After a week when the RHS Chelsea Flower Show put gardening high on the media agenda, the Greenfingers Charity team say thank you everyone for well and truly putting the work of our industry charity, that creates magical gardens for children in hospices, on the map.

Trustee Boyd Douglas-Davies told GTN Xtra that he most wanted to thank the visitors to the garden and the voters in the BBC/RHS Peoples Choice Award: "Just like every Greenfingers Garden that has been created up and down the country the Chelsea Garden has captured the hearts and minds of so many this week.

"We emailed everyone in our loyalty scheme and I've been receiving emails back from complete strangers telling me that they voted for the garden - thank you to them and everyone that took time to vote.

"A further huge thanks must go to the thousands of people that made a bee line to the garden having seen it on the BBC or read about it in the numerous articles that have been published nationally in the last few weeks."

Linda Petrons, Director of Fundraising & Communications, added: "Being at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show has been a truly unforgettable week for us all and I certainly feel extremely proud that our time at Chelsea has been such a fantastic success for the charity. From the early planning stages to show week, the Greenfingers team and its many volunteers together worked hard to ensure The Greenfingers Charity Garden became a reality and achieved its aim to build the profile of the charity.

"I would like to say a huge thank all those who helped in so many different ways; from the Chelsea Committee, those who helped with the build and to over 50 volunteers who gave their time during show week to speak to the gardening public, hand out 10,000 bags (kindly donated by Woodlodge) and 35,000 leaflets.

"And of course to those friends who helped spread the word across their vast networks and to all those who visited us at the show.

"I would also like to say a personal thank you to all those who were at the end of the phone to offer support and those experienced RHS Chelsea Flower Show project managers who gave advice and guidance. The success of The Greenfingers Charity Garden has only been possible thanks to the help of so many fantastic friends - thank you!"

Greenfingers Charity Chairman, John Ashley started by thanking the sponsor of the garden, Jane, without who's support the garden would never have happened.  "Thank you also to the RHS who agreed to allocate such a great spot for our garden, to Kate Gould who with her team created a wonderful garden which did give the public a view of the sort of gardens Greenfingers has built over the past 20years...56 infact!

"The Queen visited the garden on Monday and met Kate, Jane and myself and was very pleased to compliment us on a wonderful garden and a worthwhile charity.

"All the suppliers who donated goods to help reduce the cost...thank you all you were all very generous.  The media who were so excited and spent many hours filming and interviewing celebs!

"And the weather ...every day different but a fab week of dry days.

"We can now get back to the day job opening three new gardens in Sunderland,The Wirral and North London...next month ...the demand never stops !"

Andrew Peers, technical sales manager at Bathgate Horticulture, offers advice to independent retailers on how to push sales of horticultural products.

1. Create eye-catching displays

Horticultural products such as compost and soil improvers may not be the most exciting products but that shouldn’t prevent you from creating an eye-catching display. Bathgate can supply stockist with informative point of sale material and offer downloadable high-resolution images to enhance displays and encourage sales.  Point of sale material can be supplied pre-priced on request and include multi-buy options to further increase sales.

Attractive and recyclable packaging, along with clear product descriptions, enables customers to make an informed choice and select the most appropriate product for the intended application.

2. Understand customers’ needs

Gardeners are increasingly demanding higher quality products that are fit-for-purpose. Providing a wider choice of products that can meet specific applications and performance requirements will not only improve the buying experience but ensure great results.

3. Stock up

A reliable supply of horticulture products that is flexible enough to meet customers’ changing demands can make a huge difference to sales. That is why Bathgate Horticulture offers a prompt nationwide delivery service for quantities ranging from a single pallet through to a full load.

For further information or advice on boosting sales of horticultural products, including technical guidance, please contact Bathgate sales office on 01270 762828 or sales@bathgatesilica.co.uk or visit us www.bathgatehorticulture.co.uk  

Maxine Finnegan (Vincent) – Garden Pride Manager:

“Following a very successful preseason period and a strong start to 2019 we are delighted to see our newly branded business going from strength to strength! Our products are selling through well and our customers are very happy with our services and their sales.

"The feedback on our new products and merchandising solutions is very positive and we are seeing record breaking figures across all ranges.

"We still have our complete 2019 brochure in stock and ready to despatch for all existing and new customers. We have some great new Summer lines to see us through to July/August.

Don’t forget we have secured our 2019 stand at Glee – Hall 7 Stand H36 – J37. Plans have started for the biggest and best stand we have ever produced!"

Sales Manager: Luke Finnegan 07764 225876   luke@gardenpridemarketing.co.uk or maxine@gardenpridemarketing.co.uk 01903 761222.

