Figures released today show that Focus DIY owed over £61 million to suppliers. A number of leading companies in the garden sector face substantial losses with 5 owed over £1 million each. See more… Read more - members only

There’s a spat between ex-presenters of Gardener’s World arising from the 'I don’t Dig Peat' campaign launched by Garden Organic. See more... Read more - members only

Garden centre revenues in May have fallen for the last 3 years and this year they were 15% lower than in April, according to the GCA. Garden furniture sales suffered especially. See more... Read more - members only

Six and a half years after rescuing Stewart Plastics from administration, Lee Mowle has sold the Stewart Group in a deal valuing it at £17m. The buyer is private equity firm, ECI. See more… Read more - members only

Park Garden Centres are to start work as soon as possible on the first phase of the £5m redevelopment of its garden centre at Almondsbury. See more... Read more - members only

Dobbies is seeking to fund the transformation of communities around its garden centres with bursaries worth £66,000. These are distributed through its “Here We Grow” programme. See more… Read more - members only

B&Q credits Alan Titchmarsh with improving the quality and distribution of its plants. It sold over 1 million more plants this spring, with 24-pack bedding showing the biggest growth. See more... Read more - members only

Growers attending the HTA Amenity Suppliers meeting, held last week at Coles Nurseries in Leicestershire, reported a healthy market with trading much better than anticipated at the beginning of the year.

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As expected, Tesco has revealed that it will operate the supermarket next to the garden centre that Dobbies has long planned to open in a retail complex at East Kilbride, near Glasgow. See more... Read more - members only

There is speculation across the UK press that the administrators of Focus will today announce the closure of more than 120 stores. See more... Read more - members only

Next Friday, Palmstead Nurseries open a 1 hectare glasshouse near Ashford in Kent to grow over 1.5 million young plants a year using the latest equipment and technology. See more... Read more - members only

In an interview in the Scotsman, James Barnes restated his ambition for Dobbies to become the leading brand in UK horticultural retailing with 100 garden centres. See more... Read more - members only

Anne Llewellyn has joined in a joint venture with Richard Alan Group to form a new company manufacturing Ace trolleys. Roger Llewellyn has retired. See more... Read more - members only

The moment that Focus DIY went into administration could not have been worse for gardening suppliers. The end of April is often the time when they are owed the most by retailers. The trade association, GIMA, has questioned the timing. See more... Read more - members only

DJ Squire & Co has added the 3 Shoots Garden Centres to its portfolio of 11 around London. The deal was completed today. This story has been updated - See more... Read more - members only

Oaktree Garden Centre near Bracknell, a 23-acre site, has recently been sold for an undisclosed sum. The purchasers, John & Eve Went, are looking to develop the £1.8m turnover centre over the next few years. See more... Read more - members only

Local sources report that Stephen H Smith is in talks with Marks & Spencer about opening a store on its site on the outskirts of Scunthorpe. See more... Read more - members only

The administrators have published the closure dates of the Focus DIY stores, with the first 10 closing on June 19th. More than 31 stores have been sold to B&Q and 13 to Wickes. Asda are also taking some. Click on the website button below. Read more - members only

After protracted negotiations, Garden Wise (Dumfries) has won permission to double the covered retail area of the garden centre. Work starts in July. See more... Read more - members only

Home Retail Group has experienced further significant decline at Argos while like-for-like sales at Homebase edged higher thanks to the weather. See more... Read more - members only

The first of Alan Titchmarsh’s new gardening series is due to air on Friday. GIMA has been helping the makers to source products and is keen to alert suppliers and retailers ahead of each show to items that will be featured. See more... Read more - members only

William Sinclair has issued a fresh call for the government to legislate against the use of peat in horticulture as it revealed a six-month increase in sales and pre-tax profits. See more... Read more - members only

Following the sale of Scotts Professional Division to the Israeli based speciality chemical company, ICL Group, a new global professional brand has been unveiled, named Everris. See more...
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The unusually high temperatures and light levels this spring have sadly taken their toll on the iris fields. The iris flowers are so far forward, that there will be no blooms left for the field open days, which had been scheduled for 2-4 June 2011. Read more - members only

Reports of a tie-up between Garden & Leisure and Waitrose are somewhat premature. Any agreement is subject to planning permission, which has yet even to be submitted to the Shrewsbury planners. See more... Read more - members only

Having sold 31 stores to B&Q, The administrators of Focus DIY have sold a further 13 to Wickes. See more… Read more - members only

LXB, shareholder in The Garden Centre Group, plans a new garden centre and retail development near Northampton. See more... Read more - members only

Paving and hard landscaping supplier, Marshalls has reported a 10% increase in revenue for the first 4 months of this year. Order books are shorter, but the domestic market remains resilient. See more... Read more - members only

The BBC has reported that Focus DIY has issued a statement saying that it intends to go into administration. Focus trades from 178 stores in the UK. Ernst & Young are the intended administrators. See more... Read more - members only

Lloyds Bank and The Garden Centre Group are in positive discussions about extending their banking terms. This should supply funds for expansion. See more... Read more - members only