The Intratuin garden centre at Zevenhuizen has already reached €12 million turnover - and all that with no outside sales area at all...
The Intratuin garden centre at Zevenhuizen, between Utrect and The Hague, proved a more than interesting stop off for the Garden Industry Trade Mission to Holland last month. Although only opened a year ago the centre has already reached €12 million turnover - and all that with no outside sales area at all.
Plants are the stars from the moment you enter the centre, and you keep looking for the exit to the planteria - but there isn't one. What you do find is an excellent range and display of plants, all looking good, with the appropriate sundries and linked sales right by the plants.
Grow Your Own is the first department and what about this for the best POS I've ever seen to promote the sales of young tomato plants: Plants in fruit, ready for growing on and harvesting now, on sale in a garden centre in April. And it wasn't just tomato plants in fruit either, see the picture gallery below.
They've really thought about customer convenience at Intratuin. These carry handles appear on most plant pots making it clean and easy to pick up the plant of your choice and they make excellent holders for bright and bold POS cards.
We know that garden lighting products are bestsellers in the UK, but here in this Intratuin garden centre it's not just a few metres of lighting and a few hotspot pallet displays, this is just part of their garden lighting department.
The picture gallery below gives you a brief guided tour of the centre, unfortunately flight times meant we didn't get a chance to visit the garden furniture and BBQ display area on the mezzanine floor. We'll just have to do that on our next visit.
If you'd like to visit this centre their address and contact details are: Intratuin Zevenhuizen
Ex-Waitrose executive Sarah Fuller has been put in charge of the country's biggest gardening club, and tasked with the job of increasing the current membership of 2.5 million...
Ex-Waitrose executive Sarah Fuller has been put in charge of the country's biggest gardening club, and tasked with the job of increasing the current membership of 2.5 million.
The Garden Centre Group has appointed Sarah Fuller as Marketing Director, with one of her key roles being responsible for the company's successful Gardening Club loyalty scheme.
Reporting to Kevin Bradshaw, the Group’s CEO, Sarah will lead the marketing function, encompassing ‘The Gardening Club’ loyalty platform, all marketing communications, e-commerce activity and customer services for the UK’s largest garden centre chain.
Sarah joins The Garden Centre Group from Waitrose, where she has been Head of Marketing Communications since 2009.
At Waitrose, Sarah was responsible for brand strategy; through-the-line communications; loyalty & CRM; publications; customer events and Waitrose Cookery School.
She lead the award-winning essential Waitrose marketing launch, the three-year Delia and Heston campaign, the Brand Price Match initiative and created UK grocery's first 'point-less' loyalty scheme, myWaitrose.
Prior to Waitrose Sarah was at British Airways Group where she held the position of Director of Marketing & Insight for AIRMILES.
She started her working life at Procter & Gamble in their Health & Beauty Care division in a variety of senior marketing and brand management roles.
“I am delighted to welcome Sarah to the new team," said Kevin Bradshw.
"In the twelve months since The Garden Centre Group was acquired by Terra Firma we have been able to attract strong talent into all areas of the business which, combined with a range of operational improvements, have made us stronger and more profitable as we grow.
"We welcome Sarah’s leadership in continuing to drive this growth both with our current loyal customer base and new customers to the Group.”
There are 129 garden centres in The Garden Centre Group including Blooms Garden Centres, Country Gardens and Wyevale Garden Centres.
A family gardening centre business is behind the building of a new store in Ballymena in Northern Ireland that could create 60 jobs...
A family gardening centre business is behind the building of a new store in Ballymena in Northern Ireland that could create 60 jobs.
Work on the £2 million centre starts next week on the estate of Galgorm Castle, with a planned opening in Spring next year.
The company behind the venture, Creative Gardens, was founded by the Gass family 30 years ago in Donaghadee, Northern Ireland. It currently employs 100 people at two locations – one in Donaghadee and one in Bushmills.