Being environmentally friendly is big news these days. As extreme weather made headlines around the world the UK saw one of its hottest summer’s on record people everywhere are starting to take this Global Warming stuff seriously. In fact, the number of single-use plastic bags used by shoppers in England has plummeted by more than 85% after the introduction of the 5p charge.

So what are you offering as an alternative? And how do your Green credentials add up?

When using bags as a marketing tool you have to consider the primary use. Your customers will need something hardwearing, fairly rigid, a bag that will stand up on its own leaving hands free for easy loading and when not in use can be rolled up and stored with no loss of integrity.

Jute has all of these attributes. Not only is it strong and hard wearing, its hessian-style look adds to the “eco” image associated with a Bag for Life. If you want your brand to clearly shout “environmentally conscious” – jute is the way forward.

TMD supply and print jute bags with your logo or pattern of choice. We recently completed a project with Stewarts Garden Centres, and don’t they look great!

Various sizes are available.

Contact us for a quote today.

SOLEX – the Summer Outdoor Leisure Exhibition – which will be opening its doors to the most influential buyers from within the garden industry on 9 July 2019, has launched its very own website to help visitors to register and attend the event.

This new website has an interactive exhibition map that allows you to see who will be exhibiting and if you want to know more about the exhibitors you are only one click away from their websites.  There is also the chance to win a lovely weekend away in the beautiful county of Hampshire.

www.solexexhibition.com

The site will also give information on how to get there, facilities, hotel links and general build up to the event. 

This new portal will also be linked to its own Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin accounts where you can interact and keep up to date with all the news views and current product information. 

www.facebook.com/solexexhibitionnec             www.twitter.com/solexexhibition

The Solex show will be packed full of the freshest designs from 60 LOFA members, with the full A-Z and everything in between that the outdoor and leisure industry has to offer.

The SOLEX exhibition is all under one roof, and in one hall, so you won’t have to walk for miles and miles to find the most inspirational and innovative products for the 2020 season. Infact it is a great place to do business, this relaxed and friendly exhibition is where you can establish new relationships and develop existing ones. So, whether you are a garden centre, a retail outlet, department store or multiple retailer, SOLEX has everything you could possibly want or need. 

There is also a contemporary new SOLEX lounge,  a great place to relax, chill out and unwind, serving refreshments to all visitors throughout the three show days, it’s a place to take the weight off your feet and re-charge your batteries, literally, as there will be charging points for all devices!  There will also be secluded areas for those all-important business meetings or to check your Twitter feed!

SOLEX is the retailers' essential garden event of the year.

Place – Hall 5 | Venue - NEC | Dates - 9-11 July 2019

Garden centres across the country are taking part in this year’s National Children’s Gardening Week (NCGW) which started this weekend and with such a buzz around children’s gardening at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show this week it is a great time to get involved.

The aim of NCGW is to get as many schools, children and their families involved, gardening and having fun in their gardens. The initiative, which is supported by the HTA’s National Garden Gift Voucher scheme, is now in its 5^th year.

The NCGW website www.childrensgardeningweek.co.uk features innovative ideas and projects including: Cascading strawberries, The right trousers, Grow a pallet garden and Build a bug hotel. Some of these project ideas, including ‘create a pizza wheel’ and ‘build a bug hotel’ are on show this week on the ‘Helping Children Grow’ exhibit, co-ordinated by the HTA and supported by National Garden Gift Vouchers, at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show – helping to spread the word amongst parents, teachers and grandparents. As well as picking up project ideas and visiting the website, visitors are encouraged to visit their local garden centre too.

This year there are a record number of garden centres taking part by providing information instore or running their own events through the week. On Facebook over half a million people have already been reached with fun gardening project ideas, with many more being reached by the free point of sale for the week that’s available to garden centres.

The website also features a listing of member events happening across the country during National Children’s Gardening Week. These include:

• Write your name in salad at Patrick’s Patch in Hampshire
• Treasure Hunt at ACW Garden Centre in Bradford
• Decorate a terracotta windowsill pot at Scotsdales Garden Centre in Cambridge
• Seed planting at Aylett Nurseries in St Albans
• Miniature Garden Making at Whitehall Garden Centres in Lacock, Whitchurch and Woodborough

Dobbies Garden Centres are celebrating 10 years of their Little Seedlings Club during NCGW and will be hosting ‘Get Buzzy about Bees’ workshops at their centres.

National Children’s Gardening Week Ambassador Chris Collins comments, “It feels like we have come a long way with children’s gardening in the last 10 years. Campaigns like National Children’s Gardening Week have brought the subject of healthy eating, growing plants and mindfulness to garden centres and schools across the country.  We need to celebrate this incredible rise in the numbers of young gardeners and inspire even more young people with simple ideas and fun projects to encourage them, their parents and grandparents to have a go.”

