Tesco are trialling Dobbies-branded garden offerings at 10 of their stores this summer.

In a move widely anticipated since the supermarket giant acquired the garden centre chain seven years ago, Dobbies plant displays on wooden fixtures have been set up at entrances, along with high-volume pick-up lines such as compost in lobby areas. In-store, the fleximat or grocery seasonal aisles are carrying an edited range of gardening, home and outdoor living products. The trial runs until mid-July.

In a press statement, Jill Easterbrook, developing businesses MD at Tesco, said: “We know that gardening and home-making matters to many of our customers, whether for recreation or as part of everyday family life. We want to make it easier for them to create the gardens and homes they want by giving them access to a great range of gardening, plant and outdoor living products through the convenience of our Tesco stores. At the same time, we can make it better for customers by inspiring them and sharing knowledge and expertise for which Dobbies is well known.”

Staff from the trial stores have received training at Dobbies to bring them up-to-speed on gardening, plants and the Dobbies business. “This will really help differentiate our offer and from the colleagues I’ve already met in stores I know it will bring the Dobbies brand and experience to life for our customers,” Easterbrook says. 

“This is a great opportunity to see how we can use a Tesco family brand to give customers more reasons to come and shop with us, at the same time as bringing Dobbies to a wider audience.”

Or will the rest of May send sales soaring into summer? For the first time in two months garden centre total sales volumes have dropped seriously below last year’s levels, according to Epos data analysed by GTN Bestsellers.

The week that ended on the Sunday of the May Day Bank Holiday weekend was down 21% on the same week last year. GTN Bestsellers has been doing some ‘midseason’ analysis and the chart (below) of monthly sales volumes over the past six years indicates that 2014 is much more of a ‘normal’ year, similar to those we had in 2009 and 2010.

That bodes well for the rest of the year, but May is usually the biggest month of the first half of the year in terms of garden centre sales volumes, so it is all to play for, especially when many of this month’s sales items are outdoor products.

Cumulatively, this year’s sales totals are running higher than the previous two years, but we shouldn’t get carried away – we’re only on a par with volumes achieved in 2009 and 7% behind the volumes in 2011.

A check on the Met office website tells us that April 2011 was particularly warm, which may account for the high sales levels, and then we had a really wet May in the North and West and a particularly dry one in the South and East.

We now need a warmer than usual May everywhere with some rain, but not too much. Shall we all start praying now?

GTN Bestsellers Top 50 sales volumes compared to the same week last year

• Garden Products – down 18%
  
• Veg-2-Gro – down 30%
  
• Growing Media – down 35%
  
• All items index – down 21%

Make use of the GTN Bestsellers volume sales Top 50 product charts every week, get regular analysis updates and our unique, guaranteed sales increasing, GTN Bestsellers Tip of the Week by subscribing to GTN Bestsellers.

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The 'Alan Titchmarsh Effect' is giving the Chelsea Flower Show a massive boost, and according to national newspaper reports, tickets for world-famous event starting on May 20 are now being sold on the black market for over £550.

Titchmarsh is designing his first Chelsea garden since 1985 after losing the frontman role for the BBC's coverage of the show. 

All 161,000 tickets to the event have already gone, the  second-fastest sell-out in its history. Only last year’s centenary show, when Prince Harry was involved in a show garden, sold out slightly quicker.

And organisers from the Royal Horticultural Society say that the ‘Titchmarsh effect’ had given the show a big boost.

RHS spokesperson Hayley Monckton said: "Alan Titchmarsh is this year’s Prince Harry for us. He is one of Britain’s best loved gardeners and everyone is very excited about seeing his garden."

His Chelsea garden ‘From the Moors to the Sea’ charting his journey from his native Yorkshire to the Isle of Wight, where he has a holiday home, is his first since winning a gold medal in 1985.

But according to a report in the Daily Mail, the ‘Titchmarsh effect’ has left  gardening fans facing online prices of up to 25 times the face value of the cheapest £23 tickets.

RHS director general Sue Biggs said: "Alan is one of the most powerful forces in horticulture, reaching out to and promoting gardening to millions of people.

"He has also been one of the biggest supporters of the RHS and, as this garden demonstrates, continues to generously support and promote horticultural campaigns that transform lives and reinforce our great position as a nation of gardeners."

The RHS is urging gardeners not to buy tickets from touts and warning anyone with tickets that turn out to be fakes will be denied entry.

