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A garden without plants? What will the garden of the future look like? According to a former Chair of the Society of Garden Designers, the idea of a garden without plants is a distinct possibility. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 08 Sep 10

The Glee Garden Angels are revealed Glee Garden Angels, hosted by Gardenforum, is an exciting and different event at Glee this year. Based loosely on the BBC's Dragons Den, three Angels will offer advice and perhaps a little more, to companies bringing innovation to the garden sector. We can now reveal the identity of our Glee Garden Angels. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 02 Sep 10

Should we feed birds? More than half of people with gardens feed birds, says Which? Gardening. But are we hindering or helping our feathered friends, it asks. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 27 Aug 10

Most retailers results show profits increased in 2009 2009 saw profit increases for Bents Garden Centre, Otter Nurseries, Polhill Garden Centre and OA Taylor & Sons Bulbs. There was a recovery in profits at Country Homes and Gardens, EP Barrus and Roundstone. See more for a summary of the latest additions to Company Results... (This article is open to all readers)...
Byline: George Bullivant 19 Aug 10

Key garden companies defy the recession Tools and mower businesses show the effects of the recession in the latest results to be published on Gardenforum. But Westland Horticulture, Webbs Garden Centres and Solus Garden & Leisure grew strongly. See more... (This article is open to all readers)...
Byline: George Bullivant 27 Jul 10

Major urban tree survey Tree lovers are being encouraged to join in a major online survey being organised by the Natural History Museum. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 16 Jul 10

Garden centres have lost the plot when it comes to inspiring new gardeners There were harsh words for UK garden centres from Adam Pascoe and Christine Walkden at Adrian Bloom's conference about getting people switched on to plants. New initiatives from the US show how to remove the barriers for new gardeners. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 09 Jul 10

Hillier embraces new media Hillier commits to a growing new media. Blogs from Chelsea, online video of new plants and now the webcasting of in-store events is propagating a new crop of customers. See more…
Byline: George Bullivant 06 Jul 10

First-day success for National Plant Show There was real enthusiasm from leading garden centres and from exhibitors on the first day of the first ever National Plant Show, which continues today. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 30 Jun 10

Industry fears VAT impact, but… There have been mixed reactions from the industry to a VAT increase to 20% from 4th January. Retailers will have to decide whether to absorb the increase or move to the next price point. See more…
Byline: George Bullivant 23 Jun 10

Hosepipe warnings in Lancashire After what is probably the driest start to the year for more than 40 years, the threat of hosepipe bans is raising its head again. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 22 Jun 10

HTA outrage at AWB settlement Outraged by the latest settlement figure imposed by the Agricultural Wages Board, David Gwyther says, "The AWB is demonstrating yet again that it is out of touch, out of date and, hopefully, out of time". See more...
Byline: The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) 17 Jun 10

Government stops garden grabbing Between 1997 and 2008, 25% of new houses were built on domestic gardens in what became known as garden grabbing. Government is now giving local authorities the power to control this. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 09 Jun 10

Hillier nurseries make it 65 There was relief for Hillier Nurseries as they continued their record breaking run with a 65th gold medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Other gold winners included John Woods Nurseries, Taylors’ Walkers Bulbs, Raymond J Evison, Peter Beales Roses, Jacques Amand International and David Austin Roses. See more…
Byline: George Bullivant 25 May 10

Results show gardening’s winners and losers Gardenforum’s company results show Mr Fothergill’s, Hozelock, Allensmore Nurseries and Klondyke Group increased sales and profits in their recently released results for 2008/9. Others including Spear & Jackson Products, Adrian Hall, Haddonstone, Monro Horticulture and Marshalls had mixed fortunes. See more... (This article is open to all readers)...
Byline: George Bullivant 21 May 10

Cold chills Hillier’s hopes at Chelsea - follow their progress... The cold weather has disrupted Hillier’s preparations for the Chelsea Flower Show and the nursery’s attempt to extend its unbroken run of 64 gold medals. Follow the Hillier progress day by day on their blog at www.hilliernurseries.blogspot.com. Click on the link below...
Byline: George Bullivant 17 May 10

Will this be the end of the Agricultural Wages Board? With Caroline Spelman replacing Hilary Benn as Environment Secretary, what can the horticulture industry expect from the new Government? See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 13 May 10

Older Brits want a Veg plot with a Greenhouse and a Hunky Gardener What would Brits most like to add to their garden? A survey for B&Q shows it could be a hot spa, vegetable plot or greenhouse, but not a barbecue unless they are under 25. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 11 May 10

April sunshine brings cheer to growers April proves to be a bumper month for growers who report record trading weeks. See more...
Byline: Peter Dawson 05 May 10

A hung parliament should not be bad for business Ken Mayhew told GIMA delegates that a hung parliament should not harm business. However the recovery is very fragile and there is a risk that the pound could fall further. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 26 Apr 10

The 'Good Life' to be won in BBC TV Farming programme BBC Television is looking for couples who want to make a life-changing decision and take up a career in farming and there’s just days left to apply to take part in the programme.
Byline: Lantra 23 Apr 10

Government agrees to consult before future hosepipe bans Are we heading for a drought this year? If so, the industry should draw some comfort from assurances won from the Government by HTA lobbying before the Flood and Water Management Bill was passed. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 21 Apr 10

Garden Centres are now VERY busy According to the GCA, sales at independent garden centres for the first three months of this year were 9% lower than the same period in 2009. But with the good weather garden centres are now "VERY busy". See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 19 Apr 10

Is there time to recover the lost early-season sales? Easter sales have done nothing to improve a slow start to the year. Is it entirely due to the weather? What are the prospects for the rest of the year? Will suppliers cope if there is a late spring rush? Gardenforum has talked to garden centres across the country. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 08 Apr 10

Late spring makes garden centres cautious After a late start to spring, leading garden centres, members of the HTA retail committee, have expressed caution about the impact of the weather and the election on sales. They remain optimistic, but the weather needs to be good for Easter. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 24 Mar 10

Independents are the Nation’s favourite garden centres says Which? When it comes to shopping for the garden, independent garden centres are best says a survey of 6000 Which? Gardening members. They were better than the multiples and the DIY sheds. Coolings and the RHS head the 53 companies listed. See more…
Byline: George Bullivant 23 Mar 10

Mother’s day kick starts the season Early evidence from The GCA suggests that the season has finally started, boosted by a good Mother’s Day weekend for garden centres. Cold weather, however is still delaying plants purchases. See more…
Byline: George Bullivant 22 Mar 10

Eastern Garden Centres bear the brunt of the weather The GCA Barometer of Trade shows that the East was hit much harder by the cold weather than the West. See more…
Byline: George Bullivant 22 Mar 10

Weak pound hits Italian growers Leading continental plant importers Europlants and Classiflora held very successful open days recently against a background of falling imports. And Plant Fairs go from strength to strength. See more...
Byline: Peter Dawson 12 Mar 10

Go-ahead for trial on knotweed predator Defra has given the go-ahead for controlled release of a psyllid the scientists believe will provide a natural control for Japanese knotweed. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 09 Mar 10

Defra calls on gardeners to help stop the spread of invasive plants Defra and the Scottish Government today called on Britain’s gardeners to help stop the spread of invasive aquatic plants that damage the natural environment and cost the economy millions with a new campaign to highlight the plight of Britain’s waterways. See more...
Byline: DEFRA 24 Feb 10

HDC levy proposals would catch smaller growers and garden centres The HTA is strongly resisting proposals that would force many garden centres and small growers to pay a levy to the HDC for the first time. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 10 Feb 10

Beetle mania hits Boskoop Evidence of citrus longhorn beetle damage has had a devastating effect on the growers in Boskoop, Holland. See more…
Byline: Peter Dawson 08 Feb 10

We cannot imagine the change and opportunities carbon reduction will bring At last week’s GCA Conference a succession of high-profile speakers showed how the environment, the economy and new technology might impact garden centres. For a summary of their collective wisdom, see more...
Byline: George Bullivant 02 Feb 10

Slugs and Snails are No. 1 Pests in 2009 Slugs and snails were the number one problem on the 2009 Top 10 garden pests list, according to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).
Byline: RHS 27 Jan 10

Garden centres adapt to the snow and cold January sales appear to be better than expected with such bad weather. Garden centres have adapted to conditions by selling plastic trays when they had run out of toboggans, grit when they had run out of salt and... See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 19 Jan 10

Garden centres should benefit as consumer behaviour changes The HTA has opened the decade with research on how consumers are responding to a challenging economic climate and concerns about the environment. What are the opportunities for the garden industry? See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 05 Jan 10

2009 Review - Part 2: July to December With trade strong, attention turned to the battle between the increased number of trade shows in 2010. Many garden centres won planning permission to extend. Corporate activity continued among suppliers. See more... (This article is open to all)
Byline: George Bullivant 04 Jan 10

2009 Review - Part 1: January to June There was a nervous feel to the start of 2009. The Banking crisis was in full swing. No one knew whether consumer demand would come to an abrupt halt after Christmas and garden suppliers were anxiously waiting for confirmation of Wyevale’s financial restructuring. This review is open to all. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 23 Dec 09

Coping with the change in VAT At midnight on 31st December the standard rate of VAT reverts to 17.5%. Does this mean garden centre staff will cancel their New Year's Eve parties in order to re-price their stock? Or will garden centres accept a 5.5% reduction in gross profit? Gardenforum has been talking to retailers. See more...
Byline: George Bulllivant 23 Nov 09

Retailers back attempt at tree planting world record Garden retailers across the country including almost 1000 members of the HTA, will be supporting the BBC’s attempt to coordinate the world record planting of 650,000 trees in one hour on 5th December.
Byline: George Bullivant 18 Nov 09

Garden centres create free publicity Some garden centres are winning free publicity by creating newsworthy events and passing the news to their local press. Read some of the stories published in the last week. Many cover unusual ways to launch Christmas. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 16 Nov 09

Going tough in the amenity sector In his monthly nursery column Peter Dawson has been speaking to Andrew Richardson of Johnsons and Whixley about problems facing growers supplying the amenity sector.
Byline: Peter Dawson 29 Sep 09

