An estimated 500 garden centres and suppliers are putting their final plans in place for next Friday’s second annual Garden Re-Leaf Day and weekend
Garden centres include high-profile names like The Garden Centre Group, The Klondyke Group, Scotsdales, Webbs, Squires, Bents and Notcutts and hundreds of independents, all running events, with the aim of boosting spring customer footfall whilst raising money for the industry’s Greenfingers charity.
Events include a nationally-available Gardening Quiz, featuring questions set and recorded by gardening celebrities; and an HTA-run National Gardening Gift Voucher competition called ‘Find The Winning Plot’. Local initiatives include children’s planting activities, community garden makeovers, in-store ‘plant doctor’ advice, sports challenges, raffles and competitions.
Garden Re-Leaf Day has been actively supported by The Garden Centre Association (GCA) and the Garden Industry Manufacturers Assocation (GIMA). The QVC shopping channel is also broadcasting two special fund-raising shows on Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 March at 9am, donating at least £1 per to Garden Re-Leaf per product sold – with support from Thomson & Morgan, Raymond Evison Clematis, Burgon & Ball and Luxform, among others. William Sinclair Horticulture, Solus and Javado have also made selected products available for resale in aid of Garden Re-Leaf.
Last year’s inaugural Garden Re-Leaf Day raised more than £55,000, enabling specially designed family gardens to be built at hospices in West Dunbartonshire and Stoke-on-Trent.
Garden Re-Leaf’s founder, Hillview chief executive Boyd Douglas Davies, says there is still time for more centres to get involved: “Garden Re-Leaf Day is a fantastic opportunity to get customers shopping for their gardens again after the winter months. If you’re looking for inspiration on how to get involved, visit the Garden Re-Leaf Day website where there are lots of ideas. And if you do arrange a last-minute activity, don’t forget to add the details to the Garden Re-Leaf Day website www.gardenreleaf.co.uk so your customers and the media can see what’s on.”