Diana Gass, who runs the family business with her two sons and daughter, said: “We are delighted to have the opportunity to run a garden centre in such a beautiful setting and we will do our best to enhance and add to the atmosphere at Galgorm.
"We look forward to offering the people of Ballymena a relaxing and inspirational experience when they visit!”
The Galgorm estate, which also includes a championship golf course, is funding the building of the new centre while Creative Gardens has agreed to buy all the fittings and stock. It will have a 30-year lease on the garden centre.
The new centre has been in the planning stage for several years, with experts Paul Pleydell and Mike Gilbert playing an important part in the design and negotiations from the outset.
“These days so many national and multinational companies dominate the business world, so we are proud to be a Northern Irish company employing local people and sourcing local products where possible," said Diana.
The new centre will feature a 150-seater Café restaurant offering the best in home style cooking.
Pictured above: The Gass family from left to right: Philip, Jenny, mother Diana and Oliver. Top: Artist's impression of the new £2m garden centre.
There is a much more positive look to the GTN Bestsellers charts this week with sales on the increase and new products setting a high standard...
There is a much more positive look to the GTN Bestsellers charts this week with sales on the increase and new products setting a high standard.
There is a total of 13 new products in the Veg-2-Gro and Garden Products charts with the most outstanding performance being Mr Blueberry’s Tri-Pack. This product has jumped straight to No 1 in the Veg-2-Gro chart, which has also witnessed the arrival of seven new strawberry plants from Hawkesmill Nurseries.
In the Garden Products chart the highest new entry is Vitax Slug Gone at No 15, and other notable newcomer performances include Scotts Miracle-Gro Flower Magic Mixed Colours Pouch and Hozelock Grow Bag Waterer.
GTN Bestsellers Top 50 sales volumes compared to the same week last year:
Garden Products – up 96%
Veg-2-Gro – up 93%
Growing Media – up 142%
All items index – up 97%
To Subscribe to the full GTN Bestsellers Weekly Charts for only £120.00 per year click here
WARNING the GTN Bestsellers Charts can seriously improve your business. Only subscribe if you want to invest 15 minutes each week in improving your turnover and customer satisfaction.
Bayer Garden have this week admitted that one of their products – Provado Lawn Grub Killer – could be withdrawn from sale following an EU ruling.
Bayer Garden have this week admitted that one of their products – Provado Lawn Grub Killer – could be withdrawn from sale following an EU ruling.
The company said it will work with retailers to withdraw the product in line with the EC’s timetable, which is yet to be confirmed.
The European Commission will restrict the use of three neonicotinoids from December 1 this year. The ban will apply to clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiametoxam for seed treatment, soil application (granules) and foliar treatment on bee attractive plants and cereals. The restrictions will not apply to crops non-attractive to bees, or to winter cereals, and there will be potential exemptions for professional use to treat bee-attractive crops in greenhouses and in open-air fields after flowering.
The Commission will review the conditions of approval of the pesticides as soon as new information is available or at the latest within two years.
Both the UK’s number one bug control product, Provado Ultimate Bug Killer, and Provado Vine Weevil Killer contain an entirely new generation insecticide, thiacloprid, and will not be affected by the ban. Provado Ultimate Bug Killer saw good sales this week and was placed No 34 in the GTN Bestsellers chart.
“We believe that this decision has been taken without the support of clear scientific evidence and that it will not result in any environmental gain,” said a Bayer Garden spokesperson.
“It may even harm the bee population as farmers and others turn to insecticides already proven to have a detrimental effect on bees in ‘real world’ rather than laboratory conditions.
“The contribution of bees as pollinators of both crops and wildflowers is essential to the ecosystem and we take their health very seriously. This is why we invest heavily to address the real problems facing the bee population and have already moved from the old to the new generation neonicotinoids for all but this one product, where the new active ingredient is not effective against chafer grubs and leatherjackets and there are no chemical alternatives available.”