Doff Slug Killer (800g + 200g free) is the star performer in this week’s GTN Bestsellers Garden Products chart as sales volumes take a disappointing dip on the previous week.

It’s the highest new entry at No 8. Vitax Slug Gone also figures highly at No 12 with Bayer Bio Slug and Snail Killer at No 25.

Other notable performances include:

• Kaemingk Glass Tealight Holder with Hanger, the highest re-entry at No 13.
  
• Gardman Bamboo Canes (1.2m, pack of 20) moves up 14 places to become the highest climber.
• Gardman Solar Stainless Steel Border Light holds on to top spot.

To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

The HTA plan to move into bigger, more suitable premises in the Theale, Berkshire, area once the existing offices they have occupied  in Theale High Street since 1982 have been sold, it was confirmed this week.

The sale was advertised by commercial agents Quintons last week-end. The two-storey offices occupy almost 730 sq.m on a 0.4-acre site, which has 31 parking spaces at the rear.

Quintons say the offices could be purchased as they stand or for re-development.

Hillview Garden Centres have acquired the Little Heath Garden & Aquatics Centre business in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire – making it the ninth store in the group. The garden centre employs 30 staff and is located just off junction 1 of the M42. 

The business was developed over 30 years by Barry and Julia Hall and will continue to be run as a leading local garden and aquatics centre. All staff are being retained. 

Boyd J Douglas-Davies, Hillview Garden Centres CEO, said: “I have watched Little Heath develop over the last 20 plus years into a significant business. It is clearly a customer’s favourite locally and I’m looking forward to working with the team as we expand on the centre's strengths."

Little Heath has a large coldwater and tropical fish department as well as a strong horticultural offer and 70 seat restaurant. There are no concessions on site at present but Boyd believes that there are a number of opportunities to utilise the available space. 

"This is an important addition to the Hillview Garden Centre portfolio, as we focus on our geographic presence and continue to develop 'local champion' centres that offer customers a retail destination experience," said Nadav Livni, Managing Director of The Hillview Group. 

"I am delighted that Julia has entrusted Boyd and the HGC team to build on the wonderful work of the Hall family." 

With the Tour De France coming to Britain in July, Poplars Garden Centre in Bedfordshire is out to make the most of the torrent of publicity the event will generate.

“We thought we would have a bit of fun with some themed end cap displays,” said general manager Alastair Jackson.

“The displays represent seven of the nationalities involved – Great Britain, Italy, France, The Netherlands, Spain, Australia and USA. The metal bicycle planters are from Kaemingk and all the other associated items are from stock.”

The Tour is a great opportunity for retail theatre, so send us details and pictures of YOUR Tour de France displays for future editions of GTN Xtra.

Gardening and leisure remains the biggest turnover category in the DIY multiples sector, according to the latest report* from analysts AMA Research.

AMA estimate the UK DIY multiples market, dominated by Wickes, B&Q and Homebase, at £6.8bn in 2013

Key market drivers include consumer confidence and spending, demand for major home improvements, replacement/upgrading of kitchens and bathrooms, moving home and new housebuilding.

The economic and construction downturn saw the UK DIY market decline by 4% in 2008 and remain static. “The market has been supported during this time by a switch to DIY from GSI (Get Someone In), which favours the DIY multiples, with high value home improvement projects being replaced by more simple DIY tasks,”: the repprt says. Tradesmen have also been making increased use of the multiples. Into 2013, DIY activity was stimulated by warmer weather, higher levels of consumer confidence, stronger economic indicators and healthier levels of activity and output in the construction and housebuilding sectors. “This benefited the DIY multiples with an improvement in big ticket products as well as a good performance in the garden products sector (influenced by the warm weather last summer and the very stormy weather in early 2014).

Although the UK economy remains fragile, there is more optimism for a continued recovery in the construction industry, particularly in the housebuilding sector, as well as improving consumer confidence and spending. Prospects for the DIY multiples market in 2014 appear more positive, with market size forecast to reach almost £7bn.

Garden & leisure remains the largest sector within the DIY multiples market.

A major focus on patio containers will be a central feature of this year’s Summer Showcase, the popular Ball Colegrave open days at the grower’s Oxfordshire trial grounds (Monday to Friday, 14 July to 1 August, 9am to 5pm)

This year's theme is Celebrating Colour, with a major new display looking deeply into consumer trends. There will be nine lifestyle, colour co-ordinated patio container gardens, each inspired by industry research into consumer attitudes to gardens and their use of outdoor space.

