Insider Media

Funding helps garden center bounce back during lockdown

A garden center group with three sites in the South West has used a six-figure bank funding package to help it rebound during lockdown. The Gardens Group, which owns Castle Gardens in Sherborne, Brimsmore Gardens in Yeovil and Poundbury Gardens in Poundbury, has pivoted its operations over the last 12…

Realhomes.com

The top floral and gardening trends to expect for summer

Backyard landscaping and gardening trends come and go throughout the seasons and while the first sign of last year’s perennials will always be a welcomed sign of spring regardless of this season’s trends, there are always going to be certain garden plant ideas and styles that you can expect to see more…

Photo by Chuck Hafner

NY garden center growing for nearly a century

The Hafner family has farmed in central New York since 1922, at first in produce and now in the nursery and greenhouse business. The family’s longevity in farming stems from what farm owner Chuck Hafner describes as just doing the basics. “We go by the philosophy that if you provide the right value, and…

Ben Conant / Ledger Transcript

Connecticut: garden centers seeing continued demand

As the days get longer and the sun shines a little brighter, the ground thaws from the long, cold winter, leaving gardeners around the region anxiously waiting to get their hands in some dirt. Last year, amid the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, people reconnect with nature and their own backyards,…

Photo by Cate McCahill / Elon News Network

Local florist industry is blooming, but supply can't keep up

On a warm Friday afternoon in April, business inside Roxie’s Florist was in full bloom. Within the store’s gray walls, the entire staff snipped a colorful array of flowers, greenery, and bows. Sherri Pass, a Roxie’s employee, hurriedly assembled a funeral arrangement, hoping to finish up before…

US (OH): Local nurseries see a rise in demand, supplies down

Many nurseries are struggling to keep up with a surge in demand. "A lot of the plants that were for this year's sale were sold last year. The amount of material that was sold…

CTV News Edmonton

CAN (AB): Greenhouse owners warn public of bedding plant shortage this summer

Greenhouse owners in the Edmonton area are encouraging the public to purchase their bedding plants early this season due to a potential shortage in stock. Owners of Spruce Grove Aspen Grove Greenhouses, Cindy and Steve Craine told CTV News Edmonton their regular order of bedding plants, like flowers and…

UK garden centers run out of gnomes after Suez blockage

Garden gnomes and other outdoor furniture are running out due to supply chain issues and the popularity of garden centres in the UK during the lockdown. Raw materials have become increasingly difficult to come by and the recent blockage of the Suez canal has also contributed to the national shortage of…

Al Key/DRC

Timing and conditions ripe for Denton Plant Factory's opening, owners say

When customers walk into Denton Plant Factory, a bright mosaic of color greets them. Large gerbera daisy baskets, salvia, and dianthus populate the front section of the nursery for now, but the varieties are rotated regularly, making room for new life as more plants come in. As guests make their way to…

Wbko / Kaley Skaggs

National gardening day with river bend blooms

River Bend Blooms, a local flower truck, is helping celebrate National Gardening Day with their farm-fresh flowers. What started as a vegetable farm soon turned into the beautiful field of flowers it is today. “I really love flowers so we turned that passion into a business,” said owner Michelle Wheeler.…

Photo by Alice Tatham

UK: Family campaigns to fund flower barn at 'paradise' site

Zanna and Jonny Hoskins have transformed a one-acre paddock they bought near Axminster in 2012 into a paradise of flowers and wildlife using permaculture. Now they are two-thirds of the way to raising £40,000 to build an environmentally friendly flower barn so that more people can enjoy this wonderful…

The Grocer

UK: Scotmid Co-op launches first ever pop-up garden center

Scotmid Co-op has opened its first ever pop-up garden center. The 1,700 sq ft pop-up launched at its Uddingston store in South Lanarkshire last week in partnership with Caulders Garden Centers. ’Caulders at Scotmid’ offers shoppers an array of gardening goods from 300 lines, including seasonal bedding…

Spectrum local news

NY: Greenhouses preparing for busy growing season ahead

“If you asked me last year what I’d say was going to happen, I would say I was dreaming about throwing everything out because it was really scary,” said Jan Barendse, owner of River Road Greenhouses in Marcy, Oneida County. But for River Road Greenhouses, those concerns did end up going away, along with…

Roger Klein / CTV Barrie

Early spring weather and pandemic behind high demand at garden centres

After a week of double digit temperatures, coinciding with a stay-at-home order, many are turning their attention to gardening. It was time to get growing according to farmer Kevin Ward of Fernwood Farms near Stayner. He says spring came early and he’s already started planting in the fields. "Some of the…

