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Kings Seeds – the people that know about seeds
GTN Xtra Promotion

Kings Seeds have been supplying commercial and retail growers since 1888. They also stock a range of pictorial packets available for sale in garden centres and nurseries, and supply home gardeners themselves via mail order...
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Dutch flower experts donate ‘garden’ to Greenfingers

Dutch flower experts, JUB Holland, Keukenhof and Rijnbeek Perennials (H141/142) showcased many of its stunning early flowering varieties through a mini ‘perennial meadow’ display at the Garden Press Event, with the garden being donated to Greenfingers...
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Kelkay improve stock availability ahead of season
Following the appointment of David Wright as AMES Companies Operations Director in the summer of 2023, the team has been busy delivering on the promises made regarding stock availability...
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Kelkay aggregates delivered direct to your customer

Every garden retailer knows the challenges associated with merchandising and displaying bulky aggregates. Often left languishing in the back corner of outdoor areas, consumers can find the buying decision confusing and less glamorous. But with the new Home Delivery service from aggregate and paving specialists, Kelkay, times are changing and with it, the consumer shopping experience...
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Green shoots to start the year, but garden industry cautious with recession confirmed

The Horticultural Trades Association releases its February monthly market update, which shows that despite the UK economy's recently announced recession, garden retail continues to show some green shoots to kick off the year...
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GCA BoT reveals outdoor garden projects on the up
Hard landscaping topped the sales table in the Garden Centre Association’s Barometer of Trade report for January with hardy plants, seeds and bulbs also doing well...
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Introducing Fern Living – British Garden Centres’ new outdoor furniture range

There is a new name emerging for garden furniture, Fern Living, an exciting new brand by British Garden Centres, the UK’s largest family-run garden centre group...
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British Garden Centres celebrates £60,000 of fundraising for Greenfingers with Unwins Sweet Pea launch
British Garden Centres has announced the successful culmination of its recent fundraising over the past three years, raising an outstanding £60,000 in support of Greenfingers Charity...
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HTA trade event marks 10 weeks to critical border shift and urgent call on government action

The Horticultural Trades Association organised another of its borders and trade workshop. The session, hosted by Provender Nurseries, aimed to equip members with the necessary knowledge and skills to trade internationally...
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Greenfingers appoints Neil Sewell as Operations Director
Greenfingers has announced Neil Sewell’s appointment as its new Operations Director, responsible for delivering the charity’s new garden projects and expanding the Garden Re-Fresh programme...
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HTA celebrates 125 years of supporting UK horticulture

The Horticultural Trades Association began its celebration to mark 125 years of dedicated support for UK Environmental Horticulture. Fran Barnes, the Chief Executive of the HTA, addressed attendees at the Garden Press Event, highlighting the association's pivotal role in advocating for industry interests, fostering growth, and stressing the significant economic contribution of the sector...
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Sparsholt College teams up with Colegrave Seabrook Foundation for show garden

Sparsholt College, Hampshire, has teamed up with the Colegrave Seabrook Foundation to create Sparsholt’s 2024 RHS Chelsea Flower Show Garden entitled ‘Plants, Routes & Branches’...
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New phase of HTA's peat-free work and support launched

This week has seen a big push of member support and engagement by the Horticultural Trades Association, with another successful technical workshop to support growers on the journey to peat-free, hosted at Melcourt and a meeting of the Growing Media Association...
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Squire's celebrates supplier contributions at plant show

Squire’s Garden Centres has marked the significant contribution of three of its nursery stock suppliers, with awards presented at its annual Plant Show, which took place at Squire’s West Horsley recently...
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spoga+gafa 2024: Garden Living – retro design is on trend

Green recreation area, outdoor living room, open-air office and outdoor kitchen - today in its capacity as living space the garden is a place of diversity. The garden, balcony and terrace top the popularity rankings of urban living worldwide. And here retro design is totally trendy. The biggest garden and BBQ trade fair in the world, spoga+gafa, will do justice to this diversity in Cologne from 16 to 18 June 2024...
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Dalefoot Composts using power of science to pioneer best carbon capture crops and peatland restoration techniques

