Ruxley Rose garden centre finalists announced

We have announced today (August 15, 2016) the names of the finalist garden centres in our Ruxley Rose competition.

The garden centres with the top scores in the spring bedding and hardy nursery stock categories from our spring inspections have now been put through for autumn judging.

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.

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.

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 our annual conference which is being held in St. Andrews, from January 22 until 25, 2017.

We’ve announced our area award winners

We have recently revealed our area award winners during presentations held at member garden centres.

Awards were presented to garden centres in the North Thames, North West, South Thames, Wales & West, Midlands and North East regions with the winners in Scotland and Northern Ireland to be announced on August 31.

During each presentation evening inspectors for each area announced their findings after carrying out their inspections earlier in the year, highlighting best practice and new ideas as well as revealing the area winners in the two categories: Destination Garden Centre (DGC) and Garden Centre (GC).

We would like to say a huge congratulations to all of the winners and a big ‘thank you’ to The Old Railway Line Garden Centre, Tong Garden Centre, RHS Wisley, Thurrock Garden Centre and Pennells Garden Centre – Lincoln for playing hosts for the various events.

The results from the inspections form the basis for many of the national GCA awards, which will be presented at next year’s conference, which is in St. Andrews from January 22 until 25.

The final area awards evening for Scotland and Northern Ireland will take place on Wednesday, August 31 at Creative Gardens Galgorm Castle.

The full list of winners in the area awards are:

North Thames:

• Garden Centre of the Year – Burston Garden Centre (DGC) and Sunshine Garden Centre (GC)
• Best Creativity and Innovation – Burston Garden Centre (DGC) and Squires Garden Centre – Twickenham (GC)
• Most Improved Centre – Frosts at Millets Farm
• Best Customer Service – Aylett Nurseries
• Best Garden Products Retailer – Burston Garden Centre (DGC) and Squires Garden Centre – Shepperton (GC)
• Best Garden Centre Restaurant – Poplars Garden Centre (DGC), Frosts at Woburn Sands (DGC), Frosts at Willington (DGC), Thurrock Garden Centre (GC), Squires Garden Centre – Shepperton (GC)
• Best Outdoor Living Retailer – Van Hage Garden Company – Great Amwell (DGC) and Sunshine Garden Centre (GC)
• Best Indoor Lifestyle Retailer – Burford Garden Company (DGC) and Squires Garden Centre – Shepperton (GC)
• Best Environmental Practice – Burston Garden Centre.

North West:

• Garden Centre of the Year – Bents Garden and Home (DGC) and Fron Goch Garden Centre (GC)
• Best Creativity and Innovation – Bents Garden and Home
• Most Improved Centre – Gordale Garden Centre
• Best Customer Service – Barton Grange Garden Centre
• Best Garden Products Retailer – Barton Grange Garden Centre (DGC) and Klondyke Daleside Garden Centre (GC)
• Best Garden Centre Restaurant – Bents Garden and Home (DGC) and Fron Goch Garden Centre (GC)
• Best Outdoor Living Retailer – Bents Garden and Home (DGC) and Fron Goch Garden Centre (GC)
• Best Indoor Lifestyle Retailer – Barton Grange Garden Centre (DGC) and Fairways Garden Centre Macclesfield (GC) and Burleydam Garden Centre (GC)
• Best Environmental Practice – Gordale Garden Centre.

South Thames:

• Garden Centre of the Year – Stewarts Christchurch (DGC) and Squires Garden Centre – Milford (GC)
• Best Creativity and Innovation – Haskins Garden Centre – Southampton
• Most Improved Centre – The Wisley Plant Centre
• Best Customer Service – Stewarts Christchurch
• Best Garden Products Retailer – Haskins Roundstone Garden Centre (DGC) and Squires Garden Centre – Milford (GC)
• Best Garden Centre Restaurant – Haskins Garden Centre – Ferndown (DGC) and Knights Plant and Life – Godstone (GC)
• Best Outdoor Living Retailer – Stewarts Christchurch (DGC) and Squires Garden Centre – Milford (GC)
• Best Indoor Lifestyle Retailer – Haskins Roundstone Garden Centre (DGC), Squires Garden Centre – Badshot Lea (DGC), Squires Garden Centre – Milford (GC) and Blackbrooks Garden Centre (GC)
• Best Environmental Practice – The Wisley Plant Centre.

Wales & West:

• Garden Centre of the Year – Monkton Elm Garden & Pet Centre (DGC) and The Old Railway Line Nursery and Garden Centre (GC)
• Best Creativity and Innovation – Whitehall Garden Centre – Lacock
• Most Improved Centre – Hillier Garden Centre – Bath
• Best Customer Service – The Old Railway Line Nursery and Garden Centre
• Best Garden Products Retailer – Monkton Elm Garden & Pet Centre (DGC) and The Old Railway Line Nursery and Garden Centre (GC)
• Best Garden Centre Restaurant – Monkton Elm Garden & Pet Centre (DGC) and RHS Rosemoor Plant Centre and Shop (GC)
• Best Outdoor Living Retailer – Bernaville Nurseries (DGC) and Hillier Garden Centre – Bath (GC)
• Best Indoor Lifestyle Retailer – Monkton Elm Garden & Pet Centre (DGC) and Hillier Garden Centre – Bath
• Best Environmental Practice – Whitehall Garden Centre – Lacock.

Midlands:

• Garden Centre of the Year – Pennells Garden Centre – Lincoln (DGC) and Fairways Garden Centre – Ashbourne (GC)
• Best Creativity and Innovation – Planters Garden Centre – Tamworth
• Most Improved Centre – Langlands Garden Centre – Loxley
• Best Customer Service – Fairways Garden Centre – Ashbourne
• Best Garden Products Retailer – Van Hage – Peterborough (DGC) and Fairways Garden Centre – Ashbourne (GC)
• Best Garden Centre Restaurant – Planters Garden Centre – Tamworth (DGC) and Blue Diamond Chatsworth Garden Centre (GC)
• Best Outdoor Living Retailer – Brigg Garden Centre (DGC) and Fairways Garden Centre – Ashbourne (GC)
• Best Indoor Lifestyle Retailer – Blue Diamond Evesham Garden Centre (DGC) and Fairways Garden Centre – Ashbourne (GC)
• Best Environmental Practice – Planters at Bretby.

North East:

• Garden Centre of the Year – Langlands Garden Centre – Shiptonthorpe (DGC) and Cowell’s Garden Centre (GC)
• Best Creativity and Innovation – Cowell’s Garden Centre
• Most Improved Centre – Klondyke Stokesley Garden Centre
• Best Customer Service – Cowell’s Garden Centre
• Best Garden Products Retailer – Langlands Garden Centre – Shiptonthorpe (DGC) and Cowell’s Garden Centre
• Best Garden Centre Restaurant – Langlands Garden Centre – Shiptonthorpe (DGC) and Klondyke Stokesley Garden Centre (GC)
• Best Outdoor Living Retailer – Langlands Garden Centre – Shiptonthorpe (DGC) and Klondyke Beverley Garden Centre (GC)
• Best Indoor Lifestyle Retailer – Langlands Garden Centre – Shiptonthorpe (DGC) and Klondyke Northallerton Garden Centre (GC)
• Best Environmental Practice – Cowell’s Garden Centre and Langlands Garden Centre – Shiptonthorpe.