Each patio garden is focused around the simple use of containers; by far the simplest way for even the most basic of gardeners to enjoy success with plants. This was a theme embraced by this year's industry campaign 'Whatever space you've got, it Starts with a Pot'

To showcase the diverse range of innovative patio containers available to the home gardener, leading manufacturers will exhibit their products in the event’s first ever Container Festival. Participants include Anglo Eastern Trading, Cadix, Lowes of Dundee, Modiform, Scheurich, Stewarts Plastics, Synprodo Plantpak, VertiGarden and Woodlodge.

Visitors to a school garden in Fareham opening under the National Gardens Scheme this summer will enjoy a a tropical bed sponsored by Garsons Garden Centre.

Wicor Primary School, Portchester have won the Segensworth Environmental Award for the past three years and are holders of the Fareham in Bloom Gold Award.

NGS open days are Sunday 22nd June and Saturday 5 July (10am – 2pm).

Their unprecedented successes are due to a bespoke environmental science curriculum. The learning environment started four years ago after a visit by Chris Packham and now showcases the Garsons tropical bed, an orchard donated by Friends of the Earth, 70ft of edible hedging provided by the British Tree Council, a pond, a wildflower meadow and many other interesting habitats.  A large allotment area is also on show.

The school has been supported by many local businesses and the community. The National Lottery Fund enabled the creation of its pond and wildlife area, whilst Southern Electric provided essential manpower support and the Co-Op Green Schools Revolution donated £100.

These unique school grounds also house a full-size, purpose built camera obscura – only the 13th in the country – which will also be open for visitors to explore.  More recently the school saw the creation of a wheelchair-accessible Darwin’s Thinking Path around its grounds, enabling visitors to enjoy different vistas.

Visitors from last year were astounded at the professionalism of the children’s work, the variety of habitats, and the depth of learning exhibited in the greenhouses and polytunnel.  They school was subsequently featured in ’The English Gardener’.

Pre-registration is now open for SOLEX 2014, The Summer Outdoor Living Exhibition, at the NEC (7-9 July). Click on this link and follow the online instructions.

The show moved to the NEC last year to meet demand for exhibition space. Now in its seventh year, it has become the leading showcase for products in the outdoor leisure sector.

SOLEX boasts the largest range of outdoor furniture, barbecues and associated products assembled under one roof. All the major importers and manufacturers will be exhibiting (see SOLEX website for full list), and a number of new members are attending for the first time!

Staff at Trelawney Garden Centre at Wadebridge, Cornwall this week sowed 40,000 Flanders poppy seeds around the entrance to commemorate the 100th anniversary of World War 1.

General manager Peter Burks says it will be a fitting way to remember all those that were lost.

The wild bird care market saw significant growth in 2013, as more and more consumers began to take responsibility for the long-term health and protection of garden birds. Innovative products from DecoPak are designed to keep this growth going.

Their new Garden Bazaar birdhouses and feeders, launched at Glee 2013, was warmly received by retailers across the garden centre, department store and gift markets. The range was recently featured by Alan Titchmarsh on national TV, helping to generate more consumer interest.

Inspired by classic British landmarks and popular architectural designs from around the world, the collection offers a style-driven alternative to existing ranges featuring iconic designs like a classic blue police phone box feeder, a row of beach huts (feeder), a classic red post box peanut feeder and a lighthouse birdhouse.

Marketing manager Craig Hall says the range is designed to take wild bird care products to the next level.  “It’s great news that people are becoming more conscious of the responsibility that comes from protecting our nation’s birds, but this doesn’t mean they should only be armed with boring designs – why not offer something that appeals to both our feathered friends and ourselves? All of our houses and feeders are stunning to look at, thanks to the attention to detail, bright colour palette and quality of build.  We’ve no doubt that they’ll provide a real focal point in the garden, whilst also enabling retailers to stock something that offers strong impact in-store, helping to further drives sales of this vital product group.”

A plant fair in a small Shropshire village has raised around £7,000 for charity.

Competitive bidding for 40 lots of rare specimen plants from garden owners, specialist nursery breeding programmes and seven private National Collection holders across North Shropshire and the Cheshire border raised more than £900 towards the total in a ‘special plants’ auction.

In excess of 3,000 plants were sold on the day at the ninth annual plant fair, which packed out the Parish Hall  at Welshampton in Shropshiore, as well as three marquees. The event, which raised £6,500 last year, has contributed more than £30,000 to charity before this year’s takings are added to the total.

