Welsh growers and garden retailers say they need a miracle, like that said to have been performed by the nation’s patron saint, if they are to weather the storm of a second springtime lockdown.
First Minister Mark Drakeford is set to review current restrictions on Friday in Wales and even though coronavirus case rates are down and the figures associated with the roll-out of the vaccine across Wales are encouraging, many fear that things won’t change a great deal on Friday.
The key dates of St David’s Day (March 1) and Mother’s Day (March 14) are just weeks away and Welsh members of the sector’s trade body, the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA), said ministers should fully recognise the unique nature of the industry’s supply chain and take the huge contribution to people’s health and wellbeing made by plants and gardening into consideration.