Dalefoot Composts is upping the environmental stakes by measuring how well the ingredients in its peat-free composts store carbon, as well as identifying the most eco-friendly way to restore a damaged peat bog...
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BBC Gardeners’ World Live announces new features

Urban Gardens, a spectacular edible headline show garden by Adam Frost, orchids from all over the world, and new stages and workshops are just some of the exciting new highlights at this year’s BBC Gardeners’ World Live, returning to the NEC Birmingham from 13-16 June...
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GTN’s Greatest Christmas Award winners revealed
Gold awards for Haskins Snowhill, Old Railway Line, Gates, Barton Grange, Pugh’s Radyr, Polhill, Woodlands (Kent), Chessington, BGC Harrogate, Squires Badshot Lea, Cooks, Birkacre, Busy Bee

BGC Harrogate, Squires Badshot Lea, Cooks, Birkacre, Pugh’s Radyr, Barton Grange and Busy Bee have picked up Greatest Garden Centre Christmas Team golds in GTN’s Greatest Christmas Awards, presented at Spring Fair on Monday. Kaemingk walked away with The Greatest Christmas Supplier gold...

See the full list of winners and all the photos from the awards presentations at Spring Fair
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Sponsors giving prizes for the winners

Our team of judges have now completed the task of visiting the 100 garden centres who were nominated for GTN’s Greatest Christmas Awards 2023. And our sponsors which include: AMES, Glee 2024, Kaemingk, LeisureGrow, NOMA , MorePeople, PATS 2024, Smart Garden Products, Solex 2024, Stars for Europe, Three Kings and Woodmansterne have been lining up prizes for the category winners...
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Award winners celebrated at Garden Press Event
The Garden Press Event welcomed over 300 members of the garden press and media for a day-long exhibition showcasing the entire supply chain of the environmental horticulture industry...

The Dipping Tank Company emerged victorious in the 'Best New Product' category.
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Johnsons Lawn Seed encourages stocking up for the upcoming season

Johnsons Lawn Seed is urging retailers to take advantage of its highly regarded portfolio to help pent-up consumers who want to give their gardens some TLC for 2024...
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Blue Diamond champions move towards British grown peat-free houseplants

Blue Diamond is committed to developing best practice in environmental sustainability as well as responding to growing, eco-conscious customer demand. The company is therefore proud to be launching a new range of British houseplants which are grown in a variety of tried and tested peat-free medium.
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National Trust, Blue Diamond and Ann-Marie Powell join forces for Chelsea

The National Trust and Blue Diamond Garden Centres will be working with multi-award-winning garden design practice Ann-Marie Powell Gardens to create a prestigious Show Garden for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024...
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Blue Diamond is growing a rosy future

Blue Diamond has invested in five new nurseries to supply over 11 million home-grown, locally produced, British plants to its 44 garden centres and 8.8 million customers...
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Blue Diamond and National Trust collaboration goes from strength to strength

Blue Diamond and the National Trust are now in the second year of a collaboration, which brings together the specialisms of both organisations, to create unique collections of seeds, bulbs, roses, trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants...
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Handy unveils the latest gardening and DIY products for the new season
British garden manufacturer Handy has announced the arrival of its new catalogue and Monthly Dealer Promotions Calendar, both designed to provide retailers with valuable increased margins on a wide range of gardening and DIY products and ensure they have everything needed for the season ahead...
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Eco planters stay on trend with stunning new colourways

Primeur continues its recycled rubber revolution with the addition of stylish new warm and bold tones for its sustainable, self-watering Tierra Verde planter collection, providing greater options for gardeners seeking a greener way to grow...
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GTN's Greatest Christmas Awards Bumper Issue - read on-line here
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GTN February 2024 - GTN's Greatest Christmas Awards Bumper Issue