Peter Dawson previews Four Oaks Traditionally September has been a busy month for plant buyers, first with Four Oaks and then a couple of weeks later Glee Nursery. But this year things appear to be different. See more...
Byline: Peter Dawson 28 Aug 09

Fraudulent Refunds Just to let everyone know that it has come to my notice that there is a man going around the Southeast trying to get a refund for 2 5lt bottles of Roundup. The man concerned has no receipt/proof of purchase, gives an address that is not real and a phone number that is unobtainable.... See more...
Byline: Geoff Oborne 10 Aug 09

Views sought on natural predator for Japanese Knotweed Defra is consulting about its plans to introduce a predator for Japanese Knotweed next summer. The insect feeds only on the invasive plant, which has proved almost impossible to control by digging or poison and is classed as controlled waste for disposal. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 23 Jul 09

Urgent industry support needed for children's hospice Webbs of Wychbold has stepped in with £5,000 to kick start a Greenfingers appeal for £29,000 by September for two urgently needed gardens for limited life children in a Birmingham children's hospice. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 22 Jul 09

Dig Together Day to unearth the nations gardening knowledge The RHS is coordinating its first Dig Together Day, this September; bringing together thousands of gardening clubs across the UK, to celebrate the knowledge they hold and to inspire new generations to keep the traditions of gardening alive. See more...
Byline: The Royal Horticultural Society 21 Jul 09

Smaller garden centres have performed best this year A good gardening autumn and an expected increase in the price of Christmas trees should give garden centres a good start to the new gardening year. Sales since last July have increased by over 5% according to the GCA, with smaller garden centres improving the most. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 20 Jul 09

They are friendly and dynamic at Howard Nurseries Double success for Howard Nurseries and GPS-controlled planting in Holland are covered in this month's nursery column. See more...
Byline: Peter Dawson 17 Jul 09

Window Food campaign targets 600 acres of window ledges The grow your own campaign gets further impetus as the National Trust launches ‘Window Food’ campaign to turn 600 acres of urban window ledges into vertical vegetable gardens. There will be over 300 events across the country and some great display ideas for garden centres. See more...
Byline: The National Trust 10 Jul 09

Non-food prices down 1.9% The latest Nielsen shop price index shows that prices of non-food items have fallen 1.9% this year. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 08 Jul 09

GC Teams win Greatest Awards The winners of The Greatest Awards, organised by Garden Trade News, were announced yesterday at a glittering garden party. Sir Henry Cooper handed over the trophies to the garden centre teams with the most votes, Davids Nurseries, Birkacre Nurseries, Coolings and Baytree Garden Centre. See more...
Byline: Garden Trade News 01 Jul 09

Mexican scam targets Totally DIY exhibitors DIY Week has issued a warning after exhibitors at Totally DIY received mailings inviting them to update their “free listings” in Expo Guide. See more...
Byline: Peter Dawson 27 Jun 09

Monthly Nursery Round-up Among the topics covered by Peter Dawson in his monthly nursery column are the HTA's opposition to the new AWB settlement for England and Wales. See more....
Byline: Peter Dawson 23 Jun 09

Wyevale tops poll in first Gardeners' World Awards Wyevale Garden Centres have been named best garden centre in the first Gardeners' World Awards while roses topped the polls in the best loved and the most hated plant categories. See more....
Byline: Peter Dawson 18 Jun 09

HTA Conference takes to the rooftops Last year it was at the Stock Exchange, this year the HTA Conference will be at the Kensington Roof Gardens. Celebrity speakers led by ex-BBC political editor John Sergeant will be joined by key figures from the trade. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 18 Jun 09

Garden centres compliment suppliers after an exciting spring Garden centres have complimented suppliers on how well they managed an exciting and frustrating spring. Garden centres report that 2009 sales are 6% – 17% ahead of last year but are cautious about Christmas. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 09 Jun 09

Masked raiders hit Midlands garden centre Masked raiders armed with handguns and a crowbar attacked a security guard and tied him up outside a Wyevale garden centre on bank holiday Monday. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 27 May 09

It's Gold for Crocus and Hillier Crocus constructed two of the three gold medal winning gardens including ‘Best in Show’ for the Daily Telegraph. There were golds also for Hillier, David Domoney and Taylors Bulbs. For all the winners, see more…(this article is open to all)
Byline: George Bullivant 19 May 09

Odds on for a barbecue summer "After two disappointingly-wet summers, the signs are much more promising this year. We can expect times when temperatures will be above 30 °C, something we hardly saw at all last year." So says the Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office. See more...
Byline: Met Office 30 Apr 09

Don’t miss The Big Lunch Garden centres that ignore The Big Lunch will be losing out on an important opportunity to connect with their community. July 19th is likely to become a national focal point of the summer. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 29 Apr 09

Total Retail +1.2%, Garden Retail +7% BRC-KPMG figures for the first 3 months of 2009 show retail sales grew 1.2%. Provisional figures from the HTA show garden centre sales grew 7% over the same period. The difference is most dramatic in March. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 16 Apr 09

Easter boost for UK Garden Centres The mixed weather across the country this Easter weekend appears not to have deterred gardeners as many garden centres report strong trading – particularly with regard to grow your own, plants and core gardening products. See more - This story is open to all...
Byline: The Horticultural Trades Association 14 Apr 09

Watch BBC Gardeners' World Special on peat If you missed the BBC Gardeners' World Special on peat, which featured several industry leaders, watch it now. Click on the link below.
Byline: BBC Gardeners' World 03 Apr 09

5% U-turn too late for rates bills The Chancellor has made a last-minute decision to defer the full 5% increase in business rates. This year rates will increase by 2%, the remaining 3% will be phased in over the next two years. However, businesses will have to pay the full 5% for at least the next four months. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 01 Apr 09

Nurseries see first signs of re-ordering Cautious optimism about the state of the liner market; news that Wyevale plans plant production at 13 locations; results from the second British Plant Fair and an update from Hillier Nurseries all feature in the latest round-up of UK growers from Peter Dawson. See more...
Byline: Peter Dawson 27 Mar 09

£850k reward for Choice Choice Marketing members are celebrating the completion of another successful year with a huge rebate of £850,000 for achieving agreed targets with their key suppliers. See more...
Byline: Choice Marketing 24 Mar 09

GCA seeks scholarship candidates Each year, the Garden Centre Association Trust awards two scholarships to support students undergoing horticultural training. The GCA is looking for nominations for the academic year that starts this autumn. See more...
Byline: The Garden Centre Association 18 Mar 09

February snow hit small garden centres Despite recession, snow and frozen ground, members of the Garden Centre Association will be pleased that sales were only 11% behind last year, which had been 21% up on 2007. Smaller centres were, however, more heavily affected. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 18 Mar 09

BRC Director-General to address GIMA “Let's face it; things are in a mess at the moment. And the thinking that got us into the mess isn't going to get us out of it.” Advice from one of the challenging speakers at the GIMA meeting to be held on March 26th. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 16 Mar 09

Four Oaks Direct holds Flower Power Fair Around 20 nurseries from the North of England will be selling a range of garden and house plants on Mother's Day at the first Flower Power Fair of 2009, which will be held at Four Oaks Direct. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 06 Mar 09

Mass online vote to find best garden centre Gardeners’ World magazine, with a circulation of 330,000, has unveiled the Gardeners’ World Awards. Anyone can vote in the on-line survey, which is looking for the best and worst in gardening, including the best garden centres. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 04 Mar 09

£25 million to fight the spread of Phytophthora kernoviae The government has announced today £25 million to fight the spread of Phytophthora kernoviae and Phytophthora ramorum. This gives a clear indication of the potential threat of these diseases to our woodlands and the nursery industry. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 03 Mar 09

New Monthly Nursery Round-up by Peter Dawson Here’s the first round-up of news from British nurseries by Peter Dawson, former editor of Nurseryman and Garden Centre magazine. His new monthly ‘column’ will provide news and views from the growers across the country. See more...
Byline: Peter Dawson 24 Feb 09

E.coli in garden centre fountains A report has appeared that E.coli has been found in fountains at seven Welsh garden centres, putting the health of visitors at risk. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 23 Feb 09

Good advice for the recession What are the prospects for 2009 and how do we survive? This was the foremost question for delegates at the recent Garden Centre Association conference and GIMA meeting. Gardenforum distils the advice from both events. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 02 Feb 09

GCA names its garden centre of the year Bents claims the title GCA Garden Centre of the Year 2009, just ahead of last year’s winner, Webbs of Wychbold. All in One, Donaghadee, Poplars Nursery and Taylors Bulbs were among the other winners. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 26 Jan 09

Average GC shopping basket grows by £3.60 in 12 months One in four garden centres increased sales during December. For the year as a whole, sales fell 2%. The latest figures from the GCA Barometer of Trade also show that average customer spend in 2008 increased by £3.60. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 22 Jan 09

Garden centres should become champions for change says Smit In September, Tim Smit said garden centres would be the most important UK industry in the next 10 years as scares emerge about food and fuel security. Gardenforum asked Smit to explain what he meant and what garden centres should be doing about it. See more…
Byline: George Bullivant 20 Jan 09

ITV & RHS seek the People's Gardener ITV’s Alan Titchmarsh Show and the RHS have launched the search for the People's Gardener. They are seeking nominations for anyone whose passion for gardening benefits their community in some way. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 16 Jan 09

Plan for the worst says Charles Notcutt There was valuable advice on beating the downturn on the first day of Contact 09, the three day conference for UK nurseries organised by the HTA. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 15 Jan 09

Keep writing says HTA – it’s working (Updated) Intensive lobbying appears to have softened the damaging draft legislation on the Placing of Plant Protection Products on the Market, on which the EU Parliament will vote on 12th January. However, concerns remain and there is still time to write to your MEP. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 07 Jan 09

Christmas trade very much a 'curate's egg' With both Next and Debenhams reporting lower sales in the Christmas period, garden centres appear to have fared the festive season better than the high street retailers. See more...
Byline: Peter Dawson 06 Jan 09

2008 Review Gardenforum reported on 18 garden centres changing hands last year. There was also the demise of wholesaler Spread, and a difficult year for Sir Tom Hunter’s investments in Dobbies, Flying Brands and Wyevale. For a review of 2008 and what to watch in 2009, see 'more'... (This article open to non-subscribers to see what you missed!)
Byline: George Bullivant 05 Jan 09

