A shortage of garden gnomes is thwarting the best green intentions of British gardeners after the blockage of the Suez Canal cut of supplies.
There has been a massive boom in demand for these popular little outdoor helpers during lockdown, but garden centres desperate to make more sales have been stymied by the ironically named Evergreen ship running aground in Egypt.
Garden Centre Association boss, Ian Wylie said: “Gardening has been very popular during lockdown. With goods arriving from abroad, garden centres were affected by the ship getting stuck. Garden furniture, ornaments and gnomes were stuck in containers.”
The Outdoor Furniture Association and major furniture retailers including Ikea have also reported supply chain issues due to a frustrating combination of exceptionally high demand coupled with shipping problems which are hitting many areas of the home and gift trade.
The popularity of gnomes, meanwhile, has been steadily rising over the past couple of years and sales are now almost 100 per cent higher than they were in 2019. Many suspect that a Mrs Janice Cowell of Darwen, Lancashire, has been hoarding supplies. If you see one in your local garden centre grab it quick as who knows when there’ll be any more!
