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Huge queues have accumulated outside of garden centers this morning as they were given the green light to reopen as closing restrictions were reduced.
For the first time in weeks, buyers were allowed to leave their homes to search for plants, on the condition that companies adhere to the guidelines of social distancing.
In Sussex, a long line of people was seen meandering around the parking lot of a garden center that has not been open since March.
Similarly, green-finger enthusiasts descended on the Loddon Garden Center in Hampshire.
This week, the government announced it would ease some of the strictest blocking rules in England, but people have been warned to be careful not to expose themselves or others to the killer bug.
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Boyd Douglas-Davies, President of the Horticultural Business Association (HTA) He told the BBC: “As an industry, we have probably missed the best spring that any of us can remember.”
Douglas-Davies said a grower had to throw away 450 million young plants because there was nowhere to sell them.
And he warned: “Some plants will be in short supply and some plants will simply not appear this spring. There will be a different look in gardens this summer.”
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There will be a limit on the number of people who can enter at once, customers must stay two meters away, and cafes in stores and gaming areas will not be able to open.
There will be screens to protect staff at checkouts, and payment is likely to be by card only.
Garden centers in Scotland will remain closed for the foreseeable future.
(Image: Adam Gerrard / Daily Mirror)
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While DIY stores like B&Q and Homebase were able to open during the shutdown, garden centers were not considered essential retailers.
Earlier this month, television outfielder Alan Titchmarsh was among those calling for a rethink.
He said, “I can’t see any reason why garden centers shouldn’t trade in plants as long as they observe the same social distancing precautions as supermarkets, especially since most of their stocks will be outdoors.”
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Since March 23, when Boris Johnson brought the unprecedented blockade to prevent the spread of Covid-19, nonessential companies were told they must shut down.
But on Sunday, the Prime Minister announced that the restrictions would be reduced, and employees who cannot work from home would be encouraged to return to work if it is safe to do so.
Garden centers in Scotland remain closed, but authorities this morning said this is under review.
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Scottish government official Gerry Saddler said necessary “building blocks” are being installed to allow the garden centers to reopen.
He told MSPs on Holyrood’s Rural Economy Committee: “All of the preparatory work is currently underway and we are almost ready to start as soon as it is safe to open the garden centers.”
SNP MSP Christine Grahame argued that gardening can benefit people’s physical and mental health during the lockdown, adding: “I hope the government thinks about this again because we are not just talking about garden centers, we are talking about plant providers and the health and well-being for many, many people for whom that is their only way out while locked up. “
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