NCGW also helps raise awareness of the Greenfingers charity whose logo features on the point of sale and children’s activity sheets as well as the voucher wallets and gift card hangers – providing valuable extra exposure for a great cause.

Follow National Children's Gardening Week for all the latest news and events taking place.

https://www.facebook.com/nationalchildrensgardeningweek/

https://twitter.com/ncgw_

Evergreen Garden Care returned to RHS Chelsea Flower Show to showcase its impressive research and development capabilities.

The educational stand, which was designed by Geometry Global, aims to reinforce the Miracle-Gro strapline ‘Grows twice as big’ and features a supersized world where visitors can be immersed into the Evergreen Garden Care brand and gain a deeper understanding of the products.

Centred around a ceiling-height artificial tomato plant, the stand has a number of different zones for the four key product categories, which includes nourishment, growing, feeding and protecting. To grab consumer’s attention and share the technology behind each product, the stand features different varieties of lawn seeds suspended in glass bowls, cuts of real grass to showcase the product range and raw growing media materials in oversized scientific flasks.

Evergreen Garden Care prides itself on its unique research and development facilities, with a dedicated team working on more than 100 trials and screening programmes all year round at the Levington Research and Development Station.

Mark Portman, Managing Director of Evergreen Garden Care, said: “We’re delighted to have returned to RHS Chelsea Flower Show this year and embrace an entirely new way of communicating our product features and benefits to consumers.

“New for this year is an exciting development within our liquid plant food range that will make a significant difference to plant health and nutrition, and we wanted to use the RHS Chelsea Flower Show as a platform to showcase how our dedicated research and development facilities can help to care for your garden and deliver outstanding results.”

For more information on Evergreen Garden Care’s portfolio of products, visit www.lovethegarden.com

Burgon & Ball, the UK’s longest-established manufacturer of garden tools and accessories, has won five stars from the Royal Horticultural Society for its stand at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2019.

In its twenty-third year at the show, the Sheffield-based manufacturer has been honoured for the outstanding presentation of its stand. The trade stand awards recognise exhibitors which enhance the Chelsea visitor experience by combining creativity, design and theatre in a stand which is not only about product, but which offers an attraction in its own right.

Burgon & Ball’s eye-catching display features a museum-style exhibit of five different types of cutting tool, and has been created to emphasise the importance of selecting the right tool for the job. Each gardening task will be carried out most successfully using the appropriate tool, and for cutting tasks it’s especially important to use a suitable tool to make a clean cut, for the health of the plant.

The glass display cases and bright brass edging really catch the eye, drawing attention to the precision displays inside, where delicate blooms make a striking contrast with test tubes, laboratory flasks, and industrial metal clamps. Alongside each specimen is the perfect RHS-endorsed tool to cut that particular plant, highlighting the role that using the right tool can play in creating a beautiful and fruitful garden.

Ruth Posey, sales director at Burgon & Ball, says: “We are delighted to receive this five-star award from the judges. As the manufacturers of the only garden tools endorsed by the RHS, it means a great deal to us to know that our Chelsea stand reflects the exacting standards required of exhibitors.

“Every year at Chelsea we work very hard to deliver the highest standard of display; worthy of the prestigious space that we occupy on Main Avenue. We’re in a high-profile position among the show gardens - this year we’re next to the Savills and David Harber garden - and we feel we have a lot to live up to. We’re delighted that the RHS panel feels we have added to the visitor experience with our stand this year.

Ruth continues: “We invest significantly both in new product development, and in building our brand presence. It’s a combination which means we have exciting new products, and importantly, that our customers know where to buy them. We get very positive feedback from our trade partners, but each year the Chelsea Flower Show is our best and most direct opportunity to get feedback from the gardeners who use and love our products.

“We’re thrilled that this year both our stand visitors and the RHS judging panel feel that our quality, expertise and innovation are on display on Main Avenue.”

World-leading rose breeder, David Austin Roses is proud to be awarded a gold medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, the 25th in its history of exhibiting at the prestigious show.

The Secret Garden themed display features a beautifully fluid, circular design, at the heart of which two striking new characters from David Austin’s English Rose collection are to be seen in bloom for the first time. A true feast for the senses, Rosa Eustacia Vye (Ausegdon) and Rosa Gabriel Oak(Auscrowd) – both named after beloved characters from Thomas Hardy’s works - create a stunning centrepiece of scent and colour in a setting befitting a moment of quiet reflection.

David Austin, Managing Director, commented: “Chelsea is always a very special occasion for us and this year it is particularly so, as the first since my father’s passing. I’m sure Mr A would have been both humbled by and proud of this significant achievement - our 25th gold medal. The award really is testament to the decades of hard work and dedication that have gone into creating the very best roses. It is also wonderful acknowledgment of these exquisite plants and a true reflection of their on-going popularity in all their variations.”

