New thinking in Garden Retail

We were fortunate enough to be invited to a preview event for the RHS Garden Wisley Plant Centre and Gift Shop. The new Plant Centre is light, airy, confident and sophisticated. it lives out the RHS values with regards to sustainability, from the environmental credentials of the build, through to the reduced use of plastic, the…

The new RHS Garden Wisley Plant Centre is taking shape

The new RHS Garden Wisley Plant Centre is taking shape Here is a first look of this major new development, which is scheduled to open on in the second week of June. Interesting features are the structures to provide shade, and what look to be structural elements for plant displays, along with plant benches ready…

10 Lessons to learn from a visit to Barton Grange Garden Centre

Barton Grange Garden Centre continue to push boundaries in Garden Retail. Recent visits reveal a strategic desire to communicate that this is a place that is all about plants. A place that is engaged with its customers, a place that is fun, vibrant, and most important of all relevant to them… Here are the 10…

Blue Diamond’s East Bridgford Garden Centre sets new standards in Garden Retail

Blue Diamond’s website boasts “our groundbreaking flagship garden and home centre is now open at East Bridgford, with over 81,000ft2 of undercover shopping to discover. The new Blue Diamond centre also boasts two beautiful restaurants – Cafe Home & Garden and The Greenhouse Kitchen, where all our food is always homemade. “We offer our customers aspirational environments in which to…

Facing up to Xylella fastidiosa

There can be little doubt that this is the gravest threat facing the whole of UK horticulture from growers to garden centres, from botanical gardens to landscapers. We have Gathered together some information on Xylella here. Advice for the HTA, this is a link to the Xylella page on the HTA website. Advice from the…

Thirsk Garden Centre supports local growers

At one time every Garden Centre consultant would be telling you that the answer lay in being more corporate, copying what the big players were doing and never, ever, should you handwrite signage. Today however we have ripped up the rule book and we celebrate the small producer, the artisan and the independent. So, we…

From a Facebook lesson to a brilliant new gardening idea…

I recently received this message from Kim W. on Facebook – “Just read a post on your wall with regards to 25-35 year olds taking up gardening, I am in this bracket, I don’t know what I’m doing but I absolutely love it, I love being out amongst my plants and watching them grow, see…

Setting Scene – Timmermans Garden Centre show they are all about plants

We love it when a Garden Centre is able to wow its customers with a fabulous plant offer at the entrance. At Timmermans Garden Centre in Nottingham they are lucky enough to be able to welcome customers with one of the finest plant offers we have seen in Spring 2014. We love the high level…