Members of the Garden Centre Association in the Midlands region are celebrating after receiving awards during a presentation evening this week (Wednesday, July 5, 2023) at Gates Garden Centre.

The title of Garden Centre of the Year in the Destination Garden Centre (DGC) category was awarded to Webbs of Wychbold (above) and the Garden Centre (GC) category award went to Fairways Garden Centre, Ashbourne.

Peter Burks, CEO at the GCA, said: “Our second regional awards meeting of the summer was a great success. We’d like to say a huge ‘congratulations’ to all of our winners, they all thoroughly deserve the recognition and are a testament to us. We’re also very grateful to the team at Gates Garden Centre in Leicestershire for hosting our event this time around. They were marvellous hosts!

“On behalf of all the attendees we’d like to say a huge ‘thank you’ to our inspector, Phil McCann, for visiting each centre and providing extensive feedback on what he found. This really was invaluable to our members and is one of the main benefits of our membership.

“New for 2023, we’ve introduced an award for houseplants. We also did a Best Planteria award on the night and will do the same at every award event this summer, as although the top 10 highest scorers get a second visit to determine who wins the overall Ruxley Rose competition, which is announced at our conference in January, the area winners haven’t been recognised in previous years.”

Phil conducted surprise visits to centres across a 12-week period.

The full results for the Midlands region GCA area awards are as follows for the GC and DGC categories:

Garden Centre of the Year: Webbs of Wychbold (DGC) and Fairways Garden Centre, Ashbourne (GC)

Customer Service Award for Best Customer Service: Gates Garden Centre

Environment and Sustainability Award sponsored by Savills: Planters Garden Centre, Tamworth

The Barton Grange Trophy for Commercial Innovation and Creativity: Webbs of Wychbold

The Dick Allen Award for Most Improved Centre: Stratford Garden Centre

The Award for Catering Excellence for Best Garden Centre Restaurant: Webbs of Wychbold (DGC) and Fairways Garden Centre, Ashbourne (GC)

The GIMA Award for Best Garden Products Retailer: Planters Garden Centre, Tamworth (DGC) and Fairways Garden Centre, Ashbourne (GC)

The Outdoor Living Award for Best Outdoor Living Retailer: Gates Garden Centre (DGC) and Fairways Garden Centre, Ashbourne (GC)

The Indoor Lifestyle Award for Best Indoor Lifestyle Retailer: East Bridgford Garden Centre (DGC) and Fairways Garden Centre, Ashbourne (GC)

Houseplants: Webbs of Wychbold (DGC) and Fairways Garden Centre, Ashbourne (GC)

Best Planteria (Ruxley Rose): Pacific Nurseries (DGC) and Fairways Garden Centre, Ashbourne (GC).

For further information, visit www.gca.org.uk.

Klondyke won the Garden Centre categories in both North East and North West regions.

Garden Centre Association (GCA) members across the North East and North West had plenty to cheer about yesterday (Wednesday, July 5) after picking up a bevvy of awards during a presentation at Tingley Garden Centre.

The North East’s Garden Centre of the Year in the Destination Garden Centre (DGC) category was Cowell’s Garden Centre (above) with Klondyke Beverley Garden Centre in the Garden Centre (GC) category. In the North West, Bents Garden and Home, below, (DGC) and Klondyke Wilmslow Garden Centre (GC) received the accolades.

Peter Burks, CEO at the GCA, said: “It was great to see so many members and their teams in attendance at our regional awards meeting this year. They were really paying close attention to our inspector, Colin Farquahar’s feedback and listening to what he had to say. Now is the optimum time for our members to take his comments on board, relay them to the rest of their teams, to accentuate all the positives and work on any changes that may be needed too. Thank you also to Tingley Garden Centre for hosting us too. It was great to visit the garden centre and meet the team.”

Colin visited member garden centres in the North East and North West across a 12-week period to reach his findings.

He said: “The operational standards within the centres in the North East and North West during this year’s inspection window was truly outstanding with teams ensuring that customers received the best service possible. It was evident from the inspections that winning the coveted awards was a motivating factor for many to go above and beyond on a daily basis, it was a pleasure to inspect in this environment.”

The full results for the North East and North West region GCA area awards are as follows for the GC and DGC categories:

North East

Garden Centre of the Year: Cowell’s Garden Centre (DGC) and Klondyke Beverley Garden Centre (GC)

Best Customer Service: Klondyke Stokesley Garden Centre

Environment and Sustainability Award sponsored by Savills: Klondyke Stokesley Garden Centre

The Barton Grange Trophy for Innovation and Creativity: Cowell’s Garden Centre

The Dick Allen Award for Most Improved Centre: British Garden Centres, Arcadia

The Award for Catering Excellence for Best Garden Centre Restaurant: Tong Garden Centre (DGC) and Klondyke Beverley Garden Centre (GC)

The GIMA Award for Best Garden Products Retailer: Klondyke Stokesley Garden Centre (DGC) and Moss and Moor (GC)

The Outdoor Living Award for Best Outdoor Living Retailer: Klondyke Stokesley Garden Centre (DGC) and Klondyke Garforth Garden Centre (GC)

The Indoor Lifestyle Award for Best Indoor Lifestyle Retailer: Tong Garden Centre (DGC) and Moss and Moor (GC)

Houseplants: Cowell’s Garden Centre (DGC) and joint GCs Klondyke Garforth Garden Centre and Klondyke Beverley Garden Centre (GC)

Plantaria (Ruxley Rose): Cowell’s Garden Centre (DGC) and Langlands Garden Centre, Leeds (GC)

North West

Garden Centre of the Year: Bents Garden and Home (DGC) and Klondyke Wilmslow Garden Centre (GC)

Best Customer Service: Fron Goch Garden Centre

Environment and Sustainability Award sponsored by Savills: Bents Garden and Home

The Barton Grange Trophy for Innovation and Creativity: Bents Garden and Home

The Dick Allen Award for Most Improved Centre: Klondyke Houghton Hall Garden Centre

The Award for Catering Excellence for Best Garden Centre Restaurant: Bents Garden and Home (DGC) and joint GC winners Klondyke Holland Arms Garden Centre, Klondyke Brookside Garden Centre and Klondyke Lady Green Garden Centre (GC)

The GIMA Award for Best Garden Products Retailer: Joint DGC winners Bents Garden and Home and Barton Grange Garden Centre (DGC) and Klondyke Astbury Meadow Garden Centre (GC)

The Indoor Lifestyle Award for Best Indoor Lifestyle Retailer: Gordale Garden Centre (DGC) and RHS Bridgewater Plant Centre and Shop (GC)

The Outdoor Living Award for Best Outdoor Living Retailer: Bents Garden and Home (DGC) and Klondyke Astbury Meadow Garden Centre (GC)

Houseplants: Hayes Garden Centre (DGC) and RHS Bridgewater Plant Centre and Shop (GC)

Plantaria (Ruxley Rose): Fron Goch Garden Centre (DGC) and Klondyke Lady Green Garden Centre (GC).

For further information, please visit www.gca.org.uk.

Destination Garden Centre of the Year went to Ruxley Manor (above) and the Garden Centre of the Year Award was presented to Coolings Wych Cross (below) at the South Thames GCA region during a presentation evening yesterday (Tuesday, July 4, 2023) at Castle Gardens in Dorset.

Dwayne Ross, Managing Director at Coolings said: “This is an amazing achievement for the whole team. Being such a plant-based business, we are delighted to have been recognised.”

Andrew Evans Managing Director at Ruxley Manor Garden Centre said: “This is a fantastic win for Ruxley Manor and we’re absolutely delighted to have won. We would like to thank the entire team for their continued hard work and commitment that made this win possible.”

The full results for the South Thames region GCA area awards are as follows for the GC and DGC categories:

Garden Centre of the Year: Ruxley Manor Garden Centre (DGC) and Coolings Wych Cross (GC)

Customer Service Award for Best Customer Service: Coolings Nurseries

Environment and Sustainability Award sponsored by Savills: Millbrook Garden Company, Gravesend

The Barton Grange Trophy for Commercial Innovation and Creativity: Ruxley Manor Garden Centre

The Dick Allen Award for Most Improved Centre: Thompson Plants and Garden Welling

The Award for Catering Excellence for Best Garden Centre Restaurant: Ruxley Manor Garden Centre (DGC) and Knights Plant Centre, Betchworth (GC)

The GIMA Award for Best Garden Products Retailer: Stewarts Garden Centre, Christchurch (DGC) and Squires Garden Centre, Woking (GC)

The Indoor Lifestyle Award for Best Indoor Lifestyle Retailer: Ruxley Manor Garden Centre (DGC) and Knights Plant Centre, Betchworth (GC)

The Outdoor Living Award for Best Outdoor Living Retailer: Garsons Garden Centre, Esher (DGC) and Canterbury Garden Centre (GC) 

Houseplants: Ransoms Garden Centre (DGC) and Knights Plant Centre, Betchworth (GC)

Best Planteria (Ruxley Rose): Joint DGC winners are Coolings Nurseries and Newbridge Nurseries (DGC) and Thompson Plants and Garden Welling (GC).

Peter Burks, CEO at the GCA, said: “Our first regional awards meeting of the year was a great success and it was fantastic to see 102 attendees all actively engaged in the presentations and taking down lots of notes to share with the rest of their teams afterwards.

