The Garden Centre Association (GCA) has announced the names of the finalist garden centres in its Ruxley Rose competition.
The garden centres with the top scores in the spring bedding and hardy nursery stock categories from the GCA’s spring inspections have now been put through for autumn judging.
GCA chief executive Iain Wylie said: “Our four inspectors visited our member garden centres throughout the spring and the plant scores from their inspections determined the 20 finalists to go through to the autumn competition. Now the Ruxley Rose judge, Roger Crookes, will visit these centres again in September. Plants are the key differential category for garden centres in spring; he will be keen to see how garden centres are pushing sales.”
Iain continued: “Plants are still an essential part of our members’ offerings and takings and autumn is a key planting time. Our inspectors encourage garden centres to have living labels, to colour theme stock and to maximise on their plant expertise among many other things.
“Nationally the top 10 centres in both the Garden Centre (GC) and Destination Garden Centre (DGC) categories will be revisited in September and Roger will look at how our members are continuing to promote and sell plants during the autumn selling season.”
The finalists in the Garden Centre category are:
- Cowell’s Garden Centre in the North East
- Creative Gardens Donaghadee in Northern Ireland
- Fairways Garden Centre – Ashbourne in the Midlands
- Garden Wise (Dumfries) Ltd in Scotland
- Planters at Bretby Ltd in the Midlands
- Squires Garden Centre – Cobham in South Thames
- Squires Garden Centre – Milford in South Thames
- Sunshine Garden Centre in North Thames
- Thompson’s Plant & Garden Centre – Newchurch in South Thames
- Thompson’s Plant & Garden Centre – Welling in South Thames.
The finalists in the Destination Garden Centre category are:
- Barton Grange Garden Centre in the North West
- Bents Garden & Home in the North West
- Burston Rose and Garden Centre in North Thames
- Coolings Nurseries in South Thames
- Haskins Garden Centre – Southampton in South Thames
- Newbridge Nurseries in South Thames
- Perrywood Garden Centre & Nurseries Ltd in North Thames
- Simpsons Garden Centre in Scotland
- Squires Garden Centre – Twickenham in North Thames
- Stewarts Christchurch in South Thames.
Iain added: “Congratulations to those garden centres and their teams and good luck and best wishes to them all for the next stage of the judging process.”
The two winners (GC and DGC) will be announced and presented with their trophies at the annual GCA Conference which is being held in St. Andrews, from January 22 until 25 2017.
