Garden centre sales are 13% up based on the calendar year to May 2019 vs 2018, according to the June 2019 issue of HTA Market Update published last week.

Houseplant sales remained strong in May, but sales of garden and outdoor ranges suffered in the wet weather. A wetter and cooler May meant garden centre sales were down on last year for the month of May, however a strong start to 2019 means sales remain up for year to May comparisons.

Houseplants saw the highest increase at +22% for the calendar year to May, followed by growing media at +21% and hardy plants +15%.

HTA director of membership, Martin Simmons commented: "May 2019 was considerably wetter and colder than May of last year across most of the UK; recording the highest number of rain days and coldest temperatures for the month of May since 2015. The good news is that the strong start we’ve had to 2019 so far has meant that sales are still ahead for the year to date. The extra hours of sunshine we’ve experienced in recent weeks is likely to have had a positive impact in encouraging more people to get back outside to enjoy their gardens and stock up on plants and products.”

This issue looks at garden centre sales, overall market performance and features a trend of the month focusing on the growing number of people working from home and the opportunities this could bring for the garden industry.

The June edition of HTA Market Update is now available free for members to download from the HTA website, by logging in and then going to the Market Information pages at https://hta.org.uk/learn-develop/market-information.html