“I’d like to congratulate all our very worthy winners and give a big ‘thank you’ to everyone at Castle Gardens in Sherborne, which is part of The Gardens Group, for being such wonderful hosts and to Gordon Emslie for inspecting the centres and presenting his findings in such an engaging way. Also, this year we’re delighted to announce that we’ve introduced a new award for houseplants too.

“We also did a Best Planteria award on the night and will do the same at every award event this summer, as although the top 10 highest scorers get a second visit to determine who wins the overall Ruxley Rose competition, which is announced at our conference in January, the area winners haven’t been recognised in previous years.”

Gordon Emslie inspected 57 garden centres in the region within a 12-week period.  He said: “The overall operational consistency witnessed, along with excellent retail standards, was fantastic. You can visibly see centres using the inspection process to develop their businesses. The result was that more than 70% of centres achieved the ‘highly commended’ award for scoring 75% or over. Overall great centres, delivering excellent customer service and being inspirational and creative for shoppers.”

The GCA represents more than 200 garden centres nationwide and helps members to achieve high standards in customer service, plant quality and reliability through sharing information and its inspection programme.

For further information, please visit www.gca.org.uk.

GTN July 2023 SOLEX 2023 Preview. In this issue: Welcome to Solex 2023, Horticultures' voice at the Houses of Parliament, Plants take centre stage at the National Plant Show, Colour and Cushions in Cologne at spoga + gafa, AMES Celebrate the art of possible, New and imaginative at BBC GW Live, SOLEX 2023 Exhibitor News: Firepits UK, Tramontina, HEX Living, LeisureGrow, Cheeky Charlie, Pagoda, Lifestyle, Char-Broil, LifestyleGarden, Extreme Lounging, Minster Stylish Living, Garden Furniture Global, Dansons, Bramblecrest, RotoSpa, Innovators International, Daro, Glencrest, Pacific, Kettler, New sales concepts from LifestyleGarden, Zest win again at GIMA Charity Golf Day, Creative merchandising for plants – GTN Planteria, Talking to Government and New Plants – HTA Column.

Glee went Floral Thursday today in support of Greenfingers Charity. The event, supported by Garden Trade News, saw exhibitors and visitors to Glee joining in the fun by wearing an array of floral clothing throughout the day.

All those taking part were asked to support the charity by buying a raffle ticket which was entered into a prize draw to win fabulous prizes.

The winners of The Greatest Floral Thursday Team Awards who received awards on stage were:

Evergreen Garden Care – Keeping up the standards set by them since the first Floral Thursday at Glee in 2019.

WHM Petcare (Marriages) - Colourful sunflower co-ordination including this summers must have accessory - a floral bucket hat.

Sipcam - Bespoke brightly coloured shirts with branding included.

AMES - The biggest co-ordinated floral team at Glee 2023, with great Floral Thursday graphics on the back of branded polos, and for entering into the fun of the day with a Man City style "Posnan".

Also announced was The Greatest Sustainable Floral team Award, which went to Zest, for re-using the same shirts as last year!

A total of £2,130 was raised for Greenfingers on Thursday at Glee.

And, the World Record for people at Glee wearing floral attire on the same day was definitely broken too!

Ground-breaking new garden and pet products have been confirmed as the winners of the coveted Glee New Product Awards 2023, run in association with GTN. The Overall Best Glee New Product went to Westland Unwins for its Kent & Stowe Surecut Loppers & Shears.

The winning products were chosen by an expert panel of judges representing independent and multiple retailers, consumer gardening media and trade media.

After initial judging of the new products entered, the judges selected finalists in each category. Then those finalists had the opportunity to meet the judges, answer questions and make a pitch to be chosen as the winner.

The results:

Wild Bird Care and Wildlife Products

Winner: Peckish Natural Balance Coco-Not Wild Bird Feeders – Westland Unwins

Pet Products

Winner: Pet Bed Topper – The Wheat Bag Company

DIY Products

Winner: Racan Premium Anti-Rodent Sealant (RACARSM) – Lodi UK

Landscaping

Winner: Rubber Play Space Tiles – Primeur Ltd

Retail Services & Experiences

Winner: Indoor Gardening Essentials Merchandising Solutions (G.E.M.S) – Westland Unwins

Gifts, body and bath, Christmas, greeting cards, toys and games 

Winner: Playpress Vets Mini Playset – Playpress Toys

Homewares, clothing and fashion accessories 

Winner: Recycled Bottle Scarf – Art on Scarves

Leisure & Entertaining

Winner: Firestorm Phoenix Pellet Patio Heater – Pinnacle Agri Products Ltd

Tools & Machinery

Winner: Kent & Stowe Surecut Loppers & Shears – Westland Unwins

Garden Decoration

Winner: Gemini Solar Wall Light pk of 2 – The Solar Centre

Growing Containers

Winners: Cottage Garden 12L Beehive Planter – EP Barrus Ltd 

EcoMade Indoor Hemp Planters – Woodlodge Products

Growing Accessories

Winner: ClipGlove Warm 'n' Waterproof – Treadstone Products

Growing Materials

Winner: Coco & Coir Houseplant Compost – Southern Trident Limited

Plants Seeds & Bulbs

Winners: Nymphya Purple Fantasy – Anglo Aquatic

Petunia Tumbelina Nicola – Colegrave Seabrook Foundation/Kerley & Co

Glee Sustainable Product Award

Winner:  EcoMade Indoor Hemp Planters – Woodlodge Products

Best of British Award

Winner:  Firestorm Phoenix Pellet Patio Heater – Pinnacle Agri Products Ltd

Overall Glee New Product 2023

Winner: Kent & Stowe Surecut Loppers & Shears – Westland Unwins

The Judges were: Mel Livingstone (Fron Goch Garden Centre), Andy Bunker (Alton Garden Centre), Ian Hodgson (Garden News), Nicci Gow (Retired Garden Centre Owner), Elliott Kirby (RHS Retail), Lilidh Matthews (Online Buying Consultant), Roger Crookes (Pughs Garden Centre), Pat Flynn (Retired Trade Association Manager of PetQuip), Tom Grinnall (Blue Diamond), Bryn Saysall (Blue Diamond), Boyd Douglas-Davies (Industry Consultant).

Exhibitors and visitors agreed that the three-day Glee extravaganza at the NEC Birmingham had been a hugely successful event. As the exhibition closed on three busy days of activity, show director Matthew Mein spoke to GTN’s Trevor Pfeiffer and reflected on another memorable Glee.

“It's been an absolutely jam packed three days of so much good stuff going on. I’ll try and cover it off in this brief interview, but I'll probably miss bits out. Looking at the hall, we had over 400 exhibitors in this year with 183 new exhibitors at the show this year. There's been more for buyers to see in terms of newness, so that's going to really help the journey. I have met buyers that were here for three solid days walking the aisles because there was so much to get through.

“The other highlights for me were the Atrium and the not just the Green Heart and the benches there, but how we also built out the area with the Talent Store, having the outdoor plant area and houseplant pop up stores were great. Looking at the students that took part from the GCA members, that was a real highlight, how they've nurtured their projects along from January in the freezing cold to where we are now in extreme heat of build and fab effort from all.

“Talent Store should now be an intrinsic part of the event. It's about nurturing the next talent, giving them that opportunity to shine away from the store and take those learnings back in store after they've delivered something live at the show. You can see how proud each of those students were that took part in both stores on Tuesday.

“Then the other thing the other highlight was outside having the fire grill and chill space on the on the space outside the atrium. That created a real kind of theatre festival feeling. All the pizzas and steaks cooking outside, great smells, but great theatre out there as well. So that really added, I think for me to the whole depth of the show.

“I joined some of the New Product Awards sessions to look in and it was great fun looking at the, the passion that each of those suppliers had about their products. Probing questions back from the judges, but I think that really identified some brilliant winners across different businesses and new businesses which for me makes it the highlight of the show. 

“Visitors had lots of opportunity to find new products at Glee, not just in the new product area. We don't always get to see all the new products there, which can be frustrating at times, but actually the whole show just had thousands.  Thousands of new ideas that they could take back to their stores to sell to their customers. Seeing that is really rewarding. And some of the buyer feedback, people that, were here three days, but also just the ideas that they're getting and how they come away from Glee and how they think about their ranging, their planning post Glee. These next 4 to 8 weeks will be a really good opportunity to do that and start thinking about which suppliers they want to take forward in terms of their ordering for next year.”

Speaking of next year, Matthew closed with the dates for Glee 2024: “On the 25th to 27th of June. So that date line at the end of June. I think that's a really important thing, the quality of buyers that have come to the show over the last three days has been brilliant. So that's something that we want to develop going forward and continue the growth of attracting more and more buyers to that new timeline.”

It’s not long now until Phillippa Stubbs takes to the skies standing on the top wing of a vintage Boeing Stearman bi-plane and flying through the air at speeds of around 135mph all to raise money for Greenfingers Charity.

Phillippa, who is the director of the largest family-run group, British Garden Centres will be taking to the skies strapped to the wings on top of the aircraft for the challenge of a lifetime.

Phillippa will be one of the garden industry daredevils to do the adrenaline-fuelled wing walk on July 5th with the Superaerobatics team. Her journey will start in the Gloucestershire countryside where the plane will take off from Rendcomb Airfield, Cirencester before climbing to reach heights of 700ft.  There it will perform flypasts, zoom climbs, steep dives, and banks in front of supporters. 

