The Garden Centre Association’s (GCA) GROW (Garden Retail Online Workshops) e-Learning platform In-Store Security course has now been launched just in time for the busy Christmas sales period. Read more - open to all

Blue Diamond Garden Centres continue their work supporting students studying horticulture.  Since 2021, 14 students have benefited. Read more - open to all

12 Category winners announced for the 2023 RHS Britain in Bloom competition.  Newcastle-under-Lyme has been awarded RHS gold and the accolade of Overall Winner Read more - members only

Smart Garden was named Supplier of the Year by Choice members at the post conference dinner celebrating the groups 21^st year. Read more - members only

Gardenex is recruiting for its UK pavilion at the March 2024 Las Vegas show for the lawn and garden, hardware and DIY industries. Read more - members only

Haymarket Media Group, parent of Horticulture Week, and Green Solutions have acquired Garden Connect, creating a cloud software solution for businesses in horticulture. Read more - members only

TV and radio broadcaster, Gethin Jones has been confirmed as the host of the 2023 GIMA Awards on Thursday 19^th October at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, South Wales, Read more - open to all

The Garden Centre Association (GCA) has just introduced another new module to its Garden Retail Online Workshops (GROW) e-Learning platform – this time on Sustainable Disease Control (August 2023). Read more - open to all

HTA is inviting growers to make voluntary contributions to Horticulture Crop Protection Ltd to enable off label use of plant protection products to continue. Read more - members only

After a record number of entries, the PetQuip trade association has revealed the list of finalists for the PetQuip Awards dinner on 1 October at Telford International Centre. Read more - open to all

Buying and marketing group Choice Marketing has announced 5 new members expanding its nationwide network of independent garden centres to 52. Read more - members only

Join us 3 Aug 2pm BST to find out how technology can seamlessly manage HR, payroll and scheduling across Garden Centres retail and restaurant operations. Read more - open to all

The HTA HUB is a purpose-built Learning Management System to host e-learning, links to training, development information and downloadable resources. Read more - members only

Wyevale Nurseries is this month offering a free downloadable peat free PDF advisory leaflet to trade customers seeking assistance with the changes to the law around peat usage (July 2023). Read more - open to all

Plants sales increased massively in the May sunshine making up for transactions lost earlier in the year.  Garden sundries also improved but by less and are still down for the year.  Read more - members only

Boyd Douglas-Davies, industry stalwart and the founder of Garden Re-Leaf Day, was officially appointed as the newest Trustee and Chairman-Elect of the Greenfingers Charity. Read more - members only

Restaurants powered garden centre growth in September with farm shop and early Christmas sales showing promise. Read more - members only

A MorePeople salary survey of garden centres and horticulture shows most had a pay increase of 5% or less and career progression is biggest reason for changing jobs. Read more - members only

MorePeople are delighted to have won Large Business of the Year 2023 at the Stamford Mercury Business Awards 2023 last Friday 15^th September. Read more - open to all

On September 15^th, 90 members of the Young People in Horticulture Association (YPHA) descended on Haws Watering Cans and David Austin Roses for one of their bi-annual special visits. Read more - members only

Next month’s HTA Autumn Conference will be opened by its new Chief Executive, Fran Barnes.  Who is she?  We interview the former BBC editor and Director of NFU communications. Read more - open to all

The Garden Centre Association has released some resilient July figures despite a big drop in garden furniture sales and a lot of rain. Read more - members only

Westland Horticulture has joined BHETA.   The Association is also holding a networking webinar with the online arm of US multinational retail corporation, Walmart. Read more - members only

The HTA has resorted to legal action to try and clarify when the Government intends to ban peat as a medium for professional growing. Read more - members only

The ever-popular GIMA trend report is set to return this September with three webinars confirmed, each providing delegates informative and interactive insight into those trends that are set to shape consumer desires, attitudes and aesthetics in 2025. Read more - open to all

During the first half of 2023, Perennial assisted 1,184 people, compared to 897 in the first half of 2022, a 31% increase.  This highlights the urgent need for increased support. Read more - open to all

Christie & Co, has launched its Retail & Leisure: 2023 Mid-Year Insight, which reflects on activity, trends and challenges across the UK’s convenience retail, forecourt, garden centre and leisure markets in the first half of 2023 and provides an outlook for the rest of the year. Read more - open to all

The Garden Centre Association’s (GCA) Garden Retail Online Workshops (GROW) e-Learning platform has introduced five new compliance-based e-Learning courses covering food safety and health & safety (July 2023). Read more - open to all

Post Covid-19, results are still pretty healthy for most but not all garden companies, as the likes of Westland, Squire’s, Klondyke, Scotsdale and Allensmore show. Read more - members only

UPDATE: Barton Grange, Cowells and Tong Garden Centres have signed up to the Prosper Buying Group.  So has St Peter’s Garden Centre saying time is right for a change. Read more - members only