Economy
New UK Trade Strategy to boost exports
The Government has launched its new trade strategy which aims to boost UK services exports and strengthen anti-dumping defences to protect the country from the global tariff wars.
Plants
Rose of the Year 2026: Coral Gardens®
Bred by Kordes Rosen, the floribunda, Rosa Coral Gardens® is the Rose of the Year, a competition run on behalf of the British Association of Rose Breeders.
Business
Blue Diamond to acquire Barton Grange Garden Centre
The garden centre retail group is currently in discussion regarding the potential acquisition of Barton Grange Garden Centre and associated Garden Centre Plants nursery.
Business
British Garden Centres to exhibit at RHS Hampton and Wentworth
The garden centre group has announced that it will be exhibiting for the first time at RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival and the inaugural RHS Flower Show Wentworth Woodhouse.
Design
Foster + Partners win contest for national memorial to Elizabeth II
Lord Norman Foster’s design team won the competition to design the new Queen Elizabeth II memorial, beating a shortlist which included Tom Stuart-Smith.
Business
UK and EU horticulture and floriculture outline support for SPS negotiation
Horticultural Trades Association and Union Fleurs to attend joint meetings of Domestic Advisory Groups (DAG) and Civil Society Forums (CSF) to ensure the needs of the horticulture and floriculture sectors are addressed in SPS negotiations.
Trees & Shrubs
Robin Hood Oak receives emergency watering
Threatened by lack of rain and current heatwave, the 1,000-year-old Robin Hood Oak in Sherwood Forest has received 3,000 litres of emergency watering.
Book Releases
Business
Glee 2025: An update
With 360 exhibitors confirmed to date, the trade show announces growth in terms of visitor registrations, new and existing exhibitors.
People
Gardening activist, Sara Venn has died
Community gardener, activist and founder of Edible Bristol, Sara Venn has died after a long battle with cancer.
Exhibitions
Buzz & Hum & Wing & Song
Inspired by the Tess Taylor poem ‘Solstice’ (2015), a new exhibition featuring works by artists such as Endellion Lycett-Green and Marie Elisabeth Merlin, evokes themes of nature, time and the changing seasons.
Gardens
RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival: Healer’s Hollow
Delving into the history of our connection with plants, the RHS Feature Garden at the upcoming RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, celebrates the tradition of plants for purpose and benefits for health and wellbeing.
Gardens
Statues stolen from the Iford Manor Estate
Four bronze statues have been reported stolen from the grounds of historic Iford Manor and garden, near Bradford upon Avon.
Trees & Shrubs
Baobab tree in bloom at the Eden Project
Believed to be a UK first, a baobab tree in the Rainforest Biome at the Eden Project in Cornwall is in flower.
Business
Standout spring sales for UK garden centres
Latest data from the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) Market Update for May 2025 revealed continued strong performance for gardener centres with consumer opting to spend on their gardens.
Environment
Rising likelihood of longer and hotter UK heatwaves
New study Met Office scientists detailed the increasing likelihood of extreme temperatures in the UK, revealing that the chance of exceeding 40°C in the UK is accelerating at pace.
Business
August GIMA Buyer Connect: Wickes
GIMA announced that the home improvement retailer, Wickes will be joining their 2025 Buyer Connect programme.
Awards
Frank P Matthews wins HTA New Plants Award
At the 2025 HTA National Plant Show, the tree nursery won the HTA New Plants Award and was also awarded the Visitor Vote.
Events
Detail personified: The Artisan Plant Market at Landgoed De Wiersse
Inspired by the late Bingerden’s Nursery Days and the Great Dixter plant fairs, the Artisan Plant Market at De Wiersse Estate in the Netherlands, has become a notable diary entry for plant lovers.
Charity
Dobbies’ fundraising walk raises £4k for Alzheimer’s Research UK
Staff from Dobbies Central Support Office completed a 25-mile fundraising raising £4,150 for national charity partner, Alzheimer’s Research UK.
Marketing
Flower Council of Holland rebrands to become Plants & Flowers Foundation Holland
Representing growers and traders, the renamed, Plants & Flowers Foundation Holland promotes the Dutch horticulture sector to attract attention to flowers and plants from European consumers.
