GARDEN centres are having to respond to the current hose pipe ban as certain plants wither and die in the parched soil. Jo Richardson, store manager at the Van Hage Garden Company in Bragbury End, Stevenage, believes that although the hosepipe ban does ha

GARDEN centres are having to respond to the current hose pipe ban as certain plants wither and die in the parched soil.

Jo Richardson, store manager at the Van Hage Garden Company in Bragbury End, Stevenage, believes that although the hosepipe ban does have an effect on some products it creates opportunities for others. She said: "We are focusing on drought tolerant products. Things such as containers are doing well as they require less water. Watering cans are also doing well. As one door closes another opens."

Van Hage's resident horticulturist Benjamin Abeleven recommends shrubs over herbaceous plants in dry conditions, for example Euonymus, also known as spindle, a medium size shrub with many varieties.