Worth a read
The value of a garden for house buyers
The Managing Director of Nicholsons, Liz Nicholson on what to look for in a garden when buying a home.
Worth a listen
Podcast: Cultivate Your Future
Raoul Curtis-Machin, Director of Horticulture and Visitor Experience at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh talks to Neville Stein on the Cultivate Your Future Podcast.
Charity
The Nature Hubs Fund
In association with Starbucks, Hubbub is offering around 50 groups up to £6,000 of funding to develop green space initiatives to provide much needed access to nature.
Plants
Sarah Raven: Putting the spotlight on shrubs and hedges
Gardening expert and author, Sarah Raven thinks hedging is an overlooked element of the garden.
Regulation
Unlimited penalties for polluters
Companies who pollute the environment can be hit with unlimited financial penalties from the Environment Agency.
Business
Industrial Energy Transformation Fund expanded to include Horticulture
The Industrial Energy Transformation (IETF) Fund is now accessible to horticulture businesses with high energy use to cut their energy bills.
Wildlife
Squirrel pox virus
The Westmorland Red Squirrel Society reported a case of squirrel pox virus at Neaum Crag in the Lake District, a reminder of the importance of bird feeder hygiene.
Local Heroes
Gardening can be very profitable…
Hermès Heir plans to leave half of his $12billion fortune to his gardener.
Environment
DEFRA: No plans to ban artificial grass
Stating a commitment to eliminating all avoidable plastic waste by 2042 and acknowledgement that artificial grass has no wildlife value, Defra has no plans to instigate a ban on plastic grass.
Artisan
Garden Museum & TOAST collaboration
British lifestyle brand TOAST and the Garden Museum have collaborated with artist Rosie Harbottle on a series of original artworks.
Local Heroes
Westland’s Community Gardening Fund
Westland Horticulture has announced a New Horizon Fund aimed to support community garden projects across the UK and Ireland in 2024.
Charity
Support helplines over Christmas
Perennial’s helpline will close at 4.30pm on Wednesday 20 December and reopen at 10.00am on Wednesday 3 January 2024.
Regulation
Review into fresh produce supply chain fairness
Government launches review into contract fairness between producers and purchasers in the edible horticulture sector to ensure a fair price and transparency in the negotiation process
Media
Joe Swift’s Country Garden
New Youtube channel by Garden designer, writer and BBC’s Gardeners’ World presenter, Joe Swift documenting his new garden in the country.
Business
Dobbies reports £130m loss
UK’s largest garden centre operator reported pre-tax losses of £130.8m, a significant decline from the £21.3m loss reported the year before.
Product Launch
Seed Pot Grow Kit
Innovative new grow-your-own seed pots with mushroom mycelium by the Caley Brothers.
Worth a read
The battle of the Stag beetle
Lucanus cervus, famous for its impressive jaws is a globally threatened species and numbers in Britain are in decline.
Regulation
Low-level offenders to plant trees to ease pressure on prisons
Offenders convicted of crimes such as drink driving and shoplifting are planting trees instead of serving short sentences in prison.
Gardens
Duke of Northumberland loses battle to develop allotments into apartments
Park Road Allotment holders in Isleworth have fought off proposals for the development of apartment complexes on the treasured site.
Media
New vice-chair Garden Media Guild
Kimberley Hornby has been appointed as vice-chair of the Garden Media Guild (GMG).
