers from May to August. Excellent cut flower variety.

Retaliers and GTN Xtra visited two nurseries in Hereford last week to attend their PlantFest and to see new product developments for the coming year.

Wyevale Nurseries and Allensmore Nurseries held the joint open day on Wednesday, March 8 for any plant retailer, both existing customers and those who may not have been supplied by either nursery.

Adam Dunnett, Sales and Marketing Director at Wyevale Nurseries, said: “We held the open day event again in collaboration with our neighbours Allensmore Nurseries and customers were encouraged to come and visit both sites in one day.

“The event was a great success with more visitors this year than our open day last year. The feel for the day was a relaxed festival vibe with our despatch glasshouse filled to the brim with stunning, eye catching displays of topical spring stock for immediate order. There were also special discounts on the day, which many of the attendees took advantage of.

“Our nursery tours on a tractor and trailer with Steve Reed, our Production Director Container Division, were very popular with our customers and gave them the chance to have a look behind the scenes.

“As product innovation is a top priority for us, Ben Gregory (above), our Product Development Coordinator, was heading up our ‘Introducing Stage’ showcasing new and exciting product in the running for future introductions.”

PlantFest allowed attendees the opportunity to see these lines first and cast their vote on how commercially viable they think they could be. 

Ben explained: “The most popular new plant on the day was a brand new Phormium, the name of which will be revealed at a later date. This new Phormium really breaks the mold. It’s an extremely compact grower with incredibly fine bronze foliage that will work very well in patio containers. It’s also low maintenance and perfect for the modern gardener.”

At Wyevale Nurseries there was also be an interactive survey on current market trends and it gave the company an insight into what attendees think the future of plant retailing will hold.

Allensmore Nurseries showcased its new marketing concepts on perennials, impulse colour, Mother’s Day added value and specimen plants, as well as touring customers around sites for opportunities for immediate delivery.  

Mark Taylor, Managing Director at Allensmore Nurseries, said: “We’re constantly trying to improve the offer we deliver to garden centres and this gave us the opportunity to receive invaluable feedback from customers to help us move this forward in a direction that worked for them.”

Care home staff in Hampshire and Berkshire have praised the charity Thrive for teaching them good ways to help residents garden indoors and out.

Thrive, which uses gardening as a therapeutic tool to help people with disabilities or ill health, has just completed a successful project at 14 care homes.

Often working with activity co-ordinators, a trained horticultural therapist from Thrive took gardening activities into care homes, working directly with the residents and passing on skills to staff so that gardening session could continue once Thrive had left.

Activities included table-top gardening where residents would create hanging baskets, take cuttings, pot on or sow seeds. 

Results from the project, which was funded by Comic Relief and The Rayne Foundation, showed high numbers of residents taking part and a great level of enthusiasm shown by staff.

Thrive designed a weekly programme of activities that took into account the varying needs of residents, ensuring maximum inclusion and participation. Gardening proved to be an excellent ‘draw’ for both residents and staff.

Using Social and Therapeutic Horticulture (STH) in this way shows gardening as an accessible and inclusive activity for many who thought it was no longer possible to take part. Thrive used indoor and outdoor spaces to show what can be achieved.

More than 100 gardening sessions were held at care homes in Berkshire, with the charity visiting care homes in Bracknell, Hungerford, Kintbury, Newbury, Reading, Thatcham and Wokingham. In Hampshire Thrive went to Aldershot, Alton, Andover, Basingstoke, Bishops Waltham and Winchester.

Project manager Paul Scott said: “We wanted 112 residents to take part and the actual number was 185 so we were delighted to have had such a high level of participation.

 “The project had a number of aims. We wanted to see increased activity amongst residents and physical benefits such as an improvement in peoples’ gross and fine motor skills.

 “We witnessed psychological benefits too. These were achieved through residents gaining a sense of hope, meaning and purpose through gardening, and the chance for positive reminiscence facilitating the trigger of happy memories.”

Charmain Jarvis, an activities co-ordinator in Basingstoke, said: “We’ve been able to enjoy conversations about fields of bluebells, flowers that were in their wedding bouquets, the scent of certain flowers like lavender and the memories they bring.

"And we also noticed that some of our residents enjoy coming to the session but are very happy just sitting watching others plant seeds and pot on, listening to the conversations.”

An activities co-ordinator at The Willows, Reading, said: “C was less anxious and held attention for an hour. We were very happy with his participation.”

