Garden centres and gardening companies were hit by the economic crisis last year, with turnover dropping 5% to almost €4bn, the sector organisation Tuinbranche Nederland said on Tuesday.

‘We have felt the impact of lower consumer confidence and the sharp drop in new housing developments,’ spokeswoman Brenda Horstra told news agency ANP.

Last year’s bad weather in April, traditionally the start of the gardening season, also hit sales, the organisation said.

Last week the cabinet announced that value-added tax (btw) on new gardens and maintenance will be cut from 21% to 6% for a full year in an effort to boost spending in the sector.