Well-known landscape gardener, designer and broadcaster Bunny Guinness is backing the campaign to reopen garden centres to help save the horticultural industry.

Bunny first designed a show garden for Chelsea Flower Show in 1994. She won a gold medal for her Wind in the Willows garden for children and has now designed a total of nine show gardens winning six gold medals.

Following award-winning gardener Peter Seabrook's OPEN LETTER to the Prime Minister urging him to lift the restrictions over garden centres for the Bank Holiday, Bunny said in a statement:

"Britain is the bellwether of gardening. Please don't let COVID-19 virus kill our huge horticultural industry.

"Buying plants/products for the garden is one of the very few items you can buy that actually encourages you to stay at home.

"Now it's a brilliant opportunity to garden - the more people that discover the huge benefits of gardening the better!

"It must be promoted especially as visits to nurseries and garden centres can be done safely.

"Much of the stock will be totally lost and so recovery will be painfully slow if at all. Not all staff can be furloughed so there is a presence that can be utilised.

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"If more of the nation latched onto the creative, planet saving and fitness benefits of this amazing activity then at least there could be one good thing that comes out of this disaster."