At Bishops Waltham Care Home in Alton, we were told that “D was very focused on the task and well-motivated. ‘D’ remembered gardening with parents.”

Thrive knows that gardening in this structured way also leads a sense of accomplishment with the ability to undertake and achieve activities independently.

Paul said: “There was a definite increase in social interaction for both residents and staff at all care homes and many said that for them, this was one of the key benefits of the programme. “

Thrive also enabled staff to understand the value and benefits that gardening activities can provide, giving them the confidence to carry on gardening with the residents.

Thrive worked with 46 members of staff at care homes with 87% saying the gardening programme had improved their knowledge, skills and confidence and most importantly 100% said they felt confident enough to run gardening activities programme for residents.

One activities co-ordinator said: “We have a lot of gardening tools, but lacked the knowledge…we have hugely benefitted from this programme.”

Paul Scott added: “Gardening is a very flexible medium and the project has clearly demonstrated that gardening as an activity is highly valued, benefitting both residents and staff. 

 “For many residents their gardens were so important in their lives. The project has allowed people to reignite their interest and we’ve been able to show how they can continue to garden.

 “There were some residents who understandably did not want take part, but who wished to observe and join those participating residents in a social context. This passive involvement was encouraged and greatly appreciated by residents and staff.

 “We know this successful programme could continue if funding were to allow as we have consistently been asked by a number homes engaged so far to extend the period of programme delivery beyond the 8-week schedule of activities.

 “Whilst this has not been possible each home has been left with a range of resources including plants and an information folder with CD which shows how to set up and run a gardening club for residents. This includes a range of seasonal activities, easy maintenance plants list and a guide to choosing tools.”

 “We are able to run sessions on a paid-for basis if other homes are interested and we offer a training and consultancy service if homes would like advice on how to develop their garden space, help with designing therapeutic gardening programmes or training for their staff, contact training@thrive.org.uk.”

It was a groundcover rose that was more disease tolerant than all others,  could produce up to 2000 flowers each year,  and was so easy to grow.  More importantly it required no fancy pruning.  It was called the Flower Carpet rose and bred by Noack’s of Germany.

To take it on or not was a heavy decision and a major challenge. It meant leaving a very successful family company to begin a whole new direction.

From marketing bulbs and flowers to creating a whole new business of introducing “distinctively different plants.”  It began in Australia and operations quickly moved to Europe and North America.

If you visit www.Tesselaar.com  it’s soon obvious that his faith in taking up a challenge and working with distinctively different plants has paid off. It helped form the basis of the robust business model that underlines Tesselaar’s International operation.

Anthony says: “Flower Carpet roses were a sensation when they were first released 25 years ago throughout Australia. They continue to be well loved and trusted to this day in all the markets they are sold in. I consider Flower Carpet truly to be the wonder rose."

Em:  info@tesselaar.com

The HTA has announced enhancements to make a visit to its midsummer plant and nursery shows a VIP experience.

The National Plant Show takes place on 20-21 June 2017 at Stoneleigh Park near Coventry, with a new event, the HTA Nursery Supply Show, running alongside in the adjacent hall.

Working closely with the venue, they will introduce new facilities such as rehydration stations around the halls offering ice cold water infused with lemon slices and fresh mint, fruit stops where you can grab one of your ‘5 a day’ and a ‘Food on the go’ pod where visitors can pick up a takeaway bowl of summery soup and a roll, all with compliments of the show.

Stoneleigh has revamped its Strollers restaurant with a farm shop feel offering fresh locally sourced produce, hand-made crisps, freshly baked muffins and a relaxing environment for those taking a longer lunch break.

A complimentary hot drinks trolley will work its way around the halls and a vintage ice cream cart will be stationed in the link between the two shows. The Glasshouse Café in the National Plant Show hall will offer a sandwich on the move and the Nursery Supply Show Hub is a joint café and lounge.

Exhibitors will once again be offered grab bags so they don’t need to leave the stand for lunch.

Joint registration is now live at nationalplantshow.co.uk or nurserysupplyshow.co.uk

Despite their affinity for online shopping the majority of millennials haven’t completely abandoned the high street and still value physical stores, reveals a new report by The Market Creative.

The 'Future of Marketing' aims to capture some of the directions, trends and possibilities shaping marketing today and in the future. As well as views from experts in e-commerce social media and advertising, it delves into the wider context including media landscape and audience.

