Peter Burks, the CEO of the Garden Centre Association, is a fully trained horticulturalist and has worked in directorial and senior management positions for garden centres nationwide for more than 40 years.

Peter has a degree in horticulture from the University of Bath and is very well known in the industry.

His family also has an extensive background in horticulture. Peter ran garden centres with his parents until they retired and three other members of the Burks family work in the industry too.

He helped to set up and went on to run the multi award-winning Sanders Garden World in Somerset for more than 10 years. The garden centre was named as GCA ‘Garden Centre of Year’ twice during this period.

Peter then became Regional Manager for the south west for Wyevale Garden Centres, before taking on the role of General Manager for Trelawney’s in Cornwall, and managing Fermoys Garden Centre in Devon, which is part of the Blue Diamond group of garden centres.

The GCA represents more than 200 garden centres nationwide.

Through sharing information and its inspection programme the GCA helps members to achieve high standards in customer service, plant quality and reliability.