The HTA Plant Retail conference was held at the spectacular Ball Colegrave Grounds in Oxfordshire. Trends for the future included urban gardening and why the smart phone is at the heart of change. Read more - members only

With the £ dropping to below $1.30 during yesterday’s Solex garden furniture trade show, Gardenforum asked suppliers how and when prices might be affected. Read more - members only

Old stock donated by Scotts, Wyevale Nurseries and Wyevale Garden Centres has raised £2,300 at auction for Greenfingers. The charity is asking any company with unwanted stock to donate it to Turn Old into Gold. Read more - members only

Glorious sunshine shone all day at the Telford Golf Resort where 20 teams of garden suppliers and retailers took a break from the season to play a round and raise funds for charity. Read more - members only

Sales figures reveal May was a good month and helped put centres back on track for the first five months of the year. Some chains were up 25% in May. Read more - members only

Official figures from the GCA show sales were better than expected in March.  The South-East did least well.  Scotland and Ireland fared best. Read more - members only

With £57,000 already pledged for Greenfingers, Garden Re-Leaf is on the way to raising £100,000. Here’s a round-up of events around the country. Read more - members only

The warm wet winter and cooler spring has produced a big variation in performances.  But generally business at Scottish garden centres seems to be up while many (not all) Southern garden centres are behind last year, especially if sandbagged against flooding. Read more - members only

This is one of the questions discussed in the latest fact sheet issued by Malcolm Scott Consultants. It also gives the example of Fairways GC which has permission to be built in Green Belt near Coventry. Read more - members only

The Tillington Group that pools the buying power of some of the country’s top garden centres has broken into the £200m turnover band. Read more - members only

Restaurants and gifts kept tills ringing in January as the dull, wet January delayed the purchase of plants, seeds and bulbs. But it was not an even picture across the country. Read more - members only

Matthew Appleby and the publishers of his new book The Children’s Garden have promised 20% of the royalties to Greenfingers. The book includes projects such as the Ugly Veg. Read more - members only

Watch a live debate with leading influencers on Garden Tags, a new blog site for gardening writers and gardeners, on the eve of the Garden Press Event. Read more - members only

“The current model of retail won’t last,” says Ken Hughes. Read why and some great ideas from the GCA conference. Read more - members only

Barton Grange made it five in a row beating Bents and Burston by the narrowest of margins to be GCA large destination Garden Centre of the Year.  Garden Wise was named garden centre of the year. Read more - members only

The GfK Consumer Confidence Barometer has shown its sharpest drop in 21 years, leaving home, living, DIY and grocery sectors particularly vulnerable. Read more - members only

EU grants an 18 month extension for glyphosate based products as the Health Commissioner expresses concern that that member states could not accept EU commission proposals. Read more - members only

Brexit vote has created uncertainty about exchange rates and in the minds of consumers, even though nothing changes legally for 2 years. Read more - members only

According BRC / KPMG retail sales lifted in May after 2 flat months, but they warned that it's still a challenging time for retailers. Read more - members only

The strong start to May will have consigned the woes of April to history for many retailers. That will make reading of the April figures from the Garden Centre Association easier. Read more - members only

Who is holding back the business and who is getting it right. Derek Bunker of Altons Garden Centre tells suppliers at GIMA. Read more - members only

Garden centres are reporting several noticeable trends such as:- the strength of garden furniture sales and the revival of houseplants, but will the referendum hit sales? Read more - members only

The National Living Wage comes into force on April 1^st.  Garden centres differ on how they will recoup the extra costs. Read more - members only

An alliance of Labour, Scottish Nationalists and 26 Tory rebels defeated Government proposals to devolve decisions on Sunday trading hours to local authorities. Read more - members only

Sunday Trading is likely to be controversial with MP’s as it is debated in the House of Commons on March 8th and 9th, both for its substance and for the way the Government has added it to the Enterprise Bill. Read more - members only

If the UK leaves the EU, it would still have to comply with the new plant health regulations being introduced later this year, says MEP as she outlines the timetable for the new legislation. Read more - members only

Zoning presents a possible threat to out of town retailers as Government proposals to relax Sunday Trading Laws are added to the Enterprise Bill. Read more - members only

Retailers have been receiving bogus calls seeking to place big orders for Yankee candles, paid for with cloned credit cards.  THIS SCAM IS STILL HAPPENING. Read more - members only

“We need to dispel the myth that garden centres are the place for experts,” said David Domoney. He is calling on every garden centre to nominate their ambassador and so build a network of mentors to help people and communities who would like to start growing. Read more - members only

GCA today revealed which garden centres are the best for plants, garden products, outdoor living products and garden furniture. Read more - members only