As millennials come of age, moving into their prime spending years, the report compares online and instore shopping habits.

It showed that 58% of millennials visit a physical store at some point when making a purchase, particularly when shopping for furniture, homewares, DIY and gardening equipment.

And while 42% of millennials mainly shop online, a significant proportion (29%) prefer to mainly shop instore.

The survey also asked if millennials thought ecommerce would eventually lead to the demise of the high street.

Of the 73% who said physical stores would survive, 52% said it was because of the need to see and try products before buying. One in five said they enjoyed the social aspect of shopping.

Of the 27% who predicted the disappearance of stores on the high street, 52% said this would be down to the ease of shopping online while 38% cited it was because buying online tends to be cheaper.

This supports the price sensitive nature of the millennial generation. The survey found that 61% of millennials believe that they should never have to pay full price.

Sue Benson, Managing Director at The Market Creative said: “As millennials mature and move into their prime spending years, they are becoming the most important group for many retailers and brands. It’s important that we grasp the behavioural and attitudinal differences compared to previous generations, so we can shape and deliver shopping experiences that meet them on their terms.

 “Despite being digital natives, the high street is still important to them, but to survive retailers must acknowledge the importance of cost and convenience. Giving people a reason to hit the high street, making it an enjoyable and easy experience and offering a price matching service are must-haves.”

The ‘Future of Marketing’ report is available to download here 

Garden Centres are reporting exciting sales growth in a traditional gardening category thanks to Kelkay’s clever branding and merchandising for the RHS Gardener’s Collection.

An early adopter of the new range is Adam Wigglesworth at Aylett Nurseries in St. Albans (pictured left). “At Aylett Nurseries we retain a strong horticultural focus in our retail offer, so it was heartening to see the new RHS range of specialist grits and sands aimed at consumers with a strong interest in cultivating their own plants. Kelkay seem to have the range, the branding and the merchandising just right, and we have seen very buoyant sales growth in this category for the first time in many years. It just goes to show that with the right marketing approach, even the most traditional products can be brought firmly back into focus and part of our growth plans.”

The RHS Gardener’s Collection includes five potting grits and sands designed to answer all the specialist needs of consumers making their own potting mixes, growing alpines and raising seeds and cuttings. This very traditional range of products has been given a completely new lease of life thanks to the unique brand licensing negotiated with RHS which appeals strongly to the target keener gardener. Kelkay have also designed really strong merchandising solutions that make it easy to position and merchandise the range close to the peats and composts outside, and adjacent to the seeds, trays and other specialist growing products in covered areas or inside.

The results have been astonishing and the Kelkay RHS Gardener’s Collection has effectively re-designed a traditional product sector and stimulated new consumer engagement.

The RHS Collection includes Horticultural Grit Sand, Silver Sand, Sharp Sand, Washed Gravel and Potting Grit all of which are available in convenient Handy Bags (RRP £2.99)  or Large Packs (RRP £4.99)

Richard Pyrah, Kelkay Sales Director said “We’ve had such a positive response to the new RHS range and the level of repeat business goes to show what a great success it is. Our customers have universally reported good sales and a very positive reaction from gardeners who clearly understand and appreciate the RHS brand endorsement.”

 To find out more about Kelkay  and their  garden landscaping products, click here or e-mail the office using this link  or call  01405 869333

Technical Production Manager (ref:DS8828)

Location:

• Responsible for the production of a deliverable weekly prioritized crop job list. - Pruning, tying etc.
• Responsible and accountable for the production of an effective and deliverable biological control program for P&D.
• Responsible and accountable for the production and delivery of an effective integrated program to effectively control and manage the pest, disease and weed found on the nursery.
• Accountable for ensuring that all crops grown on the nursery are able to achieve their optimum by the effective use of growing media, nutritional and environmental management.
• Accountable for the production of and delivery of growing facility maintenance and development plans and schedules.
• Accountable for the transparent purchasing of plant material to make sure that the production plan and budget are met. Ensuring that Plant Purchasing meets company policies and that product delivered meets published quality standards.
• Maintain the Plants Tree and Passfields databases. Tree records all the cultural activities done to a plant during the season, plus all relevant spray information. Passfields stores all the crop plans and potting information and needs to be continuously updated.
• Accountable for production and delivery of the nursery yearly and long term crop production plan.
• Accountable and responsible for NPD.
• Accountable for the maintenance and development of systems and keeping of appropriate records to maintain company accreditations and policies.
• Accountable and responsible for the management of pesticide product information sheets and for compliance with all other COSHH requirements.
• Accountable for the production and delivery of budgets for labour, pots, trays and compost and all other consumable products.
• To proactively participate and engage in the daily review of productivity on the nursery.
• Accountable for the delivery of company KPI's in relation to crop quality, grade out, timing, NPD and production profitability.
• Accountable and responsible for Health & Safety on both sites.