For further information visit https://www.davidaustinroses.co.uk/.

Below is a gallery of pictures from the David Austin Roses stand.

Garden  centres across the country enjoyed positive sales in furniture and barbecue departments thanks to one of the hottest Easter breaks on record.

Sales of furniture and barbecues were up 28.36% compared to the same month the previous year (2018), according to the Garden Centre Association’s (GCA) Barometer of Trade (BoT) report.

Iain Wylie, GCA Chief Executive, said: “The weather was certainly on our side during April and we enjoyed fantastic record-breaking temperatures over the Easter break, which meant customers flocked to their local garden centres. The contrast between this April’s weather and the first half of April 2018 couldn’t have been greater.

“Easter Monday in particular was a huge hit for us as it was the hottest on record in all four nations of the UK according to the Met Office.

“As well as furniture and barbecues, we also saw strong sales in outdoor plants as these were 11.74% up compared to the same month last year. Hard landscaping sales were also up 17.71% and food hall and farm shop sales were positive at 13.21% up.

“We have been very lucky after already enjoying a positive March and to also enjoy good weather in April too. It just gives everyone a real boost.”

Houseplant sales were also up 18% and sales in garden sundries were up 8.62%.

Iain added: “Catering sales were up 5.75% and gift sales were up 4.1%. Seed and bulb sales were down -6.54%, clothing sales were down -2.28% and pets and aquatics sales were up 0.75%.”

Overall sales for the month were up 10.69% with a year to date change of 17.49%.

Gary Carvosso, Managing Director at Coolings Garden Centre, said: “Easter sales exceeded all expectations with four days of clear blue skies. People were certainly in the mood for gardening in earnest and have been in fact since the warm spell in February.

“Our new plot to plate garden, which is growing fresh salads for Arthur’s restaurant, has inspired many and Easter saw Grow your Own vegetables jump by over 50% on Easter 2018 and house plants being back in vogue saw a 70% leap.”

The GCA BoT reports are compiled using actual sales figures and provide an up-to-date trading position statement. They are made available mid-month following the end of the prior month after all member garden centres have submitted their results.

The BoT reports allow members to compare their trading positions with other centres.

The next event in the highly successful ‘Meet the International Buyers’ programme organised by the Gardenex and PetQuip associations will take place at the Federation’s head office in Brasted, Kent on Wednesday 12 June 2019.  

Buyers who have been invited to take part in business discussions with British suppliers will be seeking to source a range of garden, leisure and pet products.

The popular one-to-one meeting format organised by the two associations has been an important part of the associations’ export-generating business programme for nearly 20 years.  Every event held during that time has resulted in repeat overseas orders for British suppliers taking part.

In June, a buyer from Canada’s leading gardening mail order company will be meeting UK suppliers at the event.  The Canadian company also sells online and through its retail store.  The buyer is looking for practical gardening accessories to add to the company’s existing ranges of seeds, bulbs, plant trays/starting pots, greenhouse products, testing/measuring kits, fertilisers, biological controls, tools, bird feeders, baskets, watering products, containers, raised beds and clothing.  The Canadian company already sources products from some Gardenex member companies.

The pet product buyer at the meeting is from a leading Spanish importer/distributor of food and supplements for all pets, from dogs, cats, horses to reptiles.  The buyer is looking for new items to complement the company’s existing range, particularly treats and accessories for dogs and cats as well as cat food and other products.  The company currently represents suppliers from the UK, Netherlands, Germany, the USA, Poland and the Czech Republic in both Spain and Portugal.  The company supplies independent pet shops and vets, as well as selling products in its showroom and pet shop in Madrid. .

 To ensure that you don’t miss out on the opportunity to apply for 25 minute one-to-one meetings with any of the buyers on 12 June call Gardenex and PetQuip (Charlie, Eleanor, Theresa, Katie or Tom) on +44 (0) 1959 565 995 or email tom@gardenex.com if you have questions.

Napoleon Grills, the internationally renowned barbecue and outdoor kitchen specialist, has teamed up with leading sport, chef and TV presenter personalities as part of their Better Barbecuing campaign for 2019 and beyond.

Napoleon’s resident UK ambassador, BBQ author and fire cooking expert, Genevieve Taylor, has collaborated with renowned chef Neil Rankin, television presenter Julia Bradbury and sporting legends Jamie Roberts and Darren Gough to create exclusive barbecue recipe videos, which will be live on Napoleon.com in time for the May bank holiday weekend and ahead of National BBQ Week (27^th May – 2^ndJune).

Each influencer is a keen griller, with varying skill sets from occasional to seasoned, and with Genevieve’s guidance, they have created bespoke recipes using a range of Napoleon’s signature gas, charcoal and portable grills. 