What recession? Say NZ garden centres Proof that garden centres are recession resistant comes with news from New Zealand of record sales of plants and seedlings. The RHS is promoting Grow Your Own in 2009 as consumers look towards home for their leisure activities. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 18 Dec 08

Garden Centres are streets ahead for Christmas The winners of the 2008 GCA Christmas display competition are Barton Grange, Brock, in the category for larger centres and Castle Gardens at Sherborne in the class for garden centres with sales under £3m. The judge said she was absolutely blown away. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 16 Dec 08

Call for gardening organisations to work together Garden Organic has called for a joined up approach from leading garden organisations to encourage food security and bio-diversity by promoting growing at home. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 09 Dec 08

Wisley at Risk from Commercial Waste Management Sites The RHS is calling on people who love gardens and gardening to help it fight two planning applications for commercial waste management sites near its largest garden, at Wisley in Surrey. See more...
Byline: Royal Horticultural Society 03 Dec 08

Jury out on VAT reduction The 2.5% cut in VAT in the run up to Christmas has presented garden centres with a headache. How do they implement the reduction? See more …
Byline: Peter Dawson 25 Nov 08

Lifetime Achievement Award for Whitehall Centenarian Highlights of last night's Garden Retail Awards include 3 wins for the newly refurbished Sidmouth Garden Centre and a Lifetime Achievement Award for Whitehall Garden Centre's centenarian owner Phyllis Self. For all the winners, see more...
Byline: George Bullivant 13 Nov 08

GIMA accuses GRO of ‘Divide and rule’ GIMA has warned members that they need GRO like they need ‘A hole in the head’. In reply the new buying group says the view of the manufacturers misunderstands the concept of GRO. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 12 Nov 08

HTA welcomes Benn’s support and understanding Possible draconian laws to eliminate a wide range of potentially invasive garden plants, and EU pesticide legislation were among the topics discussed by industry leaders at yesterday’s meeting with Hillary Benn, the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. See more...
Byline: Gardenforum 04 Nov 08

It’s not about pretty planting and neat lawns, says Mintel The latest Mintel report sees signs of a new generation of gardeners with different needs. Garden centre consolidation is slowing, but the long-term survival of the traditional garden centre is questioned. See more...
Byline: George Bulliavnt 30 Oct 08

Conference shows how to survive a recession HTA members who attended this week's business leaders’ conference heard that we are facing the toughest time ever for business directors. Innovation is the key to survival, but this does not come naturally to companies with over 20 staff. Creativity needs to be worked at. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 24 Oct 08

Butterfly World Project opens with Future Gardens next year Phase one of a stunning £25 million Butterfly World Project will open next June with Future Gardens, a series of show gardens launched by Sir David Attenborough and David Bellamy. When completed, the 25-acre site near St Albans will have display gardens in the shape of a caterpillar, a tropical biome and 10,000 tropical butterflies. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 23 Oct 08

Prices to rise by 10% or more next year Prices will rise 10% or more next year. Will volumes decrease by an equivalent amount? No, say exhibitors and retailers at Glee, the garden industry can expect some growth next year. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 06 Oct 08

IGCA heads for the North West in 2009 The IGCA (International Garden Centre Association) Congress is to return to the UK after 12 years. In 1997 the event was hosted by London, the Southeast and Scotland. In September 2009 it will be the turn of the North West. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 02 Oct 08

Early signs that the garden sector is not immune from the crisis Dudley Transport has suspended deliveries for two weeks while its owner, Kinglea Plants, rationalises its customer base. Uncertainty has also arisen over the financial security of Baugur, a shareholder in Wyevale. See more ...
Byline: George Bullivant 30 Sep 08

Northern Garden Centres break from Future Marketing Five northern garden centres have left the buying group Future Marketing with effect from the first of September. They will be working more closely together as the Trans-Pennine group. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 05 Sep 08

New look for Ruxley Rose competition The new look Ruxley Rose competition will keep garden centres focused on plants at a time when their attention might be diverted by Christmas decorations. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 04 Sep 08

HTA wins support in fight to lift Sunday Trading restrictions The HTA is to meet the government in October backed by overwhelming support from its members in favour of exempting garden centres from Sunday trading restrictions. This will add weight to the Bill currently in the House of Lords. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 01 Sep 08

Last Chance to Enter Thrive's Blind Gardener Competition Anyone who knows the enjoyment of gardening and has a visual impairment should sign up now so that their skills can be recognised and celebrated in Thrive's popular annual Blind Gardener of the Year competition. Closing date is Monday 15 September 2008. See more for details...
Byline: Thrive 13 Aug 08

Fraudster cooks up a scam on Beefeater Barbecues Hampshire-based Beefeater Barbecues (Regent Garden Collection) has been hit by a very clever scam involving two telephone orders purporting to be from Bents Garden Centre in Cheshire. See more …
Byline: Peter Dawson 06 Aug 08

GCA names Best Garden Centres in North and South Thames The first area winners have been declared in the competition to find this year's Best GCA Garden Centre. The awards, following judging in the North Thames and South Thames areas, were announced at two recent ceremonies. To see the winners, see more...
Byline: George Bullivant 01 Aug 08

RHS Update on Weedkiller Residue The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) advisory service continues to receive many calls from gardeners worried that their crops are being damaged by weedkiller residues from contaminated manures or soil improvement composts. See more...
Byline: RHS 15 Jul 08

GCA members warm to GRO Internal correspondence between GCA members shows that those who are already active in the controversial AIS/GRO buying group are delighted with the results, even before the imminent appointment of a senior garden buyer. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 06 Jul 08

GIMA reveals line-up for 2008 Awards David Domoney and Julie Peasgood return to host the 2008 GIMA awards, which include entries from companies who are participating for the first time. This year's entertainer is to be TV show host Roy Walker. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 30 Jun 08

HTA continues drive to extend Sunday trading The HTA is surveying its retail members to support its campaign to extend Sunday opening hours for garden centres. The Government appears open to change and has asked for more information. See more..
Byline: George Bullivant 18 Jun 08

Garden centres must adjust to the digital world Last Thursday, a seminar on effective garden centre marketing held by the HTA, gave a valuable insight into how garden centres should use the Internet and focus on providing an authoritative service rather than selling product. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 10 Jun 08

The Love/Hate Relationship of the 21st Century Gardener Research launched today has revealed that the importance of reducing our gardening footprint still hasn’t resonated with some gardeners, as over a quarter admit to not considering the environment as they garden. See more...
Byline: Bosch Lawn & Garden 04 Jun 08

Sales of outdoor plants down 42% in April The Barometer of Trade produced by the GCA gives the first indication of how awful sales were in April compared to a year ago. Worst hit were sales of garden furniture and outdoor plants. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 22 May 08

RHS calls for tax cut on ornamental plants and seeds The RHS is using interest raised by the Chelsea Flower Show to launch a petition to reduce VAT on all ornamental plants and seeds to 5%. To sign the petition, see more – open to all readers...
Byline: The RHS 22 May 08

Double Gold for Crocus at Chelsea For the second time in three years Crocus has constructed the winning Show Garden at Chelsea. The Best Urban Garden was constructed by Adam Frost. To see the medals earned by Hillier, Notcutts, Chessington and Squire's - See more…
Byline: George Bullivant 20 May 08

Minister says the door is open to changes in Sunday trading law Friday's House of Lords debate on the HTA’s bill to extend Sunday trading at garden centres was rewarded a positive response from the trade minister. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 18 May 08

Pent-up demand unleashed over Bank Holiday weekend Plant sales soared as the temperature rose over the early spring Bank Holiday and brought much welcome relief after a disappointing April. See more…
Byline: Peter Dawson 08 May 08

Councils adopt HTA's 'Greener' motion Efforts to include more planting in new urban developments are bearing fruit with news that a third council has passed a motion put forward by the HTA with 9 more likely to follow soon. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 06 May 08

Growers still hopeful despite slump in plant sales Poor weather and an early Easter have been blamed for a slump in plant sales in Q1 which has led to B&Q facing losses of over £1m on unsold plant stock. But growers are still hoping for a good season. See more…
Byline: Peter Dawson 22 Apr 08

Sustainable retail is here to stay Returning from the World Retail Congress, the CEO of Kingfisher, Ian Cheshire, has commented in The Retail Bulletin that sustainable retail is one of the hottest topics in the industry at the moment and it is here to stay. See more…
Byline: from The Retail Bulletin 18 Apr 08

Pressure groups target peat and use of illegal timber Each year Easter is the time for stories from environmental pressure groups. The focus this year is on peat and a report naming companies that sell garden furniture made out of illicit timber from Laos. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 20 Mar 08

HTA continues to push for changes to the Sunday Trading Laws The Horticultural Trades Association is continuing to seek support in government for a relaxation of the laws to enable Sunday trading to take place on Easter Sunday.
Byline: The Horticultural Trades Association 19 Mar 08

What will retailing be like in 2015? At GIMA’s annual meeting last week, Alistair Lorimer predicted fragmentation of the mass market as baby boomers turn 70, Peter Field was elected President for the next year and Jon Whitely warned against poor insurance policies. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 19 Mar 08

Retailers and suppliers must form alliances At a time of rapid change and little growth within the garden industry, “There is still too much them and us.” The words of Leslie Kossoff set the mood for the first of the HTA’s 2008 one day conferences. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 29 Feb 08

GardenAfrica seeks garden centres to co-host a weekend GardenAfrica, a UK registered charity, is looking for garden centres to co-host an exciting weekend of events which will boost sales and fund horticultural projects in sub-Saharan Africa. See more...
Byline: GardenAfrica 28 Feb 08

NT advises on Sudden Oak Death The National Trust for Scotland, concerned about the spread of Sudden Oak Death into Scotland, convened a conference of experts to offer guidance. Their advice applies throughout the UK where 625 sites are now affected. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 14 Feb 08

Industry praises Government restrictions on paving DEFRA has listened to the garden industry and has published measures that will prevent householders from laying non-porous paving in their front drives without planning permission. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 12 Feb 08

How Green is your business? It’s time for Action The recent GIMA meeting heard that 50% of the top 250 companies now measure their carbon footprint. The garden sector has been slow to respond and should act now before being forced by legislation. It is not as complicated as it sounds. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 04 Feb 08

