Members – join our business rates & lobbying government webinar We’re hosting a free members’ webinar examining the latest changes to business rates and the industry’s ongoing engagement with the Government. The session on April 24 at 3pm will provide insight into the financial pressures facing garden centres and associates and highlight current lobbying efforts…
Bag yourself some salad Bags of salad leaves ready-to-use are some of the first things you see in the supermarket fruit and veg sections when you stroll in – they are there all year round. Sow & grow your own But now is the perfect time to sow and grow your own salad leaves such…
GROW’s new cyber security course launched as e‑learning platform hits 99‑courses Today we’ve unveiled a new cyber security course on our award‑winning Garden Retail Online Workshops (GROW) e‑learning platform (March 30, 2026). This marks the 99th course to be added to GROW, which is accessible to both our members and those in the Horticultural Trades…
The moon and potato planting Gardening is rich with time‑honoured traditions and steeped in folklore, writes GCA CEO and horticulturalist, Peter Burks. One of these is that seed potatoes should be planted on Good Friday. Devil isn’t at work I always try to find the scientific reason behind such rules and, despite being told by…
April gardening jobs checklist April is one of the most exciting months in our gardening calendar. With longer days, warmer soil and plants bursting into life, it’s the perfect time to get stuck into the key jobs that will set your garden up for the months ahead. While spring is now well underway, frosts remain…
Our Barometer of Trade (BoT) February figures released today show a ‘very encouraging month’ despite the ‘poor weather’ (March 20, 2026). More than two thirds of the categories recorded by our garden centre members, were up when compared to the same month in 2025 with clothing recording +10.48% %, followed by food hall/farm shop in…
Inspiring the next generation Following our fantastic webinar last Tuesday featuring inspiring presentations from Neil Grant for the Horticultural Trades’ Association (HTA), The Children’s Gardening Coach, Lee Connelly and Linda Petrons from Greenfingers – we’re delighted to share a wonderful opportunity exclusively for our garden centre members. A lifelong love of gardening The session highlighted…
Mark joins as inspector as applicants soar Horticultural Business Consultant Mark Pitman was selected from a record‑breaking number of applicants to secure the role as our new Garden Centre Inspector this month (March 2026). Mark, an accomplished leader from horticulture and wildlife sectors, brings more than four decades of experience from his operational management, retail…
What to prune now March officially marks the real start of our gardening year. As temperatures rise and plants wake up, it’s the ideal moment to tackle key pruning tasks that will set your garden up for a strong growing season. Many plants are still dormant or just beginning to show new shoots, making this…
Garden centres are the retail genre of the moment Mary Portas OBE, business strategist, broadcaster, author, and activist, brought her retail insight to the 2026 Garden Centre Association (GCA) annual conference, says Petra Hoyer Millar in The Dirt. Credited with transforming Harvey Nichols into a leading fashion destination, Mary Portas is a recognised authority on retail and…