The Love the Plot You've Got Roadshows have got off to a flying start at the opening day of the Edible Garden Show/Good Life Live at Alexandra Palace.

The industry wide campaign highlights inspirational options for transforming small outdoor spaces. Alongside the 'before' plot are spaces themed around entertaining, growing your own,  using containers and decorating a balcony.

Suppliers from across the industry including Mr Fothergills, Woodlodge, Aylett Nurseries,  Copely and Outdoor Gourmet have provided products for the feature, which will continue on its journey around the UK after the show this weekend.

David Arnold, Love the Plot campaign manager comments: 'It has been a fantastic first day at Good Life Live with the feature receiving alot of interest from visitors to the show. Many beginner gardeners have come through the door looking for ideas and inspiration."

He adds: "People can really relate to the spaces and importantly are signing up for further inspiration on the website/social media."

Retailer stakeholders from Aylett Nurseries (who also provided the plants) and Perrywood Garden Centre spent the day at the show engaging with visitors.

Lyn Eden, Retail Specialist from Aylett Nurseries, comments: "Everyone is really connecting with the themes of the outdoor spaces - they are creating a real talking point. The edible beds, packed with herbs, are really popular - especially to the school groups visiting."

GCA Rising Star winner Kirsty Clark, from Perrywood, adds: "The entertainment themed space has really caught peoples' attention. With bright pots, colourful furniture, innovative yet simple use of sleepers and vertical planting there are plenty of ideas to inspire.

"It has been really insightful to speak to visitors about how they view their gardens. Plenty of learning to take back and feed into our own displays."

The Roadshows are part of the innovative 3 year Love the Plot You’ve Got Campaign which has been created following detailed research into consumer perceptions about their desires for their outdoor living spaces, especially among the key 30-45 year old age group.

The emphasis is on easy, affordable ways to improve tired, neglected outdoor living spaces to make them places for Rest, Relaxation, Socialising and Play.

The Inspiring Roadshow gardens are made up of a ‘before’ garden, which will represent the hundreds of thousands of neglected, tired back gardens across the country, together with three ‘transformations’ and a balcony garden feature:

• The Entertaining Garden shows with just a little imagination, consumers can have their own special oasis of calm to socialise with friends or simply “Chill” after a busy day.
• The Container or Portable Garden shows just how even those who live in small gardens can create a lovely outdoor living space that’s easy to achieve and manage. Even those who live in rented accommodation can have a wonderful outdoor space that when they move, they can take their garden with them!
• The Edible Garden combines vegetables and edible flowers into a great looking plot that provides tasty, nutritious things to eat, that’s lovely to look at, even when space is limited
• The Balcony Garden shows how even tiny spaces can be converted into colourful little havens to relax and even entertain in.

The Roadshows are supported by horticulturalist, broadcaster and TV gardener Chris Collins, who will provide tips and demonstrations including planting a hanging basket, seed sowing, day to day gardening advice and free interactive kids gardening activities to inspire the next generation.

Visitors to the Love the Plot You’ve Got Roadshow will meet friendly advisors who will provide them with easy to understand, jargon-free information and achievable and realistic advice on how to transform their outdoor living spaces, small or large.

From Alexandra Palace, the roadshow will then tour the UK stopping at cities and events. Visit www.loveyourplot.com for full details of each Roadshow venue.

Love the Plot You’ve Got Roadshow dates

• 20-22 March:    Good Life Live, London
• 11-12 April:      Van Hage Garden Centre, Great Amwell
• 18-19 April:      Scotsdale Garden Centre, Cambridge
• 25 – 26 April:   Webbs of Wychbold, Worcestershire
• 2-3 May:          Cardiff (tbc)
• 8-10 May:        Garden Show Ireland, Belfast
• 23-24 May:      George Square, Glasgow
• 29-31 May:     Gardening Scotland, Edinburgh
• June:             Garden centres (to be announced)
• 17-20 July:     Home and Garden Show, Stratford upon Avon

Manufacturers and suppliers from across the industry have gathered together to support the campaign, for a list of our partners visit www.loveyourplot.com/partners.

For a list of retailers participating in the campaign, visit www.loveyourplot.com/find-a-retailer

Wyevale Garden Centres was joined by celebrity gardener Toby Buckland as it celebrated the opening of the new Percy Thrower’s Wyevale Garden Centre on Friday 20th March.