She is appealing for sponsorship from both industry colleagues and suppliers in aid of Greenfingers Charity, which builds magical gardens and outdoor spaces for life-limited children and their families to enjoy.  

Philippa said: “I am very excited about the prospect of the wing walk and would like to thank everyone for their generous donations so far. This will be a really nerve-wracking experience and I hope people will get behind me and the wing walking team and donate whatever they can to help Greenfingers carry on their work building gardens for  the hospices providing vital care and support to local children and families.”

Phillippa will soar above the clouds with a number of key names from the industry including Lukasz Kulisa (AMES), Katy Thompson, Sam Jarvis and Poppy Jarvis (STV International), Lowri Walker (SBM Life Science) and Kimberley Hornby (Hornby Whitefoot PR)

To support Phillippa and her ambitious wing walk please visit https://bit.ly/3qh7zYV for her JustGiving page.

The Glee New Product Showcase, in association with GTN, has generated huge interest as Glee. After drawing up their shortlisted products for the New Product Awards, the judges listened to pitches from exhibitors.

The final winners were announced at 5pm today (Wednesday).

The judges

The following categories and shortlisted products were pitched to the judges on Wednesday morning:

Gifts 

MightyBugs, Andermatt

Paint your Own Solar Butterfly Light, The Solar Centre

Playpress Vets Mini Playset, Playpress Toys

RHS Gifts for Gardeners 'Asteraceae' herb set, Burgon & Ball

Xtend Bike, Robbie Toys Limited

Home

Botanical Wax Melts (Darjeeling Delights), The Flora Lab

Fire Starters: set of 12, Candles @ Miss Soy

Recycled Bottle Scarf, Art on Scarves

Tapestry Bee Door Stop, The Wheat Bag Company

Leisure & Entertaining

Eco Fuego, Eco Fuego

Firestorm Phoenix Pellet Patio Heater, Pinnacle Agri Products Ltd

Zest Stirling Arbou, Zest Outdoor Living

Zest Terraza Outdoor Kitchen, Zest Outdoor Living

Tools & Machinery

AMES Digging Spade, AMES UK

AMES Double Sided Soil Rake, AMES UK

Kent & Stowe Surecut Loppers & Shears, Westland Unwins

Wing-Lock Hose Connector, QuickHose

Garden Decoration

DécorDisk, Smart Garden Products Limited

FireFly Solar Garden Light, The Solar Centre

Gemini Solar Wall Light pk of 2, The Solar Centre

Growing Containers

Cottage Garden 12L Beehive Planter,  EP Barrus Ltd

EcoMade Indoor Hemp Planters, Woodlodge Products

Tierra Verde Planters - New Collection, Primeur Ltd

Growing Accessories

ClipGlove Warm 'n' Waterproof, Treadstone Products

Germie - Reusable seed growing kit, Germie

Memory Foam Folding Kneeler, EP Barrus Ltd

Verty Plant Anchoring System, Verty 

Zest Eco Hive Composter, Zest Outdoor Living

Zest Tall Botanical Greenhouse, Zest Outdoor Living

Growing Materials

BugNet, Andermatt

Coco & Coir Houseplant Compost, Southern Trident Limited

RocketGro Tomato food, RocketGro

Vitax Liquid Acer Feed, Vitax Ltd

Plants Seeds & Bulbs

BEES® Gardener's Calendar, G Plants Ltd

Brtish Mini Orchid in Ceramic grown in Peat Free Media, The Horti House

Nymphya Purple Fantasy, Anglo Aquatic

Petunia Bridal Blush, Colegrave Seabrook Foundation/Kerley & Co.

Petunia Tumbelina Nicola, Colegrave Seabrook Foundation/Kerley & Co.

The following categories and shortlisted products were pitched to the judges on Tuesday afternoon:

Wild Bird Care and Wildlife Products

Barrel Bird Nestbox, Wildlife World

Chicken Snack Tower, Fauna Bird

Gardman Wild Bird Novelty Suet Treats, Westland Unwins

Peckish Natural Balance Coco-Not® Wild Bird Feeders, Westland Unwins

Solar Powered WiFi Bird Box Camera, Green Feathers

Pet Products

Earthy Sustainable medium pet bowl made with coffee, Earthy Sustainable

Extra-Large Compostable Poo Bags, Twiggy Tags Ltd

GET OFF Lawn Rescue, Sipcam Home and Garden

Pet Bed Toppe, The Wheat Bag Company

TrailFinder Dog Safety Light, Twiggy Tags Ltd

DIY Products

Exterior Wood Stain, Furniture Clinic

Garden Furniture Restoration Kit, Furniture Clinic

Racan Premium Anti-Rodent Sealant (RACARSM),  Lodi UK

Landscaping

Oriental Stepping Stones, Meadow View Stone Limited

Rubber Play Space Tiles, Primeur Ltd

Shell Chippings, Deco-pak

Retail Services & Experiences

QCR GLS1 Glass Bottle Crusher, QCR Recycling Equipment Ltd

Indoor Gardening Essentials Merchandising Solutions (G.E.M.S), Westland Unwins

Tumblebug On Site Food Waste Processor and Mushroom Farm, Tumblebug Ltd

See you at The Stage!

Highfield Garden World in Gloucestershire is on track to hit a new green energy milestone within the next few days. Since the completion of a substantial solar panel installation last Autumn, the amount of electricity generated on-site is about to hit the carbon offset equivalent of planting two thousand trees.

The family-owned independent installed just under 900 solar panels across its considerable roof space last Autumn, and the team uses an app to monitor in real time how much electricity the business is both using and generating. 

Tim Armstrong, Director and General Manager of Highfield, enthused;  “Investing in solar panels is proving a real success story for us.  We use around 600,000 KVA a year, but when the sun shines, we’re generating enough electricity not just to cover that, but also to push some back into the grid.   We’re helping reduce our impact on the environment whilst giving our customers something to smile about and saving money at the same time.  The visibility afforded by the app is helping push change through the business at every level too.  Energy usage is right up there on the management agenda where it should be, and our behaviours are changing;  we’re all increasingly careful to only put lights on where needed, and not to leave things on standby for example.”

Adopting and investing in green initiatives has long been at the forefront of future planning at Highfield.  The family business worked with award-winning Gloucestershire sustainability charity Severn Wye Energy Agency to access a £50k grant towards the solar panel project (see photo).  This supplemented Highfield’s own investment of £283k.

Other green investments include new LED lighting throughout, a vast 216,000 litre tank which harvests rainwater for reuse, and a fully retractable planteria roof which maximises daylight to reduce reliance on electricity whilst enhancing the customer experience.  On a more everyday level, all plastic and cardboard is recycled, buyers actively seek out local and eco-friendly suppliers and products, and customers take coffee grinds home for their gardens.

• Digging spade/fork
• Border Spade/Fork
• Square Mouth Shovel
• Planting Spade
• Round Pointed Shovel
• Bow Rake
• Flat Tine Leaf Rake
• Round Tine Leaf Rake
• Lawn Edger
• Dutch Hoe
• Draw Hoe
• Oscillating Hoe
• Cultivator
• Poly Leaf Rake
• Bulb Planter
• Aerator
• Weed Knife
• Midi Hand Fork/Trowel
• Hand Fork/Trowel
• Hand Transplanter
• Dibber
• Daisy Grubber
• Small Bulb Planter
• Hand Bulb Planter
• Potting Scoop

Johnsons Lawn Seed, the UK’s oldest lawn seed brand, has invested £3.5 million in new equipment to meet retail demand and significantly improve its overall product offering efficiency.

The business, based in Inkberrow, Worcestershire, has been an industry leader in lawn seed for over 200 years, providing world-class products to a wide range of garden and DIY retailers and helping Brits around the UK cultivate green healthy lawns.

Known as ‘Titan’, parent company DLF Seeds’ continued investment in facilities and new mixing plant technology will ensure continued quality, higher productivity, and improved energy efficiency.  The name Titan derives from Greek mythology, meaning ‘a thing of great strength, intellect, or importance'; the new plant encompasses all these things and continues to support the growth of DLF UK’s operations.

Optimising efficiency

Titan has 48 seed bins of seven cubic metres which hold up to 1.2 tonnes of seed depending upon the species being mixed.  The Pneumatic closed system inputs 12 tonnes per hour into bins and then 6 tonnes per hour from bins to mixers, improving  Johnsons’ line efficiency with increased capacity and capability through automation.

Before being distributed into Titan to work its magic, the seed is filtered on input with a “star cleaner” - also used in the food industry - to remove any debris and ensure nothing other than pure seed makes its way into the box. Titan’s rotary valves, diverter valves and connecting pipes are all self-cleaning, ensuring there is no contamination during the mixing process.

The bespoke control software is fully integrated with Nav, DLF’s operating software system, and the investment in Titan now brings all of its mixing and some treatments in-house, improving availability in season for consumers who want to care for their lawns in peak periods.