The proceeds will be divided between Shropshire Macmillan Cancer Support and St Michael and All Angels Church in Welshampton.

The annual event, which attracts gardeners from far and wide, is a big community effort, with around 40 local people helping on the day and a dedicated team of nine gardeners growing plants to be sold for charity.

The ‘special plants’ auction was conducted by Andrew Beeston, senior auctioneer and valuer at Halls, Shrewsbury, who also produced a catalogue of the lots on offer.

“It was an absolutely amazing day,” said event co-ordinator Gillian Eleftheriou. “It was our busiest ever fair, with long queues to get in and to pay, but the friendly atmosphere was fantastic.

“Everybody was so generous with their donations of select specimen plants for the auction and the donors were delighted that every penny from the sale is going to charity. We have been very privileged to receive new plants to launch at each of our auctions and this year was no exception.

“Gardeners like to buy these plants because they know that leading plantsmen have put their heart and soul into growing them.

“The fair is exceptional in bringing together expert professionals and dedicated amateur growers to offer a huge choice of ornamental perennials, annuals and vegetables, along with sound advice. It’s also unique because there’s nowhere in the country that has the variety and quality of plants on offer at such attractive prices.”

Andrew Humphris, head gardener at Wollerton Old Hall, received an ovation after giving his top tips on prolonging colour into high summer and beyond in a talk titled “August Pzzazz the Wollerton Way”.

Above: The Welshampton plant growing team with speaker Andrew Humphris in one of the marquees before the sale.

Richard Carr is set to join leading growing media, fertilisers and chemicals producer William Sinclair Horticulture, as Commercial Director.

Currently Commercial Director for garden hose market leader Hozelock, whom he joined in 2008, initially as UK Sales Director, Carr previously spent 10 years with Spear & Jackson, including six years as Sales and Marketing Director.

He began his career working for the retailer, Boots, in Nottingham.

A member of the HTA Manufacturers’ Committee as well as the Garden industry Marketing Board, Carr also sits on BHETA’s DIY Committee.

With responsibility for all of William Sinclair’s retail, professional and industrial sales, he will take up his new post at the beginning of June, reporting to Chief Executive Peter Rush.

Tasked with growing sales of famous brands such as J. Arthur Bower’s, New Horizon, Growing Success, Silvaperl, DeadFast and Sinclair Professional, he will also head up a major sales initiative for new products once the company’s new £15m growing media production facility at Ellesmere Port comes on stream later this year.

Carr said: “Great things are happening at William Sinclair and I look forward to working with a strong management team to increase our share of the growing media category while building sales of both new and established products with current and future customers across all channels in what is a changing retail scene. The facilities at the new Ellesmere Port plant are world class and will deliver a compelling range of innovative, top quality products in 2015 and beyond which I am confident will change the market.”

Chief Executive Peter Rush said: “Richard Carr is well known and highly regarded throughout the industry and I am delighted to welcome him as a key member of the dynamic William Sinclair management team we have been assembling in recent months. Following our internal restructuring, we are now poised to capitalise on the company’s considerable investment in people, plant, technology, marketing and the supply chain.”

Married with two children aged 16 and 4, Richard Carr lives in Sheffield.

www.william-sinclair.co.uk

A new water-retaining hanging basket liner fabric designed to make caring for plants less time consuming and reduce overall water usage is available as a retail product this summer.

The Super Absorbent Fibre (SAF) technology of UK-based Technical Absorbents Ltd (TAL), is a unique fibrous technology and creates new possibilities for the development of fabrics that can be used as both temporary and long-term plant root watering systems, even in areas of low water availability. They aim to achieve highly controlled delivery of water to root systems, whilst significantly reducing evaporative loss and water seepage. SAF can also be applied directly to the soil.

Agrotas basket liner fabric can be cut to shape and used to line the base of potted plants and hanging baskets,  and can even be used in vertical gardens. It works by absorbing and holding enough water to provide an optimum moisture environment for plant growth. Overall water usage can be cut by up to 50% over the growing season, and re-watering frequency is significantly reduced. Fertilizer can also be added to the water.

The 2.5mm-thick fabric has an absorbent capacity of 24 to 33g per gram.

The launch packs contain three 34cms diameter liners, which can be cut to size for smaller baskets. TAL aim to supply linear metres in due course.