Renowned chef and creator of Temper, Neil Rankin, is a pioneer of London’s high-end barbecue scene. Using Napoleon’s Pro 22 Kettlecharcoal grill, Neil has created his signature ‘low and slow’ style Chicken with Chermoula, Fresh Mint, Chillies and Grilled Citrus, served with Genevieve’s Sticky Butternut Squash and Feta with Pomegranate Salsa and Garlic Yoghurt.

Julia Bradbury, an English primetime television presenter and President of The Camping and Caravanning Club (the first female in the club’s 118 year history) whipped up some Jerk-Spiced Plantain, Shallot and Halloumi Skewers cooked on a portable Napoleon Travel Q Pro285. 

England cricket legend and host of ‘Drive Time’ on talkSPORT radio, Darren Gough is a keen barbecuer and put his grill skills to the test on Napoleon’s Prestige Pro 825 to cook Italian style Pork, Fennel & Lemon Burgers with Tomato Relish and Grilled Aubergines.

Finally, Jamie Roberts, a Welsh rugby union player who has represented the British and Irish Lions and currently plays for Bath Rugby, tested his mettle over some Moroccan Lamb Steaks with Grilled Apricots on Napoleon’s Rogue SE525 SIB.

All video recipes will be available to view today, 24^th May, on www.napoleon.com/celebrity-recipes

Napoleon’s Better Barbecuing campaign aims to educate UK grillers and encourage better, more sustainable, barbecue habits.

Having pioneered the infrared grill; providing intense heat for intense grill marks, Napoleon is dedicated to continually delivering innovative engineering and design using advanced manufacturing techniques across its range of gas, charcoal and portable barbecues, bespoke outdoor kitchens, Patioflame Tables and accessories.

Pictured, from top left: Genevieve Taylor with Darren Gough, Neil Rankin, Jaime Roberts & Julia Bradbury

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Kew Botanical horticulturist and Pershore graduate, Richard Moore (above left) has won the Young Horticulturist of the Year 2019 after a thrilling Grand Final held at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Richard, who graduated with a 1^st class honours degree in Horticulture in 2017, will receive the £2,500 Travel Bursary provided by the Percy Thrower Trust. He will be able to use it to fund horticultural travel anywhere in the world.

Richard said “Being a part of the Young Horticulturist of the Year has been an incredible experience which has pushed me to improve my horticultural knowledge and has allowed me to make many new friends and connections within the horticultural industry”

Richard is planning to use the travel bursary to fund a trip to Japan, inspired by his wife who is Japanese so he can explore and study aspects of Japanese horticulture.

Richard was tied with Emily Marston at the end of the competition which then went through three tie break rounds.  Normally 2nd place wins a prize of £950 but this year the competition's main sponsor, Shropshire Horticultural Society, announced that they would give Emily, a Horticultural Apprentice at RHS Harlow Carr, a £2000 travel bursary. Life changing horticultural travel for both Richard and Emily.

3rd place went to Sally Newbrook, a horticulturist working at RHS Garden Rosemoor following a student placement at Tresco Abbey Gardens and gaining her RHS Level Practical Certificate.

The runners up in the competition were: Ben Clansey (Horticulturist at Royal Oak Landscape Design), Owen Harlow (Horticulturist at The National Trust for Scotland), Mark Matthews (Professional Gardeners Guild trainee at The National Botanic Garden of Wales), Frances Porter (Professional Gardens Guild trainee at Waddesdon Manor) and Leo Walsh (Horticulturist at Universal Floral).     

To take part in the 2020 competition, please visit www.horticulture.org.uk/young-horticulturist-of-the-year. Entry to the competition is free and is open to anyone below the age of 30 on 31 July of the year of the competition.

Pictured: Richard Moore (left), Emily Marston (middle) and Sally Newbrook (right).

This season, Johnsons launches exclusive Cosmos Kiiro as part of its seed range. The result of new Japanese breeding (‘Kiiro’ means ‘yellow’ in Japanese), the flower’s unique yellow petals with peach coloured reverses, provide a stunning display, standing out against the more traditional cosmos colours. Each packet has an RRP of £2.40 for 75 seeds.

Other new additions to the Johnsons flower collections include Dianthus Hollandia Purple Crown (RRP £2.40 for 100 seeds), a beautiful annual flowering sweet william. Trialled at the Johnsons grounds in Kentford, the scented blooms come highly recommended for cut flowers and classic border displays. Zinnia Cresto Mixed (RRP £2.85 for 50 seeds), is a striking crested ‘scabious’ type, with long lasting domed blooms on sturdy stems, perfect for cutting.

Alan Young from Cheltenham in Gloucestershire has joined Wyevale Nurseries as an Amenity Sales Executive.

