Progress on Bonkers EU proposal to ban barley straw
Pressure from OATA to prevent the EU banning barley straw as a treatment for algae in ponds seems to be having effect. It seems a ban this autumn has been avoided. See more... Read more
Pressure from OATA to prevent the EU banning barley straw as a treatment for algae in ponds seems to be having effect. It seems a ban this autumn has been avoided. See more... Read more
The owner of Hare Hatch Sheeplands nursery described a decision to delay his appeal against enforcement action as a hammer blow to his business and staff. See more… Read more
Creative Gardens, a family business in Northern Ireland, is to build a new £2m garden centre at Ballymena. This will be the company's third. See more... Read more
The new Ellesmere Port facility is what attracted new CEO Peter Rush to the top job at Sinclair. It gives the capacity to grow profitable sales and grow shareholder value. See more... Read more
The May edition of Which? Gardening surveys 3500 and asks what are their favourite flowers. While some of the results were predictable others are more interesting. See more... Read more
St John's Garden Centre in Barnstaple has been granted planning permission to build and relocate to a new garden centre. See more... Read more
Dobbies has spent £1.5m on a new wooden shopping village at its Edinburgh / Lasswade store. It holds its official opening on April 19th. See more… Read more
William Sinclair’s new chief executive, Peter Rush, says the exceptionally cold weather over the last month has resulted in a delay to the start of the important spring selling season. See more… Read more
La Hacienda is to introduce a direct dispatch service so that garden centres can sell the company’s full range without increasing stock levels. See more… Read more
Westland has negotiated a garden industry first in TV advertising by delaying the start of its lawn campaign due to the prolonged wintry weather. See more... Read more
Dobbies Garden Centres has been fined £75,000 having admitted polluting a river with poorly treated sewage from its new garden centre in Carlisle. See more… Read more
Millbrook, the family-run, independent company that owns two garden centres in Crowborough, Sussex and Gravesend in Kent, has acquired Highgrove Garden Centre. See more… Read more
Whiteleys Garden Centre has been sold having been placed in the hands of administrators in December. See more... Read more
Bell Brothers Nurseries has expanded the range of products it sells with the purchase of the bulb supplier Alex Euro Trading. It is also changing its name. See more… Read more
Waitrose has opened a test garden centre in Newbury and hired the services of Alan Titchmarsh. Gardenforum believes more garden centres will pop-up this season. See more… Read more
Marshalls says that sales are down by 6% overall and more in the domestic sector. However this is due in part to the weather and order books are longer. See more… Read more
Blue Diamond increased sales 12% in 2012 to £59m, thanks to acquisitions. The growth looks set to continue despite the weather pegging profits back to £3m. See more... Read more
The sale of neonicotinoid pesticides to amateur gardeners is likely to be banned from July, following EU vote. See more… Read more
The HTA is advocating a ban on the import of sweet chestnut trees into Britain in a bid to control the spread of a fungal disease. See more... Read more
Rob Scott, owner of Hare Hatch Sheeplands fears that his dispute with Wokingham Borough Council could close the business. See more... Read more
Gardman’s founder, Paris Natar, who sold the business 5 years ago has returned with the purchase of a majority stake in solar lighting specialist Smart Solar. See more... Read more
Landscape stone and paving specialist, Marshalls, has agreed to sell four, non-core quarries to Breedon Aggregates for a minimum of £17.5m. See more... Read more
Gardman has announced that UK managing director, Tim Stainton, has left the business. The news follows the recent departure of group chief executive, Mark Pearson. See more… Read more
Latest field research from Defra on use of neonicotinoids says risk to bees is low. Despite this, Friends of the Earth today continues to urge gardeners to avoid chemicals linked to bee decline. See more... Read more
Stagecraft Display Ltd is continuing in business following a fire that gutted their factory. See more... Read more
Waitrose has unveiled plans to significantly increase its 6% share of the garden market. Waitrose Flower Garden will feature in every store, backed by Waitrosegarden.com, facilitated by Crocus. See more… Read more
Steve Harper assures customers that Bord na Móna will meet customer requirements for peat, both for quality and quantity, despite the harvest being less than half the target. See more... Read more
Highfield Garden World has started its expansion that will cost £2.2m and should build turnover to £6.5m. See more... Read more
OATA says the EU regulation due this autumn that will ban the sale of barley straw for controlling algae in ponds is ‘frankly bonkers’. It is urging garden centres to write to their MP. See more... Read more
Alan Roper promises something not seen before when Blue Diamond opens the new eating facilities at Redfields garden centre. See more... Read more