To apply for this role click here

Department Head | Gardening Sundries (ref:DS9120)

Location: West Sussex
Salary: Excellent
Date: 24 Feb
Job Type: Full-Time
Duration: Permanent

Our client is one of the UK's largest Garden Centre Groups, with 19 centres throughout the UK. They hold a profitable, prominent position within the garden centre industry priding themselves on an inspirational approach to retailing which gives them a creative point of difference in the market. Their centres and restaurants offer style and innovation in an aspirational environment which encourages loyalty and satisfaction from customers.

This West Sussex based centre started life over 30 years ago. Boasting a multi-award winning plant area and a wide range of gardening products, fertilisers, tools, seeds and chemicals, it has become one of the largest, most successful garden centres in the South of England.

The centre is due for a major redevelopment shortly which will see it expand significantly and will include a fully refurbished garden sundries department so there has never been a better time to join this growing team!

As a Department Head, you will be responsible for running the department and managing a team, and experience of this within a retail environment is essential. You can make a real difference from day one as you will be involved in driving sales, creating stunning and inspirational visual displays, managing stock levels, and motivating and developing your team.

You will gain a real sense of ownership over your department as you drive sales and profitability by maximising space productivity, replenishment, and merchandising. The customer is the focus of everything our client does, so you will ensure that they always receive an exceptional level of service.

To be the ideal candidate you will have experience of working in a fast-paced retail environment at a management or supervisory level. You will be a great communicator with an ability to inspire your team. You will have a great eye for detail with a creative edge to ensure high retail standards are consistently maintained in terms of product placement and presentation.

As well as a rewarding career with potential for career development, you can expect a competitive salary, attractive staff discount and paid holidays.

If this sounds like you then we would love to hear from you.

To apply for this role click here

• Proven sales experience in the retail or wholesale horticultural trade.
• Sound horticultural plant knowledge preferably with qualifications up to NVQ Level 2.
• Highly motivated with a strong work ethic.
• Numeracy and accuracy along with strong verbal and written communication skills is paramount.

Nursery Crop Protection / Spraying Supervisor (ref:DS9132)

• PA1 and PA6a
• Proven and extensive plant protection application knowledge and experience.
• Practical horticultural knowledge and experience.
• High level of pest and disease identification expertise required.

To apply for this role click here

• Gardman Ice Orb Mini was the highest new entry at No 4.
• Premier Decorations Coloured Led Pull Light & Bulb is the highest re-entry at No 11.
• Apta Veronica Standard Pot 11cm is the highest climber, jumping 23 places to No 13.

• Parsley gains the crown for the most popular herb, up 20 places to No 6, selling more units than Suttons Beetroot Boltardy seeds.
• Thompson & Morgan Courgette Defender F1 Hybrid was the highest re-entry at No 10.
• Suttons Tomato Sungold F1 was the highest new entry at No 44.
• Taylors Onion Sets Red Baron moved up to the top spot.

• Scotts Levington Ericaceous Compost (20 litres) was the highest re-entry at No 23.
• Scotts Levington John Innes No2 (25 litres) was the highest climber, moving up 19 places to No 31.
• Durstons Manor Farm Multipurpose (50 litres) was the highest new entry.

• Anemone and Pansy were the other movers in the Top 10, moving up to Nos 4 and 5 in the chart.
• Convallaria are the highest re-entry this week at No 32.
• Pulmonaria and Tillandsia are new entries at the foot of the chart.

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.

As the year goes on we give sales volume comparisons with 2014 as well as 2015 to allow your teams to see variations over a three year period.

Access is by subscription only.  For £195.00 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

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.

