In This Issue
Online petition launched to get Welsh garden centres re-opened – sign it NOW!
GTN's Christmas Special Issue - read on-line here
Great roofing products for the garden make-over boom
Moving on up… slowly
Adding a hop, skip and a jump this Spring!
Jeno Floral - pick of the Christmas Bestsellers
Greenfingers Charity welcomes Guy Topping as Trustee
GIMA launches the UK garden industry’s first ‘Plastic Packaging Pledge’
Evergreen Garden Care signs new partnership with David Domoney
RHS awards key outdoor pots license to Woodlodge
Christmas Future Trends at Glee's Festive Focus Day
Woodlodge launches new Snowlodge Christmas virtual portal
Thrive with Notcutts during lockdown
DJ Turfcare launches new consumer brochure to drive confidence at point of sale
Helping garden centres to grow their online sales
Floriade cable car: a trip to the future
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Scotscape Groundscape to support Greenfingers Charity
Webinar series on transformation of agriculture and its workforce for sustainable future
The best of last week's
Signs of growth for after lockdown
Hillmount boss warns of disarray for gardeners in Northern Ireland as spring approaches
Industry taskforce to produce roadmap for a peat-free future
AMES UK reports record revenues in 2020
Altons BBQ World, Aylett Nurseries, Barton Grange, Baytree, Busy Bee, Groves, Pengelly, Pughs, The Old Railway Line and Squires Badshot Lea are the winners of GTN's Greatest Christmas Awards
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Barton Grange Christmas 2020 - Exclusive GTN Xtra Photo Tour
Squires Badshot Lea - Christmas 2020
Perrywood at Christmas 2020 - with correct photo gallery now...
British Garden Centres open their 58th centre at Thatcham
Haskins Snowhill re-opens after £15m re-vamp
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Hillmount boss warns of disarray for gardeners in Northern Ireland as spring approaches

Hillmount owner Robin Mercer is calling on the government to provide assistance to the horticultural sector as gardeners in Northern Ireland face a spring of disarray due to the current situation surrounding the transportation of plants, garden furniture, gardening equipment and tools from GB and other parts of the world.

 

Speaking about the dire consequences for Northern Ireland gardeners Robin Mercer said: “For 80 years we have supported local suppliers and growers but the reality is that around 50% of our stock comes from outside Northern Ireland as we just don’t manufacture the goods or grow the plants here to meet customer demand.

 

“We have been quoted £12,000 for a container from China which would have previously cost £1,200 and although we can source plants from Holland or the Republic of Ireland, the fact is that the quality of product that customers of Hillmount expect come from plants grown in Great Britain.

 

“We have written to our elected representatives to appeal to them to see sense and support our industry as spring approaches otherwise families up and down the country will not be able to enjoy their gardens and benefit their mental health to the same extent that they did last year.

 

“As I try to juggle furloughed staff, an Eat Out To Help Out inspection, the red tape involved with trying to ship goods from China and the challenges with Customs around sourcing plants from GB I fear for our fourth generation family run garden centre business. Like many others we’re on the brink of collapse through no fault of our own.”

 

Fortuitously the Mercer family placed orders for garden furniture, seeds and seed potatoes ahead of time at the end of last year as they were fearful of the difficulties that lay ahead but now they are faced with having to absorb the costs of storing these items during lockdown.

 

Robin added: “We have even been told that the pallets the goods are travelling on even requires certification. The whole thing is ridiculous. We have been ordering the same plants, bird food and gardening tools for years and almost overnight a wooden handled trowel cannot be delivered to us. Roses can’t be shipped due to how they are grown. Yet one supplier in GB is saying they can ship our order to Europe and drive it to us via the Republic. Where is the sense in that?”

 

Hillmount is a fourth generation family owned gardening business with garden lifestyle stores in Ards, Bangor and Belfast.

 

Follow Hillmount on facebook at www.facebook.com/hillmountgardencentre, on instagram at www.instagram.com/hillmountbelfast or on twitter at www.twitter.com/hillmountgarden. Shop online at www.hillmount.co.uk.

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