Happy New Year to you all.  We hope you all had a good and safe festive period and are now looking forward to an exciting 2023.

Since New Year the GTN gnomes have been beavering away to compile the Top 100 stories read in GTN Xtra last year as our review of 2022.

Sadly, the list is dominated by the passing of so many distinguished and much-loved figures in the garden centre industry but in some ways it’s another tribute to the service they gave to the trade.

We've thoroughly enjoyed bringing you all the news, views and ideas during 2022 and we hope you found GTN Xtra both useful and informative.

Top 100 most-read stories in GTN Xtra during 2022
(click on the item to read the story)

1. Tributes to Peter Seabrook who died on Friday 14th January – Issue 3
2. Sad news to end the year, Paul Cooling has died – Issue 49
3. New faces in Azpects’ sales team – Issue 13
4. Plant food gets a Boost – Issue 17
5. Ian Boardman dies suddenly – Issue 39
6. Petface partners with Greenfingers charity – Issue 29
7. Van Hage garden centres bought by Blue Diamond – Issue 44
8. Trio of liquid feeds joins specialist range – Issue 29
9. Alastair Jackson of Poplars Garden Centre has died – Issue 49
10. Private equity backed management buyout at Mr Fothergill's – Issue 8
11. Established garden centre business put up for sale – Issue 39
12. Adrian Hall garden centres close as parent company ceases trading – Issue 33
13. Blue Diamond buys Blackdown Garden Centre – Issue 2
14. New owners at Coolings – Issue 11
15. Hillier grows to 22 garden centres with acquisition of Rosebourne – Issue 44
16. Alan Roper Interview in GTN's Sustainability Directory Issue – Issue 49
17. Garden centre manager Gavin Cooper dies suddenly – Issue 49
18. Westland win record breaking eight awards at the GIMA's 2022 – Issue 42
19. GTN’s Greatest Christmas Award winners revealed – Issue 6
20. Fire at Blue Diamond’s Grosvenor Garden Centre – Issue 24
21. East Bridgford, Grosvenor, Nailsworth & Matlock scoop awards – Issue 11
22. Barton Grange and The Old Railway Line are big GCA winners – Issue 7
23. British Garden Centres buy Timmermans to make it 59 – Issue 7
24. Choice Marketing celebrates 20 years – Issue 40
25. Sales boom this spring at British Garden Centres – Issue 13
26. Blue Diamond aiming for £300m turnover by 2023 – Issue 2
27. Sale of horticultural peat to be banned by 2024 – Issue 34
28. Blue Diamond reports £39.5m profits as turnover grows to £255m – Issue 20
29. Dobbies records its best trading performance – Issue 47
30. The future looks bright for AMES UK – Issue 33
31. Hillier takes over Ducks Hill Garden Centre site – Issue 3
32. Dobbies Tewkesbury - See GTN Xtra's full photo tour – Issue 44
33. Changes at the top for Bon Bon’s – Issue 45
34. Garden centre owners announce plans for new site – Issue 46
35. Graf UK win at GIMA Golf Day – Issue 24
36. Webbs take over at Millets Farm – Issue 29
37. Horticultural April Fools create thousands of social media views – Issue 14
38. Business as usual at Key Essentials after death of Mark Smith – Issue 25
39. LANDMANN BBQs acquired by global giants Social Chain – Issue 23
40. GCA conference postponed – Issue 2
41. Devon garden centre on the market for £1.5 million – Issue 10
42. Planning permission granted for £10m Dobbies store – Issue 12
43. Doors Open, at Dor’s Garden – Issue 17
44. Peter Burks takes over as GCA Chief Executive – Issue 46
45. Garden industry pays tribute to the Queen – Issue 36
46. Garden Re-Leaf Day gets the season off to a sunny start – Issue 12
47. Trebaron Blackpool becomes BGC's 60th centre – Issue 9
48. Roller coaster ride for Christmas 2022 – Issue 48
49. GCA Chief Executive has resigned – Issue 33
50. The Greener Gardening Company set to close – Issue 36
51. Peter Seabrook funeral arrangements – Issue 7
52. Jubilee dampens sales – Issue 24
53. Bosworths plan for move to new site – Issue 7
54. Garden Centres thinking outside of the box – Issue 2
55. Frosts’ Brampton becomes Notcutts 19th centre – Issue 31
56. Hatton makes it a hat-trick for British Garden Centres – Issue 14
57. Notcutts looks ahead after a strong performance in 2021/22 – Issue 33
58. Growing Media Taskforce disappointed with immediate ban – Issue 34
59. Large Fire at Longacres Shepperton – Issue 1
60. Normal + 28% as the season gets growing – Issue 13
61. 36 pages of Garden Centre Christmas Greatness – Issue 8
62. Vote now for the Best Buyers of 2022 – Issue 26
63. Garden Centres help with Ukraine Appeals – Issue 10
64. Bumper Glee Preview in GTN June issue – Issue 25
65. February starts with big wins for garden centres – Issue 7
66. Growing Media Taskforce response to plans to ban sale of peat at retail – Issue 9
67. Evergreen Garden Care launches ‘keep growing’ campaign – Issue 15
68. Sproutl to close – Issue 40
69. Christmas sales up 24% in first three weeks of October – Issue 43
70. Frosts in discussion with Webbs over sale of Millets Farm – Issue 25
71. Peter Seabrook laid to rest on Galleywood Common – Issue 9
72. Four Oaks announces sad passing of Richard Harding – Issue 4
73. Cherry Lane acquires Retford & Gainsborough Garden Centre – Issue 7
74. Blue Diamond open The Parlour Edwardian restaurant in Spalding – Issue 15
75. Vote now for the Best Buyers of 2022 – Issue 25
76. Horticulture industry responds to ending retail sale of peat – Issue 12
77. Shaping a New Future at Coolings – Issue 17
78. Westland Boost TV Advert goes live for Easter – Issue 15
79. Mirfield acquisition grows British Garden Centres to 62 – Issue 42
80. GTN Interviews: Steve Morgan, Zest & Nick Rubins, Cherry Lane – Issue 22
81. Two new members for Choice Marketing – Issue 31
82. Late August sales get back to 2020 levels – Issue 35
83. Plans announced for new garden centre development – Issue 3
84. A good year for British Garden Centres as group turnover grows – Issue 40
85. Amy Hart – National Account Manager – Issue 44
86. The show goes on...Harrogate Christmas & Gift – Issue 2
87. Record-breaking Floral Thursday for Greenfingers – Issue 27
88. £2m plus reward for Choice members – Issue 3
89. New garden centre opens near Lincoln – Issue 4
90. Wear something floral as tribute to Peter Seabrook – Issue 8
91. Meadow View Stone 2022 – Issue 8
92. Thank goodness for gardening – Issue 20
93. A right royal boost for sales at garden centres – Issue 21
94. Memorial service for Ian Boardman – Issue 42
95. Who are the best buyers in the garden market? – Issue 20
96. Brian Evans, former Chairman of Wyevale, dies aged 78 – Issue 41
97. The Greatest Christmas Awards judges are on their sleighs – Issue 45
98. Dobbies CEO interview in GTN's November GIMA Roll of Honour issue – Issue 45
99. We love gardening – Issue 8
100. The Big Reveal: GTN's Greatest Christmas Awards – Issue 6