British Garden Centres has announced the successful culmination of its recent fundraising over the past three years, raising an outstanding £60,000 in support of Greenfingers Charity.  

This amazing fundraising feat shows no sign of abating as British Garden Centres is delighted to launch Sweet Pea ‘Butterfly Blue’ by Unwins, an exclusive variety that will not only add beauty to gardens but support Greenfingers even further.

The blooming endeavour is in partnership with Unwins, part of Westland Horticulture, and will see the sweet pea seeds sold across the UK’s largest family-run group’s 62 centres, with each purchase of the Butterfly Blue seeds collection seeing 25p contributing to the worthy cause. Greenfingers is dedicated to bringing joy and solace to children and their families during challenging times. The funds raised will go towards creating magical gardens in children's hospices, providing a tranquil and therapeutic environment for those facing difficult circumstances.

The exclusive sweet pea has a distinctive butterfly-like shape and is both beautiful and fragrant and will not only create a rich purple-blue display in the garden but be the ideal addition to cut flower arrangements this summer. Sowing a packet of seeds and gardening can help improve both physical and mental health and ‘Butterfly Blue’ aims to help raise awareness and vital funds for such a good cause.

‘Butterfly Blue’ is just one of many fundraising initiatives that British Garden Centres has undertaken for Greenfingers since 2020.   The signature Hydrangea ‘Red Butterfly’ was officially unveiled at the 2022 RHS Chelsea Flower Show to celebrate the company's rebrand and supporting Greenfingers with £10 from each plant sold at the show will be donated to the charity.

From supporting the annual Garden Re-Leaf Day with cake sales, and raffles, or taking part in the sponsored 20-mile walk or cycle to more fearless challenges like Phillippa Stubbs taking part in a daring wing walk, Greenfingers is a charity that holds a special place with the British Garden Centres family. 

Amy Stubbs, Project and Development Manager said: “I hope our customers and gardeners across the country will buy packets of Sweet Pea ‘Butterfly Blue’ and help us raise precious funds for Greenfingers Charity.  As sweet pea seeds can be sown up until April and again from September to November, we hope visitors to our centres will embrace this beautiful flower and initiative to maximise income for Greenfingers' vital work.  We are delighted to have raised nearly £60,000 so far. This accomplishment reflects our commitment to giving back to Greenfingers and creating a positive impact on the lives of children who live in UK’s hospices through magical garden spaces.” 

Linda Petrons, Director of Fundraising and Communications at Greenfingers Charity commented: We are so incredibly grateful for all the wonderful support from British Garden Centres. It is a special partnership that spans all the UK stores and nearly £60,000 has now been raised for Greenfingers over three years is a testament to the dedication of everyone involved with the group. We look forward to seeing ‘Butterfly Blue’ Sweet Peas in households across the country and can’t wait to see what 2024 brings for Greenfingers and British Garden Centres.”

Malcolm Catlin, Technical and NPD Project Support - Seeds, at Unwins, added: “At Unwins, we have a history with sweet pea seeds that goes back more than a century. Sweet peas are a beautiful addition to any garden – they burst with colour and provide a wonderful scent.  The brand-new Butterfly Blue sweet peas will have a lovely blue and purple colour that will brighten up borders and are also perfect for cutting to enjoy around the home. We cannot wait to see gardeners enjoying them and help British Garden Centres continue to raise funds for Greenfingers.”