This week’s meeting of the garden suppliers association, GIMA, enjoyed revealing insights from 3 of the industry’s leading retailers. The first of three articles covers comments from Bob Hewitt, CEO of the Klondyke Group of 24 garden centres and former CX of Wyevale. See more... Read more - members only

Faversham Furniture Ltd has surprised the garden industry with news that it is to wind down Nova Garden Furniture, which has not traded profitably for the last five years. See more... Read more - members only

Gardening Which? completed a survey of leading seed suppliers, scoring each company on how well their seed germinated and on the quality of instructions on the packet. See more... Read more - members only

The latest results published by Dobbies cover the 16 month period to the end of February 2009, when Tesco out-manoeuvred Sir Tom Hunter’s West Coast Capital to take control of the Scottish garden centre group. Since February, sales have been ahead of budget and it’s not just because of the weather. See more… Read more - members only

Canterbury Garden Centre has become the second independent to challenge The Garden Centre Group (TGCG, formally Wyevale) over its decision to rename its outlets with local names. There was confusion when one of the group's staff appeared at the wrong garden centre for training. See more... Read more - members only

Half year profits are up 66% at B&Q and working capital has improved by £163 million thanks in part to lower stocks and taking longer to pay suppliers. See more... Read more - members only

M&M Timber Limited has assumed the UK distribution for the Dutch-owned Outdoor Life Group. It will now offer the garden and leisure industry a complete one-stop shop for all their timber, garden and leisure requirements. See more... Read more - members only

Woodcote Green and its owner, Lawrence Newton, celebrated 50 years of growing and retailing by holding a week of open days. Councillors, schools and allotments societies were invited for a look behind-the-scenes. See more... Read more - members only

Grange Fencing has completed the acquisition of Metpost. It believes this will complement its existing range of products, which include Post Anchor. See more... Read more - members only

Bayer Garden is to replace its network of territory managers with agents by June 2010. It believes this will improve its service to garden retailers. See more… Read more - members only

Focus DIY has reached an agreement with leading creditors that should remove the threat of insolvency. See more... Read more - members only

Dobbies' plans to add 20 allotments to its garden centre in Southport looks set for approval by the planners tonight. See more… Read more - members only

Hozelock Cyprio are to invite the UK’s top aquatics retailers to form a nationwide network of Centres of Excellence. See more... Read more - members only

Hurrans’ flagship garden centre at Churchdown, Gloucester is to reopen eight months after the group was put into administration. See more... Read more - members only

Former GCA chairman Steve Myatt, who sold his garden centre in April, has started a new business as an importer of barbecues. See more... Read more - members only

For the second year, Webbs will open two Christmas shops in Midlands shopping centres. One will be at the Pavilions Shopping Centre, in the heart of Birmingham. See more... Read more - members only

William Sinclair, whose trading year ended on the 30th of September, say that trading has been in line with expectations. It has lifted enough peat for 2010 and is pleased that it maintained just-in-time deliveries throughout the season. See more... Read more - members only

Troubled mail-order group Flying Brands has announced a number of changes to Flying Flowers. It has also appointed a new sales and marketing director. See more… Read more - members only

There were over 250 products and plants competing for the New Product awards at Glee 2009. Top product is a Grow Tent from Grow Camp of Denmark that will encourage grow-your-own enthusiasts next year. For all the winners see more... Read more - members only

The dispute between Redwood Stone and Garden Dreams, which came to a head last year at Glee, has been resolved, with Redwood Stone owning the business and intellectual property rights of Garden Dreams. See more... Read more - members only

E.P.Barrus Ltd the importer of domestic and professional garden machinery, has been appointed the exclusive distributor of Wolf Garden products in the UK and Republic of Ireland, replacing Solus. See more... Read more - members only

Bristol-based Avoncrop has been placed on the market. The company is in administration following a failed diversification into a related venture. See more… Read more - members only

The next GIMA meeting, which is open to all, will bring together the current CEO of Wyevale (The Garden Centre Group) with one of his predecessors, now the CEO of Klondyke. See more... Read more - members only

This Friday, Blue Diamond will open one of the most innovative garden centre designs yet seen. It is the shape of an octagonal doughnut, with the plant area filling the middle. See more... Read more - members only

The Flowers & Plants Association recently took an enquiry from the media that amazed them somewhat. Staff are used to handling unusual calls from journalists and editors, but this one was rather surprising. See more... Read more - members only

Wyevale Nurseries are to open a second wholesale cash-and-carry centre at Earlswood Nurseries in the West Midlands. See more... Read more - members only

Mr Fothergill's say they are riding the crest of a wave. At a press day on the nursery grounds last week, they revealed how they will continue to engage gardeners in 2010. See more... Read more - members only

Armed robbers ambushed the manager of Barton Grange Garden Centre and his assistant forcing them to open the safe. See more... Read more - members only

The famous Langlands Garden Centre in Shiptonthorpe near York is reaping the benefits of the current ‘Grow Your Own’ phenomenon and is expanding its empire by acquiring the old Hayes Garden Centre site in Leeds. See more... Read more - members only

Suttons Consumer Products has been fully reintegrated into Vilmorin, who have announced that the UK seed and bulb producer is no longer for sale. See more... Read more - members only