Staff shortages are forcing Devon based Plants Galore to give away £100k of plants.  Customers can collect them from their garden centres this weekend. Read more - members only

The financial website, This is Money, has reported that the owners of Thompson & Morgan, are working with advisers from KPMG on 'strategic options', which could lead to a sale. Read more - members only

Highfield Garden World, a leading family owned destination garden centre in Gloucestershire, has secured permission to build a 3,362m² structure with an opening roof over its plant area. Read more - members only

UK tech start-up, Sproutl, has launched an online gardening marketplace, with Polhill, Rosebourne and Millbrook as partners and $9m of seed funding. Read more - members only

Green-tech has joined forces with Rainbird, a leading global manufacturer and provider of irrigation products. Read more - open to all

The first London-based little dobbies has opened.  This will be the third little dobbies in the UK, after Edinburgh and Bristol. A fourth is in the pipeline. Read more - members only

One of the UK’s leading plug and liner suppliers has this month partnered with a plant information company to offer its customers a library of images for webshops and websites. Read more - open to all

Travel agency Holiday’s By Design will open this July inside Brigg Garden Centre, the flagship of British Garden Centres, offering bespoke holidays around the globe. Read more - open to all

Councillors have given the green light to the proposed 10,700 sq ft. garden centre to be let to Blue Diamond at a designer outlet to be built at Scotch Corner.  Now Government must give final approval. Read more - members only

Squire’s Garden Centres has appointed two new non-executive Directors.  Rob Collins recently retired as MD of Waitrose. Tony Perkins was Audit Lead Partner at BDO. Read more - open to all

Dobbies has announced that it will be peat-free in six months, in relation to bagged compost, bringing forward the original target of 2022. Read more - open to all

Waste-aware gardeners will now be able to recycle compost packaging thanks to a trial scheme from Dobbies Garden Centres and Evergreen Garden Care. Read more - members only

Results just published by Hillier Nurseries for the year ending August 2020 show the significant impact Covid-19 had on the second half of the year.  Read more - members only

Mr Fothergill’s Seeds announces a new partnership with Italian seed brand, Franchi Sementi and UK based Italian goods supplier, Seeds of Italy for the coming 2022 gardening season Read more - members only

Norfolk Leisure says retailer demand at their trade show was 3X normal levels.  They introduced a range of UK designed barbecues and warned of possible delays in Christmas deliveries. Read more - members only

On Wednesday White Lodge Garden Centre near Turriff in Aberdeenshire closes to re-open on Saturday under new ownership as Parkhill at White Lodge. Read more - members only

Duke Street has completed the acquisition of Compo, the largest European producer and distributor of consumer gardening soil, fertiliser, plant protection and lawn seeds. Read more - members only

Hillier Trees has supplied more than 100 British-grown trees, helping to create a tranquil oasis for visitors to the new Maggie’s cancer centre in Southampton Read more - open to all

A local MP has urged Dobbies, in Edinburgh News, to provide answers and halt dismantling of the site of Butterfly and Insect World until all options are explored. Read more - members only

Dobbies tells Environment Minister Rebecca Pow that the business is set to create around 1000 jobs over the next five years as it signs up for ‘Plant for our Planet’. Read more - members only

B&M, with 684 UK stores, says a pull-forward in Gardening demand boosted LFL in the final two weeks March and early weeks April and depressed the subsequent weeks. Read more - members only

Glendoick Garden Centre has been forced to close for a few days due to a small COVID outbreak amongst staff. Read more - open to all

Our latest company results show the impact of the first Covid lockdown on Frosts, Gordon Rigg, Highfield, Scotsdale and Van Hage. Suppliers such as Allensmore, Tom Chambers and Vitax grew sales. Read more - open to all

YouGarden the multi-channel retailer of horticultural products has acquired Gardening Direct the mail order young plant supplier from Jersey. Read more - members only

Discount retail group QD has introduced food bank collection points in 24 of its stores including nine Cherry Lane Garden Centres. Read more - open to all

A team from Blue Diamond including MD Alan Roper outlined the key qualifications for potential product listing in its garden centres at BHETA’s retailer networking forum. Read more - members only

Headlines around the country include a sale and lease back by Dobbies, controversy about breast feeding in a garden centre and thefts of catalytic converters at Bents. Read more - members only

With container costs approaching $20,000, LOFA warns that freight problems are escalating and asks if this is due to the greed of shipping lines and if they are colluding to increase prices. Read more - members only

Planning permission has been granted for Perrywood’s £8-10m plans to build an inspirational new garden centre at the former Wyevale store at Sudbury.  Read more - members only

The team at a Bradford garden centre have secured planning approval for a second site as part of their ambitious growth plans. Read more - members only