Guy Jenkins, Consumer Manager at Johnsons Lawn Seed said: “The new mixing plant will be a fantastic asset for the DLF and Johnsons site.  Over the past few years, we have experienced unprecedented demand for our lawn seed portfolio in both commercial and domestic sectors. Titan will significantly increase our production capacity, allowing us to

produce more products to keep up with demand levels and thereby helping us to satisfy both new and existing customers by guaranteeing a fast and reliable supply chain”

Find out more

If you want to start stocking Johnsons Lawn Seed, then please call your local sales agent or visit the websitehttp://www.johnsonslawnseed.com/product-range.aspx   

Primeur presented Greenfingers with a cheque for £5,200 on Floral Thursday, the third and final day of Glee.

Avid supporters of Garden Re-Leaf Day and the Greenfingers Charity, this year saw the Primeur team support the newly introduced north walk, as well as holding a special Garden Re-Leaf Fundraising Day on Wednesday 22nd March 2023.

The grand total from the day was a staggering £5,200, with the support from a number of their suppliers, colleagues and a donation from Primeur, contributing to this incredible fundraising total.

The fun day included carnival type games and raffles with a selection of great prizes available. A smorgasbord of food and drink were available for the Primeur team to buy at lunch, including a delicious BBQ and a bake sale, helping fuel them for the highly anticipated treasure hunt!

Managing Director Jenny Douthwaite said: "We are so grateful to all that took part in helping us raise this incredible total for Greenfingers!

"First place won a day’s holiday so you can imagine the competitiveness and seriousness of those taking part. Contributions from local businesses included generously donated prizes and money towards the cause. After a fabulous day, we were so pleased to confirm a fundraising total of £5,200.”

British garden manufacturer Webb - renowned for its high quality, award winning garden machinery – has introduced a 90 litre wheelbarrow to its range to make moving garden material around that much easier. But it’s not just any wheelbarrow: the new Webb wheelbarrow comes with a puncture proof wheel for all terrain use and longevity.

The Webb Wheelbarrow, with its spacious 90 litre tub capacity and 150kg load capacity, allow for substantial amounts of material - garden waste, soil, mulch, rocks, or construction materials – to be moved in a single trip, saving time and effort. What’s more, it’s incredibly easy to handle and manoeuvre thanks to the ergonomic grip handles and that puncture proof wheel.

Made with a sturdy steel frame and polycarbonate tub, the Webb Wheelbarrow is very durable, as you would expect from a Webb garden product. It has been designed to withstand the rigours of heavy-duty use.

The Webb Wheelbarrow measures 153cm x 60cm x 69cm and has a recommended retail price of £89.99.

The Webb Wheelbarrow is the latest addition to the Webb range of quality gardening tools and products which offer exceptional performance at an excellent price point. 

To discover more on the Webb Wheelbarrow and other Webb products visit www.webbgardenpower.co.uk. For trade information visit www.handyonline.co.uk

GRIDSERVE and Dobbies Garden Centres have announced the first Electric Retail Hub at Dobbies Swindon. The partnership is a UK-first between GRIDSERVE and the major garden centre retailer, with over 10 locations planned across the UK.

Dobbies Swindon has five dual charging units, which allow two cars to charge at once at Medium Power speeds, for a longer stay at the location. There are also two High Power chargers for a quick top up for those passing on the nearby A419. The hub features 12 charging bays to ensure space for all visitors including two accessible bays to support both larger vehicles and disabled customers.

To make it as easy as possible for customers to charge their EV, the Dobbies Swindon Electric Retail Hub features CCS and CHAdeMO connectors as well as AC sockets, accepts contactless payment and provides real-time status updates to a myriad of popular EV charging maps. The chargers are powered by 100% net zero carbon energy, supporting GRIDSERVE’s and Dobbies’ purpose to address climate change. 

Toddington Harper, CEO of GRIDSERVE, said: “We’re thrilled to bring the first Dobbies location to customers in Swindon. This is a great location that is well positioned to support those charging whilst using the garden centre, as well as those passing on the nearby A419, which links Cirencester and Swindon to the M4. This type of convenient local charging is the key to widespread adoption of electric vehicles and we’re so pleased to work with Dobbies here. We’re looking forward to delivering many more locations, both with Dobbies and across the UK’s major road network in 2023.”

Graeme Jenkins, CEO at Dobbies, said: “We know that our customers care about sustainability and more UK drivers are switching to electric vehicles. We’re really pleased that we’re providing customers, commuters, tourists and local Swindon residents, with easy access to affordable and fast EV charging.

“This partnership with GRIDSERVE demonstrates our ongoing commitment to providing our customers environmentally-friendly solutions, and contributes to our Sustainable Dobbies journey. We are very proud to be the first garden centre retailer to work with this forward-thinking company and look forward to welcoming electric vehicle drivers as we roll out this service throughout 2023.”

The Electric Retail Hubs are a new offering alongside the Electric Super Hubs at Motorway Service Areas across the UK’s busiest roads and GRIDSERVE’s world-leading Electric Forecourts® in Norwich and Braintree with a third due at Gatwick Airport in 2023, confirming GRIDSERVE’s commitment to expanding and strengthening the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway. 

Blue Diamond will be launching a new and exclusive rose at RHS Hampton Court Garden Festival Show, on behalf of the National Trust. Rosa ‘Mottisfont,’ bred by Rosen Tantau, is a highly fragrant, Hybrid Tea rose. 

Nostalgic in style, this rose produces numerous layered petals of a dark magenta shade, against glossy green foliage and is highly disease resistance. It is ideal as a cut flower or for planting in groups – with a fully grown height of approximately 100cm.  

Rosa ‘Mottisfont’ is named after the National Trust property of the same name in Romsey, Hampshire, and which is home to a world-famous rose garden including the National Collection of pre 1900 old-fashioned roses. Blue Diamond hope that rosa ‘Mottisfont’ will become a fitting new addition to this already extensive and historically important collection of roses.

10% of the retail sales from every ‘Mottisfont’ rose sold will be donated to the National Trust to allow the charity to continue caring for the gardens they look after including Mottisfont. 

As part of their collaboration with the National Trust, Blue Diamond is also offering the public the chance to register their interest to bid in an exclusive online auction, for one of ten very special apple trees. These apple trees are direct descendants to the tree that inspired Newton’s theory of gravity, which can still be seen at Woolsthorpe Manor in Lincolnshire, and which is cared for by the National Trust.

The auction will take place in September and those who are who are successful in their bid, will become custodians of these historically significant trees.

Blue Diamond have pledged that they will donate up to 50% of proceeds raised from this auction to the National Trust, dependent on the final sums raised.

For more information about Blue Diamond’s collaboration with the National Trust please visit stand FM 182 or bluediamond.gg/national-trust

Breeder synonym Biljana Bozanic - Tanjga

Launched by Blue Diamond Garden Centres on behalf of the charity MND Scotland, rosa Sunset Isle, bred by Biljana Bozanic - Tanjga, is a fragrant, Shrub rose, nostalgic in style, which produces numerous layered petals of a pale pink shade, against glossy green foliage and with excellent disease resistance. Planted in peat free compost and in a kerbside recyclable pot, this rose is ideal for planting in the ground or in a pot on the patio

Named in memory of Richard, brother of Gill Crawford, who bravely lost his life to Motor Neuron Disease in March 2022, and who enjoyed watching the sunsets on his beloved island of Orkney.

Gill Crawford, Sister of Richard said;

“A rose feels like a truly poignant way to remember a wonderful wee brother, and help raise awareness and much needed funding for MND, a cruel disease for which as yet there is no cure.

Richard himself was taking part in clinical research trials in the hope that one day a cure will be discovered.

 Richard was given the heartbreaking diagnosis in summer 2020 but very sadly died in March 2022. All our family were devastated, he was so loved and missed beyond measure.

 As his big sister I felt an overwhelming need to do something in his memory.

 MND Scotland is the only charity in Scotland offering support to those living with the condition, so many people doing amazing things to raise awareness and funds into research.

 Hopefully Richard’s beautiful rose will make a difference too”.

Julie Macdonald, Head of Fundraising for MND Scotland, said: "The innovative ways that our supporters choose to raise money for MND Scotland never cease to amaze me. The Sunset Isle rose is a beautiful and fitting tribute to Gill's brother Richard, and we would like to thank Gill and her family for their fundraising efforts to make time count for people living with MND in Scotland and to Blue Diamond for creating this opportunity.”

10% of the retail sales from every Sunset Isle rose sold will be donated by Blue Diamond Garden Centres to MND Scotland to enable then to continue research with the hope of eventually finding a cure for this disease.

Where to buy the roses from:

The new roses will be available to buy from Stand FM 750 in the Festival of Roses marquee at the RHS Hampton Court Garden Festival, and online* at www.fryersroses.co.uk, whilst stocks last. Bare root roses can also be pre-ordered online for November onwards delivery*.

The winners of the Glee Buyers Power List were revealed today. The Glee Buyers Power List was set up to recognise the individual buyers and buying teams who have gone above and beyond to make a difference within the garden retail industry this year.

