Bents have two people monitoring social media at the weekends. When a restaurant customer used Facebook to video a piece of plastic that they found in a quiche, the garden centre reacted quickly. Read more - members only

Garden centre agent, Alexander Mackie has sold two independent garden centres.  The first in Lincolnshire has been bought by the British Garden Centre Group; the second in Essex goes to an industry newcomer. Read more - members only

Westland Horticulture has run into trouble with conservationists over the continuing extraction of peat at an archaeological site at Mayne Bog in Coole, Co Westmeath after a Bronze Age oak road was discovered in 2005. Read more - members only

Two Welsh garden centres join The Great Western Partnership as the buying and marketing group seeks to expand its membership. Read more - members only

For many exhibitors it was the best Glee for several years, although not everyone was as pleased. Read our news from the aisles of Glee. Read more - members only

Bayer is replacing Thiacloprid in its insecticides, although it is not one of the banned neonicotinoid class. Read more - members only

BlackRock has acquired the freehold of 8 garden centres from La Salle Investment Management, whose tenants are Wyevale, Notcutts or Squire’s. Read more - members only

Westland’s Edward Conroy has outlined his plans for Sinclair, saying there is a lot to do at Ellesmere Port.  The company is suspending the use of green waste. Read more - members only

Delamore have purchased the Young Plant business of Botany Bay Nurseries in a deal that centres around the needs of Botany Bay’s customers. Read more - members only

Richard Carr joins brand leader Fiskars to lead the company's growth plans as Commercial Director of the UK business. Read more - open to all

Vitax - one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of garden and horticulture products - has appointed a new Irish distributor as part of its strategy to grow its presence across Ireland. Read more - members only

A Which? Member has drawn attention to Tesco’s packaging of plant feed and weedkiller which look remarkably alike. Read more - members only

B&Q is to test the lifespan of different formulations of compost in response to Which? Gardening’s campaign to date bags. Read more - members only

A year ago, faced with falling sales and a reputation for being dated, Town & Country embarked on a strategic business review. The result is a new vision for the brand. Read more - members only

Blue Diamond’s long held plan to replicate the octagonal Le Friquet garden centre at Leeds has taken a step forward. Read more - members only

Coffee Grounds, the new coffeeshop concept at Wyevale Garden Centres has won the best Restaurant or Bar in another space, UK category, at the Restaurant and Bar Design Awards. Read more - members only

Floralands Garden Centre in Nottinghamshire has joined the Homes & Garden Group stable. The sale was a leasehold deal handled by Quinton Edwards. The purchase price was not revealed. Read more - members only

With the likelihood that further independents will announce they are selling to Wyevale, Gardenforum examines what new garden centres are being built and which sites are getting bigger. And is 'an independent' still a useful term? Read more - members only

Klondyke has renegotiated its facilities with HSBC that secures a multi-million pound investment as the garden centre group evolves from traditional garden centres. Read more - members only

There was double success for Smiemans at Glee as two garden centres signed contracts for new buildings. Read more - members only

WGC’s Kevin Bradshaw predicts extremely strong growth in online sales of gardening products and plants as the group prepares its own Multichannel solution. Read more - members only

WGC has a stronger pipeline of potential acquisitions than at any time since Kevin Bradshaw became Wyevale CEO. However he is concerned about the negative attitude within the industry towards consolidation. Read more - members only

On the eve of Four Oaks Trade Show, Westland promises that Sinclair is committed to forging stronger partnerships with the growers. Read more - members only

AMA Research suggests that sales of landscaping materials will grow more modestly after a volatile period but says trends like artificial grass will benefit the market. Read more - members only

Landscaping products specialists Marshalls saw its first half revenue grow 11 per cent. Read more - members only

Primary Capital, the private equity owner of Thompson & Morgan, is considering its options for the sale of the Ipswich-based business. Read more - members only

Sales director Steve Harper has left Gardman but a suggestion that this is linked to an acquisition of Solus brands seems not to be true. Read more - members only

Wyevale has appointed Europe’s fastest growing provider of supply chain solutions to ‘ensure we have the right product, at the right place, at the right time’. Read more - members only

Insider Media claims that Westland paid £12.15m on completion for William Sinclair Holdings, with further payments to follow, according to a report to creditors by administrators. Read more - members only

KPMG says there was no alternative to administration for William Sinclair Holdings plc. It was then bought by Westland Horticulture who immediately said it would be ‘business as normal’. Read more - members only