For nearly 30 years Bayer has invested heavily to create its Bee Care Centre in Monheim, Germany, the aim of which is to minimise the impact of crop protection products on bees and continually improve stewardship measures. The centre brings the company’s extensive experience and knowledge under one roof, consolidates existing and future bee health projects from Bayer companies and serves as a platform for scientific discussion and joint projects with external partners.
Bayer Garden also provides alternative pest control products that do not contain a neonicotinoid active ingredient. Provado Ultimate Fruit & Vegetable Bug Killer contains deltamethrin, an active ingredient previously only available to the professional market. It kills most common insect pests and can be used on a very wide range of fruit and vegetable plants including peas and brassicas.
Meanwhile, HTA Director of Business Development Tim Briercliffe said: “It is disappointing that the Commission has failed to take into account Defra’s latest research on the impact of neonicotinoids on bumble bees in the field which concluded that there is minimal risk under existing conditions of regulated use.
"Furthermore, we believe the level of exposure is of a magnitude lower for bees in gardens, and there is no scientific justification for the removal of these products from amateur garden use.”
He adds: “We congratulate the UK Government in voting against the ban until the scientific evidence justifies it, and we are disappointed that the European Commission is pushing through with it in the absence of such evidence. In our view this is an unwarranted attack on gardeners leaving garden plants even more open to pest infestation.
"It is worrying to see the Commission capitulating to an irrational debate that doesn’t take account of the evidence. This is a worrying precedent for the future of European decision making on pesticide issues.”
Blueberry plants were the bestselling fruit and veg items at garden centres this week...and Van Hage Peterborough took no time in letting its customers know, as our picture shows.
Blueberry plants were the bestselling fruit and veg items at garden centres this week...and Van Hage Peterborough took no time in letting its customers know, as our picture shows.
Mr Blueberry Tri-Pack is the highest new entry in the GTN Bestsellers Veg-2-Gro chart, jumping straight in to No 1, and knocking Suttons Grafted Sweet Pepper off the top spot. Suttons, however, still have eight grafted plants in the Top 10.
The biggest movers in this week’s Veg-2-Gro chart are strawberry plants, with 10 varieties featuring in the Top 50 bestselling items.
Hawkesmill have seven varieties entering the chart for the first time, headed by Strawberry Pegasus at No 23. The other entries are Red Princess (No 25), Hapil (35), Loran (40), Elan (44), Red Glory (46) and Finesse (49).
Vigo Rosemary, which entered the Veg-2-Gro chart last week, has taken the accolade for the highest climber, moving up 31 places to No 13.
See the full GTN Veg 2 Gro Bestsellers Chart here. Subscribers Only
To Subscribe to the full GTN Bestsellers Weekly Charts for only £120.00 per year click here
WARNING the GTN Bestsellers Charts can seriously improve your business. Only subscribe if you want to invest 15 minutes each week in improving your turnover and customer satisfaction.
Bushnell Outdoor Products, the worldwide leader in sports optics and outdoor accessories for over 60 years, has reinforced its offering with their widest compliment of products for 2013 aimed at the British Outdoor sector, including a full HD wildlife camera with close-focus lenses for birdwatching...
Bushnell Outdoor Products, the worldwide leader in sports optics and outdoor accessories for over 60 years, has reinforced its offering with their widest compliment of products for 2013 aimed at the British Outdoor sector, including a full HD wildlife camera with close-focus lenses for birdwatching.
Known widely for their high-performance binoculars, the Bushnell range for 2013 also includes spotting scopes, telescopes, golf laser rangefinders, night vision, trail cameras, sports imaging, torches and GPS devices.
The Bushnell ethos is to provide cutting-edge technologies in simple-to-use products, which are sensibly priced and long-serving.
The newest addition to the range is the most advanced trail camera available today. Traditionally these cameras have been utilised to detect mammals passing within metres of the device. By screwing on one of the additional lenses to the NatureView Cam HD Max’s front lens, the camera will focus at 46cm or 25cm, an ideal distance for birds and small mammals found in the nation’s back gardens.