Marketing Director Sarah Fuller told GTN Xtra; "The opening of Percy Thrower's Wyevale Garden Centre is all about taking a big step forward in creating an enjoyable shopping experience, a concept we can take into the whole estate of centres.  We've been overwhelmed by the reaction from customers and by sales levels."

"Many customers have commented on how much it feels like a garden centre all the way through.  It is a warm and happy space."

The new centre is a stone’s throw away from the original site and takes inspiration from the legacy of local and national treasure Percy Thrower, the UK’s first celebrity gardener.

A special group of black Labradors – Percy’s favourite dog – also enjoyed themselves on the day; each was presented with a special dog tag in a commemorative gift bag provided by the store's Pets Corner team.

Centre manager Chris Bridgeman said he had been amazed by the phenomenal response from local people locally who wanted to celebrate the memory of their local hero and gardening champion.

Toby Buckland and Margaret Thrower, one of Percy’s three daughters, gave special talks.

Toby Buckland (pictured above in a selfie with two of Percy's daughters) said: “Gardening is a fabulous activity and it’s a great pleasure to celebrate the opening of this new Wyevale Garden Centre, in honour of Percy. He was undoubtedly the UK’s first celebrity gardener and he has influenced me throughout my life and career as I followed in his footsteps.”

Margaret Thrower said: “During his life Dad inspired millions of people and he would be overjoyed to see so many people visiting the centre. My sisters and I have worked closely with Wyevale Garden Centres on the development of the centre from the outset and we’re so pleased with the result.

The new store has two food and drink venues; seasonal British dishes in The Botanic Kitchen and an artisanal cafe, Coffee Ground.

Local garden designer Lucy Walton, has created a compact garden at the heart of the centre’s outdoor plant area.  ‘Connecting threads’ is Lucy’s modern interpretation of Percy’s wish to inform and educate his local customers. The garden showcases traditional, contemporary, alpine and home planting schemes. All four are linked using a mixture of hedging and local materials to merge past with present, contemporary with traditional and Percy with Wyevale.

Sarah Fuller, marketing director at Wyevale Garden Centres, said: “It has been fabulous to see how the local community have welcomed us. They have already visited in their hundreds to celebrate Percy’s legacy with us, keeping his garden spirit alive and well. Percy was a real gardening pioneer and definitely ahead of his time. We are so pleased to see visitors enjoying the unique environment of the new centre.”

The centre was one of seven acquired by Wyevale Garden Centres when they purchased the Garden & Leisure Group.



Above: Toby Buckland views the Solar Eclipse during the opening of Percy Thrower's Wyevale Garden Centre on Friday morning.

After a disappointingly cold Mother’s Day, Garden Re-Leaf Day is the next great opportunity to get sales going this season.

GTN Bestsellers data shows that while garden centre transactions increased week on week, the cold weather certainly took any potential shine off Mother’s Day with sales down 12% on the same week last year and gardening sales – such as composts and veg plants – down by up to 40% as gardeners stayed in the warm and didn’t venture outside.

That means we need to hang our hats on the next few weeks leading up to Easter and Garden Re-Leaf Day on March 27th is the next great opportunity to make some noise and give your customers an extra reason to come to your centre.

The Briers Greenfingers Gloves and the #Glovie world record attempt is one of the easiest ways to get an extra crowd into your centre at 11:00am next Friday so you should start promoting that now.  

The Briers Greenfingers Gloves are already rasing plenty of money for Garden Re-Leaf Day – they are this week’s highest new entry in the GTN Garden Products chart at number 13!

To find out more about Garden Re-Leaf Day and how you can join in, call the Greenfingers team on 01494 674749 or visit www.greenfingerscharity.org.uk

If you would like supplies of the Briers Greenfingers Glovies which raise money for Greenfingers with every sale you should contact sales@briersltd.co.uk or call 01963 269077.

GTN Bestsellers Top 50 sales volumes compared to the same week last year...

• Garden Products – down 16%
• Veg-2-Gro Products – down 43%
• Growing Media – down 32%
• All items index – down 12%

The Garden Centre Association has revealed ts new area chairmen who will represent member garden centres in GCA regions. 

Under the chairmanship of Will Armitage the regions have been tasked to help improve opportunities for members and assist them to get more from the industry organisation.

Will explained: “We’re very pleased to have our new area chairmen for 2015 now in place. Each one will take over the representation of the member garden centres in their area.

“I hope to see more activity from each region in the coming year and stronger regional groups.”