Picture by Arthur Allison / Pacemaker

Flowers, plants and seeds order of day as garden centres re-open

Flowers, bedding plants and seeds were the order of the day as garden centres opened across Northern Ireland for the first time in almost four months yesterday. From 9am, a stream of customers filed through the doors of Hillmount Garden Centre in south Belfast, which had remained shut since December.…

US (ME): Nice weather sparks interest in gardening, and in garden centers

The sun was bright and shining on Saturday, and for greenhouse owners like Mike Skillin, nice weather translates to more green. "The great weather just gets people motivated," Skillin said. "Sales do skyrocket." Skills co-owns Skillins Greenhouses in Falmouth. He says he saw more customers than usual…

"Don't let unpredictable weather nip your crops in the garden center"

The pandemic, coupled with the cold winter has consumers demanding annuals, herb, and vegetable transplants weeks before the last average frost date. As growers, you obviously want to cash in and take advantage of these impulse purchases. But we all know this is risky! What can you do to prevent losses…

Irvin Times

Plant lovers ‘so happy to get out’ to garden centers as lockdown eases

It was a bright, cold day in April as the clocks struck 10 am and a popular garden centre opened to customers for the first time in three months. A steady stream of plant lovers visited the West End Garden Center in Glasgow on Monday after it opened its doors to the public in the latest relaxation of…

Inews.co.uk

When do garden centers open in Scotland?

Scotland is preparing to drop its “stay-at-home” order from Friday, in the first major easing of restrictions since pupils returned to school two weeks ago. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said residents will instead be told to “stay local” – “in other words, not to travel outside your own local…

Echolive

"Family had to be a priority': Owner of Irish garden centre steps back because of husband's illness

The owner of Griffins Garden Centre issued a heartbreaking post on Facebook outlining her difficult decision to step away from the business. Margaret Griffin has vowed to honour her customers by temporarily reopening the business for two months when restrictions are lifted. This will give customers the…

Canadian garden council requests parliament to designate 2022 as year of the garden

The Canadian Garden Council (CGC) is proud to proclaim 2022 as the Year of the Garden to celebrate the centennial of Canada’s ornamental horticulture sector and to honour the…

Business LIve

UK: Garden centre bought out in £1.5m deal as new owner reveals restaurant plan

One of the UK’s oldest garden centres has been bought in a £1.5 deal. California Gardens at Howden, near Goole, has been taken on by two local businessmen who plan to invest a further £1 million to add a new restaurant and other upgrades to the four acre site. Owned by the Hall family since 1879, Cameron…

Spring brings explosion of nature at Tuscany Growers

Tuscany Growers are ready to provide the market with a wide selection from their colourful range of vibrant plant material. Sales for the new season have reached record levels as the consumer seeks to create a green home environment during the lockdown. Shock of colour There is currently a need and…

Clock-change signifies frustrating Spring for Northern Ireland’s cooped-up gardeners

Consumers in Northern Ireland are desperate to get back into garden centres, with a recent survey showing that 78 percent feel confident in visiting one. The Horticultural Trades Association survey showed that only people in Scotland have more confidence (79%) in the safety of the retail environment of a…

Djournal.com

US: Walton's Greenhouse rooted in family

Nestled in the backyard of Lathen and Jerry Walton in the Pleasant Valley community in Itawamba County are twenty fully-operational greenhouses, known collectively as Walton’s Greenhouse, packed to the gills with hundreds of plant varieties for flower and vegetable gardeners alike; anything from annuals…

Lancasterfarming

Delaware greenhouses and garden centers ready for post-pandemic year

Greenhouses everywhere were caught off guard last March when the COVID-19 pandemic turned the U.S. upside down. With shutdowns and stay-at-home guidelines sweeping every state just before the Easter holiday, garden center, greenhouse and nursery owners were left in the lurch. With Easter, the kickoff of…

Credit: Terry Harris

Garden center pays tribute to NHS workers

A garden center has made a generous donation to help improve road safety while supporting health workers battling Covid-19. Skylark Garden Centre on Manea Road, Wimblington has raised £1,300 for the Fenland Road Safety Campaign (Charlotte’s Way) and NHS Charities.  The funds, which will be split equally between…