Bushnell trail cameras have been selected by scientific expeditions and TV nature programmes, providing evidence of endangered species and new habitats. Since starting the Trail Cam phenomenon with the first camera in 2007 Bushnell has pushed the technology year-on-year to greater heights.
Now the high-street has lost its core optics retailer, consumers are looking for Bushnell products in out-of-town environments.
Garden centres are an obvious and natural fit for our wildlife cameras, alongside bird-feeding and pets, whilst binoculars are an advantageous partner for camping and outdoor clothing departments. We warmly welcome contact from trade customers in the gardening sector, to arrange a presentation visit.
Bushnell products are supported in the UK with a comprehensive warranty provision, wide-reaching PR and advertising campaigns plus Point-Of-Sale units and materials to inform and guide consumers.
Andrew Grose, Managing Director of Bushnell Performance Optics UK, said: “I am excited that the 2013 Bushnell range reflects the Britain’s unique passion for the Great Outdoors, with products for ornithologists, mountaineers, star-gazers, golfers, naturalists, sports spectators, sailors and ramblers.
"From adventurous exploration teams to families interested in observing the wildlife in their back gardens, we have created technologically advanced equipment, that is simple to use and sensibly priced.”
Trade customers are invited to contact Bushnell Performance Optics UK Ltd by tel. 0208 391 4700 or email to sales@bushnell-uk.co.uk to arrange a presentation visit and open an account.
To sign-up to special offers and trade news from Bushnell, please enter your email address here. Your details will be handled very carefully and never shared with third parties.
Members of the gardening trade are working on their swings for the GIMA golf day at Staverton Park in Daventry, Northants, on June 6...and there's still time to enter a team and raise money for great causes...
Members of the gardening trade are working on their swings for the GIMA golf day at Staverton Park in Daventry, Northants, on June 6...and there's still time to enter a team and raise money for great causes...
The GIMA Charity Golf Day is a proven way to: mix with your customers in a relaxed manner; build commitment with your own team; and get your business name and brands in front of your industry. And money raised from the event goes to Gardening Leave and Greenfingers.
There are three ways you can get involved even if you don't play golf. You can: offer your support by providing a raffle prize; take up a sponsorship opportunity; and book a table and enjoy an evening of entertainment and good company.
The day's events start from from 10.30am when bacon sandwiches and hot drinks will be served in the Club House. There will be two tee starts between 11.30am and 1.00pm. Golfers will be completing their rounds from approx. 3.30pm-6.00pm.
You can have a crack at “Challenge the Pro” on a par 3 hole where golfers will be invited to pay £5/head. Prizes of a FREE round of golf for 4 if you can beat the Pro will be up fro grabs.
After you have played golf or for those of you who don’t want to play, you can enjoy complimentary access to the pool, steam room, sauna and Jacuzzi.
Around 6pm you can join colleagues in the bar for the evening of fun and relax with a drink or two and talk about the day's events and how close you were to that hole in one!
In the evening, starting at 7.15pm there will be an evening meal, prize giving, raffle and charity auction.
To Play - Enter your 4 ball golf team for only £400. This includes golf, breakfast, practice range, evening and use of leisure club.
To Stay - Overnight Bed & Breakfast basis is at GIMA rate of £80.00/head.
To Dine - Join for the evening meal and entertainment £45.00/head.
Package costs: Team of 4 to play golf, enjoy the evening dinner and stay overnight for a package cost of £690. Team of 4 to play golf, 8 to dine and 8 to stay overnight for a package cost of £990.
Golf buggies are available to hire and need to be booked in advance and paid on the day direct to the club.
For further information call 01959 564 947 or email info@gima.org.uk
Impressive sales of growing media this week, as revealed by the GTN Bestsellers Top 50 chart, but there is still room for improvement bearing in mind we’re way behind figures from 2011...