In the South Thames region Jolyon Martin from Chessington Garden Centre has taken over the role of chairman from Tim Mason from Hillier Nurseries and Garden Centres.

Peter Self from Whitehall Garden Centre follows Monkton Elm Garden & Pet Centre’s Managing Director, Mike Lind, as the chairman for the Wales and the West region. Mike has become a directly elected member of the GCA Executive Committee.

Will Blake from St Peters Garden Centre has succeeded Philippa McKean for the Midlands area.  

The new North West chairman will be Keith Laird from Hayes Garden World who has replaced Alyson Haywood, the former General Manager of Moreton Park Garden Centre.

Yvonne Ritchie from Brechin Castle Garden Centre has taken over as the Scottish and Northern Irish chairman from Caulders Garden Centre Managing Director, Colin Barrie.

James Ducker continues as the chairman for North East and the position of North Thames chairman is currently open. Anyone who would like to volunteer should email the GCA CEO Iain Wylie iain@gca.org.uk.

Will added: “I would like to thank all our outgoing chairmen for their hard work and commitment and wish all their replacements every success in their new positions.”

The GCA represents nearly 200 garden centres nationwide. Through sharing information and its inspection programme the GCA helps members to achieve high standards in customer service, plant quality and reliability.

For further information, please call 0118 930 8918. Alternatively, please visit www.gca.org.uk, log on to www.facebook.com/pages/GardenCentreAssociation or follow the organisation on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GC_Association. 

Garden lighting products continue to dominate the GTN Bestsellers Garden Products chart although gardeners are starting to buy items they can use when the weather gets warmer.

• Gardman Ice Orb Solar Light is the highest re-entry at No 6, while the Solar Mini Ice Orb retains top spot.
• The highest new entry are the Briers Greenfingers Gloves.
• Bayer Provado Ultimate Bug Killer, Ready to Use, is the highest climber, jumping 25 places to No 21.

The Prime Minister's personal chef at Chequers has made a special Easter Egg to be auctioned on Garden Re-Leaf Day next Friday, with all the proceeds going to the Greenfingers charity.

Graham Howarth, who is Executive Chef at Chequers in Buckinghamshire, is a friend of Greenfingers' Head of Fundraising Linda Petrons, and donated the Easter Egg for Garden Re-Leaf.

Graham lives on the Chequers estate where he has worked for over 12 years.



If you would like to bid for the Easter Egg email info@greenfingerscharity.org.uk

The New Bucktons Superior Plus pigeon range, showcased at the PATS Sandown trade show this week, was enthusiastically received by trade retailers, owners Westland reported.

The wild bird and cage and aviary range available on the stand also impressed buyers, say the company.

Rachael Dickinson, senior brand manager for Bucktons, said: “Retailers were keen to find out more about the products in the range and were so impressed with what they found that they were keen to place orders right then and there.”

She said PATS Sandown was a key event and an opportunity to see all the pet trade under one roof. “This year didn’t disappoint and was a real success, both for Bucktons overall and our new Superior Plus range,” she said.

Landscape products and materials supplier Kelkay has launched a customer experience app.

A combined professional ordering tool and integrated catalogue, it enables Kelkay’s field sales team to show its full product range electronically, access relevant account information and process orders during customer visits. The company says this significantly speeds up order turnaround times for customers. Kelkay staff can also access order history, plan calls and capture customer information and feedback.

The app can be used offline, making it ideal when travelling or exhibiting at trade shows.

Richard Pyrah, director of sales at Kelkay, said the app’s functionality meant customers could enjoy a brand experience second to none. “Not only are our sales team able to present the right products at the right time to retailers, they have all the relevant customer information at their fingertips. This makes the time we spend with customers more productive for them than ever before.”

Kelkay’s brand portfolio includes Borderstone^®, Build Mate^®, easyfountain^® and Henri^®, between them covering aggregates, stone, water and garden features, paving, edging and walling, building materials, horticulture and winter products.

www.kelkay.co.uk.

Sugru, a mouldable glue recently named ‘Best DIY Product 2015’ by the British Hardware Federation, earns its first garden centre listing this spring. Wyevale Garden Centres are to stock it from May.

