The groundwork for the new 180-seater restaurant at Groves Nurseries & Garden Centre at Bridport started this week. Work is expected to take three weeks. Read more

Maple Ridge Garden Centre, formerly known as Aylings has been bought by Pasquale and Michael Cipullo who own Club Green Ltd in Woking, Surrey. Read more

Mr Fothergill’s used the Garden Press Event to launch an RHS endorsed range of vegetable and flower seed, which will go on sale in August. Read more

Much has changed at Hillier in the last 3 years as it emerges as a stylish, modern, authoritative retailer bringing plants and the home together. Read more

Steve Collinge, MD of Insight DIY, has reviewed the first Bunnings conversion of a Homebase and says they have delivered a stunning version of Bunnings on UK soil. Read more

Scotts Miracle-Gro is cautiously optimistic that it will have a solution for its European business by the spring. Read more

Bunnings has opened its first concept store in the former Homebase in Griffiths Way, St Albans. Read more

Blue Diamond is to capitalise on its high share price to issue new shares as news comes through of a successful planning consent for Newbridge. Read more

Stihl warns its specialist dealers that it plans to extend its distribution of lithium-ion cordless garden tools to selected garden centres and hardware stores, next year. Read more

Barton Grange beat Bents and Stewarts by the narrowest of margins to make it six in a row as GCA large destination Garden Centre of the Year. Woodlodge lifted the prestigious Supplier of the Year cup. Read more

The Wyevale garden centre at Hillingdon is to close at the end of January, it is reported.

Notcutts will be marking its 120^th anniversary this year as a family-owned garden centre business after opening as a nursery in 1897. Read more

Former chief executive, now non-executive chairman of Klondyke, Bob Hewitt has taken up an additional part-time role as non-executive director of Kelkay. Read more

Caulders Garden Centres have started the year by buying a 5^th site at Cupar. The owners will invest £250,000 on refurbishment before the season. Read more

2016 saw second tier garden centre chains and independents invest as Wyevale consolidated. Homebase and Argos are sold. The HTA moved offices and moved to become the lead association for all gardening related businesses. Glyphosate, Xylella and the weather made frequent headlines. Scotts and Bayer looked for a way out of distributing consumer garden chemicals. Read our review – open to all. Read more

In its long running planning battle, Hare Hatch Sheeplands has been served an injunction and ordered to remove offending businesses within 10 weeks. The owners are to take advice. Read more

Whitehall, in Wiltshire, adds a third garden centre with the purchase of Woodborough. Read more

Its TV advertised products have sold into retailers so well, says Westland, that it has upped its advertising spend to over £5m. Read more

News from Cardwell garden centre that the supermarket shortage of lettuce and courgette has created a surge in demand for seed has gone viral. Read more

CEO, John Cleland, said, “The solid start to 2017 is extremely encouraging and represents a strong foundation for our new 3 year strategy plan.” Read more

Chertsey, Squire’s boutique garden centre, has reopened after being closed for a year for a complete rebuild. It will be followed by Hersham. Read more

Capi Europe has bought shares and invested in Cadix UK to strengthen ties and grow its UK market share. Read more

Hillview Garden Centres completed the acquisition of Shipley Garden Centre in Derbyshire on Thursday, bringing the number of outlets to 11. Read more

The AIPH Awards at the Colosseum Theatre in Essen, Germany celebrated the world’s best in ornamental horticultural production. Bransford Webb was the sole UK winner taking Silver in its category. Read more

It’s three awards each for Squire’s, Cowell’s and Barton Grange at The Garden Centre Association conference. Squire’s and Cowell’s are the best GCA plant retailers.   Read more

Wyevale Garden Centres says its new website is a platform for e-commerce and a unique resource for Britain’s gardeners to derive consistently good quality and trusted advice. Read more

Former owners of garden equipment maker H&E Knowles (Lye) have formed a new company to buy part of the assets from the administrators, so protecting 78 jobs. Read more

Elho’s Good(s)Factory has completed the purchase of Ebertsankey as Fiskars focuses on its core consumer business. Read more

The majority of garden centres say Christmas sales were up but competition is increasing and December sales were disappointing for some. Read more

Phillippa Stubbs tells how British Garden Centres group in the North East is strengthening management and controls now that it is a £26m, 10 garden centre group. Read more