Helen Scott of Malcolm Scott Consultants Ltd reports that the government issued a new Planning Policy Statement on Climate Change at the tail-end of last year. 

The UK economy is set for a rocky year ahead, but 58 per cent of garden centres companies look surprisingly well placed to benefit, according to leading market analysts Plimsoll Publishing.

Three key employees at Notcutts garden centre in London Road, Bagshot received their long service gold watches from company chairman, Charles Notcutt.

Byotrol plc, the anti-microbial technology company, has appointed John Nash as a sales consultant responsible for progressing sales of its revolutionary Clearway product range.

Turnover at the four south coast located centres owned by the Haskins Garden Centre group was boosted by good sales results in December. Combined December sales at the centres at Ferndown, Southampton, Worthing and Crawley increased by seven per cent. That ensured that the group's annual turnover in just the 10 months of their current financial year has risen 11 per cent to £26.5 million.

Around 2,479 visitors braved the elements to attend the DIY & Garden Show and Totally Tools at Earls Court in London. Although more visitors attended the shows in 2007, Brintex is pleased to report that a record number of key buyers made it to Earls Court 2.

Over the next 12 months the team at specialist gardening PR agency, Paskett PR, will look at all of the elements that go into effective communication. They group together under the general heading "Public Relations". Whether you handle this work in-house, use an outside specialist - or do nothing at all - the monthly tips and guidelines will serve to help your company communicate its main message more efficiently.

The Pesticide Safety Directorate has announced a decision to withdraw approval for the sale of the popular insecticide rotenone, more commonly known as derris.

Glee, the annual showcase for the latest in garden retail, from garden care and landscaping to nursery and home and gifts, is proud to confirm its support of the Garden Centre Association (GCA) by becoming an associate sponsor of this year's highly anticipated GCA Conference (January 20/23 2008), in Manchester.

Decorative landscaping materials manufacturer StoneFlair has appointed Olly Alldritt as territory sales manager. He will be responsible for coordinating sales activity in the Midlands and the South East.

Kettler (GB) Limited is one of the major garden furniture companies that will be exhibiting at Solex 2008. 

Enquiries from garden centres to stock Dancing Bee gardening DVDs continue to fly in following the company's best ever Glee exhibition.

New self-contained fountains, planters and birdbaths are among the 31 new creations launched by Henri Studio for the 2008 season. 

We are all encouraged to eat more healthily these days, and have a diet which is low in fat and calories. Although good news for humans a low calorie diet for wild birds would mean we saw a lot less of them in our gardens ...

After recently announcing the launch of the "Alfer" range of metal and plastic profiles for the DIY markets, Rothley launched yet another new range of products at the DIY & Garden Show 2008.

Johnson's announce the introduction of pre-biotic pet odour tablets suitable for dogs and cats.

Last year proved to be another successful year for Tetra, a global leader in fish food, treatments and equipment. However, Chris Nickson, Marketing Manager for Tetra UK, believes that there is huge potential in the market that we are still not grasping.

The UK pest control industry is in a state of flux, with ever changing regulations on active chemical ingredients and global warming changing the habits of the country's creepy-crawlies. Meanwhile, everyone wants to grow their own fruit and vegetables organically without sharing the spoils with garden pests. Never before has the role of the garden centre been so important in advising customers on the best solutions for safely and humanely protecting their plants.

Scotts Miracle-Gro is launching a range of insecticides under the BugClear ULTRA brand name that gives contact and long lasting systemic control of vine weevil, scale insects, lily beetle, red spider mite, leaf miner and thrips as well as the usual whitefly, aphids, caterpillars and beetles.

Our infamous SEER® Rockdust®, the totally natural product being found, time and again, to produce: bigger and healthier crops with better flavour, longer shelf life and with both better pest and drought resistance for the full life cycle of the plant, is now available as a handy pocket pouch sized sachet. A 450gm bag that is just great for top-ups, trials and gifts. This now means that your customers can try the product on small areas, houseplants and sections of spent ground in their greenhouses for instance, and see the results before committing to larger sizes.

Bayer Garden has added several new ranges to its exciting portfolio of garden care products. New for 2008 is the Advanced Mosskiller which controls moss and algae on hard surfaces such as drives, patios, decking, walls, fencing and roofs.  The fast acting formula contains a naturally occurring active ingredient, is rainproof within one hour of application and leaves no stains. 

William Sinclair Holdings PLC has announced the acquisition of Joseph Metcalf Ltd who supply the "Gem" brand of horticultural products. William Sinclair is an award winning horticultural business with a turnover of £38m. It has operated in the horticultural market since 1850 and now provides products to the retail and commercial sectors.

Collection and retention of rainwater is a prime element in the "green" future for the gardening industry, but also for sustainable living. That's why Room for a View, famous for their international selling Finia^TM water reservoirs, have expanded their product range to include Water Butts.

Maxicrop Original seaweed extract has long been a firm favourite with keen gardeners and commercial growers - for both conventional and organic growing - according to Maxicrop's Marketing Director, Shane Deaville.

Following its 2006 launch of the Vital Earth and Genie ranges of organic, peat free garden feeds and soil improvers, all made by recycling garden waste and blending it with naturally produced nutrients, Vital Earth has now added two new products - Rose, Tree and Shrub Compost and Tub and Basket Compost.

Yorkshire Horticultural Supplies are pleased to announce that Spread Garden Supplies Limited have agreed to distribute their range of peat-free composts.

No more kneeling, no more digging - simply "paint" your weeds with the new Weeding Brush. It's so easy to use, simply dilute any weedkiller according to the instructions on the pack and pour into the Weeding Brush tube - it holds up to 375ml of liquid. Touch the brush on the ground, the gentle pressure opens the automatic valve and supplies weedkiller to the brush head.

If your business needs a kick start after the New Year, Draper Tools Top Deals promotion is just the thing for you!

FITT®'s leadership in the sector of garden hoses has its roots in the ability to anticipate and interpret the end user's needs and, at the same time, in its continual investments in research and product innovation.

Already the leading European brand for watering, GARDENA has one of the strongest portfolios of products in the European consumer garden care market. Its comprehensive range of high quality, innovative and easy to use products for use around the home and garden are a major sales opportunity.

Belstane made its name sourcing and distributing innovative, technical products to the equestrian and fishing markets, backed up by exceptional customer service. Its growing presence in the gardening sector is testament to the success of this approach and how small, high-end brands can give independents an interesting edge over their larger competitors, emphasising their own distinct identities and offering their customers something really different.

Brutal with brambles, deadly for docks and tough on thistles, Vitax's SBK Brushwood Killer wins the war with difficult and woody weeds.