Handy for any number of small home improvement projects, Sugru is a unique material made to form a strong bond to aluminium, steel, ceramics, glass, wood and several other materials, including some plastics and rubbers

Sugru’s suppliers believe the product will appeal to Wyevale’s large customer base. “The Wyevale Garden Centre customer might spend half a day in store browsing, and may not expect to come across a tool like Sugru,” says UK sales manager Brian Bott. “It’s just that kind of discovery that we find most exciting about partnerships in new sectors.”

“Sugru is sold in more than 160 countries worldwide and we see brilliant garden applications time and time again. Improving the grip on a trowel and repairing garden furniture through to patching up wellies - we know people who spend time in the garden, generally love using Sugru. To launch into the sector with Wyevale makes good business sense and we’re excited for what else lies ahead.”

Currently stocked at a range of DIY and outdoor stores including B&Q and Blacks, Sugru’s durability and weatherproof properties will prove an important selling point to customers whose leisure time is mostly spent outdoors.

As La Hacienda turns 25, the company has never been in a better position to further expand its offering, and its recent showroom opening event is just the start of the exciting plans for the year ahead.   

Taking place on Friday 13th March the showroom opening marked a key milestone for the thriving Gloucestershire business.  The special event included a visit from Cotswold MP and Chairman of the International Office Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, with members of the local press also in attendance. 

The first showroom of its type at La Hacienda’s Aston Down Airfield headquarters, the new facility is designed to provide an inspirational and creative way to showcase the company’s full product offering, including chimeneas, outdoor cooking products, firepits, garden decorations, electric outdoor heating solutions and accessories. 

Simon Goodwin, Director at La Hacienda said “It’s absolutely brilliant to be able to have a space such as this which displays our products and gives our Account Managers somewhere where they can nurture professional relationships and develop business.” 

Simon added that those who have visited the new showroom facilities since its official opening “have been extremely impressed with the showroom, with many also remarking how the full breadth of product can really be appreciated.”

In addition to investing in the new showroom, La Hacienda has also rolled out its new-for-2015 branding across its full range of merchandising and point of sale products, with the full range also finding a home in the new showroom. Customers visiting the facility will be able to take full advantage of this, including working with the company’s in-house design team to discuss bespoke design ideas to ensure optimal in-store brand visibility and inspiration. 

Simon summarised: “The new showroom is much more than just a space to showcase products; it is also a meeting place for customers, a source of inspiration, and a platform from which we can work with our customers to create an offering that will drive sales, encourage repeat business and secure the long-term profitability of their business.”  

La Hacienda’s new showroom is not the end of the company’s exciting plans for the 2015 season. Having picked up the Glee 2014 New Product Leisure Award for its innovative BakerStone Oven Box, the La Hacienda team is busy riding this wave, working to bring this exciting barbeque accessory to retailers across the country. A wealth of consumer focused activity is also underway, helping to drive interest into store as summer approaches.  

In addition, La Hacienda will also be promoting the new range of Artevasi pots and planters, which joined the product portfolio in late 2014.  As exclusive UK distributors of the brand, La Hacienda’s offering has never been stronger. Retail customers can take advantage of the unrivalled breadth of product on offer, safe in the knowledge that La Hacienda has all their garden heating, accessory and decoration needs met.

Find out more  

To find out how stocking La Hacienda products can boost your retail offering this summer contact the team by visiting www.lahacienda.co.uk or by calling 01285 762060.

Horticultural celebrities from TV and radio have been busy recording questions, wearing Glovies of course, for the 2015 Greenfingers Garden Re-Leaf Day Quiz. And now the Garden Radio Team are editing the complete quiz together ready for downloading in time for Greenfingers Quiz Nights across the country on Garden Re-Leaf Day.

Popular stars of TV and radio Christine Walkden and Chris Beardshaw have recorded questions for the quiz, along with their BBC Radio 4’s Gardener’s Question Time colleague Eric Robson and BBC weatherman Peter Gibbs. Other well-known gardening experts such as Anne Swithinbank, Bob Flowerdew, Pippa Greenwood, Bunny Guinness, Matthew Biggs and Matthew Wilson (Greenfingers Chairman) are also contributing to the esteemed quiz.

All monies raised from the quiz, with questions this year written by Andy Bunker of Altons Garden Centre and produced in the studios of Garden Radio, will once again go to the Greenfingers ‘Rosy Cheeks’ campaign. The campaign aims to provide much needed gardens for children who spend time in hospices around the UK, along with their families, by creating inspiring gardens and outdoor spaces for them to relax in and enjoy.

