Blue Diamond Shifts to Drought-Resistant Plants After Heatwaves Cut Sales 25%

Blue Diamond, Britain's largest garden centre chain, will expand its range of drought-tolerant plant varieties after record summer heatwaves caused plant sales to fall 25%, managing director Alan Roper told The Telegraph. Roper cited hydrangeas, begonias and rhododendrons as popular plants struggling in the heat, with gardeners shifting toward varieties such as perovskia, or Russian sage. The chain, which operates more than 50 garden centres, reported like-for-like sales up just 1.6% in the first half. The UK recorded its hottest summer on record, with five heatwaves and 40 days above 30C; government climate advisers project British summers could be 1.6 degrees warmer and 13% drier by 2050. Blue Diamond offset the plant slump with garden furniture demand and a 17.7% jump in restaurant sales. Overall sales rose 12.5% to £216m in the six months to the end of June, with pre-tax profits up 16% to £24m.