Guide to buying tomato plants The trusty tomato is one of the nation’s favourite crops thanks to its versatility, bright colour and its sweet and tangy taste. Growing tomatoes in the garden is very satisfying for many gardeners and while the keen ones will have planted seeds earlier in the year and will already be…
Eat well all summer…and longer Here are our top five must-have veggies/fruit for the summer and onwards. These provide the heart to any veg patch, no matter how small, and are versatile additions to your culinary supplies. Courgettes Sow your own. There’s still time to do sowing in June and if you managed to do…
How to have stunning summer baskets and pots Once you’ve purchased or planted up your baskets and patio pots follow our simple hints and tips to keep them looking good all summer long. Watering is key. Unless it pours down for days on end, keep your baskets and tubs well watered at all times, ideally…
In praise of Constance Spry If our CEO Peter had to pick just one rose as his very favourite this summer, then it would have to be ‘Constance Spry’ he says. It’s loved by celebrity gardeners and florists for its exquisite myrrh scented flowers and the way it covers an arch, arbour or trellis. The…
Jobs for June Following mixed spring weather, the season is a couple of weeks behind. But with warmer weather anticipated, it is still possible to get back on track and the recent rain has certainly helped replenish some of the water reserves and our garden water butts. The weeds have taken full advantage of the…
Not sure what to prune this month? Grab your secateurs there’s some gentle snipping and pruning to be done, and some, possibly more demanding, trimming on the cards to this month. A great stress relieving activity, good exercise and highly rewarding. Trim box, privet, lonicera and leylandii hedges Dead head delphiniums and lupins once they…
BoT May figures reveal small positive year-to-date increase despite weather Our Barometer of Trade (BoT) figures for May are out today (June 19, 2024) and reveal that despite the weather there was a small positive year-to-date increase of +3.72%. According to the data from our member garden centres, 11 of the 13 categories recorded were…
New health & safety courses launched on GROW Six new online courses covering health and safety have been unveiled this month on our Garden Retail Online Workshops (GROW) e-learning platform (June 2024). This is the third, and final, batch to be added to GROW on this topic in 12 months. It covers 16 e-Learning courses…
Free sustainability webinar for members Our members will hear from a trio of sustainability experts during a free webinar this month (June 2024). We’re hosting the online event on June 26 from 3-4.30pm and it will cover water conservation and how to navigate environmental policies and initiatives in what is potentially a ‘green minefield’. Expert…
We’ve launched a hunt for a new inspector We’re launching a search for a new inspector to help our members retain the very highest of standards in service and expertise (May 2024). This follows an announcement earlier in the year from our inspector Gordon Emslie that he is retiring from his GCA role. Big shoes…