The 2015 Greenfingers Garden Re-Leaf Day Quiz is available to all garden centres, gardening societies and other organisations and is the perfect way to participate in the fourth, annual Greenfingers Garden Re-Leaf Day, which takes place on 27th March 2015.

For £100 participants will receive a pack containing all they need to host the quiz – it includes a special CD or Mp3 download of pre-recorded questions (and answers) to play to the audience, everything needed for the picture round, and a bonus pack of fundraising ideas, hints and tips.

Bosworth’s Garden Centre in Burton Latimer were one of the many garden centres that received great interest in last year’s Garden Re-Leaf Day Quiz. Marketing Co-ordinator, Jonathan Biggs, said: “The quiz was so easy to run, our teams were delighted to hear celebrities’ voices asking the questions, and the ‘heads and tails’ game was great fun.”

Garden centres wanting to take part should register on the Greenfingers Garden Re-Leaf Day website, and can also take advantage of free publicity for their events, by filling in the simple form online at www.gardenreleaf.co.uk/register-an-event. Once registered, each individual event appears on the site’s ‘events’ section, and is searchable by area to help the public find their local participating garden centre.

The quiz is just one of many ways to raise funds for Greenfingers Garden Re-Leaf Day. Other retailer participation ideas include in-store sponsored cycle rides, as well as fun family day activities such as making cress heads and sowing Sunflowers – the Home Garden Association’s plant of the year for 2015. Suppliers can also get involved with the Loose Change promotion.

To ensure maximum exposure for your event, make sure to register soon via www.gardenreleaf.co.uk/register-an-event. To order your 2015 Greenfingers Garden Re-Leaf Day quiz pack, explore other opportunities for supporting the 2015 event as a supplier, or participate as a retailer, email info@gardenreleaf.co.uk.

An online petition has been launched urging Wyevale Garden Centres to sell Raglan Garden Centre in Monmouthshire back to an independent owner...

Wyevale bought the award-winning Raglan in November from Martin and Jean Davies, who acquired the site in 1991, to take their estate of centres to a total of 143. It has since risen to 148.

The centre has been recognised over the years with a number of awards, including winners of GTN’s Gold Garden Care Team 2014, GCA’s Best Plant Area Wales & West 2013 and Best Christmas Displays 2012 & 2013.

Kevin Bradshaw, Chief Executive of WGC, said at the time of the acquisiition: “We are pleased to continue our growth with the addition of the award-winning Raglan Garden Centre, which has a strong and loyal customer base and an excellent reputation among garden enthusiasts. "Known for its large range of garden-related products and renowned restaurant, which has dramatic landscape views of the Sugarloaf Mountain and the Welsh countryside, the centre is an ideal addition to our estate and we look forward to welcoming its customers and employees to our business.”

But now a petition has been posted on change.org by Mr Ricky Cleaver, who claims: "Wyevale's intention is to make this just another run-of-the-mill centre."

A copy of the petition can be found at https://www.change.org/p/wyevale-garden-centres-sell-raglan-garden-centre-back-to-an-independent-owner

Our Client is an established Landscape and Grounds Maintenance company who are seeking a driven director to work closely with the senior management team and the board to bring clear leadership, reinforcement of current management structure, drive performance and bring sustainable profit to the business while providing customers with a top rate service. 

They are seeking a motivated leader with a proven track record at senior management level. Someone who is capable of ensuring that their dedicated teams are delivering high standards of work and also profit. Someone who is capable of seeing the big picture and steering the company to achieve excellence in all areas while also being able to appreciate the smaller details of landscape management. Knowledge or experience in either the Landscape, Grounds Maintenance, Facilities Management or Construction sectors are essential for this role. 

To find out more please submit your CV in the first instance to info@morepeople.co.uk quoting the reference #DS7138

My client is a small garden centre group based in the south east of England, they are established in their market and are now looking to recruit a new senior leader to the team. 

This role will have oversight of all the groups centres as well as having day to day managerial responsibilities for the groups largest site. 

We need:

• An Experienced retail manager with a minimum of 2 years as a large turnover site manager.
• A superb retailer with an eye for quality who continually upholds high standards of merchandising and customer service.
• A commercially minded business professional who can look after the day to day HR, finance and supply tasks associated with the role.
• A forward thinking planner who can use the seasonality associated with the market to produce outstanding events to ensure top performance during peak times.
• A Garden Centre Expert who knows the industry back to front and can exploit and build on market trends.