The Nominations and Winners 2023 

Plants buyer/buying team of the Year

Winner: Colin Dale (Notcutts)

Second: Tom Cook (British Garden Centres)

Third: Zoe Willis (Perrywood)

Nominations: Zoe Willis (Perrywood), Colin Dale (Notcutts), Marcus Eyles (Dobbies), Tom Cook (British Garden Centres), Marcus Cousins (Aylett Nurseries)

Garden Care buyer/buying team of the Year 

Winner: Al Sheppard (Haskins)

Second: Selina Hammond (Perrywood)

Third: Terry Head (Stewarts Garden Centres)

Nominations: Selina Hammond (Perrywood), Al Sheppard (Haskins), Elizabeth Brennan (Dobbies), Bryn Saysall (Blue Diamond), Terry Head (Stewarts Garden Centres)

Outdoor Leisure buyer/buying team of the Year 

Winner: Nigel Gates (Gates Garden Centre)

Second: Jay Bunker (Alton Garden Centre)

Third: Matt Shorter (Longacres)

Nominations: Lynsey Abbott (Dobbies), Nigel Gates (Gates Garden Centre), Jay Bunker (Alton Garden Centre), Matt Shorter (Longacres), Liz Finney (Chacewater Garden Centre)

Landscape buyer/buying team of the Year

Winner: Dan Kirby (British Garden Centres)

Second: Scott Proven (Klondyke)

Third: John Birch (Baytree)

Nominations: Scott Proven (Klondyke), John Birch (Baytree), Dan Kirby (British Garden Centres), David Danning (Blue Diamond), Keith Wilbin (Downtown Garden Centre)

Home & Gifts buyer/buying team of the Year 

Winner: Jodie Smith (Perrywood)

Second: Al Sheppard (Haskins)

Third: Kati Taylor (Fron Goch)

Nominations: Jodie Smith (Perrywood), Sara Cooksley (Dobbies), Al Sheppard (Haskins), Tom Grinnell (Blue Diamond), Kati Taylor (Fron Goch)

Pet buyer/buying team of the Year

Winner: The Old Railway Line

Second: Paul Williams (British Garden Centres)

Third: Planters Tamworth

Nominations: Ryan Holmes (Dobbies), Planters Tamworth, The Old Railway Line, Dan Reep (Squires), Paul Williams (British Garden Centres)

Retail Food & Drinks buyer/buying team of the Year 

Winner: Bents Garden & Home

Second: Sarah Jaques (Perrywood)

Third: Pughs Radyr

Nominations: Sarah Jaques (Perrywood), Amy Siergiejew (Dobbies), Garsons Esher, Bents Garden & Home, Pughs Radyr

Christmas buyer/buying team of the Year

Winner: Rachel Churcher (Perrywood)

Second: Louise Burks (The Gardens Group)

Third: Lynsey Abbott (Dobbies)

Nominations: Rachel Churcher (Perrywood), Lynsey Abbott (Dobbies), Lynn Charlick (Meadowcroft), Louise Burks (The Gardens Group), Andrew Porwal (Sapcote)

On-Line buyer/buying team of the Year 

Winner: Helen Hensaw (Crocus)

Nominations: James Oakley (Hayloft Plants), Helen Hensaw (Crocus)

Overall Multiple Retailer Buyer/Buying Team of the Year – (hardware, DIY, high street)

Winner: QD Stores

Second: B&M

Third: John Lewis

Nominations: Home Bargains, QD Stores, B&M, John Lewis, Robert Dyas

Overall Multiple Garden Retailer Buying Team of the Year – 6 stores or more

Winner: Blue Diamond

Second: British Garden Centres

Third: Squires

Nominations: Dobbies, Blue Diamond, Klondyke, British Garden Centres, Squires

Overall Independent Garden Centre Buying Team of the Year – up to 5 stores 

Winner: Haskins

Second: Perrywood

Third: The Gardens Group

Nominations: Perrywood, Haskins, Longacres, St Peters, The Gardens Group, Pughs

Glee’s horticultural hub, the Green Heart, has seen Hills Plants crowned this year’s winners of the Best Glee Green Heart Display award.

Judged by Andy Bunker from Alton Garden Centres the Hills Plants stand stood out from amongst the competition thanks to its unique way of displaying houseplants.

Speaking of the winner, Andy Bunker said: “For me, it's got something for everyone; appealing in both range and pot size. Whilst they are a foliage houseplant grower, Hills Plants’ display demonstrates that, by adding a simple bit of flowering plant to the display, you can make a great garden centre display, especially when supported with some consumer information. The display created by the Hills team is outstanding and would certainly inspire impulse purchase.”

In recognition of their win, the team at Hills received a bottle of champagne and a certificate that will, no doubt, take pride of place at their Chichester headquarter. Talking at the award presentation Hill Plant’s Laura Marner said: “We’re over the moon to have won this award. Our display is all about creating the dream vision for houseplant lovers, something that we know so many retailers strive to do within their own stores. We hope that we’ve inspired a few to give it a go!”

Glee’s Matthew Mein said: “Huge congratulations to Hills Plants. The team has demonstrated how effective and impactful some simple floral additions can be. The design is also transferable to the shopfloor and I believe many of our visiting retailers will be inspired to recreate something within their own stores.”

Hills Plants is a fourth generation small business, dedicated to growing British houseplants since 1920. Recent developments for the company include a two-year journey to becoming peat-free and also the introduction of The Little Botanical brand. Find out more at www.hillsplants.com or www.thelittlebotanical.com

Find out more

Glee remains open until Thursday 29th June at the NEC Birmingham. Every year the exhibition connects the garden industry to inspire change, drive growth and launch innovation​. To keep up to date on the latest Glee news visit www.gleebirmingham.com. 

An allotment garden will be unveiled at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival next month with a kind donation from British Garden Centres which will bring the design to life.

Hannah Reid, AKA @gingergrows 1 will be exhibiting at the prestigious RHS show in the Community Allotment area and British Garden Centres have donated a trellis, terracotta pots and bench to the design which aims to inspire new gardeners to grow their own produce by showcasing simple, low cost and achievable ideas using reliable plants that are affordable and easy to look after.

Hannah’s design, ‘Trakol: Pots to Plots by Ouseburn Farm’ will be at the renowned show, which starts on Monday 4th July.   The garden is a collaboration with Ouseburn Community Farm, based in Byker which is an important hub in the city of Newcastle that provides a place for the local residents to care for nature by growing food and tending to animals. The farm also runs classes for adults with additional needs, including horticulture classes. 

The key messages to be taken from the garden are that anyone can grow edible plants and there is no fixed destination on a gardening journey.  Hannah’s design is built around the idea of permaculture with a curved path that visitors can take to illustrate this meandering experience. The vegetables chosen are planted in both rows and containers to show that both methods can work depending on how you chose to grow your own and exhibit versatility, no matter how big or small your outdoor space. The bench has a view of the whole plot and is an integral part of the garden as it encourages visitors to stop, reflect and watch the nature around them.

Hannah said: “It has been difficult to source all elements of the garden on next to no budget and growing 95% of the plants from seed myself, in Newcastle, has meant there have been a lot of obstacles to overcome. The team at British Garden Centres have been super supportive; donating elements of the garden which would have almost been impossible to include if it wasn't for their generosity.”

Amy Stubbs, Development and Project Manager at British Garden Centres said: “We’re delighted to be able to support Hannah and her garden with Ouseburn Farm at the Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival.  It is such a great initiative which focuses on sustainability, as well as supporting local residents by encouraging them to grow, plan, cook and eat their own food. We hope the garden resonates with the Hampton visitors and they take home a wealth of garden inspiration to grow their own.”

Tong Garden Centre has joined forces with Yorkshire Muddings Forest School to offer children and their adults a new unique outdoor play session hidden in a secret woodland area on site.

The venture at Grass Hoppers hopes to welcome an additional 2,500 children through the woodland doors in its first year.

Founded in 2021, Yorkshire Muddings will be open to the public on 14th June, and activities will include mud kitchens, nature crafts, bug hunting, risky play areas, large loose parts play to ignite children's imaginations, hammock swinging, and every session ends with a story and a toasted marshmallow on the campfire.

Matt Lowry, Manager at Grass Hoppers said: "We're thrilled to be able to make use of a woodland space that was previously unloved and a bit forgotten - the vision that Yorkshire Muddings had for the land was inspiring and we're really excited to be working with them as they continue to promote the benefits of outdoor play.

"We're always looking for new ways to encourage families to get outside and to build on the success of our own play offering - Yorkshire Muddings has built a strong brand based on celebrating the joy of play and we know this partnership will be a great addition."

Sessions run at Grasshoppers on Wednesdays and Fridays and are suitable for confidently walking children up to age seven within term time and children up to age 11 in school holidays.

Sessions cost £12 for the first child and £6 per child thereafter, non-walkers and adults go free.

Tong Garden Centre occupies a 19-acre site in Tong village. It is one of Yorkshire's biggest independent garden centres with 11,600m2 of retail space and parking for up to 700 cars. It is part of the Yorkshire Garden Centres (YGC) group that also owns Tingley Garden Centre and the former Stephen H Smith's Garden Centres in Otley and Harden, Bingley.

Ends

Photo: Left to right: Susannah Holroyd, Matt Lowrey and Victoria Filtness at Tong Garden Centre

Royal Warrant holder Carbon Gold, the No.1 Biochar producer and retailer in the UK, was the brainchild of Craig Sams, founder of Green & Blacks and Whole Earth Foods, and Dan Morrell, founder of the Carbon Neutral Company.

They have harnessed commercial markets with their award-winning range of Biochar-based, peat-free planting aids, designed for greenkeepers, crop growers, tree care specialists, home growers, gardeners and allotmenteers alike. 

Heralded as way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Biochar acts like a superhero for the environment, which can sequester a 2.89kg of CO2 per kg when put into the ground.

