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Comment from Horticulture Week writers, columnists and industry experts.
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According to Hewson... responsible 'neonics' use should continue
24 May 2013Unless you've been on another planet, you'll be familiar with the word "neonicotinoids" - they've been all over the news, alongside UKIP and their cheery leader Nigel Farage.
Engagement key to plant health
24 May 2013With concerns over the threat from new pests and disease outbreaks at their height thanks to ash dieback, environment secretary Owen Paterson could hardly fail to win plaudits by pledging - as he did at Chelsea this week - to make plant health a prio...
Seabrook On ... how procedures still rankle at Chelsea show
24 May 2013An application to take space at the Chelsea Flower Show is akin to asking to be put on the rack, and every year it is as if the screw is given another good turn!
Backing horticulture skills
10 May 2013With UK horticulture about to get its biggest publicity boost of the year thanks to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, there can be no better time to celebrate the incredibly diverse career opportunities open to those entering the industry.
Kate Lowe
Top 100 charts major changes
26 April 2013In early 2010, buoyed by a "best ever" Christmas trading period, Tesco-owned garden centre group Dobbies reiterated its plans to expand from 25 to 100 stores within the next eight years. As we noted at the time, Dobbies' statement was a reminder of t...
Parks teams deserve better
29 March 2013The shock, anger and dismay with which the news of the demise of the last remaining dedicated body representing parks in England has been met should not be underestimated. And it must not be ignored.
Steve Smith
Surveillance reveals extent of skills gap
29 November 2012The loss of millions of pounds and hundreds of skilled staff will have a devastating long-term effect on parks and landscapes. This, together with the merging of parks and street scene services, caused me many sleepless nights before I retired from O...
Smith On ... Lobbying for support for parks campaign
14 September 2012On 14 September, I will be meeting my MP, Andrew Gwynne (Labour). He was elected in Denton & Reddish following the retirement of Andrew Bennett MP (Labour). It was the latter who chaired the Department of the Environment, Transport & Regional Affairs...
Leslie Kossoff
Kossoff On ... An underused and undervalued resource
26 April 2013More than half the population and the workforce. More than half the higher-education degrees conferred. More than 70 per cent of the buying decisions. The largest single sector of small business growth and development. Yet only a small percentage of ...
Kossoff on...An underused and undervalued resource
18 April 2013More than half the population and the workforce. More than half the higher-education degrees conferred. More than 70 per cent of the buying decisions.
David Domoney
Domoney's design ideas - turn your garden centre into a "destination"
22 July 2011Spending a little to create eye-catching displays can boost sales and turn your garden centre into a "destination", maintains David Domoney.
Guy Moreton
Building sector career confidence
01 June 2012Terra Firma's purchase of the Garden Centre Group highlights job opportunities, says Guy Moreton.
Training stays key in tough times
01 March 2012In recession, investing in the best people is vital, says Guy Moreton.
Neville Stein
Stein On ... Take responsibility by staying in control
25 November 2011Over the years there have been some fantastic speakers at HTA conferences.
Stein On - Innovation is key to surviving recession
02 September 2011In my last comment column (HW, 22 July), I challenged the received wisdom that garden centres are recession proof.
Professor Geoff Dixon
Dixon on ...Collaboration must run from field to fork
04 April 2013Too many messages. That is how outsiders view horticulture. "Lack of focus on the big picture" is frequently the summary of horticulture made by politicians and civil servants. There are too many sectors with their own agendas. That produces failures...
Dixon on...Vital asset demands careful husbandry
24 January 2013Soil is field and green-space horticulture's most valuable living asset. Like many natural assets, it is ill-treated. Last year's weather brought record levels of flooding and waterlogging.
Peter Seabrook
According To Seabrook ... Chelsea brand provides a boost for sales
10 May 2013Ten plants have now been chosen from the many hundreds of novelties launched at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show over the past 100 years.
According To Seabrook ... Colour sells when it comes to gardens
12 April 2013Walking the 15km of pathways through the Keukenhof Park in Holland on its 64th opening last month, it was hard to imagine in the course of eight weeks' opening some 900,000 visitors from 100 countries.
Andrew Hewson
Hewson on....Why prices for ornamentals should go up
07 March 2013Ash is in its dormant season and the amount of horsemeat finding its way into cheap lasagne has diverted press attention from Chalara.
Hewson on...Staff deserve respect as well as fair pay
04 January 2013Every now and then something comes along that tests the rigour of my political leaning, such as the current proposal to abolish the Agricultural Wages Board (AWB).
According To Hewson ... Best efforts needed to control ash crisis
06 December 2012Much has been written and said about ash dieback and more will doubtless follow.
Doug Stewart
Council sets park strategy
10 February 2012Oxford City Council has published a draft green space strategy for 2012-26 that aims to ensure people do not have to walk further than 1,900m to their nearest large park, 750m to a medium-sized park and 400m to a small park. This standard will be app...
Make garden centre catering special
01 January 2011Traditional comfort food remains popular, but some customers want something special, says Doug Stewart.
Jeremy Barrell
According To Barrell ... We must all act to support conservation
29 March 2013Centuries of industrialisation desolated swathes of Britain, but toxicity can be cleaned up and nature has a remarkable ability to recover from abuse.
According To Barrell ... Will standard spark a marketing frenzy?
18 January 2013All professionals involved in growing and planting trees should be aware that 2013 will reveal their first sight of the draft BS 8545: From Nursery to Independence in the Landscape. It will be published by the British Standards Institution (BSI). The...
Noel Farrer
Farrer on...Downing Street garden worth every penny
02 May 2013The garden at Number 10 Downing Street has offered a glimpse behind the famous door for many years.
Tim Edwards
Edwards On ... Grown-up trade copes with tough issues
18 January 2013Looking back, 2012 looks anything but normal. It started so dry, drought seemed inevitable. Then the rain came.
Edwards on...Economic sense in green-space funding
18 October 2012The private sector is nervous about spending money. Some say the Government should fill the gap, but others argue further cuts are needed to put right the country's finances.
Blogs
Additional Information
Latest jobs Jobs web feed
- Sales / IT assistant Big Plant Nursery Ltd Dependent on Experience , West Sussex
- Head Gardener National Trust £36,000 per annum, Bodnant Garden, Tal-y-Cafn, Colwyn Bay, Conwy
- Head / Graduate Gardener Large Residential Property Depending on Experience, Essex
- Horticulture Vocational Work Based Assessor SLIC Training Up to £24000 + 30p per mile travel, Westfield Health Scheme, Mobile Phone, Laptop, Dongle, Travel to other areas may be required
- Sales Account Manager: Amenity Divison Hillier Nurseries Salary commensurate with experience, Northern Sector
In This Issue
NEWS: Relief as better weather fuels plant sales rise
PLANT FOCUS - Magnolia
BUYERS' GUIDE - Paving, walling and fencing
GARDEN RETAIL - Top 100 Garden Centres
SARGENT'S SOLUTIONS - How to manage a growing project
LAWN CARE - High hopes for seed sales
INTERVIEW - Graham Spencer, founder, Plants for Europe
