Palmers Bethlehem is the country's best garden centre after winning the title of Yates NZ Garden Retail Competition.

The annual awards, organised by the Nursery and Garden Association of New Zealand (NGIA), were announced at the industry body's conference in Auckland on Thursday night.

Palmers in Bethlehem.

Owners Peter and Helen Wayman bought the store five years ago and are over the moon with the win.

Peter says they are always striving to make every aspect of the store the best it can be for their customers, from their products and service to the store's welcoming environment and its proud standing in the community.

He says he is delighted the five years of hard work has been recognised.

'I am so proud of the efforts of all the team.”

'We've put in a huge amount of effort in making the layout of the centre inviting and friendly, and we've extended our range of products to provide customers lots of reasons to visit us.

'We're also very involved with our community. We're a key supporter of our local school Bethlehem Primary - we give talks to the children, we show them around the store, we sponsor their growing competitions, and we donate products for the school garden.”

Since purchasing the franchise, Peter and Helen have taken care to create a garden centre which appeals to everyone.