With Drought playing havoc with plant health and greater extremes of weather, it’s no longer gardening as usual – Biochar improves soil structure, aeration and holds up to six times its weight in water, reducing the need for watering in warmer temperatures, this means UK Gardeners can save 25.5 million litres of water or ten Olympic swimming pools every day – a recent study with Biochar has seen water usage cut by a third!

Carbon Gold’s products sit underneath the following gardening/planting sectors: Climate Change Gardening, Gardening on a budget, The perfect solution for the Lazy Gardeners, Top Tips for Tomato Growing, Upcycling Last Year’s Compost, growing a Luscious Lawn, supercharging your Veg Patch, Growing Glorious Houseplants, Improving the Soil, cultivating your Herb Garden and Planting your Tree. All products are Soil Association approved for organic growing, Made in Britain and enriched with seaweed, Mycorrhizal fungi, and wormcast to enhance the microbiome of the soil, promoting root development enhancing the health and vitality of plants and trees, delivering a much more productive crop.

What Is Carbon Rich Biochar?

Biochar was identified in the Amazonian times and is a type of charcoal that is made by the process of pyrolysis (when an organic matter is heated in the absence of oxygen). Purity wise it never degrades, which is why it can permanently improve the soil quality and needs just one application.

Carbon Gold's award-winning range offers:

Biochar Lawn Improver 1L from £9.99 RRP

Used by professional greenkeepers, football clubs, racecourses and Royal Parks to name but a few, Lawn Improver promotes root development and reduces nutrient leaching so is perfect whether you are planning to on giving your existing lawn a much-needed boost, or as a base layer when laying new turf or re-seeding. Lawn Improver naturally enhances soil fertility and health, minimising reliance on fungicides and fertilisers. Biochar naturally alters the physical nature of soils. It balances moisture retention – preventing soils from drying out and reducing waterlogging, whilst increasing plant nutrient uptake. Attractive, resilient, lawns and greens in a single, simple application.

Biochar Houseplant Booster 1L from £9.99 & 4L £19.99 RRP

Biochar Houseplant Booster has been designed to support healthier growth in indoor plants, including cacti. Due to its extraordinary water-holding capacity, Biochar will help prevent houseplants from drying out and support a healthy soil microbiome and better airflow through the houseplant soil; this ensures resilient root development and better drainage – delivering a plant that will flourish and thrive in indoor conditions.

Biochar Tree Soil Improver 1L from £9.99 RRP

Tree Soil Improver is ideal for transplanting or revitalising new and established trees or woody plants and shrubs. Bay Trees and Olive trees will thrive. It promotes root development, and reduces nutrient leaching, defending against transplant shock and drought stress. Ideal whether you are planting new trees or woody plants or if you need to revitalise established ones.

A perfect and powerful treatment not only for all types of trees but also for shrubs, roses, bare root stock and hedging.

Biochar Compost Rejuvenator 1L from £9.99 & £19.99 RRP

Biochar Compost Rejuvenator has been created to breathe new life into old, ‘spent’ compost and promote healthier, more vigorous plants by optimising soil fertility. A combination of nutrients, minerals, fertiliser, and a healthy soil microbiome rejuvenates compost often exhausted after a productive growing season. Biochar Compost Rejuvenator uses natural ingredients and microbiology to deliver the best Biochar Compost for planting.

Biochar Soil Improver 1L from £9.99 RRP

Soil Improver is the perfect additive for any type of soil, as well as sandy or clay. It’s proven to break up heavy soils and add natural biology back in the ground, whilst improving moisture retention.  Designed to promote root development, improve soil structure reduce compaction of dense soils, it’s a great product for those wanting resilient and productive vegetables, fruit, flowers, and plants by increasing organic matter in the soil.

Carbon Gold CEO Craig Sams says: “We are delighted to bring these products to market; Biochar itself sequesters (locks) carbon into the soil, reducing the CO² levels that would otherwise be released into our atmosphere., We have made the commitment to improving soil health, plant health and human health. All our products are 100% free from peat and synthetic chemicals. We are also a B-Corp certified company that is committed to making a positive impact on the world. We work tirelessly to create sustainable products and practices that benefit people, planet, and profit. Our goal is to offer premium gardening products and soils while preserving our planet for future generations. As a B-Corp we have committed to being Net Zero by 2030.”

For more information visit: https://www.carbongold.com/

Woodlodge, the UK’s leading supplier of garden pots, décor and sundries for over 35 years is proud to announce the launch of its new trade portal, which will allow its trade customers to order direct and access a range of resources designed to help drive sales.

The trade portal can be accessed by visiting  https://trade.woodlodge.co.uk  Here customers can order from all of Woodlodge’s key categories including Outdoor Planters, Honey & Wild, Down to Earth, Root Indoor, Water Studio and Emberwood. The site, which can be accessed via a desktop PC, tablet or smartphone, allows retailers to place orders quicker, check live stock availability levels, source promotional assets and obtain delivery information all from one webpage 24/7.

Garden centre retailers can also download point-of-sale material and trade supplies such as benches, stands and trollies. Product images and useful documents will also be available to download, and customers can access the warehouse clearance page discount offers. 

With garden retailers and buyers busier than ever, the goal of the trade portal is to make the ordering process as seamless as possible, even when Woodlodge’s offices are closed. The new platform will make working with Woodlodge easier than ever before for many hundreds of stockists throughout the UK.

Michael Wooldridge, Director of Woodlodge said: "We are excited to announce the launch of our new trade portal. Woodlodge is committed to providing our loyal customers with a comprehensive service and the portal will be an invaluable asset in helping them drive sales within key garden ware categories. Woodlodge prides itself on its customer service and the trade portal will allow us to develop an even stronger relationship with our retailers, helping them to effectively communicate the necessary details to their customers. The portal will definitely help our retail partners save time and improve the overall service we offer.”

Woodlodge will be showcasing the new Trade Portal in Hall 20 at Glee where the team can talk you through the order process and benefits.

For more information on Woodlodge’s new ranges for 2023, please contact your local sales representative or visit www.woodlodge.co.uk.  

with all the news direct to your e-mail inbox.  The best news service every weekend and all the breaking news as it happens.

Subscribe for free using this link

Following a successful show, the HTA has announced the 13th HTA National Plant Show will take place from Wednesday 19 to Thursday 20 June 2024 at NAEC Stoneleigh. 

The HTA National Plant Show offers a unique opportunity for businesses to network with key industry stakeholders and put their products in front of high-quality plant buyers and decision makers from across the industry. 

The 2023 event welcomed more than 1,300 visitors and saw over 240 stands presenting more than 150 companies' products across both halls. The event provided businesses with an opportunity to showcase everything from seeds, bulbs, house plants and a wide range of garden plants to labelling and product information, growing media, display benching and machinery. 

New plant award winners 2023 

Profitplant BV’s Curcuma Skyline was recognised as Best in Show at the New Plant Awards, sponsored by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). Allensmore’s and Fairweathers Hilltop Nursery’s Agapanthus Black Jack took home the Visitor Vote, sponsored by Floramedia. See the full list of new Plant Award winners here: https://hta.org.uk/national-plant-show/show-features/new-plant-awards  

Live podcast 

This year’s event also hosted the first ever live recording of our Hort Talk podcast. Hort Talk LIVE! hosted by HTA Learning & Development Manager Alex Jenkins, focused on the importance of apprenticeships and education within the horticultural industry. Special guests included Senior Technical Training consultant Adam Blunt, Head of Horticulture at Pershore College. Josh Egan-Wyer, Assessor in Horticulture at Lackham college Victoria Fiander, and WCG’s Sarah Ashmore. 

Alex Jenkins said “We are so excited to share our first Hort-Talk LIVE at National Plant Show. Apprenticeships are key to recruitment and retention of staff in the horticultural industry, and I hope our fantastic panel in this episode will inspire some more employers to consider apprenticeships in the near future.” 

Download the podcast here:  https://hta.org.uk/news-current-issues/hort-talk

Current Exhibitors are encouraged to rebook now for National Plant Show 2024 for an exclusive rate which is only available until 31 July 2023.  https://hta.org.uk/national-plant-show/booking-form

St Peters Garden Centre has joined the Prosper Buying Group following news of Barton Grange, Cowells and the Yorkshire Garden Centres group joining the group. This aligns with the group’s strategic growth plan to add award-winning centres to their membership. 

Terry Head, Stewarts Retail & Marketing Director and Chairman of Prosper, said: “At our strategic meeting earlier in the year, we highlighted some of the top UK garden centres who would bring charisma, fun and a huge amount of experience to the group. 

“To now have some of those joining at a pivotal point in the season is amazing. We are excited about how we can grow together and continue this joint venture.”  

William Blake, Managing Director of St Peters said: “We are excited to join some of the most highly respected garden centres in the UK by signing up to the Prosper Buying Group.

“Leaving the Choice Marketing & Buying Group is not a decision we took lightly. We were founding members since its creation in 2002 and owe a huge amount to Choice and its members. We felt the time was right for a change and look forward to learning, developing, and growing with the Prosper Buying Group.”

phs Greenleaf has appointed Samantha Birkin as its new Head of Sales as it continues its nationwide growth plans.

Samantha spent five years as a Senior Key Account Manager in the hygiene division of the phs Group, which phs Greenleaf is part of, before making the move into the new role at Greenleaf, which provides planting, landscaping and grounds services to businesses.