Garden Centres, suppliers and many others have pledged their support for Garden Re-Leaf Day this year.  Here’s a summary of what’s happening:

Garden Centres and others

Adrian Hall is holding a Vintage Tea Party; Aylett’s Garden Centre is planning a‘Mad Hatter Day’ with guest speaker Pippa Greenwood who will be demonstrating Haxnicks’ products, thanks to sponsorship from Tildenet; Bents are holding a garden themed raffle; British Garden Centres, Hornsea store will be cycling 600 miles in-store; Chessington Garden Centre will be donating a percentage from the sale of drinks, pots and gardening sets; At Cleeve Nursery, Bristol - Alan Down’s private and stock plant collection of Hellebores will be on view.  Coletta and Tyson Garden Centre near Hull will be hosting a Dr Seuss themed fundraiser; Fairweather Garden Centre in Beaulieu has a raffle, helped by suppliers Woodlodge and Rockingham who have donated products, with a green cake sale raising further funds; Haskins Garden Centres has launched their spring raffle, drawing winners on the day, with additional fundraising coming from cake sales.  The raffles have been on display since the beginning of the week, across all stores, and is already generating a large amount of interest from customers according to the team; in Langlands Garden Centres in Whinmoor, Loxely and Shiptonthorpe – staff will be showing their support for Greenfingers by going green, selling green buns and holding a special plant pot tombola; at Longacres, Bagshot - Will and the team are planning three full days of fundraising to inspire their customers to get involved and part with their cash; Millbrook Garden Centre, Crowborough, has it’s big Spring Launch, 17th-19th March in aid of Greenfingers, and will involve several events; including a coffee & cake morning, an amazing animal world experience where children can handle hedgehogs and chameleons, planting demonstrations, raffles, and many more family activities; Monkton Elm is holding a raffle;  Old Railway Line, Brecon is holding a raffle and fundraising activities throughout the day, followed by its popular curry and quiz night, hosted by owner Mark Cleary; Perrywood Garden Centre, Tiptree, will once again be hosting a quiz night as well as collecting loose change and hosting other fundraising activities throughout the day; Paradise Park, Newhaven, will be selling specially decorated cakes and later in the day, holding a gardening themed quiz; Pondkeeper will be supplying various pond equipment items towards a special raffle being held at their shop in Billingham; Rolawn staff have pledged supplier support with a fairground themed event on Garden Re-Leaf Day to raise money for Greenfingers; Squire’s Garden Centre in Hersham will be delighting gardeners at their newly refurbished Café Bar.  Visitors will be able to enjoy a gardener’s afternoon tea hosted by Colin Squire as they are entertained with live music from guitarist John Canham, famous for playing with Seal and Tracy Ullman; Ross Garden Centre and Thetford Garden Centre are the latest to pledge Garden Re-Leaf day support, with fundraising activities to be announced soon; Whitehall Garden Centre is holding a raffle.

The HTA will be supporting Garden Re-Leaf Day at the APL Awards which takes place on 17^th March.

Plant-athons – 17 centres and counting

Hillview Garden Centres 11 garden stores running a Mega Plant-athon, with the aim of each planting 101 pots, that’s 1,111 in total, and then trying to see who can sell them in the shortest amount of time! 

Orchard Park, who held its first successful Garden Re-Leaf Day in 2016, is pushing itself further this year with the 24 hour Plant-athon challenge. 50% of Plant-athon sales will go to Greenfingers, and support for planting materials has been pledged by Scotts Miracle Gro, Woodlodge and Tom Chambers; Klondyke – Byrkley Park in Burton upon Trent are hosting their second 24 hour Plant-athon with Bob Hewitt and team taking on the challenge and getting customers involved, encouraging them to help design customised arrangements.

Klondyke - Houghton Hall in Carlisle will also be taking on the 24 hour Plant-athon challenge this Garden Re-Leaf Day and will aim to create hundreds of beautifully planted pots, some custom made to order for customers; Klondyke - Mayfield Hall in Kelso will join their sister stores, looking to plant continuously for 24 hours, encouraging customers to pick their brains for planting tips throughout and encouraging bespoke pot orders from customers; Alton Garden Centre in Wickford – Director, and Greenfingers Charity Ambassador, Andy Bunker is once again supporting the 24 Hour Plant-athon challenge when he’ll not only be planting pots, he’ll be inspiring a new generation to get planting as he welcomes children from Woodham Ley Primary School for a grand tour and garden workshop; as well as being major sponsors of the Garden Re-Leaf Day Walk, Scotsdales Garden Centre & Nursery will also be holding their very own Garden Re-Leaf 24 hour plant-athon (in April).

Floramedia have again donated specially designed plant labels for the Plant-athons.