Garden centres outpace DIY stores in difficult year A fistful of reports from the HTA shows how garden centres prospered compared to DIY superstores in a challenging year; that only 9% of people recognise the environmental benefit of plants; and that orders through home delivery/mail order companies grew 22%. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 04 Feb 08

Slugs and Snails (but not quite puppy dogs tails) Slugs and snails were the UK’s most troublesome garden pest of 2007, according to members of the Royal Horticultural Society. These slimy predators moved one place up on last year, just beating the recently established harlequin ladybird into second place. See more...
Byline: The RHS 28 Jan 08

RHS Grow Your Own Veg – open weekend The RHS is opening up its four gardens to members of the public on Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th March to launch the 2008 Grow Your Own Veg campaign.
Byline: The RHS 24 Jan 08

Garden Centres defy high street jitters with record Christmas sales Webbs of Wychbold has retained the title GCA Garden Centre of the Year for a second year. At the same time figures from the Association show garden centre sales increased 9% in December. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 22 Jan 08

Children and the Environment – the new RHS focus The environment and children are to be the themes that unite all future activities by the Royal Horticultural Society and will feature heavily in the television programmes and articles on the 2008 RHS shows such as Chelsea, Hampton Court and Tatton Park. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 21 Jan 08

News Review 2007 Here is our review of the News in 2007. This story is open to all our readers even if you are not a subscriber. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 03 Jan 08

The RHS returns to its roots The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has announced that it will hold an event at the birthplace of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. RHS at the Inner Temple will take place from 11 – 13 September 2008. See more...
Byline: The Royal Horticultural Society 16 Nov 07

Garden and Leisure scoop four awards from GardenRetail It was ladies’ night at the GardenRetail awards as garden centres owned by Caroline Owen and Caroline Jackson were both voted retail outlet of the year. While Carol Paris steered Garden and Leisure to no less than 4 awards. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 13 Nov 07

Copseys welcomes Horticultural Training Charity Copseys, the Havant based grower, has provided a base for The Beneficial Foundation ‘Horticultural Training Centre’ that provides training and therapy for people with a wide range of disabilities. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 09 Nov 07

Japanese garden trade show exceeds best expectations “Probably the busiest trade show we have ever attended” and “We are confident that we will exceed our pre-show target” are two of the quotes received from Haws Water Cans and Stoneflair/Japan Links following their participation in the Gardenex-organised British pavilion at the IFEX/GARDEX garden trade exhibition in Tokyo last month.
Byline: Gardenex 05 Nov 07

A Passion for Plants A Passion for Plants, a new BBC series starting this Friday, spends a year at the Royal Horticultural Society. On Nov 16th it will follow the show manager, the judges and two first time exhibitors as they prepare for Chelsea 07. See more...
Byline: The RHS 19 Oct 07

Consumers will not be satisfied by 'green-wash' If any company in the garden industry doubted the need to review its policy on environmental and social responsibility, the first day of the HTA’s annual conference should have changed their mind. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 18 Oct 07

GCA names Garden Centres of Excellence Despite the worst summer on record, according to the GCA, standards in the annual audit of 160 garden centre members have improved. 15 centres won the coveted title ‘Garden Centre of Excellence’. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 03 Oct 07

Green Light for the Garden Industry (Updated) The HTA conference is a worthwhile visit for anyone, retailer or supplier, who wishes to improve profit and succeed in a rapidly changing and greening market. Not only will there be inspiring speakers but the HTA is unique in the resources it has, financial and otherwise to help businesses wanting to change and grow. See more…
Byline: George Bullivant 02 Oct 07

New fuchsia pest found in Britain The potentially devastating fuchsia gall mite (Aculops fuchsiae) has been found for the first time on mainland Britain in a fuchsia sample received by the RHS Members’ Advisory Service at RHS Garden Wisley. The pest has the potential to spread rapidly, affecting gardens and greenhouses throughout Britain.
Byline: The RHS 19 Sep 07

Glee New Products: winners announced Ten innovative new products demonstrating pioneering approaches to design, manufacture and marketing have been named as the winners of this year’s coveted Glee New Products awards.
Byline: Glee 17 Sep 07

Statutory holiday entitlement increases on 1st Oct Have you remembered that statutory holiday entitlement is increasing from 1st October and again from 1st April 2009. See more…
Byline: George Bullivant 14 Sep 07

Dobbies MD to outline strategy at GIMA Following its acquisition by Tesco, Dobbies' MD, James Barnes, will outline the strategy for the group at the next GIMA business meeting. The meeting will also hear from an MP and the new MD of a leading chain of independent garden centres. See more…
Byline: George Bullivant 14 Sep 07

HTA warns UK growers HTA director Tim Briercliffe, warns that UK horticulture is struggling to compete with imports and there will only be a future for companies that can innovate. See more…
Byline: George Bullivant 05 Sep 07

Marked regional differences in July sales says GCA The July figures from the GCA Barometer of Trade show marked regional differences in a poor month. However, year-to-date sales are still well ahead of last year in all sectors except garden furniture. See more…
Byline: George Bullivant 23 Aug 07

Stop this ‘blackmail’ now urges Klondyke’s David Yardley The group operations director of Klondyke has hit out at garden centres asking their suppliers to prop up their businesses. See more…
Byline: Peter Dawson 16 Aug 07

Salary survey shows importance of nursery sales managers The HTA 2007 annual salary survey results graphically illustrate the differing fortunes of businesses in the sector. As in previous years there is a considerable variation in the level of remuneration received by executives in both the nursery and garden centre sectors.
Byline: The Horticultural Trades Association 09 Aug 07

HTA welcomes SPS ruling for nurseries Hitherto, nurseries have been excluded from the European Single Payment Scheme (SPS) that is paid to farmers. Now the European Parliament has decided that horticultural nurseries should also be able to claim the payments. See more…
Byline: George Bullivant 30 Jul 07

£450k reward for Choice Members of Choice Marketing harvested a £450,000 rebate from their suppliers for hitting their sales targets for 2006. See more…
Byline: George Bullivant 27 Jul 07

Bill postponement will lead to more garden devastation Garden Organic, the organisation behind the Save Our Gardens campaign, has warned that over 200 acres of garden space will be wiped out in the time that it takes the much-awaited Land Use Bill to be returned to the House of Commons for its postponed second reading in October.
Byline: Garden Organic 11 Jul 07

Sir Geoff Hurst presents a hat-trick of awards to Scotsdales The hat-trick goal scoring hero of the 1966 World Cup, Sir Geoff Hurst, was the surprise celebrity handing out the trophies at The Greatest Awards earlier this week in Birmingham. See more...
Byline: The Garden Communication and Media Company Ltd 11 Jul 07

Homebase extends Garden Living Club Homebase is to roll out its Garden Living Club across the country. The loyalty scheme has been tested on members of the Homebase Spend & Save scheme for the last 12 months. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 27 Jun 07

GCA figures show effects of damp May The GCA barometer of trade gives the first measure of the all important May sales figures for garden centres. Two thirds of garden centres failed to match their sales for May 2006. See more…
Byline: George Bullivant 26 Jun 07

Ruxley Rose Finalists Announced The regional winners for the annual Ruxley Rose competition have been announced. One of the eight winning garden centres whose outdoor plant areas were judged best in their area, will be named overall winner at the GCA Winter Conference 20 - 23 January 2008 in Manchester. For the winners see more...
Byline: The Garden Centre Association 25 Jun 07

Review of the 2007 Season – so far After three seasons when it has been hard work tacking into unfavourable weather conditions, this year has been plain sailing. Or has it? Gardenforum has interviewed many of the industry leaders and those declaring the season to be ‘great’ are in a minority. Fairly good or good would seem nearer the mark. See more…
Byline: George Bullivant 12 Jun 07

Celebrities add spice to HTA catering conference Celebrities including Skye Gyngell, head chef at Petersham Nurseries Café and author of A Year in My Kitchen and Wendy Fogarty, forager and founding ambassador for the UK Slow Food movement will talk at the HTA catering conference in July. See more…
Byline: The Horticultural Trades Association 29 May 07

Trouble on Wisteria Lane Experts at Garden Organic, the UK’s leading organic growing charity, have identified a new super pest that could wipe out swathes of wisteria, sycamore and even fruit trees; changing the face of local parks, gardens and heritage buildings across the country as well as potentially stunting the billion pound British fruit industry. See more...
Byline: Garden Organic 24 May 07

Warning to Glee exhibitors Think carefully before signing any document from Fairguide, offering a listing to exhibitors at Glee Petindex. The unwary will find they have committed to paying 1171 Euro for the next 3 years. There have also been fax scams. See more…
Byline: George Bullivant 23 May 07

Bradstone are overall winners at Chelsea It was an ironic twist that Bradstone should scoop the coveted Best Show Garden award in the first year that Marshalls sponsor the Chelsea Flower Show. There were medals also for Hillier Nurseries, Westland, Crocus, Millbrook Landscapes, Notcutts and Marshalls. See more…
Byline: George Bullivant 22 May 07

Chelsea Tickets STILL available from Gardenforum Now available to all Would you or other members of your team like to attend Chelsea Flower Show? Marshalls, the chief sponsor of Chelsea, have kindly made tickets available. We still have tickets for Saturday in exchange for a donation to a garden charity. See more…
Byline: George Bullivant 10 May 07

Don't waste your chance to Win a National Recycling Award It's time for companies, councils and charities to start penning their entries to the National Recycling Awards. See 'more' for details...
Byline: National Recycling Awards 17 May 07

Humax supports Gardening with Schools Initiative Growing media and compost specialists, Humax Horticulture have announced their support for the Gardening with Schools initiative developed by the National Federation of Women’s Institutes – Wales.
Byline: Humax Horticulture 09 May 07

Keep composting simple says Gardening Which? As composting week starts Gardening Which? releases research that shows that the simplest methods of composting provide the best results. See more...
Byline: Gardening Which? 08 May 07

Join in Compost Awareness Week It’s not too late to participate in next week’s compost awareness week. Visit the website link below to download, everything you need to show you are part of this high profile event. See more…
Byline: George Bullivant 02 May 07