She now heads up the sales team, working with customers right across the UK in a range of sectors from hospitality and leisure venues to retail spaces, public buildings and commercial premises.

phs Greenleaf provide everything from indoor and outdoor plants to living walls, grounds maintenance and Christmas trees and decorations for businesses.

Samantha said: “This is such a great time to join Greenleaf as so many more businesses are really prioritising the health and well-being of their staff and taking steps to improve it, including embracing the benefits that plants can bring - which is everything from improved air quality and mental health to increased productivity.

“I’ll be focusing on more in-depth conversations with companies about what they can do to improve well-being at work and really pushing the boundaries in the industry. I’m looking forward to further developing the sales team and supporting their personal growth ambitions too.”

Stephen Dieppe, Managing Director at phs Greenleaf, said: “Samantha has been part of the phs Group for a number of years and we are delighted that she’s decided to join the Greenleaf team. She’s an experienced salesperson with a real passion and drive to help and support businesses.”

www.phsgreenleaf.co.uk

The Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust, the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust and LANDSCAPE – The Industry Trade Show are thrilled to announce the launch of the Wildlife Friendly Garden Design in a Pot Competition! 

The Wildlife Friendly Garden Design in a Pot Competition invites talented designers from all walks of life to submit their innovative and environmentally conscious garden designs that can be realised in a pot. By that we mean using planters, window boxes or containers. Making space for nature in an urban environment where natural features are scarce. We are looking for creative and practical ideas that can inspire people to create their own, using features from your design. 

This exciting challenge not only showcases the endless possibilities of compact garden design but also encourages participants to prioritise wildlife conservation in their creations. By creating spaces that harmoniously coexist with nature, these designs will serve as inspiring examples of sustainable landscaping. The winning professional designer will have the exclusive chance to see their imaginative creation become a reality at Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust’s Centre of the Earth education centre in Birmingham!

The competition will culminate at LANDSCAPE 2023 at the NEC on the 27^th & 28^th of September, where the winning designs will be prominently showcased. The display will allow attendees to appreciate the creativity, craftsmanship and eco-consciousness of the designers, while providing a platform for winners to gain recognition. 

Birmingham & Black Country Wildlife Trust, Warwickshire Wildlife Trust and LANDSCAPE 2023 warmly invite all talented designers to participate. Whether you are an experienced professional of a design enthusiast, the competition has two categories – professional and non-professional. We encourage everyone to mark their calendars and attend LANDSCAPE 2023 in September to celebrate the ingenuity and dedication of the participants.

To learn more about the brief and how to submit your entry please visit www.landscapeshow.co.uk/wildlife-friendly-garden-design-competition. The deadline for entries is Friday the 25^th August 2023 so get designing!

There's less than two weeks left to enter the 2023 Grower of the Year Awards as the deadline for entries approaches on 14 July 2023.

 The Grower of the Year awards will showcase the very best in UK horticulture and recognise and celebrate best practices in sustainable production. Retailers or suppliers can show their appreciation of nurseries by nominating them, or growers can put themselves forward as being amongst the best. 

HTA Horticulture Support Manager Martin Simmons said: “Following a buzzing National Plant Show last week, and the culmination of the hectic spring season, now is the time to nominate your best Grower of the Year 2023, or as a grower you can enter your own business.

"We have a wonderful industry with some really innovative growers producing excellent quality plants and delivering a service that has proved to be world-class. I’d like to encourage all members to celebrate this by entering the Grower of the Year awards – the process is simple and does not take up a huge amount of time and the winners get invited to join us at our Annual Conference and dinner in October, and a lucky few will go on to be entered into the International Grower of the Year awards.” 

Grower members must be able to demonstrate their commitment to the environment through a public plan and must be working towards a target such as Co2 reduction, peat-removal, or water resilience.    

Nominations should include 300 words describing what makes themselves or their nominee the best entrant for the specific category. 

2023 Categories include:  

• Young Grower under 35 
• Finished Plant Grower,  
• Young Plant Grower  
• Production in peat free grower  
• Inspirational Business of the year  
• Staff Member of the year 

The winners will be announced during the HTA Autumn Conference on 5 October 2023 at the ICC in Birmingham. Award recipients will be automatically enrolled in the AIPH International Grower of the Year Awards in 2023.   

Nomination forms can be submitted online at https://hta.org.uk/goty   

The deadline for entries is 14 July 2023.

After weeks of planning, the winners of the Glee Talent Store have been announced on the first day of Glee.

There could only be one winner out of the two teams and it was the Outdoor Plants merchandising team that impressed the judges Debbie Flowerday, Visual Merchandiser and Stylist Consultant, and Peter Burks, CEO of the GCA.

The winning team consisting of Katherine Davies (Pugh’s Garden Centre), Freya Markwood and Amber Dowsett (Perrywood Garden Centre), Nathan Evans (Bents Garden & Home), Louisa Power and Damian Walker (British Garden Centres). The team’s merchandising concept of a bug hotel aimed to give visitors an ‘out of the box’ ideas on how products can be showcased whilst keeping sustainability at the heart of the display.

Concepts included a tablescape of edible ideas that not only look good but taste good too, a pond in a pot that will make a difference to the ecosystem in customers’ outdoor space, a display of pollinating plants to create a wildlife sanctuary, as well as a wildlife product display that will turn the garden into a bug wonderland.

The runner-up group made up of Clare Forster (British Garden Centres), Natasha Priddy (Pugh’s Garden Centre,) Claire Baker (Bents Garden & Home), Abby Barbrook (Perrywood Garden Centre) and Matthew Bone designed a pop-up shop that took visitors on a walkthrough houseplants in a world of colour saturation, inspired by recent popular palettes from Trend Bible.  

Each colour of, blue, green, pink and yellow, took people on a journey and reflected different moods.  Each colour acts as a visual draw with specially chosen houseplants and containers to create visual and eye catching interest.

Debbie Flowerday said: “I’d like to congratulate all participants in the inaugural Glee Talent Store.  Both teams worked hard to create exciting and innovative concepts that garden retailers can take home and try in store. Visual merchandising is an important part of the retail experience and is responsible for attracting and making customer’s purchasing decisions.  Everything you see in the Glee Talent Store at the show can be used to create a scene and retail theatre, guiding customers through a store, and we hope that retailers are inspired to try these simple tips when they get back to their businesses.”

What is the Glee Talent Store?

Designed to nurture and celebrate garden centre and retail visual merchandising excellence, the Glee Talent Store is an interactive feature that showcases the different ways that houseplant and outdoor plant merchandising displays can be interpreted in store, and how different designs can be utilised to highlight the same products and trends in a variety of inspiring ways. 

The Glee Talent Store kicked off with a ‘bootcamp’ where 24 entrants had a crash course in visual merchandising, branding and retail. Once they had received this insight, 11 Talent Store students were selected and tasked with designing their own pop-up store, which can be viewed in the Atrium at Glee alongside the Glee’s ‘Green Heart’.

Find out more 

Glee remains open until Thursday 29^th June at the NEC Birmingham. Every year the exhibition connects the garden industry to inspire change, drive growth and launch innovation​.

To keep up to date on the latest Glee news visit www.gleebirmingham.com.  

Entrants to the 2023 Rising Stars scheme organised by the Garden Centre Association in association with Westland Horticulture spent the day at Glee today, touring stands for advice and inspiration to help with their projects.

The scheme was conceived as a way to nurture the garden retail professionals of the future with a series of workshops and practical sessions. The progress of participants is assessed during the season and finalists are chosen to present their projects at the GCA's annual conference in January, when members will vote on an overall winner.

As the doors opened on another annual Glee exhibition, the GIMA team was busy crowning this year’s winners of the GIMA Innovators Seed Corn Fund (GISCF) – Germie.   

The supplier of innovative seed starting kit, Germie impressed the judges with its passion for ‘revolutionising the gardening experience’ with reusable, innovative and ultra-compact solutions that hold environmental and sustainable practices at their heart. Already a bestseller within the French market, Germie is expected to repeat this success within the UK.

The Germie collection currently features three grow kits, ranging from 13-41 plants, and is suitable for all types of fruits, vegetables and flowers. Each kit is supplied in an easy grab bag, complete with the reusable ‘grow cells’, with prices ranging from RRP £16.90 - £24.90. Made from locally sourced recycled plastic, fully recyclable and guaranteed for 10-years, the grow cells can be assembled within 60 seconds and filled with seed starter mix and selected seed. From here, seedlings can be encouraged and, once planting out is required, the kit really comes into its own thanks to a unique and patented process. As Germie grow cells do not have a bottom, the plants are not limited and, therefore, the roots continue to grow according to the needs of the seed. As a result, the roots are numerous and well-oxygenated. This, in turn, allows for young plants to be easily released without putting undue stress or damage on the roots during transplantation. Thinning out is also eliminated, as plants can be transplanted directly to the right spot.

Germie also encourages quicker germination, as the seeds are buried at the thickness of the seed, allowing them access to light, water, and nutrients. What’s more, the ultra-compact kits provide the ideal conditions for seed development, making it possible to repeat the germination process multiple times throughout the year.