The Garden Re-Leaf Day Walk

Almost 100 walkers from across the gardening industry and beyond have signed up for this year’s walk. As well as individuals, teams from Briers, Cadix, Gardman, GIMA, Deco-Pak, Kelkay, Westland, Crest Garden, SBM Life Science, Mr Fothergill's, Vitax, Simon Quinton Smith, GTN, Hornby Whitefoot, Frosts Garden Centre, Elho, Great British Cards, Glee, Kew Green Hotels, Scotsdales and their PR Agency, Scomac, Abacus Cards, Decco and Hillview have all registered.

The main sponsor this year is Scotsdales who, as well as providing refreshments for the walkers, a marquee and support staff, have been instrumental in securing support from their suppliers and local contacts.  Other sponsors include Hozelock, Kelkay and GTN. SBM Life Science have really pushed the boat out fielding walking teams, sponsoring medals, water stations and donating items for goody bags. They will also be holding a fundraiser at their office in Cambridge. They have embargoed staff holiday on 17^th March to ensure the entire work force can get involved. Outback have donated the barbecue and LOFA have kindly agreed to sponsor the refreshments at the finish point.  Town & Country’s Mark Butler will be helping on the day and Cadix and Quinton Edwards will be providing support vehicles.  Briers have sponsored two nights’ accommodation in Cambridge, helping to save travel and time costs.  

QVC

With thanks to Richard Jackson, QVC and it’s gardening suppliers will be supporting Garden Re-Leaf Day again this year with two dedicated shows on Saturday 18^th and Sunday 19^th March. 

http://www.gardenreleaf.co.uk/

Here's a selection of other events being planned for Garden Re-Leaf Day:



Alan Down, owner of Cleeve Nurseries, Bristol, will be opening the gates to his private collection of Hellebores to small groups of gardeners on Garden Re-Leaf Day to raise funds for Greenfingers Charity. As a regular broadcaster on Radio West and BBC Radio Bristol, plus writer of a regular page in the Western Daily Press, Alan is sure to be able to drum up enough interest to keep busy all day with small groups being shown round every 15 minutes. Thanks Alan - very much appreciated!

And at Millbrook Garden Centre, Gravesend, Kent are hosting a whole weekend of activities to raise funds for Greenfingers Charity. Their web site tells us some of their planned activities including a coffee and cake morning on Re-Leaf day and a bubbly evening reception plus interesting talk from horticulturist and plant hunter, Tom Hart-Dyke, described as the ‘new David Bellamy’.  Throughout Saturday staff will carry out planting demonstrations of containers and with a finishing raffle to end the 18th March.  Children’s face painting and craft activities will be available throughout Saturday and Sunday and visits to ‘Our Amazing Animal World’ will include a meet with Henry the hedgehog and Felipe the chameleon.

Tell us and Greenfingesr about your event and we will include it in these "Countdown to Garden Re-Leaf Day" newsletters and make sure it gets included on the Garden Re-Leaf Day website.  trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

DON’T FORGET TO TELL GREENFINGERS CHARITY YOUR PROMOTIONAL PLANS AND WE WILL HELP WITH YOUR PUBLICITY

To find out how you can get involved contact Greenfingers Charity by email: info@greenfingerscharity.org.uk or by calling the Fundraising Team on 01494 674749 

The sixth annual Greenfingers Garden Re-Leaf Day take place nationally on the 17 March, with many events continuing throughout the weekend. The 24hr Plant-athon, which was a runaway success last year, is being rolled out to more garden centres, and the Garden Re-Leaf Walk boasts a huge uptake in registrations and aims to be both more inclusive and challenging.

Top 10 fundraising ideas

Over the past six years, a host of garden centre fundraising ideas has been launched, tried and tested.  Here are the top 10, with tips on how to make them a success in your garden centre…

24 hr Plant-athon

Alton Garden Centre, Blue Diamond, Hillview, Klondyke, and Hillier have already committed to the event for a second year running.  Orchard Park in Dorset is the latest to sign up, with more expected to follow between now and the 17 March.  But time is running out! If your garden centre is looking to register for Garden Re-Leaf Day, contact Linda at Greenfingers as soon as possible, via linda@greenfingerscharity.org.uk or by calling the Greenfingers office on 01494 674749.

General Knowledge Quiz

Independent garden centres with a loyal local following, such as Perrywood in Essex, have turned this into an annual evening long event, providing food and allowing participants to bring a bottle. The questions don’t have to be about gardening, and as it’s St Patrick’s Day you might want to make that your theme!  Drinking responsibly of course…!

