The IAWS Group has introduced an online service in partnership with several selected garden centres to provide more than 4,500 products for garden enthusiasts.

GardenIreland.com will process orders online and forward them to the designated garden centre for collection by customers. Each franchised garden centre will have its own speciality website.

Products on offer will include bulbs, fertilisers, shrubs and trees, gardening equipment, chemicals, lawn seed, composts and water features.

"GardenIreland.com is a natural progression as it complements our existing seed, horticultural fertilisers and chemical businesses," said Mr Gerry Griffith of IAWS. "The value of the gardening market is £100 million (€127 million) and it is growing at a rate of 5 per cent per annum."