Germie is now the eighth recipient of the GISCF, which was first introduced in 2014. The team will receive an incredible prize fund package, comprising a grant of up to £6,000 which includes a year’s full GIMA membership, plus a wide range of business support tools including free exhibition space at Glee and free PR support during the event. In addition, the winners package also includes design, development and manufacturing or marketing cost support up to the value of £3,000; access to an industry business consultant; one-year ACID (Anti Copying in Design) membership; and an advert in the next GIMA Product Digest.

GIMA Director, Vicky Nuttall said: “Congratulations to Germie for scooping this year’s GIMA Innovators Seed Corn Fund. The team is bringing to market a concept that is proven in other markets and is set to open up new sales opportunities for UK garden retailers. 

“The approach to growing is clearly very considered, whilst the environmental impact of the material innovation is heartening to see. It’s a strong proposition that offers a complete, easy-to-follow process that will increase consumer confidence with gardening.”

To find out more about the GIMA Innovators’ Seed Corn Fund please join GIMA on-stand in the heart of Hall 6 at the GIMA Buyer Lounge.

Germie can be found at Glee within Hall 7 Stand 7F85.

Barton Grange, Cowells and Tong Garden Centres have signed up to the Prosper Buying Group today (19th June 2023.) They join existing members Aylett Nurseries, Chessington Garden Centre, Knights Garden Centres, Langlands, Perrywood and Stewarts.

The aim is to grow the group nationally by bringing like-minded companies together. As has always been the case, they will support each other by pooling buying decisions and sharing learnings.

Chair of Prosper and Retail & Marketing Director of Stewarts Garden Centres, Terry Head, says “I am very pleased to announce the addition of new members, Barton Grange, Cowells and Tong Garden Centres. Today’s announcement demonstrates our group strategy to attract highly regarded, award-winning, like-minded independent garden centres.”

“We are excited about these developments; it will help us move forward successfully in these uncertain times. The opportunities are huge, and the thought of sharing the journey with these businesses is really exciting.”

Roger Head of Forest Lodge founded the Prosper Buying Group more than 15 years ago alongside Martin Stewart and Richard Knight. It has continued to grow with the ethos that Roger initiated with some of the industry’s most respected independent garden centres. There is a strong emphasis on making decisions with close friendships and respect. The atmosphere within the group is warm and professional, and the group has been very successful.

Melcourt were delighted to host a visit from Trudy Harrison MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary at Defra in charge of peat policy.

The Minister was keen to see a peat-free growing media manufacturer and it was a great opportunity for Melcourt to demonstrate their state-of-the-art facilities and to discuss many aspects of the supply of peat-free media to both the professional and amateur markets.

Volume availability of alternatives was high on the agenda for discussion. Melcourt’s Managing Director Andy Chalmers said, ‘In the very week that Melcourt celebrates its 40^th anniversary it was an honour for us to host the visit from Minister Harrison. The issues of time-scales for the bans and the availability of alternatives are very pertinent to our business and it was good to be able to demonstrate that commercially competitive, successful peat-free production is not only possible but happening on a significant scale with our long-established peat-free media.’

Melcourt’s MD Andy Chalmers, Minister Trudy Harrison, Melcourt’s Catherine Dawson and Head of Horticulture at A W Jenkinson, Charles Farmer

Since its debut at the annual SOLEX exhibition, LifestyleGarden has been setting benchmark after benchmark for a new generation of environmentally responsible manufacturing.

From the groundbreaking DuraOcean® – SOLEX Best New Product Winner in 2019 – to the game-changing Nassau collection, with its exclusive use of Social Plastic®, or its first-of-a-kind partnership with the Eden Project, LifestyleGarden® has consistently worked to its own agenda without ever compromising on its value to retailers or end users. This SOLEX (10th – 12th July, NEC Birmingham) will be no different, as the brand brings to market an exciting new sales concept that will open up a multitude of new commercial opportunities.

What’s more, LifestyleGarden® will once again use SOLEX to continue the conversation around the importance of “Doing Business the Right Way” – a motto which the company lives by – as well as actively encouraging others to boycott greenwashing in favour of transparent processes and products that don’t just talk the talk but also walk the walk. Very few brands can boast such direct and complete involvement in all aspects of their business and product development, with LifestyleGarden® proudly manufacturing all products in-house with zero reliance on third parties. In fact, there is no part of the picture – from concept to delivery into store – that LifestyleGarden® is not proactively engaged with.

Paul Cohen, Commercial Director at LifestyleGarden® said: “There are lots of voices in the industry that are making significant claims regarding material innovation or sustainable manufacturing processes, but very few can truly back-up all aspects.  Whilst sustainability is a journey, not a destination, it’s important that retailers are aware of the difference and can truly look beyond the myriad of sustainable messaging to get to the heart of what really matters. At LifestyleGarden®we’re not just saying the words but we’re acting upon them. We offer transparency like no other and are firm advocates of placing the environment above all else. We truly believe in what we are doing, and know that our products, services and processes go above and beyond anything else within the marketplace today.”

Mix & Match to maximise sales

In a move to create a sales model that offers greater flexibility, LifestyleGarden®’s new ‘mix & match’ offering will be debuted at SOLEX 2023. This new way of thinking will reduce the need for retailers to stock multiple ranges. Instead, they can showcase products that enable consumers to shop configurations that best suit their needs and personal tastes.

From 2024, retailers (and consumers!) will be able to build their perfect furniture set, drawing from LifestyleGarden®’s extensive portfolio of table and chairs across the Topaz, Palau and Panama collections. With grey, black and coral sand options to choose from, these products are perfectly designed to seamlessly blend with one another or create sets that contrast with one another for maximum impact.

Paul Cohen, Commercial Director at LifestyleGarden® said: “We’ve come to realise that, often, consumers wish they could draw on different elements from key collections to create a configuration that best suits their outdoor space. Whether it’s adding more chairs, increasing the table size, or building a multi-functional set-up that gives them greater possibilities at home, our new mix and match options are the ultimate in flexibility. With countless possible configurations available, we have enabled retailers to increase their furniture offering without also having to increase allocated floorspace. It’s a game-changing concept and one we firmly believe will suit retailers, as well as the consumer’s pocket with more cost effective, flexible solutions.”

New Onyx chair launches

Having launched the DuraOcean® and Social Plastic® collections at SOLEX previously, it seems only right that LifestyleGarden® continues the theme and uses the show’s platform to introduce the next generation of sustainable furniture. Once again, the team from the Eden Project will be at LifestyleGarden®’s side so that, together, they can bring to market an exciting partnership driven by a passionate desire to showcase only the most sustainable innovations possible.

This year it will be the new Onyx chair drawing the crowds. Made from Social Plastic® – a Plastic Bank initiative that recycles waste material collected by those in the most vulnerable coastal communities in exchange for tokens that help lift them out of poverty – the Onyx chair will feature all the same environmental and social benefits, whilst also providing exciting new sales opportunities for retailers. Stackable, recyclable (including the aluminium legs), and with each chair utilising the equivalent of 155 plastic bottles, this new collection is perfect for both indoor and outdoor, as well as contract use. An aluminium matching table will also be manufactured to complete the look. The Onyx collection will be available in burnt orange, mint green, cream and sky blue.

Find out more

To see more from LifestyleGarden®, the Eden Project and one of the UK’s most sustainable furniture portfolios please visit the team on stand (stand 150) this July. Alternatively visit www.lifestylegarden.co.uk

Richard Sandbrook has been appointed to the sales team at 4 Seasons Outdoor.

Richard has been in the Industry many years, starting on the retail garden centre side of the industry and for the past 20 years, been on the trade side, building many great relationships with garden centres up and down the country and also in Ireland.

Richard will mainly be covering the Midlands, the North and all of Ireland, whilst also having many key accounts to manage.

He said: “I am thrilled to be joining such a well-respected, quality brand at 4 Seasons Outdoor, I have seen the new and exciting 2024 ranges and look forward to seeing you at SOLEX.”

Richard can be contacted on richard@4so.co.uk or 07831 833157.

Glee has been awarded Best UK Trade Show over 8,000 sq meters at the 30th AEO (Association of Exhibition Organisers) Awards.

In the awards, held at The Grosvenor in London's Park Lane, Glee won the last big award of the night ahead of a short list of events that included ICE London,  Futurebuild 2023, InstallerSHOW, 100% Optical 2023, UK Construction Week, The Emergency Services Show and World Travel Market.

Glee Event Director, Matthew Mein, told GTN Xtra "It is a huge accolade for Glee, the team behind Glee, but most importantly for our exhibitors without whom Glee would not be the success it is.  Thank you to all!"

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 newsletter.

As the year goes on we give sales volume comparisons with 2018 as well as 2019 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 up-to-date gardening sales analysis that has already helped many UK garden centres increase their sales.  To subscribe call 07973 504214, e-mail karen@pottingshedpress.co.uk or buy on-line using this link.

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.

Get the GTN Bestsellers charts in full every week in the GTN Bestsellers newsletters for only £145.00.

GTN Bestsellers is the only industry source of weekly garden centre sales information, collating Epos data from centres with an aggregate turnover in excess of £100m.

Use the weekly Garden Products and Growing Media Top 50 sales volumes charts to plan your hotspot and other promotions and ensure you have the right products in stock to satisfy the needs of your customers.

For further information contact karen@pottingshedpress.co.uk or call 07973504214.

Buy your subscription today and start receiving the GTN Bestsellers charts this week.