Sell a tree, sell a stake and tie - not anymore

The traditional training to sell a stake, a tie and some compost when selling a tree, is wrong according to two leading tree experts at the Palmstead Nurseries workshop. See more... Read more - members only

Legionella outbreak in Scotland

An outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in Scotland, said to be caused by contaminated bagged growing media, resulted in two people being placed in intensive care. See more... Read more - members only

GCA announces the venue for 2014 conference

The Garden Centre Association (GCA) has revealed the location of the organisation’s next annual conference (January 26 until 29, 2014) and the winners of its ‘guess the venue competition’. See more... Read more - members only

June surge recovers lost spring sales

It was widely said that 2013 could not be another year like 2012. It has taken a 19% increase in June for the 67 garden centres in the GCA Barometer of Trade to catch up with last year, which is a lot worse than was expected when budgets were set. See more... Read more - members only

Flower seeds bounce back after cold start stunts growth

Sales of flower seeds have increased by 4.3% in 2013. See more... Read more - members only

Fine weather boosts B&Q outdoor sales by 20 per cent UPDATED

In a pre-close second quarter trading update Kingfisher reports strong garden leisure sales thanks to fine weather. See more... Read more - members only

Cultivation Street entries double at Hampton Court

The nationwide competition, organised by TV gardener David Domoney and supported by the HTA, was a runaway success at the show with hundreds of entries flooding in as the public competed to be crowned Britain’s Best Street. See more… Read more - members only

Sun generates rush of orders at Solex

What a difference a few days of sun make. Exhibitors at Solex reported taking orders for immediate delivery, not something they usually expect. But garden centres were concerned about competition from the Internet. See more… Read more - members only

Colleges complain of lack of support from the industry

Colleges complained of lack of support from the industry at the Q-Lawns Sustainable Landscaping event. But some landscapers said colleges are not interested in them. See more... Read more - members only

Gardening is cheaper than therapy and gets you tomatoes

There’s a crisis facing our industry, says James Wong. New generations are not coming into horticulture and it’s our fault. Young people’s growing is subversive, experimental and fun. See more... Read more - members only

Minister says judge me by my actions

Lord de Mauley says the threat to plant health from imported diseases such as Chalara is a top priority for Defra. The government is in a listening mood realising it needs to work with growers and the industry. See more... Read more - members only

It was a great Bank Holiday for selling plants

It was a great bank holiday weekend for most English garden centres, with plants sales being the stand out performer. There were conflicting reports about garden furniture. See more... Read more - members only

Optimism for a good bank holiday weekend

Suppliers report good orders in anticipation of a strong the bank holiday weekend as GCA figures show April sales increased by a disappointing 8%. See more... Read more - members only

Can a late spring recover lost sales?

Last weekend showed that gardeners are ready to shop when the weather allows. But is there time to recover lost sales? What will be the impact of another poor spring? Gardenforum samples opinion. See more... Read more - open to all

May forecast to start and end warm and dry

Wiseweather predicts periods of high pressure at the beginning and end of May with cooler, more showery weather in the middle weeks especially in the south and West. See more... Read more - members only

It’s the weather – it always was!

After a dismal start to 2013, leading garden centres have now experienced 5 months continuous growth. In August sales were up 8%. See more... Read more - members only

Glee New Product Awards 2013 - Winners announced

Ten, ground-breaking new garden products have been confirmed as the winners of the coveted Glee New Product Awards 2013. See more... Read more - members only

Garden Re-Leaf raises £61,379 for children’s hospices

March 14th is the date for Garden Re-Leaf in 2014. This spring, the day that starts the gardening year raised £61,379 and organisers have described some of the gardens it funded at children’s hospices. See more... Read more - members only

Beware of ‘Jenny’

It may not be too unusual but do beware. As the weeds grow again after the recent hot spell of weather so the scammers come out again too. See more... Read more - members only

Wanted – gardening families for new Monty Don series

Lion TV, the company behind Monty Don’s French Gardens, is looking for people who would like to create extraordinary gardens from ordinary plots and want to turn their dreams into reality for a new tv series. See more ... Read more - members only

GIMA Awards 2013

Another successful Awards night enjoyed by all that were in attendance along with the announcement for Garden ReLeaf 2014. See more... Read more - members only

Grant of a Royal Charter to the Institute of Horticulture

The Institute of Horticulture (IoH) is delighted to announce that Her Majesty the Queen has been graciously pleased to grant a Royal Charter to the Institute of Horticulture. See more... Read more - members only

New Venue for Glee 2014

Glee will move to a more flexible set of Halls within the NEC in 2014. However, recent changes within the industry give more reason for retailers to visit the show this year to reassess their suppliers. See more... Read more - members only

GCA does have the first clue

Where will the next GCA conference be held? There are prizes for guessing and the first clue has been released by the association. See more... Read more - members only

Leading garden suppliers to exhibit at Buckingham Palace Festival

Some of the UK Gardening’s best brands are taking part in The Coronation Festival, a celebration of the 60th anniversary of The Queen’s Coronation. See more... Read more - members only

June forecast to be sunnier and drier than average

Wiseweather predicts June will be sunnier and drier than average, especially in the north. High pressure is expected in the second half of the month. See more... Read more - members only

HTA backs David Domoney’s search for Britain’s Best Street

National Garden Gift Vouchers are sponsoring a brand new UK wide garden competition that will be launched by TV gardener David Domoney and the Sunday People to get the nation gardening this summer. See more...
Read more - members only

The Chelsea Awards

Ten show gardens collected Gold Medals including two each for constructors Crocus, Willerby Landscapes and Landform Consultants. Hillier earned its 68th consecutive Gold in the Great Pavilion and there was Gold for the Rich brothers backed by Vital Earth. Hozelock collected the award for the best new product. See more... Read more - members only

Garden centres outperform other garden retailers

GfK says garden sales across all channels fell 34% in the first 3 months, but garden centres suffered less than DIY chains and supermarkets. See more… Read more - members only

Retailers must be different to compete with the web

How do leading retailers address competition from the Internet? One of the biggest, Wilkinsons Stores explained its strategy to last week’s business meeting organised by GIMA. See more... Read more - members only

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