Raffle

It’s a popular choice for a reason and that is that it raises a great deal of money, and can be done in conjunction with suppliers.  Last year,Monkton Elm in Taunton (pictured, below) experienced an increase in footfall and sales as a direct result of their raffle.  Shoppers bought tickets, and the winners returned to collect their prizes – resulting in further money spent in the café, and on plants and other items on the way out.

Bake or book sale

If you’ve got a café and a farm shop this is ideal – but even without either you can still put on a bake sale.  Or a book sale.  Or a mixture of the two! The more creative the better. Fairweather’s in Hampshire are keeping it on-brand - selling special green Garden Re-Leaf cakes throughout the weekend.

Sponsored cycle

Whether your staff members are fitness freaks or salad dodgers – a sponsored cycle is the perfect excuse for exercise!  You can set yourselves a challenge that links in with a theme – for example, Coolings cycled 220 miles to Buckingham palace last year to celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday. A great way to entertain and engage with your customers, who can sponsor and donate as they shop.

Create a display from trade promotions

Suppliers such as Gardman sold a range of products last year, with a Greenfingers Charity Tree Mat and Cole & Bright Solar Hanging Jars raising 50p from each item sold, as well as 20p from each Hanging Basket Coco Liner. This year, Deco-Pak has pledged to donate 5p from each small bag of their new play sand on orders placed in March.

Open garden

Alan Down at Cleeve Nurseries is opening up his private Hellebore collection (click here) – why not organise something similar with a local garden writer or private landowner?

Wishing Tree

The premise is as simple as it is effective - place a potted tree within the main sales area, accessible enough so that children and adults can easily and safely add a note – or write a wish on the back of a star in the case of Whitehall’s in Bristol.  Customers will enjoy being able to express their wishes and will eagerly donate for the privilege.

Coffee mornings/afternoon tea

Cafés are usually busy whatever the weather, so holding a coffee morning can be a real winner, and works well in tandem with bake sales.   Last year Barton Grange in Preston sold afternoon cream teas, with £5 donated for each one sold.  This year Squire’s at Hensham are including an afternoon tea party as part of their weekend-long spring launch in aid of Greenfingers.

#Gluvies

More for awareness than fundraising – or can it be both?  Once you’ve taken a picture or a selfie of your team – or with your customers – you can post to Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #gluvies and tagging @GardenReLeaf - or post galleries on Facebook tagging participants to spread the word.  But also the gloves themselves (Briers’ Greenfingers All Seasons Gardener gloves) can be sold in the same way as the famous red noses to raise funds; 35p from each (medium or large) pair is donated to the charity by Briers – who now also have a Greenfingers kids’ gardening kit to further raise funds. Last year the #gluvies hashtag reached 20,000 people on Twitter, but this year we’re aiming for twice that amount!

Last year, Greenfingers launched its ‘A Million Moments Appeal’, aiming to raise £1 million, over three years.  With the help of events such as Garden Re-Leaf Day, the charity is aiming to provide at least 5,000 children and their families that rely on hospices to enjoy spending precious time together outdoors.

After helping with support duties last year, GTN's Trevor and Karen Pfeiffer vowed to do The Great Garden Re-Leaf Day walk in full in 2017, so Labradoodles Olly & Floyd thought they’d better join in to pull them towards the finish as the miles clock up and their feet and legs are hurting.

Olly & Floyd are brother Labradoodles who love walking and getting dirty so they are really looking forward to the 20 mile walk from Scotsdales Garden Centre in Horningsea to Scotsdales Garden centre in Shelford Cambridge.

It’s a shame they won’t be able to walk through Jesus College garden or The Cambridge Botanic Gardens, but there is a special route around the outside of the gardens that Karen and Trevor can run around the to make sure we don’t lose any time.

We’re looking forward to meeting all the fellow walkers – both 2 legged and 4, and making lots of friends as we walk through Cambridge on March 17th.

Please sponsor us, or Trevor and Karen if you must, using our Just Giving page: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/OllyandFloyd. 

We really do want to raise as much money as possible to help create another Greenfingers garden at a children’s hospice.  Then we can go and visit that too and meet some of the wonderful children, parents and carers who gain so much benefit from spending time outside in a Greenfingers garden, which has been magically designed and created to help them.

Woof woof.

Olly and Floyd