TAL is excited about the potential for this technology and hoping that it is received well by gardeners in the UK and overseas.”

Hozelock’s new Pico Reel has been shortlisted for ‘Product of the Year’ 2014 at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Its lightweight and compact design features and 10-metre reel  make it ideal for smaller garden spaces. With an SRP of £29.99, it comes complete with a Multi Spray Gun.

Hozelock’s popular Flexi Spray won the award last year.

The product is one of 17 on the shortlist, to be judged by a panel of experts on Monday 19 May, based on innovation, functionality, quality, visual appeal and environmental sustainability.

Courgette tops the veg chart All but one of the Top 50 products in the Veg-2-Gro chart are items from Quantil and Suttons. Quantil have 33 entries and Suttons 16.

• The exception is Allensmore Rhubarb Timperly Early.
• Quantil Courgette tops the lot, moving up from fourth spot.
  
• Quantil also have both the highest climber and highest re-entry in Tomato Sweet Million and Tomato Ailsa Craig respectively.
  
• Grafted Tomato F1 Sweet Petit is Suttons’ highest placed item at No 2.

To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

Napoleon Grills is supporting Epilepsy Action’s ‘Get grilling, get giving’ fundraising campaign this summer.

Epilepsy Action is the UK’s leading epilepsy organisation and exists to improve the lives of those affected by the condition, currently numbering 600,000 in the UK. The Big BBQ is just one event of many taking place to raise funds.

The Epilepsy Action Big BBQ will take place between June 9-15. Information and registration for a pack is via the website at epilepsy.org.uk/bigbbq, further information is also available on the Napoleon Grills website www.napoleongrills.co.uk

Napoleon Grills is attending food festivals around the country during the summer months and will be actively promoting the event, the company will also be providing BBQ prize packs to encourage participation.

Volume sales in the Growing Media chart are down 12% on the previous week and down 35% on the same week last year. The encouraging sign is that gardeners are still buying compost to plant up containers.

• The highest new entry is Westland Gro-Sure Container and Basket Compost (50 litres).
  
• The highest re-entry is Westland John Innes Repotting No 2 (30 litres).
  
• Scotts Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Pot & Basket (50 litres) moves into the Top 10 bestsellers.

To subscribe to GTN Bestsellers email karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk

The Defra National Pollinator Strategy for bees and other pollinators in England sets out proposals to safeguard these important insects given their role in pollinating many food crops and wild plants and their contribution to our food production and the diversity of our environment.

The HTA is broadly supportive of the strategy in that it identifies the need to gather more scientific evidence of the numbers and behaviour of the many types of bees, moths, butterflies and other types of pollinators, so that we can understand the roles they play and what is affecting them.

HTA’s Head of Horticulture Raoul Curtis-Machin comments: “We have suggested that researching alternatives to neonicotinoids should be a top priority because many gardeners want to plant pollinating flowers. However, without neonicotinoids in horticultural production, our gardeners are also treated to pots full of vine weevil grubs and bitten leaves.

“We also make the point that protected horticultural production should not be ignored because many glasshouse crops - strawberries for example - use managed hives of bees which they place in the glasshouse.”

The HTA is recommending a holistic approach is taken to horticulture, farming and landscape management. There is a danger that to ban neonicotinoids outright might push farmers into using broad-spectrum pyrethroids as the next best thing, which may potentially be far worse for bees and pollinators.

Mr Fothergill's has teamed up with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) to offer a retail range of seeds for the 2014-15 season to boost the charity's 'Give Nature a Home' campaign, which is inspiring families to create wildlife-friendly areas in their gardens. 

The dedicated, free-standing display unit, made from FSE-approved card, presents 16 single varieties, three Four-in-One collection packs and three Shaker Boxes of wildflower mixes.  Ideal for high-traffic areas in store, this pre-merchandised unit requires only minimal construction, and makes an ideal linked sales opportunity if positioned near wildlife food and feeder displays, says Mr Fothergill's.

Each packet or box carries a silhouette icon to tell consumers whether the contents attract birds, pollinating insects, butterflies or a combination of the three, all of which the RSPB now seeks to protect.  The charity receives a royalty from Mr Fothergill's for every pack sold to help its work with British wildlife. 

Pot Toppers is the name of Mr Fothergill's new range of pre-sown 20cm (8in) wide seed mats, presented on a full-height 'hot spot' stand to maximise their impact.  There are seven varieties - three mixed salad leaves and four popular herbs - and with three mats per packet consumers can ensure a season-long supply of their favourites just outside their back door or on the patio.