Easter proves to be a real spring bonanza Early reports from around the country point to the fact that last weekend turned out to be a record breaker. See more …
Byline: Peter Dawson 11 Apr 07

Is third party distribution the solution for garden manufacturers? In a meeting devoted to improving business performance, GIMA members hear how Midland nurseries have benefited from outsourcing distribution to a third party and how LEAN techniques have reduced cost and time for a leading garden centre group. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 09 Apr 07

Grow-your-own Viagra craze hits Britain's garden centres A chance discovery by a Berkshire allotment-holder that a plant widely available in garden centres has the same effect on men as Viagra has been confirmed by experts at one of the world's leading botanical institutions. See more...
Byline: The Independent 01 Apr 07

A Quarter of a Million Easy Guides sold in a month Within a month of launch, the first print of the new HTA/RHS Easy Guides series has nearly sold out. The series of 26 how-to consumer leaflets cover a wide range of subjects to help and inspire garden centre customers to make the most of their gardens. See more…
Byline: The Horticultural Trades Association 15 Mar 07

HTA urges garden retailers to act now on WEEE The new Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) regulations that came into force on 2 January 2007 impact garden retailers and impose new obligations for any that sell electrical or electronic items in their garden centres.
Byline: The Horticultural Trades Association 01 Mar 07

Garden centres back Gardener's World scheme Within days of receiving news of Gardener's World Magazine's new discount card, 95 garden centres have signed up. The new loyalty scheme launches in May and GW hopes for widespread manufacturer and retailer support. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 27 Feb 07

New pest is more than a ‘miner’ problem The horse chestnut leaf miner has relegated slugs and snails to the second spot on the top ten pest enquiries of 2006. This tiny moth, which was not known in Britain before 2002, generated the highest number of enquiries sent to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) members’ advisory service in 2006. For the full top ten see 'more'...
Byline: The RHS 26 Feb 07

Retailers and Growers must work together Retailers and growers must work together sharing the market information now available, to ensure success as competition increases. Speakers at a one-day conference organised by the HTA showed the benefits they got from working together.
Byline: George Bullivant 20 Feb 07

Participate in the 'I Love My Home' research A new pan-European market research project to track consumer home improvement and gardening trends and better understand why people undertake such jobs has been initiated by Fediyma, the European Federation of DIY Manufacturers. The ‘I love my home’ project is open to all manufacturers and retailers in the sector.
Byline: BHHMA 18 Feb 07

Webbs of Wychbold is Garden Centre of the Year Newcomer, Sunshine Garden Centre topped the GCA honours, winning 3 awards. The upgraded Webbs of Wychbold was named Garden Centre of the Year. See more for other winners...
Byline: George Bullivant 22 Jan 07

Hosepipe ban is lifted but don't relax say the HTA The hosepipe ban is lifted in four areas, but the HTA will continue to put pressure on the government to limit the discretion open to water companies. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 20 Jan 07

Promotion boosts Gift Voucher sales Gift Voucher sales grew 20% in December, reports the HTA as it unveils a new mystery shopper service and subsidised training for members. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 09 Jan 07

2006 News Review 2006 was the year when the decline of old order in the garden industry became irreversible. Gardenforum reviews the stories from 2006 and looks forward to 2007. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 02 Jan 07

Christmas display winners announced Winners of this year's national judging for the best Christmas display have just been announced. All-In-One garden Centre, Manchester won the category for larger garden centres. Sunshine Garden Centre, London N11 won the category for smaller centres. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 14 Dec 06

John Ashley recognised for Outstanding Achievement A standing ovation greeted an emotional John Ashley, as he accepted the Outstanding Achievement award at what will be the last Garden Centre & Retail Awards hosted by Nexus Media. For the other award winners, including overall garden centre of the year, see more...
Byline: George Bullivant 24 Nov 06

Marshalls to sponsor RHS Chelsea Flower Show Marshalls is to be the main sponsor of the Chelsea Flower show for the next three years. The company is also convening a 'Sustainability Summit' as it seeks to raise its profile. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 15 Nov 06

Government policy puts the urban garden at risk The urban garden, the biggest nature reserve in the UK, is under threat from government planning policy and there is little local councils can do about it. This is the stark message that emerged from the RHS sponsored debate on the future of urban gardens. See more…
Byline: George Bullivant 09 Nov 06

BALI Award for Jeffrey Bernhard Over 650 attended the 30th anniversary BALI awards lunch to see Hasmead win the BALI Grand Award presented by Lord Sebastian Coe. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 06 Nov 06

Proposals would lower penalty for shoplifting The HTA is urging retailers to lobby their local MP to prevent proposals by the Sentencing Advisory Panel becoming law, which would reduce the penalties for shoplifting. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 06 Nov 06

GCA names Garden Centres of Excellence 11 centres have been named Garden Centres of Excellence in the 2006 audit. The GCA has also commended a further 26 centres who came close to the top ranking centres. For the winners, see more…
Byline: George Bullivant 03 Oct 06

Fresh Layout for Glee 2007 TPS is to consult over a new layout for Glee 2007 as this year’s show closes. For a report and snippets from the aisles, see more…
Byline: George Bullivant 20 Sep 06

HTA figures show crash in sales of garden products The HTA survey of consumer spending shows sales of manufactured goods crashed over 20%, for the first 6 months of 2006. But the hosepipe ban failed to dent plant sales. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 29 Aug 06

Over 600 garden centres sign up to National Conifer Week Over 600 garden centres have signed-up for the UK's second National Conifer Week, taking place from 1 to 8 October. See more...
Byline: The Horticultural Trades Association 16 Aug 06

Britain's last railway nursery seeks help from the horticulture community Poppleton Railway Nursery is the last of its kind, the last of a once famous line of railway flower and vegetable nurseries. A railway consortium is seeking help and expertise from the garden industry to form a charitable trust that will bring Poppleton back to life. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 10 Aug 06

New buying group for independent garden centres, with a difference. A new UK wide marketing/buying network for independent garden centres is being formed, based on a new website, theonlinegardener.com. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 31 Jul 06

GIMA Sword of Excellence for Westland's Aftercut Paul Daniels mesmerised an audience of over 400 at the GIMA awards, where Westland won the Sword of Excellence for best new product, with Aftercut. GCA members chose Gardman yet again as their Best Supplier. For the other winners, see more ...
Byline: George Bullivant 22 Jul 06

Town & Country wins important High Court case against agent Town & Country has just undergone five days in the High Court to win a case, which has important implications for any company that uses agents. See *adviceforum* for the full BHHMA report; for a summary - see more...
Byline: George Bullivant 17 Jul 06

Wyevale chairman to address GIMA open meeting GIMA is inviting all members of the garden industry, whether members or not, to its next meeting to hear Jim Hodkinson, Chairman of Wyevale Garden Centres. This will be the first chance to hear his views of the garden industry. Gordon Brown, Managing Director of Wilkinson will also be among the list of influential speakers. See more...
Byline: GIMA 12 Jul 06

No relief from Sunday trading restrictions The government has concluded its review of Sunday trading legislation by saying that "there is no substantial demand for change" and, as a result, there should be no change to Sunday trading. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 08 Jul 06

Warning - Don’t be fooled by Austrian scam Austrian based Fairguide.com/Construct Data Verlag is targeting Glee exhibitors with misleading services. The company uses a form which could be mistaken for a free catalogue entry when in fact it is anything but. See more...
Byline: Peter Dawson 06 Jul 06

What's hot at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show The 'Garden of Eden', complete with 'Adam' and 'Eve' actors clad in fig leaves, a seaside celebration and a tropical spring have captured the heat of the moment and the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) judges' votes at this year's Hampton Court Palace Flower Show.
Byline: The Royal Horticultural Society 04 Jul 06

Statutory levies retained in radical restructuring of levy boards The horticultural levy, which affects all growers, is to be retained but the administration is to be restructured. Although welcoming the changes, the HTA is pressing for a fairer method of calculating the levy. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 30 Jun 06

Will June sales recoup a disastrous March? 2006 has been a third difficult year for the garden industry, slow to start and then interrupted by May's rain. At the end of May, sales at some garden centres were still 10% below last year. Gardenforum has canvassed the views of many of the industry's leading companies. Can June save the year? See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 13 Jun 06

Our garden centres are BORING says Homebase director A packed GIMA meeting heard Carolyn Simons, commercial director of Homebase, outline the company's vision for the future. A strong cast of supporting speakers included home shopping channel QVC. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 09 Jun 06

Cardiff represents UK in Bloom 'Champions League' Cardiff has been selected by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) to represent the UK in the prestigious, Europe-wide 'Entente Florale' competition, the 'Champions League' of bloom which puts the Welsh capital up against the most floral towns and cities on the continent. See more...
Byline: Cardiff Council 06 Jun 06

BBC1 seeks entries for National Village Show Garden centres, perhaps in conjunction with local press, may want to encourage the keenest growers, jam makers and knitters among their customers to enter the heats for BBC1's National Village Show later this summer. The show will be presented by Alan Titchmarsh. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 02 Jun 06

Theft and arson at southern garden centres Garden centres in the south of England are facing an escalating series of thefts and arson. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 01 Jun 06

Best Chelsea Show Garden built by Crocus Crocus.co.uk constructed the Daily Telegraph garden, winner of the Best Show Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. To see all the winners click the website button below. For more details of industry winners including Wormcast, Bradstone and Berkshire College of Agriculture, see more...
Byline: George Bullivant 23 May 06

Industry anger at Government approach to Drought Orders Grass-root anger urges action against press sensationalism. The HTA warns of company failures following the first drought order and others that are predicted to follow. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 16 May 06

HTA urges members to support for parliamentary moves against hosepipe ban The HTA is asking members to contact their MP requesting his/her support for an Early Day Motion, tabled this week in the House of Commons. The EDM calls for changes to the act that's behind the hosepipe ban. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 09 May 06

Greenpeace accuses garden group of utter disregard for their customers The Greenpeace campaign to ensure that all garden furniture sold in the UK comes from sustainable sources has resorted to tabloid criticism of a leading garden retailer who chose not to conform with the pressure group's tick-box methods. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 27 Apr 06

RHS sidesteps hosepipe ban at Chelsea Work is taking place today, Tuesday, to drill a £45,000 borehole in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea to provide water for the Chelsea Flower Show. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 25 Apr 06