In his role, which is based in Hereford, Alan will work on tenders and quotes for existing customers, as well as developing new business.

Forty-eight-year-old Alan said: “I am very excited about my appointment as Amenity Sales Executive with Wyevale Nurseries. I’m really looking forward to being a part of a horticulturally focused and driven sales team. 

“My whole career has been in horticulture and I intend to bring my previous experience and knowledge to the position, having worked in sales previously for some well-known wholesale nurseries in the South East.

“A re-location to Herefordshire means I am looking forward to meeting many new customers. However, with a strong portfolio of customers based in the South East and Wyevale Nurseries’ strong logistics network means I can still continue to supply quality plants to my customers old and new across the UK.

“Excellent customer service, supplying quality plants backed with a thorough knowledge of the industry are all attributes which mean customers will stay with you. In today’s professional, horticultural world it’s ever more important to have a strong network of customers and reliable suppliers, meaning you’ll continue to see me at industry events or out and about developing new and existing customers.”

Wyevale Nurseries offers a full plant range and choice to the amenity and landscape sector from native transplants, container grown shrubs and perennials right through to field grown trees. 

Alan added: “Being able to offer the full range of British grown stock for supply to new and exciting landscape schemes really is a drive for me.

“With superb heritage, Wyevale Nurseries celebrates 90 years’ in 2020, yet clearly defined direction as it heads into the new decade, I’m really excited to be part of the team as it moves forward.”

Prior to his role at Wyevale Nurseries, Alan worked as a Sales Development Manager at Agrumi Ltd in The New Forest.

He has also worked for various nurseries including Clifton Nurseries in Surrey, Coblands Nurseries in Kent, Tendercare Mature Plants in Buckinghamshire and Clarke & Spears International Ltd in Surrey.

Alan studied at the Welsh College of Horticulture in Mold, North Wales in the early 1990s and specialised in interior landscaping.

In his spare time, Alan enjoys walking and visiting gardens in Gloucestershire and the surrounding areas. He is also a vinyl record collector and enjoys vintage funk and soul music.

Andy Johnson, Managing Director of Wyevale Nurseries, said: “We’re pleased to have welcomed Alan to our sales team. He has a wealth of knowledge within the industry and this will only benefit our already hardworking and experienced Amenity team.”

The product selection available from Wyevale Nurseries is envied across the industry and the talented team regularly introduces new, award-winning plant varieties.

Its main business is to supply garden centres, landscape contractors, local authorities, foresters and landowners with a comprehensive array of trees, shrubs, hedging, herbaceous and specimen plants.

For further details about Wyevale Nurseries, which is based in Hereford, please call 01432 845 200, visit www.wyevalenurseries.co.uk, follow the company on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WyevaleNurs or log on to www.facebook.com/WyevaleNurs. 

New research reveals that garden centres are set to benefit most from increased consumer spending over both bank holiday weekends in May, according to new figures from Paymentsense.

Data from the company’s 70,000 small business customers across the UK, revealed that garden-related spending enjoyed the biggest lift of all sectors, with transactions up by 248% above normal levels, for the 2018 bank holiday weekends.

The warmer weather also helped increase leisure spending across the country as pubs, bars and nightclubs enjoyed a near two-thirds (60%) sales lift, followed by hotels at well over a quarter up (28%). Spending on take away and fast food was close behind with a 24% increase over the norm.

Although overall spending was up, not every UK sector is set to profit from the May bank holiday boost. Last year, dentistry business sales were down around 90% compared to their usual share of trade, followed by estate agents (down 76%), heating and plumbing-related retailers (down 71%), and builders’ merchants (down 62%).

Paymentsense also looked at spending trends over spring (Mar-May) last year and found the period is also important to UK motorcycle dealers and photography/camera retailers (both up 32% on average), service stations (up 26%) and golf courses (up 20%).

Regionally, the South East saw the greatest uplift in trade (up 9.2%), followed by the South West (7.6%) and the North East (7.2%). Portsmouth enjoyed the biggest spending boost at 26% above normal sales levels, with the national average standing at 6% uplift. London was much lower down the list at 2.2%.

Guy Moreve, CMO, Paymentsense comments: “Despite recent uncertain times for small businesses, our early analysis suggests that the trend of extra consumer spending across both bank holiday weekends is set to continue this year.

“As spring turns to summer purchasing trends shift with the seasons: our figures suggest May, with its two bank holidays, is the real start of summer for many people - their attention turns away from practical purchasing towards outdoor activities and entertainment.

“Small business owners should also ensure they can take all forms of payments ahead of the upcoming May bank holiday, to really make the most of the expected increase in consumer spending. Given that consumers will only wait a few months for SMEs to start taking cards before they lose patience, it’s also an investment in the long-term success of a new or small business.”