We would prefer:

• Candidates with experience in a regional or multisite management role.
• Candidates with a positive can do attitude that lead by example.
• Candidates looking for a long term project where they can commit themselves to a business and develop with the role.

For a confidential discussion, please call Brad Peck at MorePeople on 01780 480530 quoting reference #BP7174

Our client is a wholesale bedding plant Nursery operating from two sites who supply to the main Garden Centre Chains and Independent Garden Centres across the UK. They are looking for a skilled grower with excellent supervisory skills to assist and help with the day to day running of the Nursery. Working and supporting the Nursery Owner this will be based at their Evesham site. 

Ideally they are looking for someone with experience and the ability to supervise 10 -15 nursery workers and help organise and work to agreed time scales. 

Experience of the bedding plant industry would be an advantage also there are good long term prospects as the successful candidate could be considered to manage the site on their own in the future.

To find out more please submit your CV in the first instance to info@morepeople.co.uk quoting the reference #DS7164

My client is a small garden centre group based in the south east of England, they are established in their market and are now looking to recruit a new Garden Centre Manager for one of their established centres. 

We need:

• An Experienced retail manager with at least 3 years at deputy manager experience.
• A driven individual who is committed to increasing the productivity and turnover of their site.
• A leader who creates opportunities through effective motivation of their team.
• A individual with a background in an retailer that sells within a market that is effected by seasonality.

We would prefer:

• An experienced garden centre manager looking for a new challenge.
• A forward thinking retail with very high standards for merchandising and customer service.

For a confidential discussion, please call Brad Peck at MorePeople on 01780 480530 quoting reference #BP7175

Bath garden centre managing director John Leach was so incensed by motorists parking their vehicles in the store's car park before heading into the city that he decided to take drastic action...blocking them in with bags of compost.

When the car owners who parked in Prior Park Garden Centre returned to their vehicles they were asked to give a donation to charity.

It is believed the cars, which were there for more than three hours, belonged to political campaigners who had been out canvassing ahead of May's elections.

Mr Leach said: "Last weekend was Mother's Day weekend, which was a busy time for us.

"About 9am, one of my caretakers was in the car park and he saw a couple of cars drive in, a group of young men get out and go into town.

"Around the car park we have a number of signs explaining it's a private car park and it's for use of customers at the garden centre.

"I put a bunch of compost behind the car so they couldn't get out."

The motorists donated £50 to the Children's Hospice South West and although the incident ended amicably, they are unlikely to return soon.

Mr Leach said: "There are many occasions when we have been more than happy for people to leave cars in our car park if they have the courtesy to ask us.

"On a very busy weekend, to leave two cars for three hours, I think that's outrageous. The car park was full on one of the best weekend of the spring.

"I said 'if more people took advantage of us like you have it would grind out business to a halt'."

Sales of growing media saw a significant rise on the previous week with multipurpose compost together with top soil performing particularly well.

• Westland Top Soil (Value Pack, 35 litres) moved to No 2 spot while Scotts Levington Organic Blend Top Soil (25 litres) was the highest climber, jumping 18 places to No 20.
• Arthur Bowers Top Soil (20 litres) was a re-entry, while the company’s John Innes No 3 (25 litres) was the highest returning line.
• The highest new entry was Westland Multipurpose + John Innes (20 litres + 5 litres extra).

Thieves have targeted Rosebank Garden Centre, in the Clyde Valley, on two separate occasions to steal expensive Yankee Candles. 

The first incident took place on Saturday, March 7, during the day when 12 candles were stolen from the centre.

The suspect on this occasion is described as being male and it is believed he left in a taxi.

The second incident took place on Friday, March 13, at around 1.15pm, when 12 candles were taken.

The suspect on this occasion is described as being female, aged between 40 and 50 years, wearing a beige coat and she had dark brown hair tied up in a bun.

She is also believed to have left the centre in a taxi.

Craig Forrest, owner of the garden centre, said: “A number of candles have now been taken. We are working with the police to try and catch these individuals involved.

“I would say to anyone who is thinking about doing this again to think twice as we have our CCTV cameras around the centre. We have descriptions already of those involved and are currently reviewing our CCTV in order to find these people.”

Chief Inspector Sandy Blair of Hamilton Police said: “We would urge anyone who had any further information on this incident to come forward.

“Also, if anyone is approached by someone selling these types of candles we would also urge them to get in touch.”

