Garden centre sales in the first three months of 2013 plummeted by over a quarter compared to the first three months of 2012, with the cold weather keeping gardeners away.
New figures released by Barclaycard show first-quarter garden centre sales down by 25.7%, March suffering the most with year-on-year sales down by 38%.

As the bitter conditions continued, the first two weeks of April also saw lower spending. But when spring finally arrived, the second two weeks saw spending grow significantly, leading to an overall 8.5% increase for the month.

The east of England enjoyed the strongest garden centre spend growth in April, 18%, followed by London, 13%. Scotland, however, was down 10.6%, reflecting the extremely cold weather there in April.

The rally in spending has also continued into May, with sales during the first week of the month up by an encouraging 70% on the same week last year.

A Barclaycard spokesperson said: "Happily timed with the start of the Chelsea Flower Show, garden centres will be relieved to see the sun again and consumer spending rise. While the unseasonably cold weather has kept visitors away and gardeners indoors, our latest figures show they have returned with the warmer weather, and are now making up for lost time."