Cautionary Tale for Garden Centres An incident on Good Friday should act as a warning to all garden centres to check for potential hazards for young children. A four-year-old girl plunged into a pool during a trip to a leading midlands garden centre and had to be rescued by her mother. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 19 Apr 06

'Normal' winter hits sales hard in first quarter After a bright start to 2006, the bad weather in March had a major impact on garden centre sales. With reports of sales dropping up to 49% in March, repercussions are rippling out through the entire supply chain. However, there are indications that trade is picking up and the hope is that pent-up consumer demand will kick in. See more...
Byline: Peter Dawson 11 Apr 06

HTA seeks Government review of hosepipe bans The Horticultural Trades Association is calling for a Government review of hosepipe bans and is asking all stakeholders in water usage to sit down and identify a sensible solution to go forward, rather than relying on the knee-jerk imposition of ineffective and unfair bans. See more
Byline: Horticultural Trades Association 06 Apr 06

Drought order ban could hit garden centres Bedding plant production is being cut back as growers fear the impact of drought orders being requested by southern water companies. There is also conflicting advice on how garden centres will be affected by a hosepipe ban. See more...
Byline: Peter Dawson 30 Mar 06

Blind gardeners to benefit from new national club To mark the launch of the National Blind Gardeners' Club, Thrive is announcing Blind Gardener of the Year 2006. Now in its second year, this popular competition is designed to celebrate the enthusiasm, skills and achievements of blind gardeners across the UK. See more...
Byline: Thrive 20 Mar 06

Unified code of practice for professional pesticide users A new Code of Practice for professional users of plant protection products in England and Wales has come into force. It should be read by everyone using pesticides on farms and holdings; in horticulture; and in amenity areas, industrial areas, and in forestry. See more.
Byline: Peter Dawson 22 Feb 06

Growers co-operate to save transport costs The Midland Regional Growers (MRG) have launched a transport sharing scheme that the HTA believes will be a template for nurseries, in other regions, needing to reduce costs and improve service. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 20 Feb 06

GAN Trade Show winners The GAN Trade Show held near Bournemouth on the 8th February was the largest in the events 11 year history. The show attracted over 1500 visitors viewing 243 stands, beating the previous number of stands by 14. For the Winners, see more...
Byline: George Bullivant 10 Feb 06

Carlow Garden Centre All-Ireland GC of the Year Arboretum Garden Centre, Co. Carlow, is winner of the All-Ireland Garden Centre Quality Awards 2005/06 and Ireland's first 5-Star Garden Centre. While in the United States, Al's Garden Center has beaten nearly 400 retail growing operations to be named Garden Center of the Year for 2005. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 07 Feb 06

Lord Sebastian Coe to present BALI Awards Lord Sebastian Coe, who headed the successful British Olympic bid of 2005, will address the BALI National Landscape Awards 2006 about the contribution the British Landscaping Industry, in particular BALI Members, can make towards greening the 2012 Olympics UK wide. He will also talk about his outstanding athletics and political career. See more...
Byline: BALI 01 Feb 06

'Rosemary' on the warpath in Britain's gardens A new herb-munching menace, the Rosemary leaf beetle entered RHS top ten pest enquiries for the first time in 2005 at Number 4. Another newcomer was the Leatherjacket in the list topped this year by slugs and snails which regained top spot from the vine weevil. See more....
Byline: The RHS 26 Jan 06

GIMA hears scary economic outlook A record attendance at yesterday's quarterly convention of GIMA was entertained with an insight from the shop floor by Andy Bunker; sobered by economic forecasts of Professor Ken Mayhew and updated with the prospects for HART currently under administration. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 13 Jan 06

October sales fail to match last year despite discounting The BRC reports an improving trend in October's like-for-like sales, but at -0.2% we have now been in negative territory for 8 of the last 10 months. With BRC also showing shop prices lower than last year, it appears that sales are being maintained by discounting and promotions. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 10 Nov 05

New Realism at HTA Conference After two years of market contraction there was a new realism at the HTA Conference held in York. The halcyon days of rapid growth of the garden market are passed. Continued success in a harsher climate requires greater co-operation and a drive by each company to reduce costs and increase levels of service. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 20 Oct 05

Does increasing international plant trade add to disease risk? The RHS has called a conference for gardeners, scientists, policy makers and the trade to discuss the issue of whether we risk importing new plant diseases and pests with increasing international trade in plants. See more...
Byline: The RHS 13 Oct 05

HDRA becomes Garden Organic HDRA, the organic organisation, which has 31,000 members, is changing its working name to Garden Organic as it launches the new "Get Set, Grow!" campaign. See more...
Byline: HDRA 07 Oct 05

London loses two thirds of its front gardens A report launched today reveals that London has lost two thirds of its front gardens, equal to an area 22 times the size of Hyde Park, 16 times the size of the new Olympic Park in East London. A change in the planning laws is being sought. See more...
Byline: London Assembly Environment Committee 05 Sep 05

How Lean AreYou? For some 2005 has been a shocker, other companies have been successful despite the difficult weather. The fittest companies seem to be those who have invested time in innovation, those who are constantly challenging the old ways of doing things. Recognising this, the HTA is investing considerable energy promoting their Lean business improvement programmes with a series of free taster seminars. See more…
Byline: George Bullivant 10 Aug 05

Shop Prices Lowest since 2003 Weaker consumer demand has caused prices of non food items including gardening to fall nearly 3% in July. The British Retail Consortium warns that retailers cannot sustain this much longer. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 03 Aug 05

Ruxley Rose Finalists Announced The Garden Centre Association has announced the regional finalists for the Ruxley Rose Competition. This year the judge looked at outdoor plant areas in mid June. For the 8 local winners see more...
Byline: The Garden Centre Association 20 Jul 05

Garden Centre Managers now earn up to £40,000 says HTA Wage inflation appears under control in the garden sector, according to the latest HTA survey. However, key posts such as Garden Centre, Nursery, Office and now Catering Manager command salaries that reflect the importance of these positions. See more...
Byline: The HTA 01 Jul 05

Summer Drought The lowest rainfall for 30 years mean that parts of southern England are already experiencing drought. Hydrology experts say another dry winter could have serious implications for 2006. See more...
Byline: Natural Environment Research Council 17 Jun 05

2005 - The Season that Never Started? Difficult; disappointing; the season that never started; challenging; tougher than last year; a bit of a stinker and pretty awful, are some of the descriptions of trading for 2005 so far. Has the season yet again become the victim of the weather or is there an underlying influence from waning retail sales? Has everyone suffered? See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 08 Jun 05

Chelsea Wins for Hillier & Squire's Best Show Garden has been awarded to the Chelsea Hospital for their Ecover Chelsea Pensioners Garden. Hillier Won the President's Award and Gold for their display in the Grand Pavillion, while Squire's was named best garden in Sunflower Street. For the full awards list - See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 24 May 05

Consumer Caution Hits April Sales Hard April figures released this morning by the British Retail Consortium and KPMG show that retail trading is getting tougher, although horticulture and garden furniture improved in the warmer weather later in the month. See more...
Byline: BRC - KPMG 10 May 05

'Thou shalt make money on your garden' is 2005 motto Half of Britain's gardeners are motivated to toil in their gardens because of the potential to increase the value of their property, according to new research released by Standard Life Bank. Over a third want to re-landscape their gardens to include seating areas. See more...
Byline: Standard Life Bank 10 May 05

The traditional garden centre is under threat says Gardening Which? With increased competition from supermarkets, the Internet, and DIY stores, the future of the traditional garden centre looks bleak. But the editor of Gardening Which? stays loyal to her local garden centre. See more...
Byline: Gardening Which? 15 Apr 05

Gardening Sales suffered from an earlier Easter Figures from the BRC show that retail sales in the UK during March rose by 1.8% on a like-for-like basis, and showed growth of 5.4% in total basis. However, the increase was below expectations given the earlier Easter. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 13 Apr 05

The Really Wild Show! The RHS London Flower Show, Tuesday 12th - Wednesday 13th April, will be packed with top tips for improving biodiversity in your back garden. To support a major new project from the RHS and The Wildlife Trusts, the show will feature a wealth of plants and flowers which can help maximise the potential of the area in which you live. See more...
Byline: The Royal Horticultural Society 01 Apr 05

High Street: Worst February in 13 years February was an abysmal month on the High Street. According to the British Retail Consortium, like-for-like sales in February were 0.3% less than the same month last year. It was the third monthly fall in the last four and the worst February ever recorded.
Byline: Investment & Business News 08 Mar 05

Alnwick Poison Garden Opens The £400,000 Poison Garden at The Alnwick Garden in Northumberland was opened yesterday. Demonstrating how plants have poisoned and killed through the ages, the Poison Garden provides an alternative avenue to instigate discussion and increase awareness about the misuse of drugs. See more...
Byline: The Alnwick Garden Trust 01 Mar 05

Exclusively DIY Show Postponed The British Hardware & Housewares Manufacturers’ Association (BHHMA) announced today that it is postponing the launch of its new ‘Exclusively DIY’ show until 2006.
Byline: BHHMA 24 Feb 05

Keep Edinburgh Growing seeks more sponsors The City of Edinburgh Council today launched the Keep Edinburgh Growing (KEG) garden competition for 2005, with a request for more sponsors. The competition is growing with 15 categories this year including best allotment site. See more...
Byline: Angela MacLean 16 Feb 05

How to Connect with your Customer Andy Campbell reviews the highly practical guidance and advice offered to the delegates at the Garden Centre Association annual conference this week by expert keynote speakers. See more....
Byline: Andy Campbell 31 Jan 05

Gardeners warned to SWITCH ON to new electrical safety law Tough new laws now effectively ban garden enthusiasts from installing their own electrics in ponds, sheds, garages and greenhouses, warns consumer electrical safety organisation the NICEIC. See more...
Byline: NICEIC 25 Jan 05

HTA Report predicts more competition from Retail Multiples New research published by the HTA shows how the major multiples including Tesco, B&Q, Homebase & Asda see gardening as a source of increased sales. Increased competition will force rationalisation among suppliers, particularly growers. Garden centres are accused of being expensive and slow to react. See more…
Byline: George Bullivant 24 Jan 05