KinderGarden have five of the Top 10 places in the GTN Bestsellers Veg-2-Gro chart, with four of them being young tomato plants, topped by Gardeners Delight at No 1.

• Quantil Tomato Shirley (8cm) is the highest re-entry at No 9.
• Thompson & Morgan have three new entries in the chart, headed by Courgette Venus at No 37.
• T&M also have the highest climber in Carrot Early Nantes 2, which jumps 28 places to No 20.

Charlie Dimmock will visit six garden centres in April and May to promote Westland’s the Gro-Sure® Planting Magic.

She will make special guest appearances, take part in Q&A sessions and hold ‘how-to’ sessions at:

• April 3 – Birchen Grove Garden Centre, London
• April 4 – Polhill Garden Centre, Sevenoaks, Kent
• April 6 – Polhill Garden Centre, Cambridge
• April 15 – Aylett Nurseries, St Albans, Hertfordshire
• April 25 – Newbridge Garden Centre, West Sussex
• May 3 – Hollybush Garden Centre, Wolverhampton

Charlie will be back on TV screens during the tour in Planting Magic ads to be seen by an estimated 14m consumers.

The product contains fast-acting and slow-release feeds, seaweed for soil conditioning, plus moisture controlling granules for whole-season results on roses, trees, shrubs, bedding, herbaceous plants, fruits and vegetables.

Which? Gardening magazine’s annual growing media survey is well-known for springing a few surprises – and this year’s is no exception.

Biggest of all is that Westland’s peat-based Jack’s Magic All Purpose compost achieved the highest test score in the category for composts for seed raising, beating five specialist seed composts as well as other multi-purpose rivals.

The Jack’s Magic score was 73%, and earned a Best Buy recommendation, along with three others on 70% - Levington Original Multipurpose, B&Q’s Verve Multipurpose Peat-free and Westland Multipurpose with John Innes.

Westland’s Gro-Sure Seed & Cuttings Compost scored just 20% in the trials and was tagged a ‘Don’t Buy’, along with Homebase John Innes No 1 Seedling Compost and Waitrose & Alan Titchmarsh Peat-free Compost.

For raising young plants, Miracle-Gro All Purpose Enriched Compost (50% peat) scored an emphatic victory with 95%. In second place was Verve MP Peat-free on 88%. Ironically, Verve Sowing & Cutting Compost scored better (by 2%) in this category than it did for seed sowing. Ten products received ‘Don’t Buy’ advice

For plants in container, there were three Best Buys, with FertileFibre’s coir-based MP Compost leading the pack on 86%, closely followed by Melcourt’s peat-free Sylvagrow on 84%. The third was Levington Original MP (80% peat). Carbon Gold’s Gro-Char All Purpose (peat-free) emerged the best of the rest, on 69%. There were nine ‘Don’t Buy’s.

The seed raising trials were on tomato and pansy seeds; raising young plants on basil seedlings and pelargonium young plants. For containers plants, a patio potato crop was assessed, plus the vigour and flowering of begonias.

Wickes are to stock the Dansand No Weed range of paving joint fillers, distributors Active Products UK have annmounced.

It will be available online and in 149 of their stores from this week.

Active are also exclusive UK distributors for US-based Turtle Wax.

Dansand® No Weed™ is popular with landscapers, builders and home-owners as an effective range of environmentally-friendly joint-filling products that inhibit weed growth on patios, pavements and driveways.

The range to be stocked by Wickes DIY includes:

• No Weed™ Block Paving Sand
• No Weed™ Stone Dust for paving for dark joints.
• No Weed™ Polymeric Paving Joint Fix for jointing and repairing paving.

A naturally high pH value helps to create desert-like conditions that inhibit weed growth and germination. The products are water resistant, long-lasting and eco-friendly, suitable for use on new and old stone and block paving, driveways, patios, tiles or bricks.

Mr Fothergill's Seeds has appointed Jon-Paul Schofield as salesman for its territory comprising a corridor either side of the A1 from Lincolnshire in the north to London in the south. He has previously worked in the communications industry in both the UK and Europe.

Jon-Paul, who lives in Peterborough, has a family connection with the seed trade, as his grandfather once worked for the well-known Bees Seeds brand. 

An ex semi-professional footballer, Jon-Paul still plays the game, and also enjoys golf and spending time in the gym.  He has a claim to fame in being the cousin of John McVie, bass player with Fleetwood Mac.

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 2012 as well as 2013 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 Veg-2-Gro Products 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.