Wyevale Garden Centres today announces two transactions for a total of three garden centres to Blackbrook Garden Centres and Capital Gardens Limited.

Hastings and Lower Dicker (pictured above) will be sold to Blackbrook Garden Centres and is expected to complete by end of May to early June. Sherfield-on-Loddon centre will be sold to Capital Gardens Limited and is expected to complete by mid-June. All three centres will continue to be run as garden centres.

Anthony Jones, Chief Operating Officer of WGC said: "We are pleased to announce the sale of a further three centres to garden centre operators. Our colleagues have played a key role in the success of their centres and I'd like to thank them for their amazing work and wish them well for the future under new ownership."

Mark Winchester, CEO at Blackbrooks Garden Centre said: "Blackbrooks is an independent garden centre with a strong family ethos. Established in 1982 as a small landscaping centre, it has now grown to a destination garden centre, employing over 70 members of staff. We very much look forward to welcoming all staff from Lower Dicker Garden Centre and Hastings Garden Centre to the Blackbrooks family and continuing to grow by working together."

Colin Campbell-Preston, Managing Director of Capital Gardens commented: "We are incredibly excited to have acquired Sherfield-on-Loddon Centre as part of our growing portfolio of garden centres across London and the south-east. We are looking forward to implementing our unique business blueprint based on a strong plant offering and putting our signature Capital Garden stamp onto the centre to establish it as a leading garden centre in the local area. We want to keep Sherfield-on-Loddon at the heart of the community and look forward to what the future has to hold!"

Christie & Co, the specialist business property advisor managing the sale process on behalf of WGC, have run a two-phase process that has achieved considerable interest from a wide variety of buyers. The opportunity to run one, a small group or a portfolio of garden centres has ignited interest within the sector and beyond and there are still opportunities to acquire strongly located and well performing centres.

The Greenfingers Charity garden, which has been awarded a Silver-Gilt Medal, was a magnet for celebrities yesterday, all wanting to learn more about the work of our industry charity building wonderful gardens in Children's Hospices across the UK.

See our photo gallery below and watch out for more Chelsea news in future issues of GTN Xtra and GTN's June issue.

Follow this link for the full RHS Chelsea 2019 Awards winners list.

Blue Diamond Ltd have reported a pre tax profit of £10.8m for the year ended December 31st 2018 a 18% increase on 2017.

Chairman, Simon Burke, says in his report: "By any standards, 2018 was a dramatic year for Blue Diamond. Our biggest garden centre opening ever, the acquisition of nine centres from Wyevale, a share issue, a sale-andleaseback of Brambridge, and extraordinary swings in the weather all played their part.

"I am very pleased to report that we have navigated them all with success. Our headline profit before tax grew by 18% on total sales up 32%, and despite the very substantial acquisition during the year, our debt is well within acceptable parameters."

Managing DIrector, Alan Roper, pays tribute to the Blue Diamond Team for acheving the results: "2018 was a year the Group seized a rare opportunity for significant growth when we purchased nine Wyevale garden centres with an annual turnover of nearly £37m.

"The purchase completed in mid-August and the significant task began to assimilate the businesses into the Group. My operations team have been exemplary in rising to and delivering on this challenge. In fact, one would go as far as to say that despite the onerous nature of the task in hand it was met with huge enthusiasm and a modicum of excitement. This enthusiasm was matched by the existing employees and customers of the stores upon hearing Blue Diamond would be acquiring them.

"The team and culture within this Company is by any measurement exceptional. I am enormously proud of them and their achievements. They have a great affinity in the way they work together, and their loyalty to the Company and each other is second to none.

"Looking forward we have three new-build centres in the pipeline with hopefully a fourth to be agreed soon, and a number of our centres are earmarked for expansion when we have completed the current investment programme on the recent acquisitions. This new business coupled with the growth from the recent acquisitions should see the Group turnover approach £200m within the next five years."

Read the full Annual Report and Consolidated Financial Statements using this link.

See GTN Xtra's photo tour of Blue Diamond Endsleigh from the first week of May 2019.

Here's a Garden Centre Tour from Boston USA.  Peter Seabrook received these photos from Farid Khalil, plant buyer for the Mahoney chain of garden centres in the Boston area and thought we should share them via a GTN Xtra Photo Tour.  "They show the kind of dahlias they are selling in Boston mid April. When I was in Boston mid March they still had snow on the ground!," Peter said.

Farid reports that they are extremely busy buying and growing many spring products to meet their customers demand.  "The season started so early this year because of the good weather we are having, officially the big selling time would be in the beginning of May but we’ve been busy since the start of April. We are doing wonderful with moving lots of Tropicals still and there’s no slowing with this category."

See Farids photos below and watch out for more GTN Xtra Garden Centre Photo Tours over the coming weeks.