- The Greatest Christmas Awards presentations at Spring Fair
- GCA Conference Award winners
- Primeur: the home of doormats
- Environmental perceptions of garden centres
- Westlands New Horizon Community Fund
- Busy Bee tops the customer vote for Christmas greatness
- 23 pages of judges photos and comments from The Greatest Christmas Awards start here: Barton Grange, Cooks, BGC Harrogate, Pugh’s, Gates, Haskins Snowhill, Woodlands, Kent, Squires Badshot Lea, Polhill, Old Railway Line, Klondyke High Legh, Poundbury, Birkacre, Alton, Blue Diamond Newbridge, Garsons Esher, Brimsmore, Glendoick, Chessington, Wentworth, Klondyke Astbury Meadow, Cambridge Home & Garden, Bents, BGC Studley, Coolings, Newquay, The Grange, Garsons Titchfield, Keydell, Perrywood Tiptree, BGC, Dobbies, Gouldings Santa Experience, Dobbies Edinburgh and Tewkesbury, Mackenzie & Cruickshank, Munros, Pengelly, Planters Tamworth
- Thank you to our Sponsors
- Flashes of Christmas Inspiration
- Harrogate Show Ideas for Christmas 2024
- Planting Manifesto Ideas – HTA Column
- Supply Chain Challenges – GIMA Column
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Read the issue on-line here
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Get your copy of GTN Xtra
with all the news direct to your e-mail inbox...
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Garden centres urged to get Rising Stars nominations in by March 1
The Garden Centre Association is urging members to get their 2024 Rising Stars nominations in by March 1 to help showcase and develop the industry’s most talented individuals this year...
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RHS offers peat-free tips to kick off the growing season
The Royal Horticultural Society is sharing its peat-free advice as gardeners across the UK get ready for the growing season.
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Klondyke holds Outdoor Living Showcase Event
A sprinkling of Sherbert through the Cottage garden; the simplicity and calmness of Urban Nature through to the mood and mystery of Moroccan Delights; these were amongst the main themes revealed at the Klondyke Group's Outdoor Living Showcase Event hosted this week at our Polmont centre...
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MP welcomes HTA's call for an Office for Green Spaces
Former DEFRA Minister Trudy Harrison has welcomed the Horticultural Trades Association advocacy for an Office for Green Spaces and a bold initiative for urban greening...
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RHS announces Britain in Bloom finalists for 2024
The Royal Horticultural Society has revealed the 52 finalists of the 2024 RHS Britain in Bloom Finals, in the 60th anniversary year of the UK’s biggest gardening competition...
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AIPH Green City Conference to showcase urban greening in arid climates
Taking place on 5th and 6th March 2024 at Expo 2023 Doha Qatar, the AIPH Green City Conference will showcase urban greening strategies that cities in arid zones can adopt to create liveable environments...
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Henchman’s design excellence recognised with double award win
Leading garden ladder specialist, Henchman, has been crowned a double winner at the prestigious European Product Design Awards 2023, for its new Fully Adjustable Tripod Ladder and Henchman Lifting Harness...
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The best of last week's
If you missed last week's GTN Xtra, below are the most-read stories...
Flowerpot suppliers merge into British Flowerpots
Naylor Gardenware has agreed to merge with Smith & Jennings with effect from Friday 1 March 2024...
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Garden Re-Leaf Day will you join the 250 challenge?
This year, Greenfingers has set the “250 challenge” which they hope could help retailers to become the biggest combined contributors to this special Garden Re-Leaf Day event...
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GCA inducts Mike Burks as Honorary Member
Mike Burks, managing director of The Gardens Group, which owns Castle Gardens in Sherborne, Brimsmore Gardens in Yeovil and Poundbury Gardens near Dorchester, has been awarded Honorary Membership of the Garden Centre Association (GCA)...
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Glee New Product Award winner secures £50k Dragons' Den investment offer
Lancashire entrepreneur Gemma Connolly, whose unique edible greeting cards for dogs Scoff Paper won a Glee New Product Award in 2021, has secured major backing from BBC Dragons’ Den star Sara Davies...
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Corby + Fellas announce partnership with The Plant Place
GTN Xtra Promotion
Corby + Fellas have announced the partnership with The Plant Place and the implementation of their acclaimed WinRetail System to run the Garden Centres Retail, Hospitality, Loyalty and Events operations...
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Wildlife World leads the way to biodiversity net gain
GTN Xtra Promotion
Wildlife World, a pioneer in biodiversity products, has launched a range of premium wildlife habitats tailored for nature restoration and biodiversity net gain projects through habitat supplement intervention...
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