Impressive sales of growing media this week, as revealed by the GTN Bestsellers Top 50 chart, but there is still room for improvement bearing in mind we’re way behind figures from 2011...
The highest climber this week is Westland John Innes Young Plants No 1, which has jumped 22 places to No 19.
The highest re-entry is Scotts Levington Ericaceous Compost 20 litres at No 44. Other re-entries include Arthur Blowers Blended Farm Manure at No 45 and Westland West+ Container & Basket Compost at No 47.
See the full GTN Growing Media Bestsellers Chart here. Subscribers Only
To Subscribe to the full GTN Bestsellers Weekly Charts for only £120.00 per year click here
WARNING the GTN Bestsellers Charts can seriously improve your business. Only subscribe if you want to invest 15 minutes each week in improving your turnover and customer satisfaction.
Online sales for WoodBlocX innovative Lego-like block system for building raised beds and other garden structures have peaked to an all-time high in April.
Online sales for WoodBlocX innovative Lego-like block system for building raised beds and other garden structures have peaked to an all-time high in April.
More than 8,000 units have been sold not only to UK customers but also a number from other countries with orders coming from everyone from gardeners to schools and even multi-million pound landscaping companies.
WoodBlocX kits can be purchased online and the BlocX can be used to create beautiful raised beds, planters, seating, ponds, retaining walls and just about anything else that can be made from blocks.
“Sales are up 20% on the same month last year which is a brilliant increase considering the awful weather at the start of the month," said Henry Blake from WoodBlocX (pictured left).
Are you selling similar kits for building rasied beds and other structures? Contact details for WoodblocX are via their website: http://www.woodblocx.co.uk/
Animal petting sessions are helping to drive footfall at garden centres
With such a challenging start to the season UK garden centres are using a raft of innovative ideas and activities to attract customers, according to the HTA...
With such a challenging start to the season UK garden centres are using a raft of innovative ideas and activities to attract customers, according to the HTA...
Members of the HTA Marketing Committee meeting in London heard that many garden centres in the UK were now devising clever initiatives to drive footfall, including circus performances and story-telling.
Burleydam Garden Centre on The Wirral hold an extensive programme of family events from animal petting sessions to sunflower growing, biscuit icing and, for Father’s Day, a Harley Davidson exhibit.
Bents Garden Centre in Warrington run a range of successful events from ‘Inspiring you to do’ drop ins, regular story time sessions, a monthly farmers market and weekly ‘Ready, steady, dig’ sessions for schools.
Bird box painting and exotic animal visits (armadillos and meerkats) have proved extremely popular at Hilltop and Studley Garden Centres, along with the soft play areas that they have installed on both sites.
For the May Bank Holiday Hilltop will be hosting a circus for three days – again aimed at attracting family audiences to the centre.
Customer expectations are high and service is key. It is staff that make a real difference and help to de-mystify gardening. At Scotsdales Garden Centre they employ a team of Garden Angels who are highly visible on the shop floor helping to guide customers and provide advice and information. They also run regular gardening clinics which are well attended – helping to reinforce the garden centres position as the place to come for gardening advice.
HTA Director General Carol Paris said: “Whilst plants and gardening remain at the core of the garden industry – they are our USP - it is increasingly important that for year round appeal garden centres develop activities and events to drive footfall. Often working closely with their local communities garden centres can offer a relaxing and pleasant shopping environment far different from the High Street.
“Consumers continue to seek authentic products and experiences and garden centres are well placed to deliver these. Time is precious and by providing people with enjoyable and memorable experiences they are more likely to make return visits and purchases.”
Suppliers too are working closely with retailers to help improve the customer experience. Stewarts are in the second year of using celebrity gardener Pippa Greenwood to run staff training days for garden retailers on grow your own themes.
Briers run training sessions with garden centre staff providing them with simple and memorable retail tips.
Gardman have extended their promotional activity to include monthly offers across the core gardening category – recognising that consumers are looking for value.
