What a wretched contrast to the start of the garden retail season in 2011 this season's opening has proved to be. This time last year, industry stalwarts such as Peter Seabrook were hailing the best ever spring for retail sales for 50 years.
In this, the careers edition of Horticulture Week, it is only fitting that we should have as the subject of our main interview Des Smith, who landed one of the biggest roles in horticulture when he became head gardener for the Olympic Park gardens two years ago.
For the past four years, our columnist Dr Ken Cockshull of Warwick University's crop centre has kept readers up to date with the latest findings from horticultural research published in scientific journals through his Research Matters column. He has covered a vast array of crops, targeting subjects...
Summing up perfectly the anger and frustration felt by landscapers and their suppliers across the hosepipe ban-hit regions this week, Palmstead Nurseries sales and marketing manager Nick Coslett spells out the situation thus: "Water companies have made a dogs's mess of the restrictions, saying 'yes'...
After the nightmare that the hosepipe bans of 2006 unleashed on parts of the garden sector, the news that drip-watering systems are to be exempted at three of the seven water companies that have announced similar bans this week, is very welcome indeed.
Congratulations to the winners of the Grower of the Year Awards 2012, announced at last week's evening of celebration of the outstanding achievements of so many businesses and individuals from the production horticulture community.
A pledge by environment secretary Caroline Spelman to the delegation from the All-Party Parliamentary Gardening & Horticulture Group to look again at the seemingly discarded issue within Defra of applied research for the ornamentals sector is welcome news.
In our industry preview for 2012, Willerby Landscapes' John Melmoe concurs with colleagues across many sectors of horticulture that next year will prove a difficult one, whether in the private, commercial or public arenas.
In its "rationale for action" on the use of peat in England, published alongside June's Natural Environment white paper, Defra's Impact Assessement is quite explicit about the link between its decision to pursue policy in this area and the EU Habitats Directive.
Congratulations to Majestic Trees, which picked up the silver rose in this year's International Grower of the Year competition.
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