Brokers downgrade forecast profits for Home Retail as first half sales and margins fall at the Argos and Homebase group. It warns that early weeks of the second half have not improved as anticipated. See more… Read more - members only

The Garden Centre Group has launched a ‘Click and Collect’ service for plants. The company believes this is a major step forward in building the group’s credentials as a serious plant retailer. See more... Read more - members only

Chepstow Plantaria Ltd, owner of 3 garden centres in the West, is seeking permission to extend Chepstow Garden Centre. See more... Read more - members only

James Coles & Sons Nurseries are to submit a planning application to build 175 houses on their 20-acre nursery at Thurnby in Leicestershire. See more... Read more - members only

The three Tesco non-executive directors at Dobbies have resigned. The new chairman of Dobbies is the Tesco UK property director. See more... Read more - members only

Dobbies today opens a new store at Speke in Liverpool and announces plans for an alternative site in York, having had the first one rebuffed. See more... Read more - members only

Having been spotted at Glee, a double GIMA Award winning product from Fiskars, the Weed Puller, will be featured live on this afternoons “The Alan Titchmarsh Show” on ITV1. Read more - members only

Javado’s hardy garden orchid wins the Glee special award. Scotts Miracle-Gro, Westminster Stone, Floramedia and Slug Gone are also winners. See more… Read more - members only

The Sale of The Garden Centre Group looks to be on track for completion around the end of November. Suggestions that Tesco/Dobbies will cream off the best centres seem improbable. See more... Read more - members only

The retirement of Stephen H Smith has prompted the sale of Bolton, one of his group’s four garden centres, as part of the transfer of the business to the next generation. See more... Read more - members only

According to research on behalf of BBC Gardener’s World magazine, the Grow-Your -Own trend is surging, with 42% of Brits now involved. However they are clueless when it comes to harvesting their produce. See more... Read more - members only

A report from GfK suggests that sales of garden hardware and furniture in Germany have grown strongly in the first 6 months of 2011. See more... Read more - members only

The proposed relocation of Toad Hall Garden Centre to the former Wyevale site at Shiplake, south of Henley, appears to have fallen through. See more... Read more - members only

Marshalls plc is a good indicator for the state of the hard landscaping sector. In the first 6 months of this year determined marketing has increased revenue 9% to £177.2 million in a market that, they say, has been flat. See more… Read more - members only

Dobbies blames the winter weather for a drop in like-for-like sales last year. New openings pushed turnover up to £112m. The group remains positive despite continuing testing times. See more... Read more - members only

Knutsford- based Fryer’s Garden Centre has completed a deal to sell the family-owned garden centre and award-winning rose growing business to Blue Diamond Garden Centres of Guernsey. See more... Read more - members only

William Sinclair says it is pleased with 2011 trading. It claims to have gained market share and results will be in line with expectations. See more... Read more - members only

Results just released by The Garden Centre Group show that 2010 was not the recovery year it had hoped for. However, its performance has improved this year and the bank has extended the group loan facility till 2013 pending a possible sale. See more... Read more - members only

Dobbies is to close Paisley garden centre at the end of December. This will reduce the stores to 31 till Gillingham opens in the spring. See more... Read more - members only

Shares halve at Flying Brands as Gardening Direct performs significantly below expectations. The value of Sir Tom Hunter’s investment has fallen by 97%. See more... Read more - members only

Revealing advice from the Garden Angels at the Glee garden exhibition shows how to turn a great idea for the garden into a commercial success, against the odds. See more... Read more - members only

Alexander Mackie Associates report that Golden Acres Garden Centre and Nursery has bought Badger Nurseries & Plant Centre. Report to follow. Read more - members only

Studley becomes the foundation stone for Hillview Garden Centres Ltd as Boyd Douglas-Davies completes his first purchase backed by Hillview Capital. See more... Read more - members only

A major fire in a scrapyard has damaged Crooklands Garden Centre. A 200m exclusion zone has been set up, which has closed the railway between Barrow and Ulverston. See more... Read more - members only

Palmers Garden Centre has made its first acquisition, purchasing nearby Ullesthorpe Garden Centre. The deal was completed on Friday. See more... Read more - members only

Stormont Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster yesterday cut the ribbon on a £3m plant that will manufacture Westland’s improved alternative to peat, which will be unveiled next week at Glee. See more... Read more - members only

DKB, owner of Outdoorchef and Gloster, has acquired the HEAT brand of high end barbecues. See more... Read more - members only

Hillier has told their staff at Redditch that it is likely that they will be sold to become the first garden centre in the new group promised by Boyd Douglas-Davies and Hillview Capital. See more... Read more - members only

The Garden Centre Group has completed the acquisition of the shares it did not already own in Country Homes & Gardens. This should simplify the proposed sale of the whole group. See more... Read more - members only

Planters have started the redevelopment of its garden centre at Bretby, with the installation of a £400,000 retractable roof. See more... Read more - members only