The perfect solution for those who have little or no garden, but still wish to 'grow their own', Pot Toppers could also be displayed on their small footprint stand alongside pots and containers to encourage additional sales.  Mr Fothergill's also feels Pot Toppers are perfect for youngsters wishing to take the first steps in vegetable growing.

Following the launch of its Value Twin Packs for the 2013-14 season, the company is capitalising on their success with the introduction of Planting Companions Twin Packs - a mini-range which pairs eight species known to work naturally together to reduce pests.  With a distinctive logo and highlighted on-stand with new point-of-sale material, Mr Fothergill's is the only UK company capable of producing these perforated twin packs.

Also new for the forthcoming season is the Garden Time range of six gardening gifts and kits.  Mr Fothergill's is working with the makers of the world-renowned Buzzy garden range, combining their joint expertise to bring these proven products to the UK market. 

They have been developed in response to a continuing demand for seed-related gifts and kits to appeal to a wide range of gardening consumers, while the packaging has been designed for great stand-out on the shelf.  There are four Windowsill Kits and a Herb Grow Kit, all presented in strong, galvanised metal containers and  Grow Your Own Pesto Kit, which includes a pestle and mortar.

Among 16 new seed varieties, of which seven are exclusive to Mr Fothergill's, are Marrow Fatboy F1, capable of producing fruits up to 20kg and an excellent addition to the recently launched Exhibition Vegetables range, and Sweet Pea Tiller Girls, a stylish, flamboyant, fragrant mix of pastel 'flakes'.

For more information on how Mr Fothergill's can boost stockists' profits, telephone 01638 554111, log on at www.mr-fothergills-trade.com or e-mail info@mr-fothergills.co.uk

Cook's Garden Centre of Stourport on Severn was awarded a gold medal for its exhibit at RHS Malvern Spring Festival, producing the largest ever display in the event's 28 year history and centred around a stunning collection of hydrangeas.

"We've introduced three new varieties this year," explained garden centre owner Paul Cook. "In particular, one is a lovely soft, warm pink plant called Love. So you could say we've brought love to Malvern."

Cook's took a week to build a massive 10 metre square stand and pack it with plants.

"We've been exhibiting every year since the first show way back in 1986," Mr Cook added. "So we thought we'd make a special effort this year and it's really paid off."

As well as gold for Cook's, RHS judges awarded gold medals to two other long time Worcestershire exhibitors, Grange Farm Nursery of Guarlford, near Malvern and Owens Bros (of Worcester) based at Bevere.

Grange Farm, which is run by Carol and Rollin Nicholls, called their display 'The Artist's Garden' after being inspired by a visit to Monet's garden in France last year, while Owens Bros, which has never been out of the medals during the history of the show, scored again with an immaculate display of conifers.

Best in show in the Floral Marquee, which contained entries from 80 of the top nurseries in the UK, was Drointon Nurseries of Ripon, North Yorkshire with a display of primulas and the judges gave the "most creative exhibit" award to Crescent Plants of Marden, near Leominster, which again featured primulas.

Haskins have acknowledged 30 years service of staff member Colin Brickell, who rose from being a plantman with the company to a buyer in charge of a £3.5m budget.

Colin was interviewed by chairman Warren Haskins for a job at the original Haskins at Tricketts Cross, Ferndown. He had already trained in horticulture with Bournemouth parks department.

He went on to become a crucial member of the buying team, based at head office in Longham, and took on the role of group plant buyer.

Warren Haskins and chief executive Julian Winfield held a lunch in his honour and he was presented with £300 in gift vouchers.

"When Colin joined the company it employed less than 50 people," said Warren Haskins. “We now have a payroll of 550 people.

'In that time we have relocated the Ferndown centre to the current site at Longham, and expanded to own four prime garden centres in southern England. We thank Colin for his long and loyal service.”

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.

As the year goes on we give sales volume comparisons with 2012 as well as 2013 to allow your teams to see variations over a three year period.

Access is by subscription only.  For £145.00 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, e-mail karen.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk or buy on-line using this link.

Highlights of the GTN Garden Products Bestsellers chart for this week are here

Highlights of the GTN Veg-2-Gro Products Bestsellers chart for this week are here

Highlights of the GTN Growing Media Bestsellers chart for this week are 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.