There are few industries escaping the impact of the current epidemic and last week came the news that garden centres, nurseries and growers would also be inevitable casualties, with millions of summer bedding plants having to be thrown out.

At Allensmore, one of Herefordshire's biggest plant wholesalers, general manager Andrew Henry says "We pretty much make our money over a four month period of the year when people are gardening, and if we don't sell it, it goes in the bin."

He adds that the mix of perennials and bedding plants grown at Allensmore mean that, though it will be extremely challenging, some of the perennials will be potted on and saved for next year.

"A big percentage will survive, but if you were just a bedding plant grower, it would be absolutely devastating."

With their major customers, the garden centres, closed, they will have no option. At Allensmore, says Andrew, "It will be hard but we will make it, However, it will have an impact on the employment we offer locally. A significant number of staff have been furloughed as there is no work for them.

Annabel Pearson at Radway Bridge Garden Centre reports that they have made the decision to try and get plants out to people, even though "the government doesn't consider veg plants as essential", but they are limited to what they have grown themselves, and what they had in stock "before we were told to shut down."

They are also down to just four family members, But Annabel is optimistic that, in the long term, "it will be good for the horticulture industry, as there will be a few more horticulturalists about."

Tamsin Westhorpe at Stockton Bury Gardens, who is also chair of the Gardening Media Guild has one message "Don't stop buying plants. We need to keep these industries going - the benefits, personally and emotionally, are huge to us all.

"The nurseries and small garden centres run by families are able to set up deliveries and do mail order, which is not great but it's OK, but it's the big nurseries growing all our bedding - how do they distribute plants when garden centres are closed?"

Tamsin adds that gardening app Candide has opened  a ​free ​Marketplace​ ​enabling nurseries to sell directly to gardeners through the app, with all  profits going directly to the nursery.

While she and her publisher Orphans Publishing have created a free kids gardening download to keep children busy in the garden throughout April.