HOSING IT DOWN
AFTER a cold start to the season, which dampened Spring mower sales, the grass is now growing like fury in warm, wet conditions.  As ever, it’s not the economy but ‘the weather stupid’. Sometimes the season is all but over by that bell-weather event, Chelsea Flower Show, this year it virtually marked the start of the real season. Looking back, in 1990 the season ‘died’ after a wet April. Five years later in 1995 saw the wettest start to the year in 50 years, which was followed by drought conditions March to June, and a scorching summer lasting to September. Ten years ago, in June 2006, the country was in the grip of a drought with a widespread hosepipe ban which decimated sales, along with a further hosepipe ban to be repeated in the spring of 2012. So the barbecues may be soggy but the lawns are verdant, looking a picture – and need to be cut regularly.     

ON LAND, SEA AND AIR
BEFORE the pause in the EU debate after the tragic shooting of Jo Cox MP yesterday, the voice of the farming community or indeed rural opinions have been largely drowned out. However, freed from the shackles of office, former AEA ceo Rear Admiral Roger Lane Nott, a committed ‘Brexiteer’, appeared on the Nick Ferrari morning radio show on LBC this week supporting the role of NATO and warning against the prospect of an EU army, navy and airforce. “NATO has kept the peace since the last World War not the EU,” he said.

SHED LIFE
Interesting times in ‘shed-land’. Today, Tesco has finally sold its Dobbies garden centre chain. Not to Wyevale as expected but to an investor group. Meanwhile Waitrose, with a strong home grown heritage and its own farms is  targeting the gardening market more vigorously with the launch of its own garden magazine and online TV gardening channel hosted by Alan Titchmarsh. Meanwhile expect Aussie-style aggressive retailing from Wesfarmers when they complete the revamp of their newly acquired Homebase stores into its Bunnings brand.  

HOWZAT?
Cricket and grass machinery go well together. Down in Devon, Hayes Garden Machinery are this year's sponsor of the North Devon Cricket League which carries their company branding, whilst in the south of the county, Devon Garden Machinery have recently helped a facilitate a funding deal from environmental company, Viridor, resulting in the supply of £15,000 of new machinery to Abbotskerswell Cricket Club.