A Rosie beginning to the flower show year The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) 2005 flower show season begins with a burst of spring colour and a new plant introduction at the RHS London Flower Show January 18/19, Lawrence Hall, SW1.
Byline: RHS 13 Jan 05

Lifetime Achievement Award for David Austin Over 400 attended the renamed Garden Centre and Retail Awards last night. Giles Brandreth brought wit and pace to the evening of awards that saw pbi, Apta and Town and Country repeat their successes of 2003. The Young Retailer of the Year was won for a second year by a member of the Stewarts Gardenlands team. Golden Acres Garden Centre was named Gardenforum's Coffee Shop of the Year and Caulders Garden Centre was named Overall Garden Centre of the Year. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 25 Nov 04

Saturday Opening at Chelsea 2005 Tickets for Chelsea Flower Show 2005 go on sale, today. In a move that has concerned a number of exhibitors, the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) is to open the show for an extra day to give visitors a more comfortable experience. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 23 Nov 04

BALI Awards for 2004 Announced Over 500 attended the BALI Awards lunch to see 3 awards for Scenic Blue, the national franchised garden design and construction company. The grand award winner was C.A. Haffey & Son who created the RUC Memorial Garden in Belfast. For other winners, see more…
Byline: George Bullivant 15 Nov 04

FSB reveals that cheques never clear Payments by cheque can be taken back from a bank account months after a bank has cleared a cheque and credited an account, according to the FSB. They quote banks saying that they can never guarantee that they will not withdraw a cheque and that it can always be cancelled later. See more...
Byline: Federation of Small Businesses 02 Nov 04

GCA announces Garden Centres of Excellence The Garden Centre Association - the elite group of the country's 160 best garden centres, has named 13 members who have achieved Garden Centre of Excellence status. The overall winner, who becomes Garden Centre of the Year 2005, will be announced at the GCA Winter Conference. There is also a new Best People Award for 2004, sponsored by William Sinclair. See more...
Byline: GCA 20 Oct 04

Gloomy Mood at HTA Conference Garden Centres are feeling under threat for the first time. The attentions of Tesco, cheap imports, rising costs of regulation and staff shortages - the horticulture sector is feeling a pressure that previously it has been isolated from. It may be the bad run of weather, but there are strong signals in the statistics revealed at the HTA conference. Garden centres while growing are losing share to other sectors. And for the first time the total market has shrunk. See more…
Byline: George Bullivant 20 Oct 04

New Threat to Trees Defra and the Forestry Commission announced today that the joint disease eradication programme already in place for Phytophthora ramorum would be extended to cover a new threat to our trees, found in Cornwall. See more...
Byline: DEFRA 04 Oct 04

North dominates Britain in Bloom Awards Seven Gold Britain in Bloom award winners were announced last night. Alness (Scotland), Bridlington (Yorkshire), Broughshane (Ulster), Ilkley (Yorkshire), Perth (Scotland), Sorn (Scotland) and St Ives & Carbis Bay (South West). 58 villages, towns and cities received awards in the UK Finals. For the full results including the winners of the 11 Discretionary Awards, see more...
Byline: The RHS 24 Sep 04

British companies show latest products at Japan Gardening Fair Britain will have its own pavilion for the fifth year running at the Japan Gardening Fair (JGF) to be held in Yokohama, Japan, from 4 to 6 November 2004. For a list of British exhibitors - see more...
Byline: Gardenex 31 Aug 04

The Horse Chestnut Leaf-Mining Moth reaches Wisley The RHS has discovered the horse chestnut leaf-mining moth at its garden at Wisley and warns that it is likely to spread rapidly. The moth has no natural enemies. See more...
Byline: The Royal Horticultural Society 20 Jul 04

Seeds of Hope wins at Hampton Court Christian Aid wins 'best in show' at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show with a garden that uses trellis fencing made from recycled rubber with flip flops cut out. The 'seeds of hope' garden highlights trade injustice in Senegal, specifically the effects of subsidised imports on small market gardeners. See 'more' for other winners...
Byline: George Bullivant 06 Jul 04

pbi/GCA growing competition attracts 490 schools 43,000 young gardeners across the UK, aged between 4 and 11, were whittled down to 64 finalists for the Baby Bio National Schools Growing Competition final, held on 19 June at BBC Gardeners' World Live 2004, Birmingham NEC. See 'more' for winners, click on 'website' for picture...
Byline: pbi 25 Jun 04

Gardenlife seeks links with the Trade 25th May saw the launch of Gardenlife, a new consumer title from Seamus Geoghegan who was responsible for the launch of BBC Gardeners World Magazine. The magazine aims to forge close links with garden manufacturers by having strong product content. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 07 Jun 04

Chelsea Golds for the 'Establishment' The Royal Horticultural Society announced medals and awards at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show this morning. Golds for Squire's, Notcutts and Hillier Nurseries in the Great Pavilion show that the traditional names of the garden industry are still the best. Click 'website' to see the full awards list. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 25 May 04

Themes for Chelsea 2004 The colour green and single colour planting are set to be some of the themes for Chelsea, which opens on Tuesday. In celebration of the RHS bi-centenary there's a look back at the heritage of plants and plant collectors. Of course there are also this year's sponsored rose introductions. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 23 May 04

Easter Opens Door to a Late Season Easter has finally got the garden season going but the later spring is putting pressure on stocks and cashflow, with garden centres already reporting special offers from suppliers. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 16 Apr 04

New Venue, New Date for MRG Show Following the withdrawal of the NFU/Highbury Nexus, MRG the common interest group established last year, has adopted the Midland Regional Growers Show. The date for the event has changed to 23rd June and the venue will now be Pershore College of Horticulture. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 07 Apr 04

Botanists urge RHS to Educate Gardeners for the Future Scientists warn that lack of funding threatens our hope of understanding the challenges from climate and environmental change. They have agreed that the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) should lead the coordination of scientific research for gardeners and should spearhead a campaign to widen horticultural education. See more...
Byline: The RHS 22 Mar 04

Mixed Reaction to Budget The FSB, Britain's leading small business group, has criticised the Chancellor's u-turn on small company taxation and believes that it undermines his welcome moves on payroll and inspection regimes for small firms. Initial reaction from the Forum of Private Business is that "it could have been worse". See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 18 Mar 04

Brinkmans - victor ludorum at Grower of the Year Awards Over 800 representatives from all sectors of growing gathered at this year's Grower of the Year Awards at London's Royal Lancaster Hotel. It was one of the largest ever gatherings to salute the industry's high achievers. See 'more' for details plus a list of winners.
Byline: Sue Roberts 04 Mar 04

GCA votes for Closer Links with Suppliers "There is no way that suppliers and retailers can ever work closely together, because they have different objectives." A view often aired at quarterly meetings of GIMA has been that garden centres make profits at the expense of their suppliers. The Garden Centre Association chose to bring the issue into the open with the 'The Great Supplier and Retail Debate', which opened their winter conference on Sunday, at a time when many suppliers were attending the Associates evening. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 27 Jan 04

Chance of Gardening with a Difference If you are hungry for a challenge bigger than your back garden or allotment, then Earthwatch, the international environmental charity, may have the answer. Earthwatch projects offer stunning locations, adventure, the chance to make friends, learn new skills, all whilst contributing to the conservation of the planet for future generations. See more...
Byline: Natalie Pritchard 19 Dec 03

Landscape Competition is Launched Winners of a new competition for landscape gardening students and trainees will get the chance to compete in Helsinki in 2005. The UK Landscape Skills Competition, which is supported by NAPAEO - The Association for Land Based Colleges, Lantra, UK Skills and the British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) will be held in 2004. See more...
Byline: Vikki Light 19 Dec 03

HTA Presses Defra for Compensation as US Oak Disease Spreads Confirmation of three new findings of Phytophthora ramorum in tree species in England has raised concerns about the recent spread of the disease to trees in Britain. Phytophthora ramorum is the pathogen causing death of oak trees on the west coast of America. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 09 Dec 03

Triumph for Sanders Garden World at N&GC Awards Apta Terracotta was named Supplier of the Year and Sanders Garden World, Garden Centre of the Year, in last night’s Nurseryman & Garden Centre Awards. Peter Seabrook picked up further recognition for his unique contribution to the garden industry. See more…
Byline: George Bullivant 27 Nov 03

Gardenex Offers Grants for Australian Garden Trade Show Last minute government funding secured by the Gardenex federation offers five British companies the opportunity to exhibit in a cost-effective way at one of Australia's leading garden and hardware trade shows in February 2004. See more...
Byline: Peter Evers 03 Nov 03

Clippings from the HTA Conference Two days at the HTA annual conference produced a wealth of stimulating moments to refresh jaded entrepreneurs. Archie Norman explained the philosophy that turned ASDA around. The association’s Business Information Advisers were excited by the large savings by members using the techniques of Lean Manufacturing. John Wyatt of Scotts gave his first observations of the garden market. See more…
Byline: George Bullivant 27 Oct 03

HTA Chief Issues Warning to Garden Centres The opening address at this year’s HTA conference was a call to action by its Director General, David Gwyther. The independent sector - garden centres in particular - must react to warning signs that are clear to anyone who reads the latest Garden Industry Monitor. See more…
Byline: George Bullivant 23 Oct 03

Thrive to get £25,000 from sponsored 'ANT' Thrive is to gain £25,000 from a sponsored drive by Lyndhurst Services to celebrate their 25 years in the grounds maintenance business. A bright orange Reliant three wheeler - the Ant - will be driven 1000 miles between Aberdeen and Truro. See more...
Byline: Thrive 06 Oct 03

The Buzz Comes Back to Glee Most stands appear to have had a very successful Glee and there is little doubt that the show looked the best ever. Whilst the aisles still may not have felt as busy as in the ‘good old days’, this reflects more the larger area taken by the show and the larger stands. Early indications are that attendance was up on last year by up to 10%. Most stands were buzzing with the number of leads to follow-up. See more…
Byline: George Bullivant 26 Sep 03

Just 10 Days Left for Young Garden Designers Young Garden Designers have 10 days to enter the Junior Gardeners' Design Competition at this year's National Amateur Gardening Show. Winners will meet up with TV celebrity Charlie Dimmock and win free tickets to the Show for themselves and their families. See more...
Byline: Fran Weelen 18 Aug 03