Pbqnews.com

Vancouver Island garden centres preparing for busy season

Just 20 minutes after opening last Friday morning, Elk Lake Garden Centre in Saanich had several cars pulling up to the lot. It’s still early in the season but with COVID-19 protocols still in place, owner John Derrick wouldn’t be surprised if the nursery is soon as busy as it was last spring, when some…

Greengate Garden Center makes comeback

The doors of Greengate Garden Center opened at 9 this morning, but a few weeks ago, getting those doors open seemed daunting. A lot of damage done by Hurricane Laura had to be fixed. “It was almost completely totaled,” said Crystal Wilt, manager of Greengate. “I mean everything was gone except for the…

Wbko.com

US: Retreat Greenhouse in Glasgow prepares to open

Retreat Greenhouse in Glasgow is busy getting ready to open its doors to the public. “We are brand new! This is our very first season,” said Lori Poynter, the owner.  They will sell vegetable plants, herbs, lots of flowers, and succulents. “If you are looking to start a garden, we have you covered. We have…

Image by Tim Mossford / UNP

Garden centre chain Dobbies opens new format Bristol store

The UK’s largest garden centre chain has opened a ‘mini’ branch in central Bristol. Dobbies' new-format store, on Whiteladies Road in Clifton, is the second Little Dobbies to open in the UK following the launch of the company’s Edinburgh outlet in November. The shop will sell a range of gardening…

Leaderlive.co.uk

Wales: Garden centres in Wrexham and Flintshire delighted to welcome back customers

Following the latest lockdown easing measures, customers can return to garden centres from March 22. Pictures show many keen people at local centres today as spring arrives in Flintshire and Wrexham. Welsh Government says that garden centres can remain open as long as they take all reasonable measures to…

Belgium: COVID-19 creates plant material shortage and very busy landscapers

Many Belgians want to spruce up their gardens soon. But they could well return from the garden center empty-handed. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a rush on planting material last year. Ornamental growers currently have little stocks. Landscapers, in turn, are already planning next year's projects. “I have…

battlefordsnow.com

CAN: Local greenhouses/garden centers looking forward to spring season

The spring season is on the horizon, and with it, comes the smell of flowers. Several greenhouses and garden centres around the community are gearing up for the change of season, while others have gotten a bit of a jump on things, already. Owner/operator with Northern Nurseries Garden Centre, Judy…

German garden industry breaks turnover record

The German garden industry had a turnover of 20.7 billion euro in 2020. This is an increase of 9% compared to 2019. This was presented in the annual report of Industrie Verband Garten. source: IFH Retail Consultants  German garden centres and other specialist retailers achieved an additional 9.4% in sales.…

"You can plan a fall program"

In this blog, Chris Fifo, product representative with Darwin Perennials, explains why he is so keen on perennials for Fall.  Anyone who knows me or has heard one of my presentations knows that I have never grown a mum in my life. Thirty years of growing perennials, and a fair amount of annuals, and I have never grown a Fall mum program.…

Photo by WGME

US: Risbara's Greenhouse preparing for final spring season

Spring is almost here, and garden centers are getting ready for the season. After three decades, Peter and Claudia Risbara were planning to retire last year, but then came the best sales they'd seen in at least 15 years, back before larger stores started dominating sales. "Trees, shrubs, flowers, all of…

Cashing in on the top four gardening motivations of 2020

The spring of 2021 is here! During 2020, despite a very difficult start, many plant retailers had an excellent year – even record-breaking. Why? In light of COVID-19, people’s everyday activities, travels, and usual spending habits changed significantly. People were traveling less due to the global…

Ireland: garden centre pledges to reopen in April regardless

A Tyrone garden centre that stands to lose around £30,000 in revenue due to remaining closed this month will reopen in April “regardless of the decisions that come from Stormont”. Management at The Garden Depot in Strabane have made the decision to open again on April 4, despite no confirmed reopening…

ScottsMiracle-Gro unveils super Bowl spot to inspire consumers to ‘Keep Growing’

Whether it’s playing catch with the kids, learning to garden, connecting with neighbors, or just sitting back and relaxing, we’re enjoying our outdoor spaces like never before. On the heels of a surge in lawn and garden care that drove more than 25 million new consumers to the category in the past year,…

Sales volume, price of flowers for Chinese New Year in Dongguan down

The Chinese New Year is approaching, and it is currently the peak season for annual flower sales. However, affected by the epidemic this year, the municipal and township levels in Dongguan City successively announced the cancellation of the annual winter flower market. The reporter learned from the local…