Spring is here, and 76% of Brits cannot wait to get back to gardening, according to new research from Dobbies. For the First Day of Spring, we turned that research into a broadcast PR campaign, adding that 44% say gardening helps their mental health, with wildlife, growing your own and outdoor social spaces this year's top trends. We put Dobbies' horticultural director on air alongside a TV gardener across a radio day of interviews, positioning garden centres as the place for expert advice and inspiration. The campaign secured 12 items of radio coverage reaching 1.5 million, including BBC Radio Cornwall and BBC Radio Wiltshire.
12Items of coverage
1.5 millionCombined reach
1h 42mTime on air
Listen
BBC Radio Cornwall · 7m 02s
0:00 / 7m 02s
BBC Radio Wiltshire · 4m 06s
0:00 / 4m 06s
The story
Dobbies, First Day of Spring
The aim
Dobbies wanted to share its spring gardening research and position garden centres as the place for expert advice and inspiration.
The message
A garden centre is so much more than a shop. Dobbies has been at the centre of communities for over 150 years, offering a meeting place, the best products and expert gardening advice.
The angle
New research from Dobbies found 76% of Brits cannot wait to get back to gardening now spring is here, with 44% saying gardening helps their mental health and wildlife, growing your own and outdoor social spaces the top trends this year.
On air
Dobbies' horticultural director, alongside a TV gardener
The result
12 items of coverage reaching 1.5 million, including BBC Radio Cornwall, BBC Radio Wiltshire.
More campaigns for Dobbies
Dobbies has come back to Relations Group for other broadcast PR campaigns:
There are two first days of spring. The Met Office uses meteorological spring, which always runs from 1 March to 31 May to make weather records easy to compare. Astronomical spring starts at the equinox, when day and night are roughly equal; in 2027 that is 20 March. Stations plan their coverage of it in advance, which makes it a strong hook for a broadcast PR campaign.
Planning First Day of Spring for 2027?
Spring next begins on Monday 1 March 2027 by the weather calendar, or on Saturday 20 March 2027 at the spring equinox. Talk to the team about a broadcast PR campaign that gets your spokesperson on radio and TV.