GTN Xtra had the pleasure of visiting Notcutts Norwich last week.

As you'd expect with a Notcutts centre the planteria is particularly strong with great linked sales and plenty of recycled plastic pots in evidence that were selling very well.

We loved the colour themed room sets in garden furniture and the star of the show we thought was the excellent houseplant area.  Norwich is the best performing for houseplant sales in the Notcutts group and we believe it is in the Top 10 of all garden centres in the UK.

Enjoy our photo tour of the centre below.

Alan Roper welcomed staff and suppliers to an evening event on Monday 15th April at Bicester Avenue Garden Centre to celebrate the completion of the refurbishment from a Wyevale Garden Centre that they bought last summer to a Blue Diamond Centre that is ready and raring for Easter 2019.

"Welcome to Bicester. The new Bicester. The best manifestation of Bicester in its history since it was built, I think you'll agree. We've been refurbishing many of the ex-Wyevales:  Cadbury has been going through some refurbishment, Nailsworth, my old centre has been completely finished and Endsleigh in Devon is being done currently.  It's about to start at Weybridge with a new restaurant and at Melbicks. We're working on all the ex Wyevales to get them to a standard."

See GTN Xtra's photo tour of the refurbished centre below

What would you expect from a Hillier centre? Authoritative ranges of products and plants, crisp merchandising, and expert staff. That’s exactly the delivery at Botley plus there’s the Rosemary and Thyme restaurant concept that is now being rolled out across the Hiller estate of centres. This classy, counter ordered but table served concept will be a huge benefit when the Wyevale centres just purchased get an upgrade from their current Garden Kitchens.

Out in the Planteria the customer care extends to trees where the team retain the use of their Christmas tree netting equipment to net all trees purchased to help customers get their valuable trees home safely.

In garden care they were selling plenty of grow houses with displays that included the Veg Trug wooden version at £99. At Botley they were still to sell one of the Veg Trug versions when we visited at the start of April - it’s a spot on Hillier customer product but time will tell to see if people want a more expensive wooden framed grow house.

See GTN Xtra's Photo Tour taken at the start of April 2019

Having completed the purchase of their second garden centre at Hilgay on the A10 near Downham Market the Baytree family team held their Grand Opening Event this weekend.

Baytree MD, Jutta Whitworth Biehler, told GTN Xtra: "I’ve never spent so much time cleaning as we have over the past six weeks. Getting a five star inspection this week was a brilliant result for everyone’s hard efforts."

The garden centre and farm shop has been fully stocked with all the immediately useable retail space spruced up and Baytree merchandised. Sales have been growing every week and early furniture an BBQ’s are above expectations.

The 260 seat Oak framed Barn table service restaurant is a wonderful asset - it’s fully booked every Sunday- that will enable Baytree to pull good footfall and develop increase product and plant sales.

The car park has already been resurfaced and extended, a new Entrance is being constructed off site to add some theatre at the front door. With other buildings that can be used for retail along with a coppice and grass paddock on the 10 acre site Hilgay could quickly become another destination venue for the Baytree team.

See GTN Xtra's photo tour of the centre taken on Friday afternoon as the team completed their set up work for the Grand Opening Weekend.

Billed as "Farnhams Favourite Garden Centre", Forest Lodge has loads of competitors around them so it’s no surprise they are giving themselves an edge by stocking wide ranges of products - really deep gardening ranges and plants with the extra dimension of Garden Style plants where large specimens can be bought by gardeners and landscapers alike.

In garden furniture Forest Lodge report good early sales, particularly the small corner weave sets and the metal framed lower couch style furniture from Life “it’s appealing to the younger audience looking for some style on their patio”

The extended Forest Lodge restaurant has a wonderful conservatory feel overlooking the extensive Planteria. With friendly staff and a great menu no wonder this is a favourite destination for many.

See GTN Xtra's Photo Tour, taken at the start of April 2019.

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 newsletter.

As the year goes on we give sales volume comparisons with 2016 as well as 2017 to allow your teams to see variations over a three year period.

Access is by subscription only.  For £145.00 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 Growing Media Bestsellers chart for this week are here

Highlights of the GTN Wild Bird Care chart for this week are here

Highlights of the GTN Veg-2-Gro 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.

Get the GTN Bestsellers charts in full every week in the GTN Bestsellers newsletters for only £145.00.

GTN Bestsellers is the only industry source of weekly garden centre sales information, collating Epos data from centres with an aggregate turnover in excess of £120m.

Use the weekly Garden Products and Growing Media Top 50 sales volumes charts to plan your hotspot and other promotions and ensure you have the right products in stock to satisfy the needs of your customers.

For further information contact karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk or call 01733 775700.

Buy your subscription today and start receiving the GTN Bestsellers charts this week.