After having successfully delayed their TV advertising campaign to coincide with better weather Westland have re-launched their website which includes ‘This week in the garden’ updates.
Along with a focus on instore activity and TV campaigns for lawncare and Flower Magic, Scotts have launched an e-commerce site aimed at younger consumers and, with their Miracle Grow’er network of school children, will be exhibiting at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
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 and on the GTN website www.gardentradenews.co.uk.
New for this year, every week we'll give sales volume comparisons with 2011 as well as 2012 to allow your teams to see variations over a three year period.
Access is by subscription only. For £120.00 per year you and your team can have access to the most upto date gardening sales analysis that has already helped many UK garden centres increase their sales. To subscribe call 01733 775700, or subscribe on-line 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.
The growing season has finally taken off and gardeners are making up for lost time, with the GTN Bestsellers Garden Products chart showing increased sales of a wide number of items...
The growing season has finally taken off and gardeners are making up for lost time.
Lawn care is at the top of things to do, and has resulted in three related products showing prominently in the GTN Bestsellers Garden Products chart.
Westland Lawn Feed, Weed and Moss Killer has moved up nine places to No 2, Scotts Evergreen Complete 360 sq m + 40 sq m Free is at No 6, and Evergreen Complete Spreader Pack at No 7.
There is evidence that a lot of planting is going on with slow release food and fertilisers being bought in high numbers. Westland have got three items in the Top 10:
Gromore 1.5kg + 50% Extra Free is at No 8.
Fish Blood & Bone 1.5kg + 50% Extra Free takes 9th spot.
Organic Chicken Manure Pellets are at No 10.
Slugs and snails are also becoming more active, and the highest new entry is Vitax Slug Gone at No 15. Bayer Bio Slug & Snail Killer has seen an increase in sales too and is at No 14 while Hozelock Grow Bag Waterer is a newcomer at No 48.
The highest re-entry is the Yeoman Soft Grip Secateur (Grape Purple) at No 19, with the Raspberry Red version also returning to the chart at No 23. The highest climber is Gardman Frostgard, moving up 21 places this week.
See the full GTN Garden Products Bestsellers Chart here. Subscribers Only
To Subscribe to the full GTN Bestsellers Weekly Charts for only £120.00 per year click here
WARNING the GTN Bestsellers Charts can seriously improve your business. Only subscribe if you want to invest 15 minutes each week in improving your turnover and customer satisfaction.
With the emergence of a late spring, the colourful petunia has been named as HTA’s Plant of the Month for May.
With the emergence of a late spring, the colourful petunia has been named as HTA’s Plant of the Month for May.
Petunias are ideal as basket and container plants and will provide bright, vibrant flowers all summer long.
As part of the “Spring into Summer in the Garden” campaign, the HTA is promoting petunias, which come in a variety of blooms including single and double, ruffled or smooth petals.
They can be striped, veined or solid in colour, with mounding or cascading habits. Most Petunia flowers have a wonderful delicate perfume. Petunias flower for months through summer especially in warm, dry weather.
Spreading type petunias which include the ‘Surfinia’ series are some of the most popular petunias because they do not need dead heading and they can be used as bedding plants, groundcovers or trailing in containers and hanging baskets. The two oldest types of petunias are grandifloras and multifloras.
Both types are mounding in their habit of growth, grandiflora has larger flowers whilst the multifloras perform better in wet conditions.
Calibrachoa or ‘Million Bells’ look like tiny petunias but are in fact an entirely different species.
Petunias come in all shapes and sizes from bushy small flowering types to large flowering trailing types so can be used in most situations.
Nominated and agreed upon by British growers and retailers, the HTA’s Plant of the Month campaign highlights the plants that are widely available and looking especially good each month.
Retail guru John Stanley will be passing on his advice at the Garden Centre New Vision Forum, a two-day workshop and think tank on developing business ideas...
