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September 2026 Special Feature Professional Groundscare
TGA warns the UK turf industry is at a defining moment The combination of increasingly frequent extreme weather, rising production costs and growing pressure on water resources is fundamentally changing the economics of turf production, the Turfgrass Growers Association has said. These are no longer short-term challenges that growers can simply absorb and recover from.
With 71.3% of England experiencing drought conditions in August 2026, following an exceptionally hot and dry summer and the driest July on record for England, turf growers are once again facing sharply higher irrigation costs, crop damage, increased waste and potentially lengthy recovery programmes.
The current drought is the third experienced in England in five years, following droughts in 2022 and 2025, underlining the increasing frequency of extreme conditions. Richard Owens, chair of the Turfgrass Growers Association, said: “With more than twothirds of England now officially in drought, the scale of the challenge facing turf growers has never been clearer. This is not an isolated problem affecting one part of the country or one difficult growing season. “The economics of turf production have changed, with growers facing substantially higher costs and greater production risk than in previous years. Individual businesses will need to assess those pressures within their own operations and make their own commercial decisions accordingly.”
“For landscapers and contractors, a healthy domestic turf-growing sector is essential. If growers are unable to maintain economically viable production, capacity will come under pressure and that could ultimately affect the availability of turf in the market.” Maintaining a resilient and economically viable sector is not simply about recovering the costs associated with one exceptionally hot, dry summer. Growers also need to invest in water storage, irrigation, machinery and crop management to build resilience against conditions that are becoming increasingly frequent.
landscaping and horticultural supply chain are facing their own cost pressures. That is why constructive conversations between individual growers and their suppliers and customers are so important. We need a supply chain that recognises the pressures facing all parts of the market and supports long-term resilience.
The TGA recognises that landscapers, contractors, sports facilities, housebuilders, local authorities and other customers are also facing their own cost pressures.
“The events of this year have highlighted how exposed turf production can be to prolonged extreme weather, but this is bigger than just 2026. The climate and cost environment in which we are growing turf has changed. If we want a resilient UK turf industry that can continue supplying landscapers, horticultural businesses and domestic customers with quality turf, the sector needs to remain economically viable and capable of investing for the future.”
Richard said: “We also recognise that businesses throughout the
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The Campaign to Protect Rural England Garden: On the Edge, designed by renowned landscape designer Sarah Eberle for the charity’s centenary year, has been carefully reimagined following its preview at RHS Chelsea 2026, where it won both a gold medal and Garden of the Year
A look at the latest from the urban environment Pages 10-14
Estate Management
Award-winning RHS show gardens begins new life A multi-award-winning RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden celebrating the importance of nature on the edge of our towns and cities has officially opened in its permanent home at Sheffield’s landmark Park Hill.
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Multi-tasking with the right set of solutions Page 21
and was visited by His Majesty King Charles III and stars including Dame Judi Dench and Dame Joanna Lumley. At the centre of the new garden stands the striking, giant Mother Nature guardian figure, created from fallen trees, Derbyshire stone, and willow. The garden, which is sponsored by the grant-giving charity Project Giving Back, highlights the importance of edgelands, the fragile spaces on the fringes of our towns and cities that connect people to nature in everyday life, yet are undervalued
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and under constant threat. It continues the legacy of Ethel Haythornthwaite, pioneer of the British countryside movement,
activist and poet and one of CPRE’s earliest campaigners, who was instrumental in creating the Sheffield Green Belt.
Picture credit: Joel Fildes
A round-up of the latest models on the market
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