Believe it or not autumn/winter is the best time to plant bulbs including corms, tubers and rhizomes ready for next spring. Looking ahead and planning for spring in your garden or on your patio or balcony will give you something to look forward to in these troubling times. Just starting small with a tub or…
Gardening is great for improving mental health and decreasing stress. Don’t just take our word for it, click on this link and find out what the charity Thrive says. While taking some time to tend your garden can be relaxing, your efforts can also result in a sense of achievement, boosting confidence and self-esteem. Here are…
Gardeners across the country enhanced their outdoor spaces during September (2020) which led to a rise in sales in hard landscaping according to our Barometer of Trade report. Compared with the same month in 2019, sales were up 72.37%. Hard landscaping sales have been steady through the summer, but it was a surprise to see…
After calling-off our inspections for the first time in 50 years, we have also cancelled our Christmas competition and Annual Conference due to COVID-19. Despite these cancellations we have seen growth in our GROW e-learning initiative and have moved to having virtual meetings for our members. We recently wrote to our members to confirm that…
Got some spare time this weekend? Get out in the garden and get these quick, gardening tasks completed. Cut back tall deciduous shrubs like roses, tree mallow (lavatera) and butterfly bush (buddleia) by about a third now to prevent wind-rocking. Herbs growing outside will mostly die back during the winter, but with a bit of…
October is the perfect month for planting bare-rooted apple trees. You should choose an open, sunny, but sheltered site and make sure the ground is not prone to water logging. Fork in some well-rotted manure or compost at the rate of a good bucketful to one square metre, then apply a general fertiliser at around…
There’s a number of jobs you can be getting on with in the garden this month. These include planting trees, shrubs, roses and fruit bushes from the middle of the month onwards. You should prepare the ground in advance by digging it over and mixing in lots of compost or well-rotted manure. Add some more…
Our members got together recently at a virtual forum to discuss their plans and share their concerns for the festive period. Matthew Bent from Bents Garden and Home, Louise Burks from The Gardens Group, Guy Topping from Barton Grange Garden Centre and Justin Williams from Fron Goch Garden Centre were panellists for the forum. It…
GCA and The Garden Industry Manufacturer’s Association (GIMA) members concluded during a recent webinar that garden centres will need to work in partnership with suppliers to minimise future supply chain disruption. During the joint virtual forum, members of both associations discussed measures put in place to ensure a smooth continuity of stock availability during the…
Once the first frosts have come, many gardeners will empty their tubs, baskets and containers and store them in a shed or garage over the winter months. This is a tremendous waste of valuable gardening resources. With just a little forethought, these containers can be replanted to provide interest through the long, potential dull winter…