The Garden Centre New Vision Forum has been designed as a two-day workshop and think tank to develop ideas to ensure businesses are developing strategies to grow sales in 2013 and beyond.
This workshop in Bodnant Gardens in North Wales is designed for leading retail thinkers who have been in the gardening industry for at least eight years.
The two days are lead by John Stanley and Kevin Waters, who will provide an in-depth international and national perspective of the industry.
Two Squire’s Garden Centre employees have been selected to join a Garden Centre Association (GCA) led Rising Stars Programme...
Two Squire’s Garden Centre employees have been selected to join a Garden Centre Association (GCA) led Rising Stars Programme.
Following an intensive selection procedure, George Bishop, Assistant Manager at Woking and Charlotte Prentice, Garden Furniture Department Head at Long Ditton, will be presenting their results of the programme to the GCA conference in 2014 following their year-long course.
Sponsored by Westland, one of Squire’s suppliers, the training programme is designed to hone the delegate’s skills and direct them toward being potential leaders of the future.
The Squire’s presence within this programme, conducted through the (GCA), comes only weeks after four more of their centres across the South East were entered into the prestigious ranks of the GCA. Following a yearly inspection, Squire’s Reigate, Crawley, Windsor and Cobham (joining 8 other Squire’s centres) are now considered amongst the 200 centres that achieve the highest excellence in customer services, plant quality and reliability.
In securing two of only four spots in the training programme, Squire’s continue to establish themselves as a leading employer of garden enthusiasts and experts, dedicated to employee training and development.
Sarah Squire, Deputy Chairman of Squire’s, commented: “We’re incredibly proud of George and Charlotte being selected as two of four admissions for this programme, it’s a credit to the hard work and dedication they have for the industry. We wish them every success on the Rising Stars programme and their future as leaders within the Squire’s business”.
The GCA Trust has received an unprecedented number of grant requests from horticultural students in 2012 and 2013...
The GCA Trust has received an unprecedented number of grant requests from horticultural students in 2012 and 2013.
The trust, which was established in 1987, makes awards to students within the industry to enable them to afford to complete their chosen courses.
Sue Allen, Chairman of the GCA Trust, said: “The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) recently reported that our industry struggles to fill skilled vacancies. However, we have seen a vast increase in the number of financial help requests we’ve received during the past 12 months, with seven people applying.
“It is clear that in a time when the horticultural industry is struggling to recruit qualified people, students are finding it increasingly difficult to pay their course fees, travelling costs and general living expenses.
“We know how important it is to help the future generation of our industry so our trustees have taken the view that all genuine applicants should receive help, regardless of the fact that this will diminish the amount held by the trust.”
The trustees have reported that during the past year, seven students have received grants and they know from the students’ responses that without this money many of them would not have been able to continue with their studies.
The students funded are currently enrolled on various courses, including a Level 3 National Diploma in Horticulture, Advanced Diploma in Garden Design, a final year Foundation Degree in Horticulture, and a Masters in Landscape Architecture.
The colleges involved are spread across the country from Cannington College in Somerset, to Sheffield University, and Askham Bryan, Kingston Maurward and Hadlow Colleges.
The GCA Trust trustees also administer the Dick Allen Scholarship Fund, which is currently supporting Lionel Smith, a PhD researcher at the University of Reading for the third year.
Lionel’s work developing floral lawns will be on display at this year’s 100th Chelsea Flower Show.
Sue added: “In order to continue to help ensure the successful future of our industry we need support. If you would like to make a donation or arrange a bequest to allow the GCA Trust and Dick Allen Scholarship Fund to continue its work, please contact Pat Adams at the GCA on 0118 930 8918.”
The trustees are also eager to encourage garden centres to consider sending staff with management potential to work in other countries and will consider funding the travel costs involved from the Dick Allen Scholarship Fund.
Guy Topping, Trustee of the GCA Trust and Managing Director at Barton Grange Garden Centre in Preston, said: “Workplace exchanges are something that we have been encouraging at Barton Grange for some time now.
