Member garden centres enjoy a ‘much better finish to the year’ Our November Barometer of Trade (BoT) results published today (December 18, 2024) show ‘a much better finish to the year,’ according to our CEO Peter Burks. It was found from the figures submitted by member garden centres for the month, when compared to November…
Collective imagination champion to speak at conference Author of ‘From What Is to What If’ and collective imagination champion Rob Hopkins is speaking at our annual conference in Reading this January (January 26 until 29, 2025). Rob, who is the co-founder of Transition Network and Transition Town Totnes and author of several books including ‘The Transition Handbook’…
Inter-Generational Diversity Expert key speaker at our conference Inter-Generational Diversity Expert Henry Rose Lee will be speaking at our conference at De Vere Wokefield Estate Reading this January (January 26 until 29, 2025). Henry will be presenting to members on Monday, January 27 on the topic of ‘Generational Diversity & Inclusion – Working with Future…
Leading economist revealed as a key speaker at our 2025 conference Leading economist Roger Martin-Fagg will be speaking at our 58th annual conference at De Vere Wokefield Estate Reading this January (January 26 until 29, 2025). Roger, who specialises in making economics accessible for everyone, will be presenting to members on Tuesday, January 28 to…
Our 2024 Christmas display competition winners Garsons Garden Centre Esher (Destination Garden Centre category), Castle Gardens (Garden Centre) and Pughs Wenvoe (Local Garden Centre) have been announced as the national winners of our Gisela Graham-sponsored annual Christmas competition (December 2024). The garden centres were judged to have the best festive displays in the country by…
Top tasks for December Looking for some gardening jobs to do this month, check out our guide: Wash pots and seed trays with warm soapy water in time for spring sowing. Water your greenhouse sparingly in the morning and ventilate when possible to keep the atmosphere dry. Cover empty veg beds with fleece or clear…
Caring for your fresh Christmas tree One of the benefits of having a real Christmas tree is that they are much better for the environment. They are grown as a field crop so as soon as one is cut, another is planted. Although they aren’t carbon neutral, Christmas trees help to reduce greenhouse gases by…
At a glance guide to selecting and caring for your Christmas poinsettia: Select a plant with a minimum of five heads, as it will give a longer lasting display. Ensure that the poinsettia is sleeved before taking it outside to get it home with you. Once you get your poinsettia home, you should place it…
Selecting the perfect Christmas tree Selecting the right Christmas tree for you and your home is an important job. Whether you opt for a real or artificial tree, you will have to live with it for well over a month, so you want to be sure you’re selecting the right one. Follow our handy tips…
Our members are being invited to put together their marketing campaigns to enter our prestigious annual Worrall Cup competition (December 2024). We’ll be awarding a cup to the garden centre with the best marketing initiative during our 2025 annual conference in January. Most creativity Our CEO, Peter says: “Our member garden centres demonstrate some great…