*New Virus ALERT* A new virus which looks as if it comes from your domain host is sweeping the Garden industry. If you receive an e-mail fron admin@"yourdomain" e.g. aol.com, do not open the attachment. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 07 Aug 03

GCA reports best results from 2003 Audits Normally the GCA rewards 10 Garden Centres with the title Garden Centre of Excellence. This year the competition was so strong and standards so high that 12 centres have received the award despite the GCA raising the qualification level. For the winners - see more...
Byline: George Bullivant 04 Aug 03

New AGM Bulletin Appeals to Lavender Lovers The RHS published the Hardy Lavender Bulletin, the second in its series of Award of Garden Merit (AGM) bulletins. The RHS Award of Garden Merit scheme helps all gardeners make informed choices about plants. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 21 Jul 03

Honda power to Victory at the GIMA Awards The first battery lawn mower, which can match the performance of a petrol-driven mower, won the Sword of Excellence at the GIMA Awards Dinner held at Stratford Upon Avon on 17 July. See 'more' for details and a full list of award winners...
Byline: Sue Roberts 18 Jul 03

Stewarts aim for New World Record with 17-acre Maize Maze The holder of the world's largest 'maize' maze, Stewarts Gardenlands, is hoping to beat its own record this year with a maze 15% bigger and more complex than last year's world record. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 14 Jul 03

Old Blossom Geared Up to Help Others Grow "Old Blossom" is all set to flourish at this year's National Amateur Gardening Show - not a new species of flower, but a converted ex-Army lorry poised for a life-saving journey to Africa. See 'more'...
Byline: Sue Roberts 14 Jul 03

35 Gold Medals at Hampton Court Judges praised the high standards of the 50 show gardens, a record for the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. Winners include Alternate Solutions with the 'Most Innovative & Original Show Garden' and best in show, Hillier Landscapes. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 08 Jul 03

SCOTGROW 2003 Cancelled Scotgrow 2003 has been cancelled due to lack of support. Organisers had moved the show to August 13 from mid-October in order to attract the garden gift buyers. See 'more' for details.
Byline: George Bullivant 23 Jun 03

Ruxley Rose Finalists Announced The Garden Centre Association has announced the regional winners for the GCA Garden Centre of the year. The winner will be announced at their January conference. For the list of winners see more...
Byline: Gillie Westwood 09 Jun 03

WWF criticises leading nurseries at Chelsea but praises RHS WWF has praised actions by the RHS to promote biodiversity in British Gardens. But it accuses leading plant experts and nurseries at Chelsea of not setting an example. Click on 'website' to see www.wildaboutgardens.org, launched by the RHS to highlight the importance of biodiversity in British gardens. See 'more' the full report from WWF.
Byline: George Bullivant 22 May 03

Six Golds for Chelsea Show Gardens Tom Stuart-Smith and Crocus.co.uk win Best Show Garden for sponsors Laurent-Perrier Harpers and Queen. Click on 'more' to see the full list of medal winners. Use the 'website' button to see the show gardens on the RHS - Chelsea website.
Byline: RHS 20 May 03

Easter Blip Conceals Sales Misery Sales of seasonal products, such as garden furniture, gardening products and barbeques, were boosted when there was good weather. UK retail sales grew 4.8% in April, largely due to the timing of Easter. But retailers' margins are being squeezed warns the BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor for April which supports Gardenforum's price comparisons showing that prices are static. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 13 May 03

Germans Banned from Killing Ants Germany has introduced new laws making it illegal to kill ants and appointed 85 ant protection officers to protect the insects. Homeowners must now apply for a permit to have the ants carefully moved to local woods. See 'more'...
Byline: Ananova 07 May 03

Country Living Magazine hunt for Organic Gardener of the Year Country Living Magazine have teamed up with Crocus, the internet and mail-order gardening company and the HDRA to launch the Organic Gardener of the Year Competition in the March issue of the magazine, on sale Thursday 20 February.
Byline: Country Living Magazine 20 Feb 03

RHS overtakes BBC in consumer gardening press The Garden - the journal of the Royal Horticultural Society - has overtaken BBC Gardener's World and is now top of the consumer magazine tree in today's official figures released by the Audit Bureau of Circulations. It is one of only three publications showing a circulation increase in the consumer gardening press. To see a full list of magazines and their official ABC results see 'more'...
Byline: George Bullivant 14 Feb 03

GIMA Director blames Retailers and Wholesalers for Supplier Gloom Suppliers are generally having a hard time of it. The market is growing at great pace but imports are meeting the growth as retailers focus on price. That is the view of GIMA Director, Peter Marsh, in his review of the past year. Multiple retailers, garden centres and wholesalers each face his criticism. Is he right or is he protecting a number of companies who are not adapting to the new reality? See 'More' for his comments and have your say in the Coffeeshop.
Byline: Peter Marsh - Director GIMA 06 Feb 03

Five new-to-Britain pests identified by the RHS The RHS is blaming the increased importation of plants for five pests that have been found for the first time in British gardens. Slugs and snails are still the most reported pests with vine weevil second. For details see more...
Byline: The RHS 06 Feb 03

Concerns over Pet Grooming Demo's at Glee Petindex Concerns that Glee Petindex is getting too big have been increased by the latest announcement from TPS. Expert grooming demonstrations will be amongst the visitor attractions being organised for 2003. The aim is to attract groomers, vets and specialist grooming retailers. See 'More'...
Byline: George Bullivant 03 Feb 03

15 Garden Centres of Excellence Named by GCA Woodlands Nurseries has been named Garden Centre of the Year 2003 by the Garden Centre Association. The centre scored 85% in both rounds of judging and was a clear winner. Judging took place last spring, months before the centre was sold to Wyevale for £9.65m. The award for the most improved centre went to Dobbies - Ponteland whose score improved by 20% over last year. See 'more' for the other winners...
Byline: George Bullivant 30 Jan 03

Gardens under threat in the global greenhouse Time might be running out for the English country garden and the great British lawn. Some of the best loved features of UK gardens are under threat as a result of the impact of climate change, the National Trust and the Royal Horticultural Society announced today. See more...
Byline: RHS 20 Nov 02

BBC1 seeks Tales of Gardening Misadventure BBC ONE is seeking contributors from the garden industry to appear in a programme about gardening misadventures. If you know of an incident whether bizarre or more serious, the cameras are ready. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 06 Nov 02

Prepare now for 4.5m more houses Gardening needs to prepare now if it wants to benefit from a huge 4.5m extra households due to be created in the next 5-10 years, delegates at the Horticultural Trades Association conference in Dublin heard this week.
Byline: Jim Ward - The Garden Communication & Media Company Ltd 25 Oct 02

IGC Congress 2003 to be held in Switzerland The IGC have published a preliminary programme for the 45th International Garden-Centre Congress, to be held in Switzerland at the end of August next year. Individuality is the theme. With four official languages and such diverse landscapes, each garden centre in Switzerland is different. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 17 Oct 02

Bamboos and Begonias at RHS Show A stunning display of large hardy bamboos from PW Plants will be one of the highlights at the Royal Horticultural Society's London Flower Show on 19 and 20 November in the Lawrence Hall, Westminster. See more...
Byline: Leah Colthorpe - RHS 17 Oct 02

Cistus Thrive raises over £20,000 Hillier Nurseries Ltd handed over a cheque for £9766.50 to national gardening charity Thrive at the Battersea Park Flower Show on Thursday. The money was raised from sales of the promotional Cistus Thrive, from which 50p per plant went to the charity. This brings the total donation from the promotion to over £20,000 in the three years it has been running. See more...
Byline: Elizabeth Hayden 08 Oct 02

Virus ALERT It's Bugbear There is a new virus spreading to windows users in the industry. Called Bugbear it sends mass e-mails from your computer and it attempts to terminate processes of various antivirus and firewall programs. Make sure your antivirus definitions are up to date. Gardenforum has received more than 10 in the last 24 hours. Visit www.symantec.com for a removal tool.
Byline: George Bullivant 03 Oct 02

Rubbish and plants hit the political agenda Dump less rubbish, recycle more, Beckett tells local councils. At the same time the HTA lobbies MPs and the Minister for Regeneration to promote Green ReLeaf and the value of plants. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 31 May 02

Beware Virus HOAX There is a new Hoax E-mail in circulation. It claims to have sent you a virus. When you check your system you will find the supposed virus, which is in fact a genuine file. Do nothing without checking your anti-virus website. See 'more' for advice from Symantec and a copy of a typical e-mail.
Byline: George Bullivant 24 May 02

GIMA attacks retailers' unfair tactics An article on the GIMA website attacks two unnamed retailers for unfair tactics when taking additonal discounts to fund advertising or withholding payments unilaterally. See more for details...
Byline: GIMA 23 May 02

Roger Platts wins Best Show Garden at Chelsea Roger Platts wins Best show Garden with his homage to the National Garden Scheme. Aylesbury College win Best Courtyard Garden with their garden that offers mystery and adventure to children. The Shaw Trust wins Best City Garden. Now you can see the gardens yourself bbc.co.uk - click on the website button. For other winners - see more...
Byline: George Bullivant 21 May 02

* New Virus Alert * There is an epidemic of the virus: W32.Klez.gen@mm. It is very difficult to identify as it changes appearance. Beware of any E-mail attachments with the following extensions .bat, .exe, .pif or .scr. Check your anti-virus is up to date. Use the link below to acquire a removal tool. See more...
Byline: George Bullivant 29 Apr 02

Marathon - 30p per foot raised for Thrive First-time marathon runner, Fiona Costa, yesterday raised a staggering £15,000 for horticultural charity Thrive. See more...
Byline: Elizabeth Hayden 17 Apr 02

London Flower Show cancelled Following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, the Royal Horticultural Society has taken the decision to cancel the London Flower Show next week. The Show (9 & 10 April) was to coincide with her funeral.
Byline: Clare Slack - RHS 02 Apr 02

APL to promote new criteria for membership The Association of Professional Landscapers' new criteria for membership include independent annual checks. They are to be promoted to consumers and potential members through a dedicated marketing campaign. See 'more' for criteria.
Byline: Sandie Skevington - HTA 01 Apr 02