“The opportunity for an individual to go and experience a different culture, pick up some fresh ideas and to broaden their horizons is great for them and equally great for the business. Staff returning with increased confidence, renewed enthusiasm and a few tales to tell are only helpful to the business.
“We continue to pay them and their hosts generally provide them with accommodation. This leaves the staff member with the air-fare to pay, which can be quite a big ask and a major stumbling block. A grant from the Dick Allen Scholarship Fund should remove this obstacle and hopefully pave the way for many more garden centre staff to experience working in another country.”
A new cookshop at Poundbury Gardens in Dorset has been officially opened...
A new cookshop at Poundbury Gardens in Dorset has been officially opened.
Specialist cookshop Owen & Simpson, which stocks brands such as KitchenAid, Joseph Joseph and Kuhn Rikon, is already proving a hit with the Poundbury community and further afield.
Says James Foster-Pegg, manager of Poundbury Gardens: “We are thrilled to welcome the Owen & Simpson team to Poundbury Gardens.
"We were looking to enhance our appeal and offering here at Poundbury and the new cookshop has done just that. The manager, David Taylor was delighted when we approached him with the opportunity and took just ten days from our initial meeting to get everything up and running. The cookshop looks great and it is wonderful to see it open and filled with people.”
With a successful shop in Dorchester Town centre, Owen & Simpson was officially opened with a celebration evening attended by the Mayor Andy Canning, local businesses and Poundbury residents.
Mayor Andy Canning comments: “It is great when two businesses come together to form a strong partnership and it is obvious that the cookshop here at Poundbury will be very popular.
"With news about the economy it is important for businesses to innovate and stay ahead of the game and this is a great example of two businesses doing just that.”
Durston Garden Products are helping school children in Somerset get an insight into gardening...
All children like getting their hands dirty including the pupils of Brookside Primary School in Street, Somerset. And thanks to local compost manufacturer Durston Garden Products, their hopes of blooming beautiful beds will soon be realised.
The school had been keen to show pupils how rewarding and how much fun gardening can be, but its empty raised beds were causing a problem. Luckily with family run Durstons just down the road, the beds were soon filled with compost, soil conditioner and organic fertiliser.
“Everyone at Durstons is really supportive of what the school is doing,” said company director Dan Durston, whose daughters attend the school.
“It’s so important to nurture a love of gardening at a young age, the skills, knowledge and enthusiasm that are born of projects like this, create gardeners of the future; but the school is not just enabling children to grow flowers, it’s also establishing a real relationship with natural foods and that is essential for a healthy lifestyle.”
Every class has now been set the challenge of making sure their raised bed is the ‘best in show’ and the competition is already hotting-up with all sorts of flowers and vegetables being planted in readiness for the final day of judging in July, when Dan and the Durstons team will make a presentation to the winning class.
Durstons has been producing compost in Somerset for over 150 years and now supply a complete range of growing media to garden centres and hardware retailers nationwide.
There is a much more positive look to the GTN Bestsellers charts this week with sales on the increase and new products setting a high standard...
More than 8,000 units have been sold not only to UK customers but also a number from other countries with orders coming from everyone from gardeners to schools and even multi-million pound landscaping companies.
HTA Director General Carol Paris said: “Whilst plants and gardening remain at the core of the garden industry – they are our USP - it is increasingly important that for year round appeal garden centres develop activities and events to drive footfall. Often working closely with their local communities garden centres can offer a relaxing and pleasant shopping environment far different from the High Street.
Slugs and snails are also becoming more active, and the highest new entry is Vitax Slug Gone at No 15. Bayer Bio Slug & Snail Killer has seen an increase in sales too and is at No 14 while Hozelock Grow Bag Waterer is a newcomer at No 48.
Guy Topping, Trustee of the GCA Trust and Managing Director at Barton Grange Garden Centre in Preston, said: “Workplace exchanges are something that we have been encouraging at Barton Grange for some time now.
