EVERYTHING in the garden's rosy for Evesham Garden Centre after it won 15 awards at the Garden Centre Association Awards held at Stratford Garden Centre.

The business on Evesham Country Park took 11 awards of merit, two Midland area awards, a highly commended award and reached the finals of the Ruxley Rose competition.

Garden centre manager Andrew Knowles said: "I am thrilled. The awards won are a great achievement for the centre. As plants are at the heart of our business, we are especially proud of the awards won for our plant area. We pride ourselves on offering the best customer service, presentation and products for our customers. To be recognised as a standout centre in our region is an honour."

The awards of merit are based on the percentage scored in the centre’s audit per department and represent good practice and standards throughout each department. The awards won for merit were for everything from catering and hardy plants to customer service points and the centre's website. There were Midland area awards for best indoor lifestyle, best outdoor living and best plant area in the Midlands. In addition, Evesham Garden Centre also won a highly commended award for overall inspection. It scored more than 80 per cent in the review based on the centre as a whole.

The centre, which is part of the Blue Diamond Garden Centre Group, also made national finalists in the Ruxley Rose competition. The winner of this is hailed as the best plant area in the UK. The centre will be visited in September by the Ruxley Rose judge and the winner will be announced at the GCA Winter Conference at The Grand Hotel in Brighton next January.