In This Issue
Wyevale Garden Centres agrees sale of five more garden centres
Bord Na Móna launches its ‘Growing Media Academy’ at Glee 2018
Block Blitz to launch new larger pack at Glee 2018
Blue Diamond start recruiting 8 chefs for new centres
Market leading timber retail plant staging solutions from M&M Timber
Gloves come off as Aberdeen garden centre and boxer go head-to-head for former school site
Gardman move away from the pallet network and return to dedicated fleet via Robsons of Spalding
No more extremes, please!
Glee confirm new 2019 opening days
Gardenex gives valuable advice to UK companies on developing their Brexit strategy
Wyevale Garden Centres partners up with The Royal British Legion for ‘Thank you’ Campaign
Get ready for Greenfingers Charity’s 20th anniversary at this year’s Glee
Wyevale Nurseries Taster Menu hailed a success
£2.5m Mill-inspired Garden Centre Restaurant Opens
Celebration raises £20,000 for children
Late summer colour sparks plant sales increases
Christmas opens at Summerhill Garden Centre in Essex
Bank Holiday Blues for GTN Xtra
Get your own copy of GTN Xtra
Honorary Degree for Peter Seabrook
Tom Sharples retires from Suttons
Will Glee shine a light on Garden Product sales growth?
HTA strengthens its grower representation at Board level
Carry on growing your own
Buddleja davidii 'SMNBDBT' (ROCKETSTAR INDIGO) Best novelty Plantarium 2018
Growing Media sales pick up as winter veg gets planted out
New director joins Vitax board
Who is stealing Wild Bird Care sales?
Press Award Plantarium 2018 for Triple Beauty and Ficinia Ice Crystal
The best of last week's
Blue Diamond now 3rd largest Garden Centre Group in the UK
42 more Homebase closures named as former owners lick their wounds
Lancs grower is latest victim or rural crime
Hilliers set out to make a family's dream come true
43% of gardeners use weedkillers, survey suggests
Bestsellers Top 50 charts every week
Buy your subscription to GTN Bestsellers
Plastic carrier bag tax to double and extend to all garden retailers
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Lancs grower is latest victim or rural crime

With rural security a hot topic in the nursery trade of late, Flornaplants in West Lancashire is the latest victim of plant thieves.

 

Last Thursday night, raiders broke into Florna Plants, a wholesale nursery based between Preston and Southport that has Homebase as one of its customers, and stole a crop of six-pack primroses. The 3.5acre Keder double skinned multispan polytunnel was cut open to gain access. In a separate block, glass was smashed to gain entry and a crop of 10.5cm mini cyclamen was trampled across, creating significant damage before more plants were stolen.

 

Proprietor Ian Howard told GTN Xtra the raiders probably used a vehicle to make off with the plants via a farm track running alongside the blocks.

 

“Neither products are ready for sale yet so I’m wondering if the thieves have facilities to grow them on,” said Ian. “We can't get our heads around the theft of product that has just been transplanted!”

 

With limited police resources in the countryside, how can rural nurseries protect themselves? In their 2018 Rural Crime Report, countryside insurers NFU Mutal say rural crime cost the UK £44.5m in 2017, the worst year since 2013, with rural Wales among the hardest-hit areas.

 

They say farmers and growers are resorting to medieval-style security measures like earth banks and fences in an effort to keep intruders out. Volmary at Wisbech St Mary in Lincolnshire constructed 12-14ft deep moats around their site. Others rely on the tried-and-tested use of geese and dogs to raise the alarm. More and more are using reinforced gates, high yard fences and single entry points.

 

Has your businesses been targeted by thieves? Let us know…and tell us how you are dealing with it.

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